CCAWV Regional Professional Development Sessions
In June, CCAWV will be hosting a trio of regional training sessions across the state.
Training sessions are open to anyone interested in attending! There is no fee for CCAWV members, and only a $20 registration fee for attendees from a nonmember county. Light lunch will be provided. Some of the topics to be covered include:
Changes coming to PEIA – what do they mean for your employees and your county?
2015 Legislative Wrap-up –in brief, find out what happened during the recent legislative session and what counties should expect in the coming months.
Joint Select Committee on Tax Reform
The West Virginia Legislature has formed a Joint Select Committee on Tax Reform. The committee, co-chaired by Senator Mike Hall and Delegate Eric Nelson, began meeting in April and has held a number of public meetings since.
After receiving a thorough education on the history of taxes and tax reform in West Virginia, they listened to reports from an academic panel comprised of representatives from both WVU and Marshall’s Economic Research departments.
The discussion, which CCAWV has been following closely, recently turned to tax reform methodologies used by other states. The Committee has reviewed the highlights and pitfalls of neighboring states, and has examined West Virginia’s previous efforts at tax reform. In their efforts to “leave no stone unturned”, the June meeting will first feature a discussion on the mechanics of property taxes before it turns to county and municipal taxes. CCAWV has been invited to speak to the committee to discuss some of the concerns counties may have with tax reform, as well as discuss some of the fiscal challenges already facing many of West Virginia’s counties. Nancy Cartmill, CCAWV President and Cabell County Commissioner, and Jack David Woodrum, CCAWV Legislative Chairman and Summers County Commissioner will be representing the association at the meeting. We thank them for taking time from their busy schedules to stand up for counties! We will be following the work of the committee very closely in the coming months, and encourage Commissioners to do the same!
Session Draws to a Close
The fifty-eighth West Virginia legislative session came to a close at midnight on March 14, 2015. It had been an action-packed session from the first day. In all, 1607 bills were introduced. Currently, 262 are listed as “completed legislation” on the Legislature’s website.
The new Republican majority went into the session with a long list of legislative goals. Prevailing wage was one of the first issues they took up. CCAWV supported not repealing, but finding a truer way to calculate prevailing wage rates. SB 361 aims to do just that – in conjunction with WVU and Marshall University’s economic research departments, Workforce West Virginia will investigate and determine the prevailing wage for public improvement projects that will cost more than $500,000.
McDowell County Wins Spot in Nationwide NACo Program!
The National Organization of Counties (NACo), has partnered with the National Association of Development
Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation to launch an exciting new program: Innovation Challenge for Coal-Reliant Communities. We are thrilled to announce that McDowell County has been selected as one of seven teams to participate in the program’s inaugural workshop!
The program aims to provide coal-reliant counties and communities with the tools they need to re-imagine their communities’ economic futures, and blueprints to begin moving forward. There are three competitions slated for this year.
CCAWV Annual Essay Contest!
To celebrate “County Government Month”, CCAWV has launched its annual essay contest. Held every April, we ask eighth grade students to write a 500 word essay describing how their county commission helps them in their daily lives. In previous years, some commissions have used this as an opportunity to engage their young community members. They have gone to schools and spoken about what they do. They’ve explained how some processes, like budgeting, which may seem abstract to an eighth grade mind, work to provide very tangible benefits to residents (like parks!).
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