CVB Opposes Pocahontas Commission’s Proposed Ambulance Service Fee

We’re here today with Chelsea Faulknier, the Executive director of the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB,) and she wanted to talk about the county commission’s emergency ambulance Fee.

Chelsea, what is the CVB and your board of directors’ opinion about the County commission’s proposed fee?

“The Pocahontas County CVB, our board of directors, on behalf of our hospitality industry and our valued partners and guests, we certainly oppose the County Commission potentially implementing an outdoor recreation and amusement fee to address emergency ambulance services in the county,” said Faulknier. “We feel that as an industry, our partners – specifically our lodging partners- already contribute a 6% occupancy tax to the county commission to address emergency service and other needs including county infrastructure and supporting other various organizations within the county, so we strongly oppose adding additional fees onto our guests and our small businesses who already contributed to funding for emergency ambulance services. They collect fees from guests to address the increased needs for emergency ambulance services for not only our guests but for residents, and for recreationists as well.”

Chelsea, I notice that you refer to the commission’s fee proposal as an “outdoor recreation and amusement tax”, but the commissioners have said it is a 1% or 2% fee that works similarly to a sales tax on purchases. Why do you see it as recreation tax?

“So, I call it an outdoor and amusement tax. The Pocahontas County Commission has referenced a few times what the Tucker County Commission has recently passed in a ordinance back in November, which was a Special Emergency Ambulance Service Fee, that specifically targeted any rental businesses – so that could be any lodging or bike rentals, kayak rentals- things like that. And it also included a 2% fee on admission cover charges for festivals or a local band playing at a music festival, if there is a cover charge associated with that, there would be a fee passed on to that. So, I call it an amusement, outdoor recreation fee just because at least from what the Tucker County Commission has outlined in their ordinance specifically looks at rental and admission & cover charges, and how they collect the fees for their emergency ambulance services.”

Commission President Rebinski has said he has modeled his fee on the tucker County program, but he seems to be talking more like a sales tax on items purchased in stores. I’ve never heard him talking about rentals and specific tourism things.

“What was referenced in the tucker County Ordinance and passed by their commission, doesn’t outline anything in regard to any type of sales fee or sales taxes associated with services out side of rentals or festivals or admissions and things like that.

The commissioners have also indicated they might all use this fee to pay for fire services or other emergency services in addition to ambulance service.

“ I know that the Tucker County Commission adopted their ordinance under the authority of WV Code, Chapter 7, Article 15, Section 17, which is specific in what can be utilized for emergency ambulance services. So, for instance, ‘this can only be utilized for ambulance services and maintenance, building, administrative costs associated with ambulance services.’ So, anything pertaining to fire, or anything outside of ambulance service, would not necessarily be within what is written in the recently-passed Tucker County Ordinance. Again, if they are modeling what the Tucker County Commission did, it certainly could not be called a special emergency ambulance fee because anything that would be a tax on a good like that is not related to outdoor recreation or amusement, would not be within that WV State Code.”

So, your understanding of the Tucker County Emergency Ambulance Fee Ordinance – and I see you have a copy of it right in front of you – is that it only applies to ambulance services, is specifically authorized by the WV Code you mentioned earlier, and it sets a fee for things like vacation rental properties, recreation and tourism services, goods and admissions, and it has no resemblance to a sales tax. Is that correct?

We have researched the WV code that authorizes emergency ambulance fees, and it it titled the “Emergency Ambulance Fee of 1975.”

Faulknier also asked us to remind people how important it is for them to come to the commission’s public meeting on this fee, which will be held during the March 18^th Pocahontas County Commission’s regular evening meeting in the courthouse.