March 29 is declared Tucker County Day on the Senate Floor of the West Virginia Legislature.
CHARLESTON – A group of Tucker County residents traveled to Charleston to meet with elected state officials Wednesday in celebration of Tucker County Day at the Legislature. A resolution was made on the Senate Floor declaring March 29 as Tucker County Day.
Representatives from the City of Parsons and PRO ON TRAC filled a dozen baskets they distributed to Tucker County Delegates and Senators and state elected officials. Items in the baskets included cookies, candies, gifts and other items made and sold in Tucker County.
One piece of legislation the Tucker County Commissioners have been following is the windmill bill. The bill would change the county taxation on wind farm equipment, bringing it more in line with how other entities are taxed. This is something many residents of Tucker County would see a benefit from, generating more money to run the county and for the school system.
Members of the City of Parsons and Parsons PRO ON TRAC present elected state officials with baskets packed with Parsons and Tucker County items during Tucker County Day at the Legislature.
Delegate Tony Lewis, R-Preston, met with some of the group in Charleston and reported some of the legislators are attempting to kill the bill.
“But I have talked to some people and explained how important it is to some of the counties in West Virginia,” Lewis said. “They said it was too much to put on the wind farm folks at one time. So I asked them what kind of three year plan could we come up with that would ramp them up and put them where they need to be. I told them as long as they get there, it doesn’t matter if it takes a couple of years to reach that level. That would be a start.”
Lewis said other legislators are worried about the future wind farms coming in if the tax base was changed.
“I told them they would get that anywhere in the industry,” Lewis said. “I am trying to work some different angles to at least get it started.”
Commissioner Lowell Moore said Patti Hamilton of the WV Association of Counties said the state of West Virginia loses more than $100 million because of the structure of taxation on wind farms.
Tucker County residents met with Senator Randy Smith, R-Tucker; Senator Dave Sypolt, R-Preston; Delegate Tony Lewis, R-Preston; Delegate Danny Wagner, R-Barbour; a representative from the West Virginia Department of Highways regarding signage on Route 48; and Sam England, Chief of the West Virginia State Parks.
Officials and Cadets from the Kenneth “Honey” Rubenstein Center attended the activities. The Cadet Color Guard was slated to present the colors, opening up the session, however, the opening of the session was moved back two hours because of the amount of bills the Senate needed to address on Wednesday.
This year’s Tucker County Day at the Legislature was planned by Jessica Waldo and volunteers from the Tucker County Chamber of Commerce.
