Latest news with #HomeRule
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cameras on NYC street sweepers may soon nab alternate side parking scofflaws
Serial street-sweeper scofflaws, beware. You could soon be on camera. The City Council Wednesday voted to give its consent to a proposed state law that would enable street sweepers to automatically issue alternate-side parking tickets to any vehicle slotted alongside the wrong curb. 'This is a common-sense bill that will make our streets demonstrably cleaner,' Council Member Lincoln Restler (D – Brooklyn), who sponsored the bill, said in a statement. 'We're talking about cracking down on the worst offenders to ultimately facilitate greater compliance, which means fewer rats and better quality of life for all New Yorkers.' The Council voted 41 to 8 to pass the legislation. The bill is a so-called 'Home Rule message,' meaning it merely indicates the City's intention to cooperate with a state law that's yet to pass. The state bill — known as S1891 in the senate, and A4523 in the assembly — has yet to get out of committee in either house. If passed, the law would allow the city to mount cameras on the Department of Sanitation's fleet of street-sweepers to photograph and automatically ticket any vehicles parked along the curb during cleaning hours. The automated tickets would be capped at $50, and be subject to an additional $25 late fee. 'Just as bus cameras protect transit riders, broom cameras will safeguard public health and urban dignity,' said state Sen. Robert Jackson (D – Manhattan). 'This isn't about punishment—it's about progress.' The law would also allow photographs taken by the sweeper-mounted cameras to be provided to law enforcement in response to a warrant.
Dominion Post
09-05-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Morgantown sales tax revenue surpasses $10 million in FY 2025
MORGANTOWN — The city of Morgantown collected more than $10 million in sales taxes in the current fiscal year. It's the first time collections have reached eight digits since the city utilized Home Rule to implement the additional 1% tax in 2020. Earlier this week, Morgantown City Council approved a resolution amending the city's projected sales tax revenue to reflect an increase of $490,694.51 in the 2025 fiscal year, bringing the total to $10,090,694.51. That number represents a new high-water mark for sales tax collections and an increase of $196,096.54 over the 2024 fiscal year. 'You're more than welcome when you can come and you can tell us we're not dealing with negatives, we're dealing with positives,' Councilor Bill Kawecki told Finance Director Jon Ferguson. 'To put things in perspective, this money is not just a gift, it's pretty much allocated to various activities that we have ongoing. You mentioned the pension plan, but also I think it helps to take care of some of the employee health insurance that we had to dip into funds to cover, if I'm not mistaken.' The enabling legislation mandates tax revenues be distributed in the following manner: 25% for recreational facilities and services operated by BOPARC; 25% for the purpose of reducing the unfunded actuarial accrued liability of the city's police and firefighter pension funds; 25% for capital improvement projects within the city; and 25% to be allocated at the discretion of Morgantown City Council into the city's general fund or used to supplement the funding going to the three uses listed above. Ferguson confirmed that the additional revenue going into the city's general fund would offset some of the $1.45 million the city 'temporarily borrowed' from its general fund in January to cover increases in the cost of the city's self-funded insurance plan. While the sales tax revenues topped the $10 million threshold in the 2025 fiscal year, it's expected they may drop by up to 10% in FY 2026. The upcoming spending plan conservatively anticipates just over $9 million in sales taxes. If that number holds, it would be the lowest full-year collection, by a considerable margin, since the city implemented the tax. The reduction comes down to the state implementing a more precise method of determining what businesses are located within a municipality, resulting in the probability that some businesses located on the periphery of the city have been collecting Morgantown sales taxes and remitting them to the state for distribution despite not being within the city's boundaries. Historical sales tax collections by the city of Morgantown include: — $5,457,116.46 for fiscal year 2021. This represented two quarters of collections. — $9,541,906.24 for fiscal year 2022. The city budgeted $6 million. — $9,464,938.11 for fiscal year 2023. The city budgeted $8.8 million — $9,894,597.97 for fiscal year 2024. The city budgeted $9.56 million — $10,090,694.51 for fiscal year 2025. The city budgeted $9.6 million.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Morgantown sales tax revenue surpasses $10 million in FY 2025
May 8—MORGANTOWN — The city of Morgantown collected more than $10 million in sales taxes in the current fiscal year. It's the first time collections have reached eight digits since the city utilized Home Rule to implement the additional 1 % tax in 2020. Earlier this week, Morgantown City Council approved a resolution amending the city's projected sales tax revenue to reflect an increase of $490, 694.51 in the 2025 fiscal year, bringing the total to $10, 090, 694.51. That number represents a new high-water mark for sales tax collections and an increase of $196, 096.54 over the 2024 fiscal year. "You're more than welcome when you can come and you can tell us we're not dealing with negatives, we're dealing with positives, " Councilor Bill Kawecki told Finance Director Jon Ferguson. "To put things in perspective, this money is not just a gift, it's pretty much allocated to various