KINGWOOD — A public hearing about Reedsville’s application to annex the post office into town limits by minor boundary adjustment will be held May 3.
Reedsville Mayor Dennis Pierson presented the town’s application to the Preston County Commission at its regular meeting on Tuesday.
“This is the first time in many, many years we’ve had an application for minor boundary adjustment for annexation,” County Administrator Kathy Mace said.
The nine-question application has been reviewed by Prosecutor James Shay, who approved it, Pierson said. He and Mace both gave credit to Reedsville’s municipal clerk, Danielle Spiker, for her work on the application.
The proposed minor boundary adjustment will cross four properties and include the town’s post office — the only business the town is interested in. Each landowner on the way to the post office — the Reedsville Volunteer Fire Department, K Enterprises LLC, Hospice Care Corporation and ERPS Leasing Inc. — has signed affidavits consenting to the annexation.
Services to the area, such as trash collection or emergency responses, won’t change because of the annexation, Pierson said.
One of the largest changes will be an estimated $33,000 in additional revenue for the town. Pierson said about $1,000 of that will be from B&O taxes, with the rest coming from being able to collect a municipal sales tax from the post office. The figures are based on Masontown, which is a similarly sized town.
The annexation could also allow the town to add a sidewalk, increasing public safety. Pierson said Reedsville is one of the few towns which has its post office outside of city limits, and they don’t deliver mail outside of town at all. The topic has been discussed by the town’s council.
“Which, had I known that 12 years ago, might not have moved to Reedsville,” Pierson joked to room-wide laughter. “But we have several residents who travel that road via foot or motorized wheelchair. And we don’t have the jurisdiction to make it safer right there. So that’s one of the things that we’d really like to look at.”
Commissioner Don Smith noted they could add a sidewalk if it was in town limits, and Pierson said they were considering that or a walking trail of some variety. Smith said it struck him that none of the property owners affected are opposed.
“One of the biggest concerns with any kind of annexation is how do people who are affected think,” Commissioner Dave Price said. “… There have been times that annexations look to be not fair, you know, kind of taking advantage of a strip of businesses or something and I just don’t like that. But this is for the good people and that’s what it should be about.”
An advertisement alerts the public to the hearing at 10 a.m. May 3 at in the County Commission meeting room.
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