Westover sets aggressive timeline for Home Rule plan

Ben Conley, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
·2 min read

Apr. 18—WESTOVER — Westover City Attorney Tim Stranko explained Monday the city is pushing an aggressive timeline to get its Home Rule application before the state's oversight body.

Stranko said Westover is aiming to present its case when the West Virginia Home Rule Board next meets, on July 12.

As previously reported, Home Rule began as a four-city pilot program in 2007 with the goal of giving the state's municipalities freedom within the law to tackle unique challenges.

In this instance, it looks like Westover has its eye on using Home Rule to implement a 1 % municipal sales tax.

If city council ultimately chooses to do so, the Home Rule program mandates it come with reductions in business and occupation privilege taxes—meaning non-construction B &O taxes.

Those taxes fall into a number of categories, including amusement, banking, contracting, manufacturing, public service utility, rental, retail, service and wholesale.

Morgantown was granted permission to create a sales tax as part of its original Home Rule application back in 2014. In conjunction with that, the city reduced B &O retail taxes from.5 % to.45 % and B &O service taxes from 1 % to.9 %.

Stanko said he intends to have a Home Rule plan before council at its May 1 meeting. Council must approve the city's plan and have it submitted to the state by June 12 in order to be considered in July.

In other news from Monday's session, Public Works Director Jason Stinespring said he's put together a very tentative, preliminary list for the upcoming paving season.

That list includes all or portions of North, Wilson and Race streets, Bounds Circle, Lower Martin Lane and Upper Colorado, Lower Colorado, Ohio and Washington avenues.

Based on last year's rates, he said that list would come in around $150, 000. But like the list, that number is subject to change based on material costs.

Also on Monday, council adopted on third reading a sewer rate increase that will bump the minimum monthly charge for up to 2, 000 gallons from $15.78 to $17.18.

This is the first and smaller of two rate hikes coming in support of a pair of major infrastructure projects—Holland Avenue improvements and a new main pump station—expected to total somewhere in the range of $8.2 million.

Lastly, council voted 6-1 to approve a $20, 900 bid from Anderson Excavating for surface repairs and paving on Solomon Road.

Councilor Ally Jackson voted against the expenditure.