LEGISLATURE LOOKING AT NON-PROFIT OUTFITS - Salaries Will Be Studied?

(06/15/2004)

A joint legislative subcommittee meeting has begun to examine how many nonprofit organizations are in West Virginia, what criteria they must follow and how much state funding they receive. Senator Ed Bowman, a Hancock County Democrat, says a recent investigation into the Wyoming County Council on Aging has opened up questions about nonprofits. Bowman was a leader investigating that center's director Bob Graham, who was receiving over $450,000 in salary, all government money. His base salary has since been reduced to $99,000. While investigating the senior citizen's center, a reporter disclosed Bowman is on the board of a northern panhandle mental health agency, also a private non-profit, whose director earns about $500,000. Several of the center's board members have indicated the administrator was worth his wages, most of which is paid with public funds. The subcommittee on government organizations will look at the categories of nonprofits in West Virginia, such as churches and hospitals, as well as the qualifications and guidelines for nonprofits, what tax benefits they receive and how they compare with private corporations. Meanwhile, the State Department of Education is about to raise RESA officials to $100,000.

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