By GREG JORDAN, Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — PRINCETON — Allowing West Virginia’s counties to have a tax option being used by municipalities in the state’s Home Rule program will be among the legislation being promoted next year by the County Commission Association of West Virginia (CCAWV).
During previous West Virginia Legislature sessions, the CCAWV has supported bills that would let counties enact a 1 percent county sales tax. Cities under the Home Rule program are allowed to have this 1 percent tax, but counties don’t have this option, Jennifer Piercy, the CCAWV’s executive director said.
“We’ve worked on this before,” she stated. “Actually, we had worked on this last year and it’s something that’s been talked about for a while.”
Cities in the Home Rule program have legislation that enables them to enact user fees or a sales tax that provides them with another revenue stream, Piercy said. This allows cities to hire more police officers and perform tasks such as paving roads.
