Fairmont annual levy to raise $2.7M in revenue to run city government

Esteban Fernandez, Times West Virginian, Fairmont
2 min read
0

Apr. 17—FAIRMONT — Travis Blosser, incoming Fairmont city manager, took a break from watching paint dry inside his new home in Fairmont to attend a special session of Fairmont City Council on Tuesday.

"I haven't attended any meetings since my contract was approved, this was the first one," Blosser said. "I've watched the council meetings to kind of clue myself in on some of the discussions that the city council is having so that I'm a little prepared when I take my office. My first official meeting will be on May 15."

The meeting didn't give Blosser's paint extra time to dry. After three minutes, council approved rates for the 2024-25 fiscal year. It's the final step in the city's annual budget approval process.

According to the levy rate documents in the city's meeting packet, levy rates for the coming fiscal year will be $12.50 per $100,000 of valuation for personal property. For real estate, personal property and public utilities classified from ranks II and IV, the levy rates will range from $25 to $50 per $100,000 of valuation. In all, the city expects to raise a net amount of $2.7 million.

"It's a culmination of five months of meetings and hard work," Finance Director Priscella Hamilton said.

Blosser took the opportunity before and after the meeting to chat and get to know his future colleagues. With his onboarding going smoothly, Blosser has had meetings with Interim City Manager Janet Keller, department heads and Police Chief Steve Shine.

There's a calendar item for the fire chief on Friday to allow Blosser to familiarize himself with what each department is working on and what their needs are prior to assuming his role. This will help him be more productive when he starts May 13.

Blosser still has business to wrap up in Charleston before he's in Fairmont full time as he is still fulfilling some of his duties as executive director of the West Virginia Municipal League. Those should wrap up in the first week of May, he said.

The first couple weeks on the job will be busy, Blosser said, but he looks forward to being out in the community, meeting with people and hearing their ideas and thoughts on the city. He's also looking forward to being in his hometown on a more permanent basis.

For now though, Blosser is excited for what comes next. He likes what he does. At the very least, city government beats out paint.

"I think City Council is a whole hell of a lot more fun than watching paint dry," he said.

Reach Esteban at efernandez@timeswv.com

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