Pocahontas Commissioners Struggle with Parks and Recreation Budget Shortfalls

At the July 21^st Pocahontas County Commission meeting, Alyssa Vickers, Director of the County Parks and Recreation, explained that their switching from a calendar year budget to a fiscal year budget which runs from July 1 through the following June 30, causes them to go a number of consecutive months in the spring with no income from their Hotel/Motel Tax allocation, which is their primary funding source.

She also said they run budget shortages that have resulted in the elimination of their only full-time maintenance employee, and caused serious deficits in running their swimming pool at the Green Bank Observatory. They also do not have the money to replace critically needed broken mowers or to fix 3 non-working air conditioner systems. Vickers mentioned that her office in the Wellness Center has averaged 84 degrees this summer, and the exercise room there has also been so uncomfortable that it is unusable on some hot days. Because Parks and Recreation is a subsidiary of the County Commission, it is ineligible to receive most grants that could cover those expenses. She said the $250,000 cap the commission put on their Hotel/Motel Tax revenues also contributes to their budget problems.

The commissioners voted to provide $2,700 from their Hotel/Motel Tax Commission Contingency Fund to have the three broken air conditioner systems inspected, tuned up, and to get a quote for any other needed repairs.  They said once they get estimates for any AC repairs needed, they will also provide those funds. Likewise, they agreed to replace the broken mowers once they receive quotes for them. Commission President John Rebinski said they will likely need to adjust the amount of Hotel/Motel Tax money Parks and Recreation receives, perhaps by adjusting their cap up higher, but they will need some time to figure the best way to do that.

The commissioners also considered the joint request from the BFD Volunteer Fire Department and from the County EMS Authority to have the County Ambulance Fund pay $800 per month to reimburse BFD for the extra utility costs incurred by allowing the County Ambulance Service be housed at the BFD station. Rebinski however, calculated that the presence of the County Ambulance at BFD only adds $182 per month to BFD’s gas and electric bills. He suggested that the rest of the $800 is actually a rent being charged by BFD. Rebinski added that the Cass VFD would house them at either their station or at their building near Green Bank at no charge. Leisha Cassell representing both BFD and the EMS Authority, said the location at Cass would add too much response time to calls near Durbin, and the Cass building near Green Bank is not properly equipped. Rebinski said neither of those are true. Commissioners Ryder and Walker voted yes to a motion to offer BFD $400 per month or half of the $800 they asked for, while Rebinski voted against that motion.

The commissioners also:

• Sent FEMA’s proposed Flood Plain Ordinance for review by their attorney before doing the Second Reading of it.
• Signed a proclamation declaring September as WV Goes Purple month. This is regarding drug overdoses and addiction. It says that recovery matters, and hope is alive
• Hired Ashley Moore as a new full-time employee of the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office effective August 3^rd.
• Agreed to move Austin Rider from being a part-time employee of the County Ambulance Service to a full-time status at $15.00 per hour, effective July 28^th.
• Adopted the Emergency Absentee Voting Policy for the November 3^rd
• Approved a Budget Revision and Resolution which balances the 2025-2026 carry-over of almost 1.3 million dollars.
• Agreed to get quotes on cleaning and repairing the courthouse attic.
• Renewed their contract with Global Science Technologies to maintain Courthouse IT services.
• Clarified that they had funded the new museum in Durbin to primarily present the history of the Howes Tannery, and that museum precludes any need for another museum being established at the old Howes Office Building in Frank.