HAMLIN, W.Va. — There appears to be general agreement among members of the Lincoln County Commission to have a special election next year to try and pass two key levies that failed to meet the required 60 percent approval in the Nov. 4 vote.
The commission met Thursday, didn’t take an official vote, but talked favorably about another election for the fire and ambulance levies soon.
“It was pretty much a joint decision from the commission that the levy would need to be put before the voters again and that would occur sometime in February or March of next year,” Lincoln County Office of Emergency Services Director Alan Holder said.
The ambulance levy is for $440,000 dollars over five years. The fire protection levy is also a five year levy worth $500,000 and is split evenly among the county’s eight volunteer fire departments. The money helps pay for fuel, insurance, equipment, and building maintenance for each fire department. They have been in place continually since the early 1980s. The current levies run out June 30, 2016.
The fire levy had 59 percent approval Nov. 4, just shy of the 60 percent required. The ambulance levy fell less than three percent short of the requirement. Holder said they didn’t spend much money promoting the levies and they probably should have.
“I guess maybe we had thought, ‘Hey, it’s passed for 30 years and it will pass again,’ and all of those were essential services. We’re just going to have to get out a little bit harder and make sure that everybody we know and our friends are registered to vote and show up at the polls,” Holder said.
The Lincoln County Commission could take official action on a special election at its next meeting. Holder said it’s likely that election will be on a Saturday, they’ve already looked at a few possible dates.
Holder said the failure of the levies this month will impact spending during the next few months.
“Are we pushing the panic button? No. Are we being conservative with any expenditures? Yes.”