| Wirt County residents will be voting Saturday for a levy that supplements county government.
OES Director Bo Wriston gives his responses to questions regarding why voters should support the levy:
Over the past few months, I have heard many questions, many rumors, many arguments as to why we should and why we should not pass the Wirt County Operational Levy this coming Saturday. Here are some of those questions and arguments about the levy, and my response to them.
While lengthy, I hope this gives everyone a better understanding and larger picture perhaps of the history of the levy, and how it might impact Wirt County both today and in the future.
I welcome comments/dialog/feedback/debate and hope that EVERYONE who can, votes your conscience on Saturday.
QUESTION: We didn't have the levy 20 years ago⦠why do we need it now?
20 years ago we did not have an operational levy. As with most things, 20 years is a long time, and the fiscal and operational mandates placed on our county by the Federal and State government over that period continue to grow, expenses continue to rise, and revenue from local property taxes (i.e. the source of the majority of local government funding) continues to be the lowest in the state.
Some of the biggest issues that face State governments today are the perpetuation of unfunded mandates from the Federal government. However, the State is not shy itself to put unfunded mandates on local jurisdictions either, and rural counties especially in WV now face tremendous fiscal challenges. One of the biggest, is the Regional Jail system.
20 years ago, each county maintained its own local jail/prison. If we arrested someone here in Wirt, they were held in jail here in Wirt till they could be arraigned. Later, as things began to change statewide, Wirt County became a regional facility for female inmates. Other counties were paying us to house female inmates, and our local jail was bringing in revenue! This all changed with the implementation of the Regional Jail system.
Once this system was in place, and we quit housing ANY prisoners in our local jail (by state law requirement), our county began losing approximately $100,000 in revenue per year. Additionally, now when our local law enforcement arrests anyone, we have to PAY to house prisoners at the Regional Jail in Doddridge County. This has many ramifications, not the least being that on each and every dispatch call, our law enforcement officers are placed in a critical decision of having to weigh the actual costs to the taxpayers when deciding whether to arrest someone or not.
Scenario: Someone gets REALLY drunk and starts a bar fight on a Friday evening. Where before a prisoner could be held at the Wirt County Jail at a minimum cost to the county, now upon arrest our law enforcement must transport the prisoner to the Regional Jail in Doddridge County. Let alone the cost of gas and vehicle wear and tear, our law enforcement officer is now out of county for approximately 5 hours (drive up, check prisoner in, drive back).
This leaves the citizens of the county vulnerable with reduced police coverage. Now we have to pay for the prisoner to be housed at the Regional Jail overnight Friday, possibly Saturday and Sunday as well, until Magistrate Court can be held back in Wirt County. Now we have to transport the prisoner BACK to Wirt for Magistrate Court. Already⦠for one drunken brawl⦠the taxpayers are on the hook for literally THOUSANDS of dollars.
So does law enforcement "get tough" and arrest everyone they should and BANKRUPT the county, or do they have to balance public safety vs. fiscal responsibility? Point blank, that can be a difficult line to distinguish. And it is one that our Wirt County law enforcement officers have to face every day.
Where we were bringing in revenue from our jail facility, now we have to PAY the Regional Jail system. Another unfunded mandate by the State Government, a "consolidation saves money" plan that we are BY LAW required to participate in, and have NO CONTROL LOCALLY to change. We can complain that it is an unfair burden on our county, and it is, but it is what it is. It is state law. It isn't changing anytime soon.
So to answer the question above, "we always did ok before, so why the need for the operational levy now?" Times have changed. After the Regional Jail concept was fully implemented, there was simply no other option.
If we wanted to stay above ground financially as a governmental agency, as a county, funds had to be raised from somewhere, and the operational levy was the answer. Providing for this financial shortfall was why the levy was originally proposed, and ratified by the citizens back in 2002.
QUESTION: I do not think we should have to pay for inmates! They should pay for themselves!
The regional jail system has been a financial sucking chest wound to ALL the counties in WV that do not have the jails in them. The regional jail system is atrocious... yet it is state law.
Wirt County is mandated by the state to participate. We have a perfectly good jail that used to bring in approx. $100K per year to our operational budget... After the regional jail system went into effect, we lost all that revenue PLUS now have to pay approx. $40K to $70K per year... that is a budget DEFICIT of $140K to $170K per year effectively.
The thing to remember is that we (Wirt County) have absolutely NO CONTROL over the regional jail system. It is state law. Yes, it is pathetic and I wish things were different as well, however as the old saying goes, you can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which fills up first.
Getting mad at Wirt County government for the regional jail mess is like getting mad at Wirt County government because Congress spends $1 Million on some study on the how rattlesnakes interact with squirrels (hint: they like to eat them if they get the chance!). It is Misplaced anger.
question: Well how else can we eliminate costs? Our commissioners get paid over $19,000 a year. Why are they paid so much? They only work 2 days a month.
