The South Charleston City Council on Thursday passed the first reading of an ordinance to enact a municipal sales and service tax at their meeting.
The unanimous approval will be followed with a public hearing on Dec. 9 and a vote on Dec. 17.
The city already has gained approval from the Municipal Home Rule Board and is awaiting a final approval from council before the law would go into effect.
The city is hoping that the sales tax will give them extra revenue to support the police and fire pension program as well as the increase in minimum wage starting in January 2016.
In order to implement the sales tax, South Charleston will have to reduce its business and occupation tax. Currently, the city gets 45 percent of its revenue from the business and occupation tax.
"This is one of those things that you do because it's the responsible thing to do," said South Charleston Mayor Frank Mullens. "I don't expect to get any Christmas cards over it."
If the ordinance passes, the city won't start to see revenue from it until October 2016.
There was no public comment about the sales tax at the meeting, but Mullens said that he had one person come to his office to discuss the plan.
In other business, the South Charleston Fire Department announced that they will be going door to door from Wednesday Dec. 9 to Saturday Dec. 11 in order to give out smoke detectors and discuss emergency escape plans with families.
Firefighters will be starting in Spring Hill and will work their way down to downtown. If a person isn't home, the department will leave a flier at their door and residents can call the station for information.
While it has been unseasonably warm lately, South Charleston is prepared should snow hit. The city has 750 tons of salt waiting for those first flakes.
Also, South Charleston's Christmas parade is on December 10.
Reach Daniel Desrochers
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