Email: Chapter 24E
§24E-1-1. Legislative findings; purpose.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares:
(1) That large areas of the state remain without city-type addressing, despite the best efforts of local officials;
(2) That city-type addressing is essential to the prompt and accurate dispatch of emergency service providers;
(3) That citizens of rural areas of the state that are not city-type addressed should enjoy the same security, safety and peace of mind as citizens in those areas that have been city-type addressed;
(4) That a statewide system for city-type addressing would provide citizens of rural areas throughout the state with security, safety and peace of mind;
(5) That, despite progress in certain areas, a statewide addressing system cannot be achieved without action by the Legislature;
(6) That certain counties and municipalities in the state have, nonetheless, made progress in achieving city-type addressing in their respective jurisdictions and their accomplishments ought to be respected;
(7) That a statewide mapping system, utilizing digital mapping systems, geographic information systems, global positioning systems or other appropriate systems, would further aid the dispatch of emergency service providers, thereby further increasing the security, safety and peace of mind of the citizens of the state;
(8) That a temporary board, consisting of qualified persons representing the disciplines most affected by an integrated statewide addressing and mapping system, is the best means to achieve a system; and
(9) That certain entities have shown interest in providing for a source of funding for accomplishing a system and should be encouraged to do so.
(b) It is, therefore, the purpose of this article to achieve a statewide addressing and mapping system that will be as uniform as possible while respecting the past accomplishments of local officials, that will be achieved quickly and cost effectively, that will be accomplished at a minimal cost, if any, to the taxpayer and that will use sound and recognized methods and standards.
§24E-1-2. Definitions.
(a) "Board" means the West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping board.
(b) "Emergency service provider" means any emergency services organization or public safety unit.
(c) "Fund" means the West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping fund.
(d) "Local exchange telephone company" means any public utility that is engaged in the provision of local exchange telephone service in this state and that operates and maintains an automatic location identification database of addresses of subscribers for use with enhanced emergency telephone systems.
(e) "Public agency" means any municipality, county, public district or public authority that provides or has the authority to provide firefighting, police, ambulance, medical rescue or other emergency services.
§24E-1-3. West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping board; term of office; compensation and expenses of boardmembers; transfer of data; legal counsel.
(a) The West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping board is hereby continued.
(b) Commencing on July 1, 2007, the board is to be composed of eleven members appointed by the Governor as follows:
(1) The Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety or his or her designee, shall serve as chairperson of the board;
(2) A Commissioner of the Public Service Commission or his or her designee;
(3) An official or employee of the state Geological and Economic Survey, qualified in the field of geographic information systems;
(4) An official or employee of the Division of Highways;
(5) A county commissioner;
(6) A county assessor;
(7) A mayor of a municipality or a municipal official;
(8) A director of an enhanced emergency telephone system from a county with a population of thirty thousand or less as shown by the last federal census;
(9) A director of an enhanced emergency telephone system from a county with a population of greater than thirty thousand as shown by the last federal census;
(10) A representative of a local exchange telephone company; and
(11) A member of the public at-large that may be affiliated with any of the above entities.
(c) In making appointments to the board, the Governor shall, to the extent possible, ensure representation on the board, by one or more members, of any entity providing twenty-five percent or more of funding to the statewide addressing and mapping fund created and continued under the provisions of this article.
(d) Any member serving on the board on January 1, 2007, shall continue to serve until July 1, 2010, or until replaced by the Governor.
(e) Members of the board are entitled to the same expense reimbursement paid to members of the Legislature for their interim duties as recommended by the citizens legislative compensation commission and authorized by law for each day or substantial portion thereof engaged in the performance of official duties. Their expense reimbursement is to be paid from the West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping fund.
(f) On or before July 1, 2007, the board, or a subcommittee of the board, will commence meetings to develop a plan to transfer a backup copy of the aerial map database, and to periodically transfer updated entries to the database to the Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute, it shall make all nonsensitive data available to state agencies on request.
(g) On or before December 1, 2007, and each year thereafter until its final termination and transfer to the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the board shall report to the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management as to its transfer of data to the Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute.
(h) Commencing on July 1, 2007, the board will utilize legal counsel approved by the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety and the board shall pay any costs associated with legal counsel.
