CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Legislation that would allow for the West Virginia Division of Highways to contract out snow removal in Monongalia and Preston counties has been approved to be considered by the full Senate.
The West Virginia State Senate Finance Committee approved that House Bill 2960 will be moved for full consideration on the Senate floor after a brief discussion during their regular session meeting on Monday. Monongalia County Delegate David McCormick testified in front of the committee to discuss the legislation that already received approval from the West Virginia House of Delegates after a floor amendment and one constitutional amendment.
“Two or three inches of snow shouldn’t shut a town down, and there’s problems with people getting to and from the hospitals, that’s an issue,” said McCormick as part of his testimony on Monday. “It all goes back to the manpower thing.”
In the testimony to the committee, Delegate McCormick described a situation in both Monongalia and Preston counties where any level of snow could essentially make traveling on secondary roads impossible. This included conversations with constituents from around the Morgantown area who feel that any more than two inches of snow on the ground makes driving dangerous, particularly for first responders and public employees who may have to drive on untreated roads in below-freezing temperatures. Added with the chance to help local road crews stay active during the winter months, the Monongalia County delegate requested the senators on the committee to consider the proposal a win-win.
“These contractors, that are already registered to business with the state by the way, they’re not doing a whole lot in January and February,” said McCormick. “So this helps those businesses as well.”
Monongalia County Senator and Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Oliverio spoke in favor of the bill after McCormick testified in front of the senators. The bill itself would allow for the Division of Highways to still be in dictation of funds that are already allocated to them to make private contracting hires, similar to the legislation passed in 2024 to allow for private contractors to be hired to conduct road maintenance repairs. With the framework for the bill already in place and the immediate local need, H.B. 2960 was an easy measure to support.
“I think encouraging our Division of Highways to look for private sector solutions to make our roads safer is important and really that’s what this bill does,” said Oliverio.
With H.B. 2960 officially passed the committee phase, the measure now has five days to pass in the Senate before the end of the legislative session. The measure will be considered along with legislation focused on vaccine exemptions and economic development, which are still under discussion at various levels of the legislative process. With the proverbial door closing on the bill, the hope for legislatures representing Monongalia County is that a bill can be placed on Governor Morrisey’s desk by the time the final gavel closes on Saturday.
“This is contained within their (DOH) budget,” said McCormick. “The lot is to their discretion and how they use it maintenance-wise, whether it’s patching potholes, or doing ditches, or cutting grass, whatever the case may be.”