By Damian Phillips, The Exponent Telegram
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WV News) — Funds nearly equivalent to what was allocated 15 years ago will no longer cut it.
Securing funding for greater salaries, an expansion of the department’s laboratory and to bolster the West Virginia Grown program is a priority for West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt during the current West Virginia Legislature session.
“When (chemists and microbiologists) come out of college, sometimes it’s hard for them to get a job, so we’ll have them for a few years. But we can’t retain them,” Leonhardt said.
Salary enhancements were approved for WVDA employees while Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., served as governor.
These funds weren’t enough to create meaningful increases that could compete with other states or the private sector. And these funds were not allocated to the department and instead came out of their operating budget, said WVDA General Counsel Lora Walker.
