Tag: West Virginia Municipal Home Rule Board

W.Va. Home Rule Board OKs Cities' Sales Tax Plans

  Seven cities participating in West Virginia’s home rule pilot program have won approval to impose sales taxes.

The West Virginia Municipal Home Rule Board also approved Wheeling’s plan to increase an existing sales tax to 1 percent.

The board considered the tax proposals and other aspects of the cities’ home rule plans during a meeting Monday in Fairmont.

Parkersburg, Martinsburg, Charles Town, Vienna, Ranson, Nitro and Milton are among 16 cities chosen this year to participate in the home rule program. Wheeling is one of the original home rule cities.

The Legislature created the program in 2007. The program gives municipalities a larger say in how they govern by shifting power from the state to the local level.

 

W.Va. Cities to Ask Home Rule Board to OK Taxes

Several cities participating in West Virginia’s home rule program are seeking approval to impose sales taxes.

The tax proposals and other requests will be considered by the West Virginia Municipal Home Rule Board on Monday during a meeting in Fairmont.

The Exponent Telegram reports that Charles Town, Martinsburg, Nitro, Parkersburg, Ranson and Vienna have proposed enacting sales taxes.

Wheeling is seeking permission to increase its existing sales tax. Milton’s proposal wasn’t immediately available.

Wheeling is one of the four charter home rule cities. The other cities were accepted into the program in October.

Board chairman Patsy Trecost says he expects the proposals will be approved, as long as the cities have taken certain steps. These steps include holding public hearings.

Home Rule Board Announces 16 New Cities

The West Virginia Municipal Home Rule Board announced the sixteen new cities who will take part in the extension of the pilot program Monday in Bridgeport.

Home rule legislation was first adopted in the state as a five year pilot program for four cities. In 2013, the program was extended through 2019 and expanded to an additional 16 cities.

Twenty-two cities applied for the 16 spots in May and board members have been reviewing the applications.

Home rule extends certain authority to municipalities they wouldn’t normally have under the state’s Constitution, bringing more power to the local level.

Clarksburg City Manager Martin Howe said Monday now that his city has been accepted, there are two ways his city council plans to use the new authority in the near future.

“One would be how we can go about collecting for demolition fees that we’ve done in the past as well as implementing a one percent sales tax to reduce the burden on some of our retailers and businesses within the city.”

In order to establish a one percent sales tax, cities must reduce their business and occupation taxes.

Including Clarksburg, the 16 new Home Rule cities are Bluefield, Buckhannon, Charles Town, Dunbar, Fairmont, Martinsburg, Milton, Morgantown, Nitro, Parkersburg, Ranson, Shinnston, South Charleston, Vienna and Weirton.

They join the original four cities of Bridgeport, Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling.

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