§24E-1-4. Powers and duties of the West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping board.
The board may exercise all powers necessary or appropriate to effectuate the purposes of this article, including, without limitation, the powers:
(1) To adopt statewide addressing and mapping standards and requirements in accordance with sections six and seven of this article;
(2) To enter into any agreements or other transactions in order to accomplish the addressing and mapping, in order to secure funding for the statewide addressing and mapping fund created by section five of this article or otherwise in order to accomplish the purposes of the article;
(3) To manage and use the West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping fund created by section five of this article in order to pay for the costs of statewide addressing and mapping;
(4) To accept any private, federal or other funding that may be available to effectuate the purposes of this article and to deposit any funding in the West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping fund created by section five of this article; and
(5) To do all other acts necessary and proper to carry out its powers and the purposes of this article.
§24E-1-5. West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping fund.
(a) There is hereby created a special fund that is designated as the "West Virginia Statewide Addressing and Mapping Fund." The fund shall be treated by the Auditor and treasurer as a special revenue fund and not as part of the general revenue of the state: Provided, That nothing in this article can be construed to require any appropriation by the Legislature to the fund.
(b) The board shall hold the proceeds of the fund in trust and shall manage the proceeds of the fund solely to accomplish the purposes of this article.
(c) Disbursements from the fund may be made only upon the written requisition of the chairman accompanied by a certified resolution of the board and may be made solely to accomplish the purposes of this article.
(d) Any amount remaining in the fund upon the termination of the board is to be transferred to county commissions of the state and may be used by them solely for the purposes of maintaining and updating the statewide addressing and mapping to be accomplished by this article. No later than January 1, 2005, the board shall propose rules for governing the distribution of any amount among the various county commissions for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code. The rules may not be filed as emergency rules.
§24E-1-6. Legislative and emergency rules governing addressing and mapping standards.
(a) The board is hereby authorized to propose rules governing statewide addressing and mapping standards for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code. Emergency rules are specifically authorized for this purpose.
(b) Any rules proposed by the board must exempt from the statewide addressing and mapping standards any county or municipality that has completed city-type addressing under the authority granted in section three, article one, chapter seven of this code or otherwise.
(c) In proposing any rules, the board shall consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) The system and costs of administering a city-type addressing system;
(2) The system and costs of separately naming or renaming roads and streets;
(3) The desirability of standard road and street suffixes;
(4) The desirability of standards for driveways and private roads;
(5) The desirability of standard address numbering increments;
(6) The system and costs of assigning address numbers;
(7) The system and costs for road naming and numbering for neighboring localities;
(8) The desirability of standards using digital mapping, geographic information systems and global positioning systems;
(9) The desirability of standards applicable to road signs;
(10) The desirability for requirements for displaying address numbers; and
(11) The desirability of the adoption of national emergency number association standards.
§24E-1-7. Request for proposals; title to works; disbursements to vendors and public agencies; legislative and emergency rules.
(a) The board shall, no later than January 1, 2003, issue a request or requests for proposals for statewide addressing and mapping. The request for proposal must include requirements that each map, compilation or other work created as a result of the statewide addressing and mapping intended to be accomplished by this article must be a "work made for hire" within the meaning of the copyright laws of the United States, 17 U.S.C. §101, et seq., and that all right, title and interest to each map, compilation or other work must vest in the board. The request or requests for proposal may include any standards or requirements the board finds necessary or proper, including, without limitation, compliance with any applicable emergency or legislative rules. The board shall select a qualified vendor or vendors in accordance with the applicable provisions of article three, chapter five-a of this code. Disbursements from the West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping fund established by section five of this article are specifically authorized in order to pay the selected vendor or vendors.
(b) The board may also consider applications of public agencies, including, without limitation, county commissions and municipalities, to participate in the statewide addressing and mapping to be accomplished by this article. Disbursements from the West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping fund are specifically authorized in order to reimburse such public agencies, in whole or in part, for the costs incurred by them in participating in the addressing and mapping to be accomplished by this article in the amount, if any, determined by the board.
(c) No later than January 1, 2003, the board shall propose legislative rules to accomplish the purposes of this section in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code. The rules may require public agencies that apply for reimbursement under this section, but that are exempt from statewide standards under section six of this article, to comply with acceptable standards to be specified in those rules as a condition of receiving reimbursement. The standards, however, are not necessarily required to be the statewide standards to be proposed by the board in legislative rules under said section. Emergency rules are specifically authorized for the purposes of this section.
