§20-17-4. Board; quorum; executive director; expenses; application of state Freedom of Information Act.

(a) The board is the governing body of an authority and the board shall exercise all the powers given the authority in this article. The county commission of each participating county shall appoint two members to the board, as follows:

(1) Each participating county shall appoint one member who represents and is associated with a corporation or individual landowner whose land is being used or is expected to be used in the future as part of the authority’s recreational area. This member shall be appointed to a four-year term.

(2) Each participating county shall appoint one member who is an experienced instructor, guide, or participant in recreational activities in the county or an individual who represents and is associated with travel, tourism, economic development, land surveying, or relevant engineering efforts within the county. The initial appointment for this member shall be for a two-year term, but all subsequent appointments shall be for a four-year term.

(3) Any appointed member whose term has expired shall serve until his or her successor has been duly appointed and qualified. Any person appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve only for the unexpired term. Any appointed member is eligible for reappointment. Members of the board are not entitled to compensation for services performed as members but are entitled to reimbursement for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties.

(b) Upon joining an existing authority as a participating county pursuant to §20-17-3 of this code, the newly participating county shall appoint board members only for the length of the unexpired terms of the authority’s board members serving at the time the county joins the authority. Thereafter, the county shall appoint board members according to the regular appointment procedure provided in subsection (a) of this section.

(c) The board shall meet quarterly, unless a special meeting is called by its chairman. During the first meeting of each fiscal year beginning in an odd-numbered year, or as soon as feasible thereafter, the board shall elect a chairman, secretary, and treasurer from among its own members to serve for two-year terms.

(d) A majority of the members of the board constitutes a quorum and a quorum shall be present for the board to conduct business.

(e) The board may prescribe, amend, and repeal bylaws and rules governing the use of the trail system, safety standards for participants, and the manner in which the business of the authority is conducted.

(f) The board shall review and approve an annual budget. The fiscal year for an authority begins on July 1 and ends on the 30th day of the following June.

(g) The board shall appoint an executive director to act as its chief executive officer, to serve at the will and pleasure of the board. The board, acting through its executive director, may employ any other personnel considered necessary and retain such temporary legal, engineering, financial, and other consultants or technicians as may be required for any special study or survey consistent with the provisions of this article. The executive director shall carry out plans to implement the provisions of this article and to exercise those powers enumerated in the bylaws. The executive director shall prepare an annual budget to be submitted to the board for its review and approval prior to the commencement of each fiscal year. The budget shall contain a detailed account of all planned and proposed revenue and expenditures for the authority for the upcoming fiscal year, including a detailed list of employees by title, salary, cost of projected benefits, and total compensation. Before August 15 of each year, the executive director shall provide to the board and the county commission for each participating county a detailed list of actual expenditures and revenue, by account and recipient name, for the previous fiscal year and a copy of the approved budget for the current fiscal year.

(h) All costs incidental to the administration of the authority, including office expenses, personal services expenses, and current expenses, shall be paid in accordance with guidelines issued by the board from funds accruing to the authority.

(i) All expenses incurred by an authority in carrying out the provisions of this article shall be payable solely from funds that have accrued to the authority pursuant to this article. An authority may not incur liability or an obligation above the amount of funds that have accrued to the authority pursuant to this article.

(j) A multicounty trail network authority and the board is a "public body" for purposes of the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, as provided in §29B-1-1 et seq. of this code.