WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — The coal money that used to flow strongly through Mingo County has dried up and members of the county commission are strongly indicating county workers are facing layoffs while those still with a job facing possible pay cuts.
The commission, which met in executive session for several hours Monday, is scheduled to meet again Thursday morning.
“We are in unchartered water in West Virginia,” Commissioner Greg “Hootie” Smith said in an article about Monday’s meeting in the Williamson Daily News. “We have never seen this before where the revenues are so low that the budgets are going to be missed so bad and the cash flow is nonexistent. If our collections are not significant for the month of September, we are going to have to look at reducing the elected official’s budget. I don’t see any other way.”
The commission recently took $250,000 out of its $500,000 Rainy Day Fund to pay the county’s bills. There are more bills to pay, Smith said.
“The balance will pay bills through Aug. 18 and that would leave us negative $100,608.25. The balance after paying payroll and payments after September 2016 will be negative $486,608.25,” Smith was quoted in the Daily News. “That doesn’t include tax collection because we don’t know. The end of August is usually pretty good tax collection with people paying to get an early reduction. To be honest with you, people don’t have the money to pay early.”
There are currently only five coal mines operating in Mingo County.