MORGANTOWN — Sheriff Perry Palmer and Chief Tax Deputy Kelly Palmer presented the 2017 delinquent tax list during Wednesday’s regular Monongalia County Commission meeting.
The list includes 23,500 names and represents delinquent taxes totaling $8,298,320.07 split between personal property ($2,635,234.87) and real estate ($5,663,085.20).
Kelly Palmer explained that the outstanding total represents about 10 percent of the total taxes to be collected in the county for 2017.
She went on to say that the list was recently published in The Dominion Post at a cost of about $31,000.
The commissioners noted that all of the real estate taxes will eventually be collected and about 98 percent of the personal property taxes are typically obtained.
“I just want people to understand, we will be getting our funds. It’s just a matter of time,” Commission President Tom Bloom said.
In other county news, the commission approved a policy change that will mandate benefit-eligible employees hired after Aug. 1 be enrolled in the high deductible health and health savings account insurance plan offered by the county.
The commission explained that the county will fund every employee health savings account at $2,000. The employee would be responsible for an additional $2,000 if it is a family plan.
Commissioner Sean Sikora explained that employee premiums will not increase. He said the change will represent a substantial savings to the taxpayers while still providing value to employees.
“Overall we’re trying to bend the curve of increasing health care costs. We went from a plan of possibly having a $500,000 increase this year to where we’ll actually get a cost savings of $140,000 due to this and other moves we’ve made,” Sikora said. “We’re still providing the overall best value. This plan blows away any other plans that are available out there from any other entities that I’ve been involved with.”
The commissioners explained that employees who receive Medicare benefits cannot also enroll in the health savings account. Bloom said the county has one employee aged 65 or older.
Prior to the vote, County Clerk Carye Blaney asked to meet with the commission in a work session to discuss the changes.
Also on Wednesday, the commission:
- Approved an agreement with Citynet to provide Internet service to the courthouse and justice center at the request of the county’s information technology department. Sikora said the state contract with Verizon was set to increase substantially in July and the move will save the county about $500/month over those increased rates.
- Approved a requisition request totaling $20,000 from Enrout Properties tied to the Morgantown Industrial Park tax increment financing (TIF) district.
- Approved a $1,500 funding request from the Miss West Virginia pageant.