The amount the commissioners are paid is set by state code. We are the smallest county in the state in terms of budget, and are classified as a "Class 10" county. (Note: We are the ONLY county in the state that is at Class 10.)
All county commissioners around the state are paid according to their counties classification level, and salaries are set by the state.
Therefore, being the smallest county and at the smallest classification level, all our elected officials are paid less, by state statute, than their counterparts in the other counties. And the amount they are paid is set by the state, not locally.
As far as the hours commissioners put into their scheduled meetings, that's only a small fraction of the time they put into the job. There are a wide variety of obligations (outside of the regularly scheduled public commission meetings) that they divide up between the three of them.
On any given day and evening, there are usually 2-3 meetings or events, locally, regionally, or statewide, that each commissioner attends/participates in for different boards/organizations/events. There are months of the year in which they meet not twice, but 6-10 times due to budget meetings, board of equalization meetings, etc.
In addition, any citizen has the right to ask for a one-on-one meeting with a commissioner if there's something they wish to discuss or questions about what the commission is doing/not doing within the county.
In regards to regular commission meetings, county commissions are required by Section 9, Article 9 of the West Virginia Constitution to hold four regular sessions (meetings) each year. These meetings must be held at the courthouse.
By state law, that is it. Our commission holds 2 meetings per month, for a total of 24 open public meetings per year. Far and above the minimum of 4 that is mandated by state law.
By all accounts, our commissioners make themselves readily accessible to the citizens of Wirt County and spend countless hours per month working for the citizens of our county.
QUESTION: Then why not cut spending by eliminating employees? There are plenty of people who do nothing in the courthouse.
Each position in the courthouse is either mandated by the State in order to operate local government (i.e. assessor, county clerk, magistrates, commissioners, prosecuting attorney, etc.), or are administrative assistants to assist those elected officials conduct official business.
Many positions, such as court clerk positions, are mandated and actually funded by the WV State Supreme Court. In other words, these positions cost Wirt County taxpayers $0.00.
Wirt County employees are paid less, often MUCH less, than their counterparts in other WV counties (based again upon our status as a "Class 10" county).
Wirt County also operates on "skeleton crew" staffing levels. There is no fluff in the system. Wirt County employees are not offered healthcare or retirement plans, and must provide for these programs out of pocket, if at all.
(Example: Wood County OES Director makes over $60,000 per year as opposed to Wirt County OES Director at $20,000 per year. Wood County OES has a full-time paid secretary ($30K) and full-time paid Assistant Director ($40K). Wirt County has no OES secretary and has an entirely volunteer part time Assistant Director.
In salary alone, Wood County OES outspends Wirt County $130,000 to $20,000. {And this does not take into account long-term financial liability that Wood County undertakes with employee health benefits, retirement plans and pensions, etc.}
Overall, Wirt County spends less on its employees than any other county in the state. Wirt County has a grand total of 10 full-time employees and 2 part-time employees on its payroll, which equates, taking part-time employees into the equation, 1 employee for every 475 citizens. By comparison, Wood County has 204 employees. Quite a difference indeed.
QUESTION: If Wirt County is in such dire financial straights, then why does the Sheriff have a new vehicle and two military humvees?
The newest SUV vehicle that was purchased by the Sheriff's Office, as with the other most recently purchased vehicle (a truck), were both paid for by grant monies. No county funds were used to acquire these vehicles. The two military humvees the Sheriff's Office recently received were DONATED to Wirt County by the Wood County Sheriff's Office, and are a part of a special military equipment reutilization program used to benefit local law enforcement agencies. They did not cost the county a dime.
And work to get them fully operational is being donated as well. These will not only be used for drug interdiction events when off-road capabilities are needed, but can be used by emergency services (Fire, Police, EMS, OES) when they need off-road or otherwise 4-wheel drive capabilities during major snow storms, flooding events, etc. Once done, the humvees will be an asset to our community at almost zero cost. Win-win.
The Sheriff's Office has a total of 4 regular vehicles for day-to-day operational use by the Sheriff and two Deputies; 2 SUV's, 1 truck, and 1 unmarked cruiser. The cruiser serves as both a back-up vehicle when one of the other vehicles requires maintenance, and as a county vehicle when county officials need to travel out of county on official county business, or as needed for in-county business.
QUESTION: Why are there new sidewalks and lights at the courthouse? Were these paid for with taxpayer money?
All sidewalk and lighting around the courthouse was paid for via grant funding as well. No operational budget funding was used. Some monies raised via the operational levy do go for general maintenance, upkeep, janitorial services, equipment upgrades, etc. for the courthouse. But the "high-ticket" items and improvements we can all see and take pride in as Wirt Countians around the courthouse were and are funded by grant monies.
