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West Virginia Treasurer
Contents |
Current officeholder
The current officeholder is John Perdue. He was first elected in 1996.
Authority
The Treasurer's installation is established by Article VII of the West Virginia Constitution.
Article VII, Section 1:
| The executive department shall consist of a governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture and attorney general... |
Qualifications
Article IV, Section 4 of the West Virginia Constitution establishes the qualifications of office as such:
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No person, except citizens entitled to vote, shall be elected or appointed to any state, county or municipal office; but the governor and judges must have attained the age of thirty, and the attorney general and senators the age of twenty-five years, at the beginning of their respective terms of service; and must have been citizens of the state for five years next preceding their election or appointment, or be citizens at the time this constitution goes into operation. |
- a citizen entitled to vote
- a resident of West Virginia for at least the preceding 5 years
Elections
The Office of Treasurer is a publicly elected statewide position with elections held every four years. Elections are held in November and officers assume their duties the following January. There are no term limits for the office.
Vacancies
Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article VII, Section 17 of the state constitution.
If the office of treasurer becomes vacant, it is the duty of the governor to fill the position by appointment. The appointee serves until a new treasurer is elected.
Duties
As the chief financial officer, the duties of the treasurer center around cash management for the state government:
- receives and disburses state funds
- files and retains all paid checks and bonds issued by the state
- collects fees crime victim's compensation, law-enforcement training, regional jail authority, and litter control fund
- disburses coal, oil, gas, liquor, wine, and fire casualty insurance premium taxes to local government subdivisions
- issues quarterly and annual reports on debt
- provides safekeeping services
- handles additional banking and accounting functions as directed[1]
Divisions
The office of the treasurer is divided into specialized departments.
- The Administration Department maintains the financial records of the treasurer's office, and provides a full, online accounting of all state tax dollars.
- The Cash Management Department manages the state's banking system, receiving deposits and debits, and collects and disburses state and local government funds.
- The Debt Management Department is a central repository for information regarding all debts issued by the state and all agencies, boards, and commissions. The staff process debt payments and issue annual and semi-annual reports on both debt management and debt capacity.
- The e-Government Department maintains an electronic system for goods and services offered by the state government, ranging from tuition payments to hunting and fishing licenses.
- The Financial Education Department delivers programming to West Virginians to promote personal financial literacy and manages partnerships among citizens, private businesses, and other local government entities to ensure continued access to these programs.
- The Internal Audit Department provides assistance to the treasury's audit committee through data analysis, appraisals, counsel, information, and recommendations to promote the internal controls that govern the functions of the office.
- The Unclaimed Property Department works to return and recover unclaimed property to its rightful owner.
Compensation
Article 7, Section 19 of the state constitution defines the method by which the treasurer's compensation is set:
| The officers named in this article shall receive for their services a salary to be established by law, which shall not be increased or diminished during their official terms, and they shall not, after they shall not, after the expirations of the terms of those in office at the adoption of this amendment, receive to their own use any fees, costs, perquisites of office or other compensation, and all fees that may hereafter be payable by law, for any service performed by any officer provided for in this article of the Constitution, shall be paid in advance into the state treasury. |
Chapter 6, Article 7-2 of the West Virginia Code lays out the exact compensation for certain state officers. According to this section of the state code, the salary of the treasurer, beginning in 2009 and for each calendar year thereafter, shall be $95,000.[2] In 2010, the West Virginia Treasurer was paid an estimated $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[3]
Former officeholders
- Summary of past officeholders. Since 1863, West Virginia has had 23 treasurers. Larrie Bailey served twice, non-consecutively.[1]
Click "show" for former officeholders.
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Campbell Tarr | 1863 | 1866 | Republican |
| 2 | Jacob H. Brister | 1866 | 1868 | Republican |
| 3 | James A. MaCauley | 1868 | 1870 | Republican |
| 4 | John S. Burdette | 1870 | 1876 | Democrat |
| 5 | Sobieski Brady | 1876 | 1876 | Democrat |
| 6 | Thomas J. West | 1876 | 1880 | Democrat |
| 7 | Thomas O'Brien | 1880 | 1884 | |
| 8 | William T. Thompson | 1884 | 1892 | Democrat |
| 9 | John M. Rowan | 1892 | 1896 | Democrat |
| 10 | M. A. Kendall | 1896 | 1900 | Republican |
| 11 | Peter Silman | 1900 | 1904 | Republican |
| 12 | Newton Ogden | 1904 | 1908 | Republican |
| 13 | E. Leslie Long | 1908 | 1916 | Republican |
| 14 | W.S. Johnson | 1916 | 1932 | Republican |
| 15 | Richard E. Talbott | 1932 | 1950 | Democrat |
| 16 | William H. Ansel, Jr. | 1950 | 1956 | Democrat |
| 17 | Orel J. Skeen | 1956 | 1960 | Democrat |
| 18 | John H. Kelly | 1960 | 1975 | Democrat |
| 19 | Ronald G. Pearson | 1975 | 1976 | Republican |
| 20 | Larrie Bailey | 1976 | 1984 | Democrat |
| 21 | A. James Machin | 1984 | 1989 | Democrat |
| 22 | Thomas E. Loehr | 1989 | 1990 | Democrat |
| 23 | Larrie Bailey | 1990 | 1996 | Democrat |
| 24 | John D. Perdue | 1996 | present | Democrat |
Contact information
West Virginia State Treasurer's Office
1900 Kanawha Boulevard
Capitol Complex Building #1, Room E-145
Charleston, WV 25305
Phone: 304-558-5000
Toll free: 1-800-422-7498
TTY: 304-340-1598
Contact information for individual departments
See also
External links
References
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