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ELKINS -- The Randolph County Commission approved a funding request in the amount of $60,270 from the City of Elkins for the Whitmer Water Association this week.
During the past few months the RCC and the City of Elkins have gone back-and-forth over previous funding requests that were made to the commission, with both sides questioning how those requests were presented.
Elkins Public Water System Chief Operator and Manager Wes Lambert appeared before the commission with a new request on Thursday and presented three separate items the City of Elkins was seeking help with.
"We wanted to come before you again and ask if you would consider helping with three different items that we are looking at for the Whitmer Water Association," Lambert said. "As you know they are a failing and distressed utility and we were able to put together three areas that we are really needing some help with."
The Public Service Commission designated the City of Elkins to take over the Whitmer Water Association in April.
The city has since overseen the WWA and helped transform it into a legal entity, giving it the capability to apply for emergency funding.
"We've contacted various agencies and we were able to get $151,000 in a critical needs grant that specifically addresses some needs in the water plant," Lambert said. "We were glad to get that, but that's about the extent of the money we were able to find. So we wanted to present this to you all and see if there is anything you can help us with over there."
The first of the three items Lambert presented to the commission had to do with a fund the WWA used to purchase the water plant. The WWA currently owes $225,000 for the bond payment on that fund.
"For a little system with 94 customers, that's quite a chunk of money to pay," Lambert said.
The second area the City of Elkins was seeking help with had to do with some water taps in Whitmer.
"There are several taps, including the fire department tap over there," Lambert said. "Some of them have been requested for over a year, but they just haven't had the money or funds to put those taps in. The people over there have been really patient waiting on those… We are just trying to find the money to get these taps put in place for them, including the fire department, who has a brand new building and needs a fire service tap put in before they can actually open that building."
Lambert told the commission that the total costs for the taps would be a little over $24,000.
The final item Lambert requested help with had to do with the expenditures the City of Elkins has made since taking over the WWA.
"To try and help them, we've spent out of our own budget a total amount of $72,323," said Lambert. "So those are the three things we would just like you to look at and maybe consider some of it… We would appreciate any help you could give the town of Whitmer."
Commission President Davis Kesling addressed Lambert, saying, "The commission had a meeting with representatives with the City of Elkins this week. It was a somewhat productive and informative meeting about the process and what's going on in Whitmer."
Kesling added the commission was willing to agree on a partnership with the City of Elkins to help resolve the Whitmer Water situation, and that the RCC would approve some of the money that was requested.
"We are looking to approve the request for the $24,140 for water taps," said Kesling. "And since it's a partnership, we will do half of the City of Elkins' employee expended amount,. Roughly it will be about $36,161. So it will be a total amount of $60,270.67 that we will be helping out with."
The money provided to the City of Elkins will come from the county budget's Community Development line item.
Kesling added that the commission is not currently in a position to pay anything on the $225,00 bond. Commissioner Cris Siler commented on why.
"This is just an example of one of the things that is getting affected because of the TIF," said Siler. "Because now we have to figure out what money we are going to have and what we are not going to have, and that's going to cut into being able to help with this bond. If we didn't have that over our head it would be a lot easier to just be able to go ahead and do that."
To fund several costly redevelopment projects, the City of Elkins enacted a plan to issue up to $25 million in tax increment revenue bonds. In January, Elkins City Council voted to submit an application to the state to issue bonds in order to fund projects through TIF. The TIF application was approved by the state on April 7.
Randolph County Commissioners David Kesling and Cris Siler told The Inter-Mountain they were stunned to learn that the TIF process, if enacted, would result in some future tax money being rerouted from the county to pay for the city's renovation projects -- and that this would continue for the next 30 years.
Prior to the TIF application's approval, the Randolph County Commission announced that it would ask the Department of Economic Development to decline the city's TIF application, and sent out an opposition letter to the organization.