MORGANTOWN — Monongalia County Health Officer Lee Smith isn’t one to mince words in the best of times.
But after more than a year at the center of the area’s COVID-19 response, he may be running low on patience, particularly with Charleston.
On Thursday, the Monongalia County Board of Health opted to delay implementation of fee increases for environmental services for the second time this calendar year, in deference to the financial impact the pandemic has had on businesses.
Smith was asked if the health department could potentially forego fee increases altogether and count instead on additional state budgetary support for public health.
The short answer — probably not.
“To me, right now, it looks like it would be a miracle if the people who run the financial committee would be willing to do anything to support public health,” he said. “They’ve done everything in their power to crush us.”
Smith has noted public health in West Virginia has never really recovered from a 25% reduction in state funding in 2016 — about $4 million. He said roughly half that number has since been returned.
“But let’s be reminded that if they replaced the entire 25%, that makes us even to where we should have been in 2016. That brings us back to poverty,” Smith said. “Either you support public health or you don’t, and it sure doesn’t look like we have support in Charleston.”
The comments came as the board of health weighed immediately implementing fee increases that would result in $80,000 to $90,000 in additional annual revenue for the MCHD’s Environmental Services division.
In the end, the board opted to take another look at the decision in July for fear it would further burden businesses that, much like county health departments, have borne the brunt of COVID-19, albeit in different ways.
The ability to increase fees by up to 25% was passed by the legislature and went into effect in July 2020.
Jon Welch, MCHD’s Environmental Services program manager, said he’s aware of only one county that has put the increase in place.
Welch said due to timing issues involving a mandatory 30-day notice, the board needed to either act immediately or wait and take it up again prior to the fall permitting process.
The board chose the latter.
“I’m real hesitant right now,” BOH Member Donna Tennant said. “We just had so many businesses close because of this and, as Keith [Zullig] said, people are just now starting to get back on their feet. I would hate to slap them with something else right now.”
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