By: Lydia Crawley The Parsons Advocate
Tucker County Commission President Mike Rosenau is taking aim at State Tourism following comments made about Tucker County by a lobbyist during a discussion over West Virginia House Bill 2922.
The bill would allow counties across the State to place on the ballot for vote either a 1% sales tax similar to city sales tax or a 1% amusement tax, according to Rosenau. “Its to allow counties throughout the State of West Virginia to impose a 1% sales tax, the same thing cities have right now, that Thomas and Davis has right now, or an amusement tax 1%.” Rosenau said.
Rosenau said that State Tourism had a lobbyist speak against the measure during the session. The County Commission attended remotely from their office in the Tucker County Courthouse. “Tourism again had a representative there fighting emergency services or a way to fund it in Tucker County,” Rosenau said.
Rosenau said lobbyists have a heavy say in what goes on in Charleston. “Lobbyists weigh in on all decisions made in Charleston,” Rosenau said. “I don’t care what anybody says, I’ve seen it first hand.”
According to Rosenau, only those with substantial resources can afford to have lobbyist in Charleston to speak to delegates on a daily basis. “The ones that have the money, they’re the ones that can afford the lobbyists that are there every day hounding our delegates and our senators, everyday,” Rosenau said. “Tourism has lobbyists there everyday.”
Rosenau said that the Commission has already spent a total of three partial weeks in the Capital to speak to lawmakers on behalf of Tucker County. “We as a Commission have spent three weeks in Charleston,” Rosenau said. “Not full weeks, but partial weeks because that is all we can afford to do. We have to run our county.”
Rosenau said the lobbyist began by saying that tourism has never supported an amusement tax. “So this gentleman came today and said, ‘Well, tourism they’ve never supported an amusement tax,'” Rosenau said.
According to Rosenau, the funds can only be used to fund emergency services and is a matter of public and community safety. “Its a safer community because the only thing this money could be spent on, is emergency services,” Rosenau said.
Rosenau said the lobbyist continuously referred to Tucker County as he spoke. “They referred to Tucker County throughout the whole, the tourism guy did, throughout the whole thing,” Rosenau said.
Rosenau said he is not against tourism and welcomes every guest the county welcomes each year, but is also aware of the strain of a population of 6,600 full time residents supporting emergency services for a million visitors a year. “Yes, Tucker County has 6600 people supporting a million guests. I welcome every guest. I welcome every one of them. I’m happy that they are here. I would greet them at the county line and shake their hand, if I could,” Rosenau said. “But while they are here, they expect certain things.”
Rosenau said that visitors to Tucker County come from metropolitan areas and expect certain amenities, especially easily accessible emergency services. “One of those things are emergency services,” Rosenau said. “They come from basically metropolitan areas into our county to the rural setting and in their area they have fire companies on every other lot, they have ambulance services on every other lot.”
In the past year, according to Rosenau, two people have died in the State Parks and in case of an accident, injury or other medical emergency, visitors expect emergency services to show up promptly. “They’re in Tucker County and God forbid, have an accident or they have a seizure or their child gets hurt or like in Tucker County this year at the State Parks, God rest their souls, we lost two people, they expect emergency services to show up,” Rosenau said.
Rosenau said it is the people of Tucker County that suffer as a result of EMS budgetary constraints. “Its the people in our county that suffers,” Rosenau said. “Its my family, its your family.”
Tucker County Commissioner Fred Davis said that the Tucker County Ambulance Authority informed the Commission that come June, they may be forced to reduce staffing to one crew 24/7. “Here’s the sad thing about the whole thing,” Davis said. “When our ambulance people come to us and tell us that in June they might be going maybe one crew (24/7). That ain’t good because one person goes out on a call and the next call you’re in trouble.”
Rosenau said that the County funds $250,000 a year total from both Hotel/Motel Tax and the General Fund to EMS and welcomed the public to examine the books. “Here’s the thing, anybody wants to come look at their books, please do,” Rosenau said. “Its nothing that we’re hiding. We give 140,000 strictly to EMS from Hotel/Motel. Give them free rent, utilities. 110,000 out of our general budget.”
Rosenau said what angered him the most was how Tucker County was singled out throughout the lobbyist’s speech. “What came to my front again today was how they brought Tucker County into their example of not funding,” Rosenau said. “We don’t want 50 cents put on a rental of some kind because it might deter tourism.”
Rosenau said he has spoken to the Governor about funding EMS and the impact losing EMS service would have on tourism. “What I told the Governor himself was, what will deter tourism is if I go on vacation and one of my grandchildren’s hurt and I have to sit there and watch them yelling and screaming for two hours before an ambulance can come, you think I’m going back to that place?” Rosenau said. “No. So to me that would be the biggest deterrent I could ever see in tourism.”
Rosenau said he can’t understand why State Tourism fights so hard against funding EMS. “I still can’t get in my head why the State Tourism fights us every step of the way when we try to get something in our county,” Rosenau said.
According to Rosenau, the State has yet to come up with a solution, but does nothing to assist the counties in finding or implementing one either. “The State hasn’t come up with a solution,” Rosenau said. “Its a statewide problem, but they handcuff the counties so we can’t either.”
Rosenau said he feels that the State should be behind efforts to fund EMS for the health and safety of residents and visitors alike. “Those things are the problems I have with powers that be in Charleston in tourism,” Rosenau said. “The guests that come to our county I am 100% for. Its the people that are running that fight something that they should be behind all the way because those guests that come here I would think the State level would want them taken care of.”
