Public Hearings Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

USPS Processing Center Public Hearing Set For Valentine’s Day

After delays and postponements, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has scheduled a public meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 6:30 p.m. at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.

At the meeting, USPS will share the initial findings of a study on changing the South Charleston-based Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) to a Local Processing Center (LPC). The USPS says their business case supports transferring some West Virginia mail processing operations to the Pittsburgh P&DC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Pennwood Place P&DC in Warrendale, Pennsylvania.

USPS highlights more cost effectiveness and efficiency with their plan. Local postal workers union leaders remained concerned about the fate of the 800 local employees and the processing travel time of locally posted mail.

On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., released the following statement after reviewing the USPS initial findings for the Charleston Processing and Distribution Center Mail Processing Facility Review:

“I have reviewed USPS’s initial findings of the Processing and Distribution Center in Charleston, and while I am glad to see that they have decided to invest in new equipment and upgrades to the facility, I am disappointed to see that they believe that some jobs being transferred to other locations — even if it is less than what was rumored — would be a positive step,” Capito said in a press release. “I also would have hoped the USPS would have held their public meeting as scheduled on Jan. 30. I still believe that the community deserves to be heard, and I hope that USPS will take that feedback into consideration before any final decisions are made. In the meantime, I urge USPS to listen at the required upcoming public meeting and take into account the importance of this facility to the community as they work to produce their final decisions.”

The initial findings have been posted on the USPS webpage.

The public hearing will allow members of the community to provide oral feedback and perspectives on the Initial Findings of the Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR). A summary of the MPFR will be posted on about.usps.com at least one week prior to the public input meeting.

Members of the local community may submit written comments through Feb. 29, 2024. The public’s input will be considered prior to a final decision.

PEIA Health Insurance Premiums Increase Under Review

The PEIA Finance Board is evaluating higher premiums for state and local employees to comply with an 80-20 employer/employee cost split passed by the Legislature this year.

The Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) is considering another increase in premiums next year.

The PEIA Finance Board is evaluating higher premiums for state and local employees to comply with an 80-20 employer/employee cost split passed by the West Virginia Legislature this year.

Senate Bill 268 took effect on July 1 and increased the amount of reimbursement to providers to a minimum of 110 percent of Medicare’s rate. It also included a 24 percent increase in premiums for state employees and a 15.6 percent increase for the non-state employees.

The board met Thursday during the West Virginia Legislature’s October interim meetings and is now considering a 10.5 percent premium increase for state employees who sign up for the insurance, but there would be no change to their benefits. It is also weighing a 13 percent premium increase for employees of local governments that opt into PEIA, and an additional surcharge of approximately $147 for eligible spouses.

Retirees eligible for Medicare would not see any changes in their premiums or benefits. Employees who meet the age requirement for retirement, but not Medicare, would see a 10 percent premium increase with no changes to their benefits.

The PEIA board will hold a series of public hearings next month before making a final decision on possible premium increases.

The public meetings will be held on Nov. 6 at the Highlands Event Center in Wheeling, Nov. 7 at the Holiday Inn in Martinsburg, Nov. 9 at the Holiday Inn – University Place in Morgantown, Nov. 13 at the Culture Center in Charleston and Nov. 14 at the Bluefield State College in Bluefield.

A virtual town hall is scheduled on Nov. 16.

Hundreds Attend First Education Forum Before Special Session

Hundreds of West Virginia residents attended the state’s first public hearing to prepare for an upcoming special legislative session to address education issues.

The Herald-Dispatch reports parents, educators and the public attended the forum Monday at Cabell Midland High School in Ona where they were divided into groups to participate in small round-table discussions. During the forum, the Department of Education divided the discussion into four overarching areas: funding opportunities, instructional quality, school choice and innovation, and social emotional supports.

Gov. Jim Justice called the special session to address teacher pay raises and other education issues. He’s asked legislators to meet with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders before returning.

Huntington mother of two, Katharine Lea, says she was happy to give feedback on the issue.

Six more forums are planned.

West Virginia Education Forums Set to Start

West Virginia education officials are kicking off a series of public hearings as part of preparations for an upcoming special legislative session. The first of seven forums is set for Monday night at Cabell Midland High School in Ona.

Others forums this week are scheduled for Tuesday night at Mount View High School in Welch, Wednesday at Capital High in Charleston and Thursday at Woodrow Wilson High in Beckley.

Three final forums will be held in early April in Clarksburg, Wheeling, and Berkeley Springs.

Each forum will start at 6:00 in the evening and will include discussions in small groups on core education issues.

Gov. Jim Justice called the special session to address teacher pay raises and other education issues. He asked legislators to meet with teachers, parents and other stakeholders before returning to Charleston later this year.

President of the West Virginia Education Association Dale Lee said the WVEA will also be holding its own set of educational town halls in all seventeen of West Virginia’s Senatorial districts.

Locations Picked for Hearings on Insurance Funding Solution

A task force subcommittee has chosen 22 locations across West Virginia to hold public hearings on an insurance program for West Virginia teachers and other public employees.

A public outreach subcommittee of the Public Employees Insurance Agency task force met Thursday in Charleston. It chose the communities for the meetings later this spring, and the staff of the governor’s office would schedule dates and meeting places.

Task force members say the meetings would be held either on Saturdays or weekday evenings.

Gov. Jim Justice and the Legislature agreed to freeze PEIA premiums, deductibles and co-pays for the coming year and provided $29 million in supplemental funding. Teachers want a more permanent funding fix.

Justice also signed a 5 percent pay raise for teachers last month to end their nine-day strike.

DHHR Continues Source Water Protection Plan Hearings

Since July 1, the state Bureau for Public Health has been holding public hearings across West Virginia to discuss proposed Source Water Protection Plans.

The plans are the result of legislation approved after a 2014 chemical spill in Charleston left hundreds of thousands of people without usable drinking water for days.

Monday evening was the second time citizens in the Kanawha Valley—those who were directly impacted by the spill—were able to comment on their local plan.

The public hearing in South Charleston focused on West Virginia American Water’s proposal submitted this summer. The company is one of 125 utilities required to submit the proposals, and Scott Rodeheaver, Assistant Manager for the Source Water Protection Program at DHHR, says public hearings are being held to discuss each one.

“It varies from place to place what the exact issues are,” Rodeheaver said, “but I think the people that come are concerned about the long term quality of the water supply in their area.”

Only six people attended Monday’s hearing, including Phil Price. He’s a semi-retired analytical chemist who works with the Charleston-based group Advocates for a Safe Water System. Price claims West Virginia American Water’s plans are not adequate.

“Many, many, many, many of the hazards upstream from our intake are excluded from the plan,” Price explained. He points to Yeager Airport as one of those hazards. But Laura Martin, the company’s External Affairs Manager, says her utility is prepared.

“What is outlined in state law is a zone of critical concern and then a zone of peripheral concern, and if we feel that there are entities or aboveground storage tanks or other facilities located outside of those, we have included them in our plan,” Martin said.

The plans need final approval from the DHHR before taking effect.