Calhoun Commissioner Michael Hicks told Bob Aaron of WCHS TV, Charleston, on Wednesday, May 11 that Calhoun County would have another chance to pass the Emergency Services levy which missed by a narrow margin on Tuesday. Hicks suggested that the levy would be placed back onto the ballot this November. Although greater than half, 58.86%, of Calhoun County voted for the levy, 60% was needed for the levy to pass.
With little to no information posted about the Levy prior to the election and the economy being in the current condition with gas prices inching closer to the $5.00 per gallon mark, any additional taxes are going to be a hard sell in a county with an unemployment rate of 10.8%. Currently the highest in the State of West Virginia. While Governor Jim Justice celebrates a continued decrease in unemployment, Calhoun has nothing to celebrate.
The levy which is dispersed to seven separate agencies, with the greatest share going to the Ambulance service, could perhaps be better explained on how exactly those funds are used and the importance of its passing. While the office of emergency services and the ambulance service has other sources of funding, local fire departments are ran by volunteers with limited resources and the Sheriffs Department has not been a high priority with county budgeting. All of which needs some explaining before the November attempt to pass this levy again.