activities that we have ongoing. You mentioned the pension plan, but also I think it helps to take care of some of the employee health insurance that we had to dip into funds to cover, if I'm not mistaken." The enabling legislation mandates tax revenues be distributed in the following manner: 25 % for recreational facilities and services operated by BOPARC ; 25 % for the purpose of reducing the unfunded actuarial accrued liability of the city's police and firefighter pension funds ; 25 % for capital improvement projects within the city ; and 25 % to be allocated at the discretion of Morgantown City Council into the city's general fund or used to supplement the funding going to the three uses listed above. Ferguson confirmed that the additional revenue going into the city's general fund would offset some of the $1.45 million the city "temporarily borrowed " from its general fund in January to cover increases in the cost of the city's self-funded insurance plan. While the sales tax revenues topped the $10 million threshold in the 2025 fiscal year, it's expected they may drop by up to 10 % in FY 2026. The upcoming spending plan conservatively anticipates just over $9 million in sales taxes. If that number holds, it would be the lowest full-year collection, by a considerable margin, since the city implemented the tax. The reduction comes down to the state implementing a more precise method of determining what businesses are located within a municipality, resulting in the probability that some businesses located on the periphery of the city have been collecting Morgantown sales taxes and remitting them to the state for distribution despite not being within the city's boundaries. Historical sales tax collections by the city of Morgantown include:—$5, 457, 116.46 for fiscal year 2021. This represented two quarters of collections.—$9, 541, 906.24 for fiscal year 2022. The city budgeted $6 million.—$9, 464, 938.11 for fiscal year 2023. The city budgeted $8.8 million—$9, 894, 597.97 for fiscal year 2024. The city budgeted $9.56 million—$10, 090, 694.51 for fiscal year 2025. The city budgeted $9.6 million.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Granville gets Home Rule, eyes January sales tax rollout
May 2—GRANVILLE — Mayor Patty Lewis said she's currently projecting the implementation of a 1 % sales tax to take effect Jan. 1 in Granville. The town received permission to do so late last month, when the West Virginia Home Rule Board made it the third Home Rule community in Monongalia County. Granville was one of four Mountain State municipalities — all Class IV — approved during the board's first meeting of 2025. The others are Farmington, Roncevert and Welch. Class IV is the state's smallest municipal classification — typically with a population of 2, 000 or less. Per state code, only four Class IV municipalities can be approved for Home Rule per year. All told, there are now 68 municipalities in the Home Rule program, which began as a four-city pilot program in 2007 with the goal of giving the state's municipalities freedom within the law to tackle unique challenges. In October 2014, the pilot cities of Bridgeport, Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling were joined by 16 additional municipalities, including Morgantown, as part of the expanded pilot program. As of January 2019, Home Rule is permanent. Westover became the state's 60th Home Rule city in October 2023. Both Morgantown and Westover have implemented municipal sales taxes via Home Rule. Morgantown's tax took effect in July 2020 and is expected to generate about $10 million in the current fiscal year. Westover's tax went into effect in July 2024, and is expected to bring in about $3.3 million. According to Granville's application, the town anticipates its sales tax will initially generate just over $4.4 million annually. As a requirement of establishing the tax, the town must reduce its business and occupation privilege taxes—meaning non-construction B &O taxes. Those taxes fall into a number of categories, including amusement, banking, contracting, manufacturing, public service utility, rental, retail, service and wholesale. Granville is proposing a rate reduction on retailers from.0050 to.0040, which, based on fiscal year 2023 numbers, would represent about $593, 420 on just under $591.2 million in retail sales. The elimination of B &O taxes on amusements ($7, 076.08) and a rate reduction on financial institutions from.01 to.0050 ($34, 840.37) bring the total estimated B &O cuts to $635, 336.59 and the net gain of implementing the sales tax to $3, 765, 250.97. Lewis previously said the tax is a hedge against legislative discussions in Charleston regarding the elimination of the business and occupation taxes. When the legislature eliminated B &O taxes on automobile sales starting July 1, 2023, the town lost taxes on an estimated $127 million in car sales annually from the four dealerships within its small footprint. While the sales tax is undoubtedly the headliner, Granville's Home Rule application includes four other initiatives, including:—Disposition of property and equipment without public auction—This would allow the town to directly dispose of real estate and personal property without auction in appropriate circumstances and to consider the value of public services to the provided or economic development expected when determining a fair value for the lease or sale of property.—On-the-spot citations—This would allow the town to issue citations immediately for life safety code, health and sanitation, and public nuisance violations.—Liens for solid waste fees—This would allow the town to place liens without instituting a civil action to collect unpaid fees for solid waste collection. Prior to enactment, each of these items—including the sales tax—must be individually adopted by ordinance of the town council.
