PARSONS – Two Town Hall meetings Wednesday, one in Thomas and one in Parsons, offered residents the opportunity to meet with and share ideas and concerns with their West Virginia Legislators.

Nearly 100 people flocked to the Tucker County Senior Centers to bend the ear of their West Virginia Senators and Delegates.

The Town Hall meetings were hosted by Senator Dave Sypolt, R-Preston; Senator Randy Smith, R-Tucker; Delegate Tony Lewis, R-Preston; and Delegate Danny Wagner, R-Barbour. Participants were able to ask questions and were asked to fill out surveys with their opinions on different issues.

Sarah Fletcher of Davis asked about projected shortfall in the West Virginia state budget.

“I understand there is a $450 million deficit projected in the budget,” Fletcher said.

“That is what is projected as the shortfall for this year’s budget,” Sypolt said. “We don’t know exactly what it will be until we get there. We are past the point of across the board cuts. I think we will see entire agencies going away.”

Fletcher asked about the possibility of taxation including putting the food tax back in place.
“We could do that – I don’t know,” Sypolt said. “You always have the two schools of thought. Then I look at Tucker County where they cannot pass a school excess levy tax. That is the people speaking right there. It was a modest levy and I think that indicates there are a lot of people on fixed incomes.”

Sypolt said senior citizens were one of the biggest advocates of removing the food tax because they are on fixed incomes and the food tax really ate into their fixed incomes.

Smith said he was at a meeting earlier in the week with April Miller, Director of the Tucker County FRN and Angie Davis, Director of the Allegheny Highlands Parents as Teachers. He said after hearing everything they can accomplish on a shoestring budget, his suggestion was to send them to Charleston to straighten out the budget.

“We have to learn how to be lean and mean,” Smith said. “I don’t think we can cut our way out of this budget deficit.”

Tucker County Commission President Lowell Moore asked about taxation on windmills for county income.

“I would like to see that addressed,” Moore said.

“I had a bill on that last year that did not make it back out of committee,” Sypolt said.

“Basically, it was going to tax them at full value, but I think we need to spread that over a five year period.”

Tucker County Commissioner Patrick Darlington reminded Legislators that the bill for the P3 funding for roads sunsets in 2017 if it is not renewed.

“Corridor H is a big issue in this area and the legislation that allows public/private partnerships for road funding sunsets in 2017,” Darlington said. “If that is not renewed that funding mechanism is gone to complete big highway projects. What’s the feel in Charleston to get this funding mechanism renewed?”

Sypolt said he was the sponsor of a bill last year that did not make it through.

“I am right back on it again. I see the worth in it. I don’t think there is anyone necessarily against it, I think it just slipped through the cracks and never made it out of committee,” Sypolt said.

Other ideas and questions centered on regionalization of services, education reform, rural broadband access, funding for fire departments, required classes for fire fighters, medical and recreational marijuana, job creation, tourism and economic stimulation.

Vonda and Kathy Phillips spoke about their concerns about losing their homes to the construction of Corridor H. They asked if anything could be done to move the projected path of the road to save their homes.