The Kanawha County Commission supports Gov. Jim Justice's road bonds referendum and it wants other public officials in the state to take a position on the issue, too.
The commission on Thursday passed a resolution expressing its support for the referendum, which is up for a vote Oct. 7. The resolution also calls on other public officials to say whether they support the referendum and encourages residents to vote on it.
"We're saying elected officials, people like me, ought to have enough guts to stand up and tell you, the voters, how we feel on important issues," said Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper. "This is an important issue. That's what I think."
The referendum, if passed, would allow the state to sell up to $1.6 billion in road bonds. The bonds are paid for via a hike in the gas tax, increase in sales tax on motor vehicles and higher DMV fees, all of which the legislature already passed during the special legislative session.
The $1.6 billion bond issues would be part of Justice's $2.8 billion road-building initiative.
The initiative would include about 500 road projects in all 55 counties, said Travis Knighton, a district engineer for the state Division of Highways. More than two dozen road and bridge repair projects in Kanawha County are candidates for funding, according to the commission.
Carper said the Legislature already did the hard work when it raised taxes. Voting for the referendum will not further raise taxes, he said.
"The most important thing is the roads are a mess," Carper said. "People are busting their tires and their axles. There are trucks that can't go over bridges. Nobody disagrees that the roads need to be fixed and the bridges, they just don't wanna pay for it, some people don't."
Separately, the commission also approved putting its public safety levy on ballot for the May 8, 2018 primary election. The levy, which comes up for a vote every five years, will not increase this year. The levy supports the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority, the Kanawha County Ambulance Authority, the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office and police and fire departments across the county.
Carper said the public safety levy is critically important.
"It's really quite simple," Carper said. "If you call 911, who's going come if you don't have the public safety levy?"
The levy generates about $17 million annually.
"I can't think of nothing more important than the public safety levy," Carper said. "Every fire department, every police department, ever community every part of the county relies upon emergency services."
Public transportation, too, is an important part of quality of life and plays an important role in emergencies, Carper said.
In other business:
n The commission approved an annual budgeted contribution of $50,000 to the Metro Drug Unit.
n Commissioners agreed to pay for repairs for the swimming pool at Shawnee Regional Park. The pool will continue to be managed by the City of Dunbar, despite the commission's plan to build a multi-sport complex there. To pay for the repairs, the commission is using a $76,000 building permit fee from US Methanol, which broke ground on its Institute plant earlier this month. It will match that with funds from coal severance. Kanawha Planning Director Steve Neddo said the pool repairs would cost about $150,000. The pool needs a new filter, as well as repairs to the bottom and sides, Neddo said.
n The commission voted to enter an agreement with Charleston police Chief Steve Cooper to assist with traffic during early voting during elections.
n At the request of the Charleston Area Alliance, the commission agreed to allocate $150,000 to the West Virginia Regional Technology Park for the N3 project. N3, an international integrated sales and marketing firm, announced its plans last month to bring 300 jobs to the area. The funding for the project will be matched with $150,000 from the Alliance.
Reach Lori Kersey at lori.kersey@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1240 or follow @LoriKerseyWV on Twitter.