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Elkins inviting the public to event

As a reader of the Inter-Mountain, you may already be aware that the City has been deliberating and has taken action on a proposed 1 percent municipal sales and use tax. On Nov. 2, Elkins City Council voted on the first reading of an ordinance which eliminates the manufacturing category of the Business and Occupational (B&O) tax and imposes a one-percent municipal sales and use tax. If the ordinance passes the next two readings (scheduled for Thursday and Dec. 7) these changes will take effect on July 1, 2018.

West Virginia State Code already provided municipalities the authority to impose a local sales and use tax up to 1 percent if they did not have an existing B&O tax or if they eliminated their B&O tax entirely. Alternatively, some cities who have been accepted into the WV Home Rule Pilot Project have requested and received authority to impose a municipal sales and use tax in exchange for the elimination or reduction of one or more of their existing B&O tax categories. Elkins, having been accepted into the Home Rule Pilot Project back in 2015, chose to do just that. In June, we presented to the Home Rule Board an amendment to our original plan which, in part, asked for the authority to impose a sales and use tax. This request included projected revenue calculations based on the loss of the manufacturing B&O taxes and the collection of a one-percent sales and use tax. However, the stamp of approval from the WV Home Rule Board was only the first step. To actually make these changes to the tax structure in Elkins the city council is required to read and pass an ordinance three times, as well as provide rate and boundary information to the WV State Tax Department at least 180 days prior to the imposition of the new tax.

Statutory requirements aside, the city has an interest and obligation as a representative body to both inform citizens of their plans and to hear citizen concerns and priorities. To this end, the city is hosting a public event at the Elkins YMCA at 400 Davis Avenue on Monday from 4-7 p.m. The event will provide information on the city’s current revenues and expenditures; information on what a sales and use tax is; and what the city expects to generate from a one-percent tax. Finally, participants will be given the opportunity to let city officials know how they would prioritize the spending of any additional revenues the sales tax will generate. Citizens will be presented with various prioritization boards including public safety; youth and recreation; economic development; operations and facilities; and infrastructure, transportation and services. Under each category will be suggestions which participants will be asked to rank. These suggestions were generated from several sources including the Elkins Comprehensive Plan, vetted by the public and eventually adopted by council in 2015; recent citizen requests for improvements and services; needs identified by administrative officers and employees; elected officials; and State and Federal statutory requirements. If we miss something that you believe is important, there will be an opportunity to tell us that as well.

We hope to see our residents, property owners, business owners, representatives of community organizations and any other individuals who has a vested interest in the future of Elkins, on Monday night at the YMCA.

— Jessica Sutton is the city clerk for the city of Elkins.

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