CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Mayor Danny Jones says his office and city council have nine months to figure out how it will spend the initial $1.3 million to come from a 50-cent increase in the city’s $2.00-a-week user fee.
Jones challenged council members last month to come up with additional ways to raise revenue in the city and the user fee increase surfaced quickly. Council approved a total $1.00 increase Monday night. The first 50-cents will kick-in next January with the additional 50-cents in 2020.
Jones favors the entire additional amount to go toward road repairs.
“If they (council members) think we ought to have more police officers that’s their call. We’ve got nine months to decide,” Jones said Tuesday.
The user fee is paid by everyone who works in Charleston even if the worker lives outside the city. The fee, which was originally $1.00-a-week was first implemented in Jan. 2004. It’s had one other raise before Monday night’s approval. The money can only be used for roads and police protection. Jones said it has worked.
“All of the roads that are being paved right now, all of them, are being done by the user fee. So where would that money come from if you didn’t (have it)? Would we come out of the winter like we had with the potholes and say, ‘sorry, we have no money’ or would we take 20 or 30 less cops than we have right now? I’ll take the user fee,” Jones said.
During the past year, Charleston council members have now raised the sales tax by a full percentage point and the user fee to pay for things like the renovation of the Charleston Civic Center, the city’s pension debt and the aforementioned road repairs. Jones said the city can’t legally raise any more taxes.
“That’s over. It’s going to be a challenge for upcoming councils to do this,” he said.