MIDNIGHT HOUR FOR WIRT COUNTY - Voters To Decide Future

(11/01/2004)

By Bob Weaver Perhaps the most interesting election item in the region is a levy on the Wirt County ballot. The future of the existence of Wirt County rests on the passage of the levy. Voters are being ask to continue a levy to underwrite basic services provided by the county, in a county hard-hit by state legislation which has allowed its largest landowner to be taxed at a very low rate. The Managed Timberlands Bill, described by opponents as a corporate welfare bill, sucked much needed tax dollars from Wirt County, giving large timber corporations a tax break estimated at 66%. Wirt could become the "first domino to fall" among West Virginia's most rural counties, whose low population and stagnant tax base have put them in a financial crunch. Some Wirt residents believe consolidating with Wood County wouldn't be a bad move, notwithstanding increased taxes and distant services. Read CLOCK STRIKES AGAIN FOR WIRT COUNTY'S EXISTENCE - "Wirt Never Amounted To Much Anyway" (10/25/2004)

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