Moundsville Council Votes Against Putting Bus Levy on November Ballot
Shelley Hanson Trending
MOUNDSVILLE -- In a 4-3 decision, Moundsville City Council shot down a proposed ordinance that called for placing a bus tax levy on the Nov. 5 general election ballot for residents to consider.
Voting against the proposed ordinance were Councilmen David Wood, Randy Chamberlain and Eugene Saunders and Councilwoman Judy Hunt. Voting in favor were Mayor Sara Wood-Shaw and Councilwomen Ginger DeWitt and Brianna Hickman.
The decision against the proposed ordinance was made during its first reading on Tuesday evening.
Several city residents showed up to voice their opinions on the matter again. Several people said they were against allowing the levy to be placed on the ballot, and a few said they were in favor of letting voters decide the matter.
A couple of people who were landlords said they would have to pass the cost on to their tenants by raising their rents. Resident Sally McElwee expressed concern, saying she could not afford an increase on her property tax with the cost of goods and services and health insurance still all remaining high.
"What are we going to cut from our budget?" she asked council before the vote was taken.
Resident Carole Wood said she believed the residents should have the right to vote on the levy, while others said they did not think it was fair that non-property owners could vote on it.
"I don't want my right to vote taken away from me," Wood said.
After the vote, council decided to discuss other transportation ideas and possible means of funding during a future finance committee meeting.
Hickman suggested that perhaps a portion of the city's 1% income tax could be used in some manner.
Hunt noted before the vote was taken that it was a difficult decision to make, as she originally wanted to simply provide public transportation options for residents. After hearing people's concerns, though, she decided against it.
Chamberlain questioned a couple of Ohio Valley Regional Transportation Authority members in attendance about the bus company's funding and how the levy money would be used. But ultimately, he said, it was about the residents who are already struggling to make ends meet.
"I think we would harm far more people than we would help if we moved forward with this," he said before the vote.
Business owner Bruce Schuster told council that he does not live in the city, but does run a business there. Since he would not be able to vote on the levy, he did not believe it would be fair to have to pay it.
"It's taxation without representation," he said. "I'm a fledgling business owner. This is an undue tax burden."
Landlord Dave Richman told council that he has avoided raising rents at his properties for years, but the bus levy would be too much for him to handle. He said he has already absorbed other fees and increases from the city.
"If you raise the taxes, you're going to hurt the little guy who can afford it the least," he said, adding that voters would not understand the burden such a tax levy would place on people, just that buses would be a nice public service.