QUESTION: I am told that if the levy passes, that business taxes will DOUBLE in Wirt County.
Well⦠yes. But seeing as businesses currently pay ZERO local business taxes in Wirt County, zero times two = zero!
First, the operational levy has nothing to do with the school levy, property taxes, or any other taxes at all either local, state, or federal. The operational levy deals strictly with funding of the county government, and is tied directly to homeowner assessed property values. Only property owners pay into the operational levy. Rental owners may pass this cost onto renters, but renters themselves do not pay directly into the levy funding.
Second, while businesses may pay both state and federal business taxes, there is no ordinance for businesses to pay ANY taxes to the local government of Wirt County.
The operational levy will have NO impact on business taxes, negative or positive.
QUESTION: I am told that if the levy passes, my property taxes will go up.
Negative. Your property taxes will NOT go up⦠in fact, the levy amount property owners currently pay will be REDUCED by 10%.
The operational levy has been in effect since 2002. That means property owners have been paying this levy since 2002. If you own property worth $25K, you currently pay $35.75 in local taxes per year that goes directly for the operational levy. For a $50K property, the amount is $71.50. For a $100K property, you currently pay $143.00 per year. If the levy is passed, you will pay $32.15 for a $25K property, $64.30 for a $50K property, and $128.60 for a $100K property respectively. Again, a roughly 10% reduction over what you are currently paying.
The operational levy is NOT a new tax, nor will passing it raise your existing local property taxes.
QUESTION: But if the levy doesn't pass, then I will pay LESS in taxes.
True. If the levy fails, the amount you currently pay towards the levy will be eliminated entirely. The negative consequences of that however is that the revenue currently generated by the levy (approximately $225K per year) will be stripped from the county budget and will need to be replaced if Wirt County is to remain solvent and meet it's financial obligations to the state and federal governments. This means that overall property taxes may need to be raised, and other additional local taxes or fees may need to be levied. If Wirt County cannot raise the amount currently raised by the operational levy via other means, there is every possibility that the county will go bankrupt, and be subject to state take-over and/or consolidation with other counties.
QUESTION: The talk of consolidation is nothing but a SCARE TACTIC! Wirt County will NEVER be consolidated into other counties.
Let's hope that is correct! However, if we cannot meet our financial obligations (even after "tightening our belts", laying off/firing workers, eliminating funding to outside organizations such as the Elizabeth/Wirt Volunteer Fire Department, Wirt County Development Authority, etc., and cutting basic services to citizens), then the state WILL assume control of our county. Which leads us to the history and mindset of those in Charleston towards consolidation.
In lines with the massive push for school consolidations we have seen within the past decade in West Virginia, there has been a push at the state level to consolidate counties feeling that 55 counties is way too many and that government could be "streamlined" by consolidation.
Additionally, the concept of "metro government" is being pushed hard at the state level for areas like Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, and for surrounding governmental bodies (i.e. Dunbar, Cross Lanes, South Charleston, etc. merging to form a "Charleston Metro" government).
This is a concept being pushed not only in our state, but also across the nation and is popular amongst the bean counters and accountants who see consolidation as a financial boon. The biggest proponent of this in the State Legislature is Senator Brooks McCabe of Kanawha County who sits on the Government Operations and Government Organization committees.
Before the 2010 Census, a law was quietly passed by the State Legislature that any county with a population under 5,000 would by law required to give up its county status, and be consolidated. Understanding that Wirt County has only 5,700 residents, it is easy to read between the lines and see that the passed bill was SPECIFICALLY geared first and foremost against Wirt County.
So when it comes to the possibility of consolidation, the Commission and those who are proponents of the levy are stating what is blatantly true. Because they are better informed and understand the political underplaying at the state level, they see the writing on the wall.
There is a concentrated push at the state level for consolidation, and Wirt County is the perfect "low hanging fruit" on which to implement this policy.
QUESTION: And if we do NOT pass the operational levy, it provides the state just that much more ammunition in their effort to eliminate the county. This is not a threat; it is a cold-hard political reality.
While no one can say for certain that if the levy fails we WILL with 100% certainty end up losing our identity and be consolidated to another county/counties, it increases the odds of that happening exponentially. Is that a risk we wish to take?
QUESTION: Instead of the levy, why doesn't the county commission go after revenues from the timber industry? They own over ½ of Wirt County yet pay jack! Make them pay so the citizens do not have to.
The managed timberland tax bill was enacted by the legislature, not the local government. The commissioners have been fighting for a change in that statute for quite some time, but the powers that be in the legislature have more to gain from keeping the timber lobby happy than from helping this county and a few others who suffer negative impact from the situation.
Taxing the timber companies is something that is out of the hands of our local government.
QUESTION: Well then why not the oil and gas industry? I understand that we get WAY less than other counties form oil and gas severance taxes! Make THEM pay.
