BECKLEY, W.Va. — Obviously, the mood was somber at the Nicholas County Courthouse on Wednesday following the announcement that two dozen employees will lose their jobs April 1 and those staying on must take a 20 percent pay cut.
At the county clerk’s office, where two positions are slated for elimination, nervous laughter could be heard. One clerk described the situation as stressful and tense.
“We as commissioners are charged with keeping all mandated offices operational and therefore we must make cuts and reductions of personnel in each office,” the letter concludes.
Five departments will lose 24 full-time employees. The Nicholas County Sheriff’s Office will be hardest-hit, with one-third of the county’s deputies scheduled to lose their jobs, reducing by eight the number of officers on the 26-member force…
