Logan City Council considering how to align municipal elections with new state requirement

It's still a long road ahead before West Virginia municipalities are required to align their election schedules with state elections, but officials in Logan County are already debating how to comply.

Logan City Council members (from left to right) Donna Willis, Mayor Serafino Nolletti, Jay Mullins and Ken Lee were part of discussions on Tuesday, March 24, of how the city should proceed with aligning its elections with the State of West Virginia's elections during their budget meeting.

Robert Fields | WVOW News

CITY OF LOGAN During West Virginia’s 2025 Legislative Session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 50, requiring cities and towns to change their election dates to match statewide election dates. Elections in the state happen alongside federal elections on an even year cycle.

In the City of Logan, the debate continues. During the city’s budget meeting last week, city accountant Jeff Vallet recommended moving the election to the next cycle, which he said would save the city the money budgeted for an election.

Jeff Vallet serves as the accountant for the City of Logan, as well as the towns of Chapmanville and Man.

"The issue is I put $15,000 in our budget to pay for the election this year — I didn't forget — but, I think we have the option if there's a process to continue that and just have our term end with the next election cycle. That being said, that's money I can take out of the budget if that's what we decide to do and I'm going, 'why not,'" he said.

"Why spend fifteen grand? If we can extend it and let the state and the county pay for the election, why in the world do I want to spend a penny, and try to find poll workers, especially in both parties, which is... hard. And again, this is my suggestion. I ran that by and I'm trying to get input from Kendal [Partlow], because I know that and I'm the money guy. Why spend money that makes no sense?"

City Council members have yet to announce a decision in the matter.

The debate comes after Town of Chapmanville confirmed that its elected officials will give up 6 months of their time in office when the town moves ahead with rescheduling elections starting this year.

Mayor Joel McNeely signed an agreement with the Logan County Commission to move the town’s elections from a June odd year cycle to the November General Election. Town officials say the town’s ordinances will take two to three months to update. If the Town Council had decided to go the other way and push elections to the next cycle, it would have given them an additional 18 months in office.

Meanwhile in Man, no action has been taken towards rescheduling the elections there.

Municipalities have until 2032 to comply with the new law.

PHOTO | Robert Fields - WVOW News