News
Council hikes hotel-motel tax
OAK HILL — If you find yourself paying a few extra dollars to stay at New River Inn or Holiday Inn while visiting Oak Hill, there is a logical explanation — city council members Monday evening passed the second reading of a hike in the hotel-motel tax. On a positive note, the move could result in improvements to White Oak Rails-to-Trails.
Overcoming Jeff Atha’s opposition and John Dixon’s absence, city council approved a doubling of the fee — from three percent to six percent.
Councilman-at-large Bill Hannabass had previously voiced strong skepticism about the idea, but his concerns were allayed at the September meeting when council members passed a first reading of the increase earmarking one-fourth of revenues for White Oak Rails-to-Trails. That position was reiterated in Monday’s vote.
The New River Convention and Visitors Bureau is already entitled to half of all revenues from the hotel-motel tax. At last month’s meeting, a tourism official told council members that the return on money invested in trails is usually quadruple the original amount.
Anti-tax stalwarts Atha and Hannabass later joined forces in unsuccessfully opposing the first reading of an increase in the television cable franchise fee. The hike from three percent to five percent was passed on a vote of 3-2.
Responding to a question from the public, city manager Tom Oxley said that the increase would likely be passed on to consumers.
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In other business, council members:
- Unanimously voted to prohibit on-street parking on Bunch Street.
- Adopted a proclamation endorsing the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as a prerequisite to obtaining an $84,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which they later voted to accept.
NIMS requires city officials to take classes and training from instructors to be aware of what breakdowns exist in response to potential emergencies. Tim Richardson told council members that both the fire department and the police department have been certified by NIMS.
- All agreed on a second reading to not allow a call-in vote by any council member.
- Set Oct. 31 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. as the date and times for trick-or-treat. Children up to and including 12 years of age are eligible to participate.
— E-mail:
mhill@register-herald.com
- News
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- Economic growth tied to tourism, housing, prof says A West Virginia University economics professor provided his assessment Tuesday evening of Fayette County’s economic outlook. Prognosis — the proverbial silver lining lurks along the rim of the New River Gorge in the form of housing developments.
- Council hikes hotel-motel tax If you find yourself paying a few extra dollars to stay at New River Inn or Holiday Inn while visiting Oak Hill, there is a logical explanation — city council members Monday evening passed the second reading of a hike in the hotel-motel tax. On a positive note, the move could result in improvements to White Oak Rails-to-Trails.
- Homecoming activities kick off Thursday Activities for the 2006 Homecoming celebration at WVU Tech kick off Thursday evening at 8 p.m. with a concert featuring 2 Skinny Dorks and the Family in the Tech Center ballroom. The concert, which is open to everyone, is free.
- Switch to biodiesel going well for Nicholas schools The transportation director of the Nicholas County school system says he is pleased so far with the results of the decision to switch from diesel to a mix of soy-based biodiesel fuel.
- Mount Hope gets $700,000 for sewer ugrade A $700,000 grant furnished by the Appalachian Regional Commission adds a key component in Mount Hope’s long-running effort to provide sewage service to residents in two outlying areas.
- Oak Hill police officer resigns The resignation last week of an Oak Hill police officer plagued with legal woes has merely provided additional impetus to a police department’s already eager search for new recruits.
- Oak Hill city council bans ATVs from trail After some discussion of legal terminology, Oak Hill city council Monday evening unanimously passed the second reading of an ordinance that would ban all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and other motorized conveyances from the White Oak Rails-to-Trails. Council member Bruce Coleman was absent.
- Deputies, TRIDENT bust meth lab Fayette County sheriff’s deputies teamed with members of the TRIDENT drug task force to successfully locate and destroy a make-shift methamphetamine lab at a camp site near Nallen early Monday morning.
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Fire damages OH business
An early Monday morning fire on July 10 damaged an Oak Hill business and is under investigation by the state fire marshal’s office.
