For almost 27 years the county commission has supported the library system in the county. This year the commission used $184,000 of the funds raised from the hotel motel tax.
But after all these years, the county commissioners seem to have some doubt about the legitimacy of funding the library with funds from the hotel/motel tax.
Indeed the hotel motel tax has been used for a variety of things over the years including the Parks & Recreation Department. We know have one a top recreation department administer by the Parks & Rec. Board. Soccer, little league football, and other wonderful things have been funded with this tax.
In 1990 the library was in trouble. It was handicapped for money. The County Commission voted to use a portion of the hotel/motel tax to support the library based on the general notion that "Reading is recreation" and hence a legitimate recipient of the tax.
Over the years, the libraries have grown exponentially with facilities in all parts of the county. In addition, to maintaining a healthy literary environment the libraries have provided art services through gallery exhibitions, etc. The libraries provide a centralized information for tourists who come to the county for information about the sights and sounds of Pocahontas County in addition to a place to check their email in an otherwise "QUIET ZONE."
The supporters of the library have been set on pins and needles because they commission is considering "defunding" them. They could lose tens of thousands of dollars of public support and have to cut jobs all over the county.
The libraries were closed during today's meetings so that all staff and supporters could make their case before the county commission. The commission decided they didn't have the balls to make a decision on their own today despite the fact that the prosecuting attorney agreed to support them,
Head up the WV Supreme Court of appeals today released a decision on a case involving the Pocahontas County Board of Education http://www.courtswv.gov/supreme-court/memo-decisions/fall2017/16-0659memo.pdf
ReplyDeleteThe court was on holiday and plowing through at a brisk rate stacks sorted by kind in the just begun "Fall session" Current issued decisions so far here http://www.courtswv.gov/supreme-court/opinions.html
lets give credit to the guy that started all of this none other than the $36,000 plus benefits a year lawyer that the commissioners hired ...he came up with a legal question about giving the libraries county monies ....hard to believe that one guy can cause so much trouble considering that he got humiliated in the last election
ReplyDeleteWho is that lawyer?
DeleteHow about contacting the State Attorney General for an opinion as to whether libraries can be funded through Hotel/Motel Tax. Let them make the decision of whether its legal or not and then go from there. I understand that Mercer County went through this same thing, so what was their final decision?...Batting this question back and forth in the Commission room is getting no where, so ask for some outside help to determine this issue. That's what the West Virginia Attorney Generals office is for, so use it...
ReplyDeleteHas anyone ever had their calls or queries to the WV AG or the Governors office ever returned or answered about anything? (past recent office holders, and the current in office) As many have complained they have found them disturbingly non-responsive over many different vital issues.
Deleteso the question to ask is are we getting our $36,000 plus bennies worth what we just got .you gotta wonder after 25 years of funding libraries in this county that after all this time this is what he came up with that no one ever questioned this before ??? I would rather fund the libraries sooner then giving high rocks 10 grand every year.... also we should put the 36 g`s toward the library instead of the three stooges having a mouth piece in stead of going to the prosecuting attorneys office ....
ReplyDelete