Tim Walker
AMR
Several citizens spoke up during the Hear Callers portion of the February 21 Pocahontas County Commission meeting. The were there in support of the Pocahontas County Artisans Co-op as to its continued receipt of Hotel/Motel Tax money. The issue had been questioned at previous meetings by Commissioner John Rebinski, as he felt that the Artisans Co-op was using tax money to subsidize artists’ private businesses by using the money to rent studios in which local artists displayed and sold their art.
Dr. Cyla Allison, speaking as a member of the Art Guild, said that the Artisans Co-op has been a financial supporter of the Art Guild, which has never asked for or received any county money. She said the Co-op helps the Guild operate an arts teaching center in the McGlaughlin Cabin, and if the Co-op lost its Hotel Occupancy Tax money, the Guild would not be able to continue teaching art to prospective new artists.
Nichole Wilfong also spoke up, saying that the Art Guild has become an important part of her life since suffering from the effects of a debilitating automobile accident.
Charlotte Slagle, a member of the Artisan’s Co-op said the arts help drive the hospitality industry, which is the engine that drives tourism, which produces the Hotel/Motel Tax funds. She also said the Co-op’s Tax-Exempt charter, approved by the IRS, includes providing space for artists to display and sell their art.
After discussing this issue during a number of previous meetings, the commission decided that further discussion about changing the manner in which the very lucrative county Hotel Occupancy Tax receipts are distributed would be pointless.
Commission President Walt Helmick had initially suggested that further discussions about this be held in a work session or two.
“We’ve been talking about it for what, three months -December, January, February – almost three months,” Rebinski said. “The way the Hotel/Motel Tax and the changes that we are looking at and proposing out there, we’ve gotten all the input I think we need.”
Commissioner Jamie Walker agreed.
“Yea, I don’t think you’re gonna get anything that you haven’t already heard,” Walker said.
Walker had his own proposal for the Hotel/Motel Tax distribution, which was: not changing anything in the current system except for taking a lump sum of $200,000 from the tax for the new county ambulance service and reducing the lump-sum payment to the Bricks and Mortars fund from $30,000 to $25,000. His proposal was not voted on.
The commission passed Rebinski’s newest proposal on a two to one vote, with Walker voting against it.
The new Hotel/Motel Tax distribution will make the following fixed contributions from the remaining tax receipts after the CVB gets half of the gross amounts from the tax as mandated by state law:
• $200,000 will be used to start up the Pocahontas County paid ambulance service.
• A fixed payment of $120,000 will be given to the Fire Board.
• Keep the current fixed payments to the Pocahontas Memorial Hospital, $75,000, and to Emergency Medical Services, $50,000.
• Bricks & Mortars Fund -the fixed payment would be reduced to $25,000 from the current $30,000.
• Provide $50,000 one time for a cruiser and trailer for the Pocahontas County Sheriff’s Department.
With regard to the remaining money distributed to organizations, the commission approved the following:
• Eliminate the 3% that the Artisans Co-op receives entirely; for a new total of 0%.
• Reduce Preserving Pocahontas to 2.5% from 3%, and capping it at $21,000.
• Reduce the Arts Council’s percentage to 3.5% from 4%, capping it at $28,000.
• Increase the Historic Landmarks’ percentage to 6% from 5%, capping it at $50,000.
• Increase Dramas, Fairs and Festivals’ percentage to 22% from 20%, capping it at $175,000.
• Reduce Parks and Recreation’s percentage to 31% from 33%, capping it at $250,000.
• Reduce the Libraries percentage to 30% from 32%, and capping it at $255,000.
• Add a new beneficiary – The County Commission Hotel/Motel Projects, which will receive 5% plus any money left over above the caps to the other organizations. At Helmick’s insistence, the first $200,000 of this category will be held by the commission in a special fund to guarantee that Pocahontas Memorial Hospital is able to make its USDA loan payments. What remains in the account can be distributed to other Hotel/Motel Tax qualified organizations based on their needs.
Also at this meeting, commissioners Rebinski and Walker sparred with each other over the new County Ambulance Service. Walker did not like that the ambulance service, as proposed by Rebinski, would start first in the northern end of the county, saying the commission should treat the county as a whole, and start it county-wide on a 24-7 basis. Rebinski countered that the northern end already has an ambulance donated by Cass Volunteer Fire Department, and if the commission authorizes him to hire the first three county employees, the program could possibly start with day-shift coverage in about a month in the northern end.
Herb Barlow, of the Marlinton Fire Department, said his members are concerned about donating an ambulance that they had worked so hard to raise the money to buy and then they would not be able to use it if they donated it.
“In giving this ambulance to the county and letting them use it, it is going to be strictly county-use,” Rebinski said. “It’s not going to be blended back and forth, because that gets too confusing with insurance, fueling, stocking – the whole works. It’s gonna be given over, and then hopefully, as time progresses, the county will be working on getting their own ambulance, where that ambulance will be returned back to the organization.”
Because of all the suggestions and criticisms being offered, a very frustrated Rebinski offered to back out of the entire project to let someone else take over if they think they can do a better job than him.
Seeming to be frustrated at the sparring between the two commissioners, Helmick suggested putting the entire discussion off until a work session could be conducted.
Rebinski argued against that, explaining that he needed to hire three people at this meeting to be able to move forward with the program. He offered a motion to hire as county employees of the new paid ambulance service, three applicants he had already interviewed and approved:
1. Whitney Fedak – EMT @ $15.00 per hour.
2. Keith Boehmer – Driver @ $13.00 per hour
3. Shelia Varner – EMT @ $15.00 per hour
The motion passed unanimously, although Walker declined to second the motion, he joined the other two in passing it after Helmick seconded the motion.
