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Delegates Shawn Fluharty and Erikka Storch speak shortly before Wednesday’s vote on HB 2256. (Photo courtesy of WV Legislative Photography)
CHARLESTON An amendment to a bill meant to exempt state workers from city user fees would now repeal all user fees, potentially putting cities in a cash crunch.
The House Political Subdivision Committee approved an amendment Wednesday to House Bill 2256 prohibiting cities from imposing user fees on employees of West Virginia government agencies that would exempt non-residents of cities with user fees from paying those user fees. The amendment was adopted in a 14-8 vote.
The amendment offered by Del. Geoff Foster, R-Putnam would exempt anyone employed within a municipality from having a city user fee deducted from their pay based solely on their employment within a city.
PARKERSBURG Parkersburg City Council will consider a series of mid-fiscal-year budget revisions on Tuesday.
The Finance Committee will review the requests from the administration during a 6:30 p.m. session in the executive conference room on the second floor of the Municipal Building.
If referred by the committee, a resolution authorizing the revisions will be part of the agenda for the regular council meeting at 7:30 p.m. in council chambers.
City Finance Director Eric Jiles said many of the revisions are adjustments to conservative revenue estimates made in light of the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the original projection for business and occupation tax revenue was in excess of $8.3 million, he said. But it was revised downward by more than $1 million last year as city officials waited to see how efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus would impact revenue and what type of reimbursements they would receive from the federal government.
ebevins@newsandsentinel.com A fund title “Ciara’s Grace” was recently created by Boxers Bed and Biscuits in honor of Ciara Petri, a former employee who recently passed from cancer. This fund will help people whose pets are in life and death situations. (Photo Provided) Ciara Petri was an employee at Boxers Bed and Biscuits who recently passed from cancer. Her final wishes were to help animals so a fund was set up in her honor to help people pay for veterinary costs for their pets in life or death situations. (Photo Provided) Deanna “DeeDee” Rosalie Carver Parkersburg City Attorney Joe Santer, right, is applauded by Councilmen Zach Stanley, front, and Jeff Fox and City Clerk Connie Shaffer during Tuesday’s council meeting, Santer’s last after serving as city attorney since 1998. (Photo by Evan Bevins)