The Kanawha County Commission is prioritizing blocking potential tax cuts above all else in the upcoming regular session of the West Virginia Legislature.
As all levels of West Virginia government continue to struggle with budget shortfalls, the county's legislative agenda, finalized Tuesday, aims to work with the Legislature on opposing attempts to reduce rates for the business personal property tax, the coal severance tax and wireless 911 fees.
Commission President Kent Carper said the legislative agenda is trying to raise awareness of the consequences of reducing county tax bases.
"What we're pointing out is if the Legislature doesn't have the appetite to raise revenue, that's taking away from local government," he said. "It's the cities and the counties that provide fire protection. It's the city and counties that provide ambulances, and these services are critical."
Carper said members of the Legislature who are pushing for tax cuts in an attempt to draw businesses into the state won't get what they are hoping for. The business personal property tax, in which businesses in the county are taxed on goods and products they own and use, is one tax legislators are pushing to adjust, according to Carper.
"They say, 'If we pass this cut, businesses will come in,' " he said. "Well, you won't have businesses coming in if there is no one to put the fire out or if 911 or ambulances aren't there."
The commission said in its agenda that it opposes any legislation that would adjust the tax classification and levy rates for business personal property, along with attempts to replace that revenue stream via increasing the property tax for individual owners.
"It's the primary funding source for local government, and it's been that way for 100 years," Carper said. "We would lose 10 percent of everything, if that was gone."
As for the coal severance tax, the commission opposes any proposal to reduce revenue that local governments gain from it.
The decline of the coal industry has already reduced the amount the tax collects and contributed to the state's budget shortfall, and severance tax collections for the past budget year were $195 million less than expected. But Carper said the funding is still important to counties, because they don't have much room for error.
The commission also opposes the reduction of county 911 service fees for wireless phones, which are used for helping fund various 911 services. The current monthly fee is $3, and the commission supports legislation that would raise it up to an additional $1 per month. The state sets the wireless fees, while Kanawha County sets its own fee for landline phones.
Outside of opposing tax cuts, the commission's agenda gave support to legislation that would increase revenue deposited into the Regional Jail Operations Partial Jail Reimbursement Fund. The fund consists of fees collected by magistrate and circuit courts, which are then disbursed by the state Treasurer's Office to counties and cities participating in the regional jail system, to offset some of the costs of incarceration.
Kanawha County received $279,520.62 through the funding in the past fiscal year, according to the state Treasurer's Office.
Reach Max Garland at max.garland@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4886 or follow @MaxGarlandTypes on Twitter.