§24E-1-8. Liability limitation.
No person is liable for damages for injury, death or loss to persons or property arising from any act or omission, except willful or wanton misconduct, in connection with developing or implementing the statewide addressing and mapping to be accomplished by this article or in connection with providing information or assistance related to the addressing and mapping or as a result of providing funding to the statewide addressing and mapping fund created by section five of this article.
§24E-1-9. Standard fees for maps, compilations or other works.
(a) The board is hereby authorized to propose rules for legislative approval, in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, to establish standard fees for copies or use of any maps, compilations or other works that may be created as a result of the statewide addressing and mapping intended to be accomplished by this article. Those rules must exempt from the payment of fees, however, any entity providing twenty-five percent or more of the funding to the statewide addressing and mapping fund created by section five of this article. Those rules also must exempt from the payment of the fees county commissions obtaining the maps, compilations or other works for use in its enhanced emergency telephone system established under article six, chapter twenty-four of this code. The board may propose other exemptions in such rules. The otherwise payable standard fees must be reasonable and must, to the extent possible, be based on cost. Until the termination of the board in accordance with section eleven of this article, any fees are to be payable to the board and the board shall deposit those fees in the West Virginia statewide addressing and mapping fund created by section five of this article. Emergency rules are specifically authorized for the purposes of this section.
(b) Prior to the distribution or use of any maps, compilations or other works created as a result of the statewide addressing and mapping intended to be accomplished by this article, the board shall propose rules for legislative approval, in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, establishing the conditions and requirements governing the distribution of those works, including provisions ensuring the effective distribution of those works to persons with a legitimate need to know, but respecting, where possible, any reasonable expectations of privacy of the information contained in those works, such as the names, addresses and locations of the citizens of the state. The rules proposed for this purpose must be consistent with the West Virginia freedom of information act, article one, chapter twenty-nine-b of this code. Emergency rules are specifically authorized for this purpose.
§24E-1-10. Use of facilities of Public Service Commission.
The board may, with the permission of, and under the supervision of, the Public Service Commission, use the facilities, staff or other resources of the Public Service Commission in connection with accomplishing the purposes of this article.
§24E-1-11. Termination of board; transfer of duties and title; legislative and emergency rules; advisory board.
(a) The board shall terminate on July 1, 2009, after which it shall have one year to wind up its affairs pursuant to the provisions of article ten, chapter four of this code. Upon final termination, the board shall transfer all its right, title and interest to any maps, compilations or other works that it created as a result of the statewide addressing and mapping to the respective county commissions.
(b) Upon final termination of the board, county commissions shall maintain and update the addressing and mapping systems within their respective jurisdictions under the standards established by the board, as updated thereafter by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management of the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety under this section, and shall supply the updated information to the division in the format it establishes through its rule-making authority.
(c) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, upon final termination of the board, the powers and duties of the board shall be transferred to the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
(d) Prior to the final termination of the board, the division may propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code which shall become effective only upon the final termination of the board. The rules shall:
(1) Maintain and update the standards for statewide addressing and mapping;
(2) Establish standard reasonable fees, based on cost, to be charged by county commissions for copies or use of any maps, compilations or other works created as a result of the statewide addressing and mapping, subject to the exemptions provided under section nine of this article;
(3) Govern centralization and interoperability of the county systems within the integrated statewide addressing and mapping system; and
(4) Ensure the public safety in any manner the division considers advisable.
(e) Upon final termination of the board, the division may propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code for the purposes set forth in this article.
(f) Upon final termination of the board, the division may promulgate emergency rules pursuant to the provisions of section fifteen, article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code.
(g) Rules in effect as of the reenactment of this article during the 2007 regular session will remain in effect until amended, modified, repealed or replaced pursuant to this article.
(h) Effective July 1, 2010, the statewide addressing and mapping board shall become an advisory board within the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and will continue to be composed as set forth in this article and the members will serve at the will and pleasure of the Governor.
§24E-1-12. Liberal construction.
This article is remedial and is to be construed liberally in order to effectuate its purposes.