Currently, as established by the West Virginia State Legislature, by state code oil and gas severance tax revenues are based on population, not on production. While more oil and gas is produced by Wirt County than any other surrounding county (with the exception of Ritchie), we get FAR less in severance tax than our surrounding counties that have higher populations.
In 2012, Wood County received over $50K in severance tax, while Wirt County only received approximately $21K. This, even though production in Wirt County DWARFED that in Wood County.
The commission has been and continues to fight with the state to re-write the law to be geared towards production and not population. It is however an uphill battle, and is simply NOT a solution currently to replace $200K of lost revenue to our county if the levy should fail.
QUESTION: Why is the county government so secret? What do we spend our money on? Why don't they make the finances of the county available to citizens? What are they hiding?
All data in regards to the annual budget of Wirt County is required to be filed with the West Virginia Secretary of State's office every year, and is available in multiple formats for public knowledge. Here is a direct link to 2013 data: (http://www.wvsao.gov/LocalGovernment/files/levy/county_12-13/Wirt2013.pdf)
Wirt County is the smallest county population-wise in West Virginia. We have the smallest tax revenue base, and the smallest industrial/business/financial base as well. Our annual budget for operations is just under $1.1 Million.
By comparison, Calhoun County has an annual budget of $1.8 Million, Richie County $2.9 Million, Roane County $3.0 Million, Jackson County $8.5 Million, and Wood County $19.4 Million.
We are the smallest county, with the smallest revenue, with NO actual state representation (all our Delegates and Senators are from Wood County), and with arguably the smallest voice at the table when it comes to political power, funding resources, etc.
QUESTION: Government is wasteful! The federal government just keeps taxing and taxing us and is spending us into oblivion! Enough is enough! No more taxes!! That is why I am voting NO on the levy!
Please keep in mind that Wirt County is NOT the federal or even state government. Lumping our local government in with state and federal is like comparing apples with oranges.
Blaming and punishing our local government for the actions of the state and federal governments is wrong. The operational levy is about as pure as you can get when it comes to any form of taxation. All the money raised (approximately $225,000 per year) will STAY LOCAL!
It will be used to provide services to OUR citizens. It will be used to provide salaries for OUR neighbors, who live, work and spend in our local community.
It will be used to fundamentally support each and every citizen of Wirt County allowing us to maintain our unique and special little place we all call home. The operational levy is not a new tax⦠It is a continuation of the levy already in place, but at a 10% REDUCED RATE.
None of us like paying taxes out the ying-yang⦠but at least with this levy, all the funding stays local, helps support our local economy and infrastructure, and benefits each of us directly.
QUESTION: Nothing has changed in 10 years WITH the levy! Why should I continue to support it?
Yes, sadly much remains the same as it was back in 2002 when the levy first was implemented. Not much has changed. There IS no new industry. There are few new jobs. There are few new opportunities. Bad decisions and lack of vision by elected officials and "leaders" have plagued us.
But to NOT vote for the operational levy, and thereby taking $225K out of the yearly county budget, because we are mad nothing in the past 10 years has changed, is cutting off our nose to spite our face. How do we expect to make things better in the future, if we put a financial noose around our necks now?
QUESTION: So why should I vote FOR the levy?
We have pride in our heritage. Pride in our local independence. Pride in our sense of community and family. This is TIGER COUNTRY! And we are all proud to be Wirt Countians, proud to be West Virginians, proud to be Americans. We take care of our own.
We ARE family! We take care of each other. We defend each other. We stand strong together as a people. And there is a special uniqueness to our small little community that we all cherish, adore, and fight to defend.
The operational levy is about US remaining US. It is about our school system remaining OURS, not being merged with Wood County (by state law we would merge back into Wood County, however there is currently talk and push towards changing state law, again by Senator McCabe, to merge Wirt with Calhoun County instead).
It is about our citizens not having to drive to Parkersburg or Grantsville to pay taxes, go to court, or have any other governmental services provided.
It is about our citizens still having a voice in the wilderness, small as it may be, but not being entirely snuffed-out as consolidation with larger counties would facilitate.
Without the levy funds, Wirt will not be able to meet it's financial obligations (many unfunded mandates) that the State and Federal governments have placed on us.
It will drive us BACKWARDS and into financial chaos. And our local communities will suffer.
Pass the operational levy, and we can stay afloat. We may still be treading water, but we will survive as a county.
QUESTION: So what's the bottom line?
The fundamental question is do we wish to protect and provide for ourselves, and our fellow Wirt Countians by supporting the levy? Do we wish to maintain our independence and our heritage? Do we wish to remain US? Do we wish to continue to support our own local infrastructure, our organizations, our families and our friends? Do we wish to move forward, or backwards and into financial chaos?
I urge everyone to vote YES for the Wirt County Operational Levy on Saturday, February 23, 2013.
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