§7-27-5.  Public hearing and notice requirements.

(a) General. –The county commission shall hold one or more public hearings at which interested persons may express their views on the county’s proposed road construction project plan.

(b) Notice of public hearing. – Notice of the public hearing or hearings shall be published as a Class II legal advertisement in accordance with the requirements of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code.  The published notice shall include, at a minimum:

(1) The date, time, place and purpose of the public hearing or hearings;

(2) A description of each road construction project included in the proposed road construction project plan in sufficient detail to give the public notice of the contents of the proposed road construction project plan to cause residents of the county and other interested persons to examine the proposed road construction project plan and attend the public hearing or submit written comments thereon;

(3) The places in the county where the proposed road construction project plan may be viewed: Provided, That the county commission shall include the proposed road construction project plan on its webpage; and

(4) Information regarding how the county commission anticipates funding the road construction projects contained in the road construction project plan, including, but not limited to, whether one or more projects in the proposed road construction project plan, will be financed, in whole or in part, by the imposition of a county transportation sales and use tax and the proposed rate of the taxes the county finds necessary to finance, in whole or in part, the proposed road construction project plan, and any proposed road construction special revenue bonds to be issued to finance the road construction project plan.

(c) Notice by mail. – On or before the first day of publication of the public notice required in subsection (b) of this section, the county commission shall send a copy of the notice by first-class mail to the Commissioner of Highways, the Executive Director of the West Virginia Economic Development Authority and the mayor of each municipality located within the county. When the county commission reasonably anticipates that a proposed road construction project may affect one or more bordering counties, it shall send a copy of the notice by first-class mail to the president of the county commission of the bordering county or counties.

(d) Public Hearing. – All persons who appear at any public hearing held pursuant to this section shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to express their views on all or any part of the proposed road construction project plan.  Each public hearing shall be recorded by a court reporter, or be digitally recorded.

(e) Written comments. – Written comments may be submitted to the county commission before, during, or within five business days after the last public hearing.  Timely mailing of the written comments to the county commission, at the mailing address of the courthouse, postage prepaid, shall be deemed timely submission of the written comments.