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ELKINS -- Elkins City Council will meet for their bimonthly meeting tonight with votes to be held on FY 2026 General Fund Budget revisions, the FY 2027 Landfill Fund Budget, a series of sewer rate increases over the next three years and more.
Council will meet at 7 p.m. at the Phil Gainer Center. At the top of the meeting, Council will hear a presentation from Country Roads Transit, who provide public transportation services in Randolph and Upshur counties.
Council will be considering and voting on Resolution 1893, which involves FY 2026 General Fund Budget revisions, and Resolution 1894, which involves FY 2026 General Fund Budget revision SAO 2026-001-03. Resolution 1894 will require a roll-call vote.
During their March 20, 2025 meeting, the City Council approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 General Fund Budget, which had expenditures and revenues balanced at $6,591,312. This balance was a 5% increase of $321,519 over the FY 2025 budget of $6,266,793.
Also on the table is Resolution 1895, which would authorize the city treasurer to open a payroll account at Mountain Valley Bank. According to the resolution, the city's current payroll process requires the use of multiple financial institutions. In establishing a dedicated payroll account at Mountain Valley Bank, the resolution claims that transactions will be centralized at a single bank, "improving efficiency and reducing costs." The account would be used for receipts, holding and disbursement of funds associated with each city payroll cycle.
Council will also consider and vote on Resolution 1896, which involves approving the FY 2027 Landfill Fund Budget. According to the documentation provided with the resolution, the FY 2027 Landfill Fund will be budgeted for $4,000.
One of the first items on council's agenda for today is the first reading of Ordinance 350, which would "Amend and Reenact the Rates, Rules and Regulations for Furnishing Sewer Service at Elkins and Vicinity, Randolph County, West Virginia by Increasing the Rates Charged Therefore."
Ordinance 350 follows a recommendation from the Elkins Sanitary Board, which manages the city's sewer system, to create a series of sewer rate increases for customers over the next three years that will total a 42% rate hike. The three increases include a 15% increase effective May 15, a 12% increase effective May 15, 2027, and a 15% increase effective May 15, 2028.
City Council will vote on the first reading of this ordinance during tonight's meeting. A final decision will be made with a vote on the second and last reading of the proposed ordinance during the March 5 meeting. If the City Council approves Ordinance 350, customers will see the new rate on their utility bills beginning on June 30.
Council previously approved a 32.5% sewage rate increase in April 2023. Before that, a 21.5% increase in the sewage rate was approved by council in November 2019.
The next Elkins City Council meeting will be March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Phil Gainer Community Center.