§20-14-3 Creation; appointment of board; terms. - West Virginia Statutes

§20-14-3. Creation; appointment of board; terms.

(a) There is hereby created the "Hatfield-McCoy regional recreation authority" which is a public corporation and a government instrumentality existing for the purpose of enabling and facilitating the development and operation of a system of trail-oriented recreation facilities for use by off-highway vehicle enthusiasts, equestrians, mountain bicyclists and others. This recreational trail system shall be located in southern West Virginia with significant portions of the recreational trail system being located on private property made available for use through lease, license, easement or other appropriate legal form by a willing landowner.

(b) The authority shall be governed by a board of at least seventeen members who shall be representative of the various interests involved in the Hatfield-McCoy recreation area project in the southern region of the state and who shall be appointed as follows:

(1) The county commission of each participating county, as defined in section two of this article, shall appoint two members of the board as follows:

(A) 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 Hatfield-McCoyrecreation area project. This member shall be appointed to a four-year term.

(B) One member who represents and is associated with travel and tourism or economic development efforts within the county. The initial appointment shall be for a two-year term, but all subsequent appointments shall be for a four-year term.

(2) The members of the board appointed under subdivision (1), subsection (b) of this section by the county commissions shall appoint three additional board members, at least two of whom represent and are associated with recreational users of the Hatfield-McCoy recreation area project. These members shall serve three-year terms.

(3) The following three persons shall serve as nonvoting members representing the state: The director of the division of travel and tourism, the director of the division of natural resources, and the director of the division of forestry, or their respective designees.

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 toreimbursement for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties.

(c) Before the authority issues any revenue bonds or revenue refunding bonds under the authority of this article, each appointed voting member of the board shall execute a surety bond in the penal sum of twenty-five thousand dollars and the officers and executive director of the board shall each execute a surety bond in the penal sum of fifty thousand dollars. Each surety bond shall be conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of the member, officer or director, shall be executed by a surety company authorized to transact business in this state as surety and shall be approved by the governor and filed in the office of the secretary of state. The authority shall pay premiums on the surety bonds from funds accruing to the authority.