Dominion Post
03-05-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Granville gets Home Rule, eyes January sales tax rollout
GRANVILLE — Mayor Patty Lewis said she's currently projecting the implementation of a 1% sales tax to take effect Jan. 1 in Granville. The town received permission to do so late last month, when the West Virginia Home Rule Board made it the third Home Rule community in Monongalia County. Granville was one of four Mountain State municipalities – all Class IV – approved during the board's first meeting of 2025. The others are Farmington, Roncevert and Welch. Class IV is the state's smallest municipal classification – typically with a population of 2,000 or less. Per state code, only four Class IV municipalities can be approved for Home Rule per year. All told, there are now 68 municipalities in the Home Rule program, which began as a four-city pilot program in 2007 with the goal of giving the state's municipalities freedom within the law to tackle unique challenges. In October 2014, the pilot cities of Bridgeport, Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling were joined by 16 additional municipalities, including Morgantown, as part of the expanded pilot program. As of January 2019, Home Rule is permanent. Westover became the state's 60th Home Rule city in October 2023. Both Morgantown and Westover have implemented municipal sales taxes via Home Rule. Morgantown's tax took effect in July 2020 and is expected to generate about $10 million in the current fiscal year. Westover's tax went into effect in July 2024, and is expected to bring in about $3.3 million. According to Granville's application, the town anticipates its sales tax will initially generate just over $4.4 million annually. As a requirement of establishing the tax, the town must reduce its business and occupation privilege taxes — meaning non-construction B&O taxes. Those taxes fall into a number of categories, including amusement, banking, contracting, manufacturing, public service utility, rental, retail, service and wholesale. Granville is proposing a rate reduction on retailers from .0050 to .0040, which, based on fiscal year 2023 numbers, would represent about $593,420 on just under $591.2 million in retail sales. The elimination of B&O taxes on amusements ($7,076.08) and a rate reduction on financial institutions from .01 to .0050 ($34,840.37) bring the total estimated B&O cuts to $635,336.59 and the net gain of implementing the sales tax to $3,765,250.97. Lewis previously said the tax is a hedge against legislative discussions in Charleston regarding the elimination of the business and occupation taxes. When the legislature eliminated B&O taxes on automobile sales starting July 1, 2023, the town lost taxes on an estimated $127 million in car sales annually from the four dealerships within its small footprint. While the sales tax is undoubtedly the headliner, Granville's Home Rule application includes four other initiatives, including: — Disposition of property and equipment without public auction — This would allow the town to directly dispose of real estate and personal property without auction in appropriate circumstances and to consider the value of public services to the provided or economic development expected when determining a fair value for the lease or sale of property. — On-the-spot citations — This would allow the town to issue citations immediately for life safety code, health and sanitation, and public nuisance violations. — Liens for solid waste fees — This would allow the town to place liens without instituting a civil action to collect unpaid fees for solid waste collection. Prior to enactment, each of these items — including the sales tax — must be individually adopted by ordinance of the town council.
