WHEELING — Ohio County commissioners are set next week to discuss appointments to and removals from the Ohio County Development Authority board of directors. Yet, they say, there won’t be any major changes in membership.

“Mass changes aren’t going to occur,” said Commissioner Randy Wharton, who also serves as OCDA president. “My position is no, and I wouldn’t be in favor of that.

“I’m sure the other two commissioners aren’t in favor of that either.”

Commissioner Don Nickerson said some people will be removed from the board, which currently has 14 unpaid volunteer members. State statutes stipulate the board must have at least 12 members, and no more than 21 members, he said.

“We will have some people removed,” Nickerson added. “We will also see some appointments.”

He said commissioners will seek to appoint new members to replace former Commissioner Tim McCormick, who has resigned from the board, and Administrator Greg Stewart. The OCDA has hired Stewart to be the new manager of The Highlands development. He leaves his administrator job at the end of 2020 to begin the new position.

It is expected new Commissioner Zach Abraham will be appointed to the board, Nickerson said, and that at least one more appointment will be made to replace a board member not expected to return.

Commissioners are set to meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The public may participate by phone by calling 1-800-201-5203 and entering ID number 262285.

A special meeting of the OCDA board also has been set for earlier at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday for the purpose of further discussing Stewart’s contract and duties at The Highlands, as well as unfinished business. That meeting also will take place by phone.

Commission agendas now are being placed online before meetings at ohiocountywv.gov under the government and county commission tabs.

The commission agenda for Tuesday’s meeting lists among its items a discussion of “OCDA board membership removals and appointments.”

Wharton said he didn’t want to discuss any prospective action before Tuesday’s meeting.

“There will be people coming on, and there will be some adjustments made to the Ohio Development Authority,” he said.

While the item is on the agenda for Tuesday, commissioners may opt to delay discussion or take any action, Wharton said.

The move toward changes on the OCDA board comes after current board members expressed a need for more conformity to state rules pertaining to appointment of members, he explained.

Commissioners now will examine their policies for choosing board members, Wharton said, and consult with mayors in local communities for their input on choosing someone to represent their community on the board.

The commission also will take into account residency requirements, board member attendance and their time on the board when making re-appointments, he said.

“We haven’t done anything wrong, but I would like to get tighter with the rules and make sure everything is right and the way it is supposed to be,” Wharton said.

He promises anything he does will be “above board and in the public view.”

Nickerson acknowledged there will be some replacements made to the board.

“It gets complicated,” Nickerson said. “We are going to follow the statute and solicit names from villages and towns throughout the county. That is really what we are supposed to do.”

Abraham, who officially assumes office with the start of the new year on Friday, did not immediately return calls seeking comment Wednesday.

The last meetings of both the OCDA and the county commission took place on Dec. 15, and that is when Stewart was tapped to be manager at The Highlands. Both meetings proved difficult to hear to those listening in by phone.

Commissioners approved the appointment of three additional members to the OCDA board at that time, according to OCDA board member Andy McKenzie. Appointed were Josh Jefferson, executive director of the Regional Economic Development Partnership; Del. Errika Storch, R-Ohio, also president of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce; and Scott Reed, president of MVA Diagnostics.

Secondly, the commission moved to expand the OCDA numbers and create a separate executive board within the OCDA.

The executive board will consist of Wharton, who will continue to serve as president; and Nancy Weeks, the current vice-president.

Business owner John Olejasz now will serve as treasurer, while Jefferson is now OCDA secretary. Jim Murray, manager of the Wheeling Water Department, also is a member of the executive committee.

The board no longer wants to hold its meetings in the commission chamber, McKenzie said, but hopes to move them to The Highlands Events Center when open public meetings resume.

The executive board will meet monthly, while the full board will meet every other month.

“The OCDA wants to become more transparent than it has been in the past,” he said. “Anything the county commission can do to help us is great.”

McKenzie said the commissioners haven’t spoken to board members as to their intentions Tuesday night.

“I know the members are good, honest people who have served our community — some of them since the beginning of The Highlands,” he said. “They have always had the utmost in integrity, transparency and honesty, and I call each of them friend.”