HUNTINGTON – The Cabell County Commission voted on Tuesday in a 2-1 vote to appeal the county’s budget.
The commission appealed a decision by Circuit Judge Paul Ferrell that the Cabell Prosecutor’s Office was not properly funded in the 2016-17 budget submitted this past March.
The commissioners had previously approved a 10 percent cut across the board, stating a drop in revenue, increased jail bill and health insurance costs were why the cuts were necessary.
In June, five elected officials sued the commission, alleging the cuts would prohibit them from fully performing their duties. Ferrell ruled that only the prosecutor’s office was underfunded.
The entire budget will have to be appealed, not just the prosecutor's budget.
Karen S. Cole, the Cabell County clerk; Sean “Corky” Hammers, the prosecuting attorney for Cabell County; Jeffrey E. Hood, the Cabell Circuit clerk; Irv Johnson, the Cabell County assessor; and T.W. McComas, the Cabell County sheriff filed the Petition for Writ of Prohibition and Application for Enforcement of Existing Permanent Injunction on June 1 in Cabell Circuit Court.
As a result of the cuts, the clerk's office would have lost three full-time and one part-time employee; the prosecuting attorney's office would have lost two professional personnel, would not have adequate funds for training and supplies and would no longer be able to extradite defendants who had fled the jurisdiction; the circuit clerk's office would lose necessary personnel; and the assessor's office would be unable to timely and accurately complete required assessments and the county valuation and certification, according to the suit.
Cabell Circuit Court case number: 16-C-374