3 days ago
Terra Alta council suggests using donations, volunteers due to $0 budget
TERRA ALTA, (WBOY) — Amid administrative chaos centered around the Town of Terra Alta's budget, the town council held an emergency meeting Thursday night to discuss potential solutions, as well as the fate of the town's employees.
12 News previously reported on how the town failed to submit its annual budget to the West Virginia State Auditor's Office by the annual deadline, meaning it can't collect taxes and its budget is set at $0.
During Thursday's meeting, residents raised questions on how the town is going to pay its employees or maintain the town as a whole. The meeting yielded few answers, with the council saying many of the decisions will fall on the new leadership following the upcoming municipal election, which is set for next Tuesday, June 10.
Harrison County cemeteries in need of donations for maintenance
Solutions discussed during the meeting included soliciting donations and volunteers to serve the community. Another solution was to tap into the $55,000 Shaw Fund, which was set up by a now-deceased former resident to be used to improve the town.
'At this time, we are getting no tax or levy money,' Town Clerk Kambra Sisler said. 'At this time, the main focus should be getting a bill into legislation to try to change the state so that there is an acceptance for us moving forward for our next budget because when we submit our next budget, it is 101% of what we received the previous year and we're receiving zero. So 101% times zero is zero.'
With no budget and no answers, the town's employees are in a state of limbo. Their positions have not been officially eliminated as of Thursday night, but as it stands, there is no concrete plan to pay them.
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