When Wetzel County voters enter the polls, either on Election Day, Oct. 4, or at early voting currently taking place at the courthouse, they will need to make a decision in addition to the much advertised and discussed race for governor. Wetzel County voters are asked to pass a five-year levy that will provide additional funding to the Wetzel County Emergency Medical Service and 11 volunteer fire departments in the county.

The levy, if passed by the required 60 percent, is expected to generate approximately $500,000 per year. The Wetzel County Commission, based on need, decided $200,000 of that would go the WCEMS and $300,000 would go to the VFDs. From there distribution would be determined by the Wetzel County Emergency Ambulance Authority and individual fire department committees.

All spending must be according to state guidelines. The money would be distributed quarterly through the county commission and it would be audited.

WCEAA Director Carla McBee explained that the need for additional funding has become urgent as their workers compensation insurance has raised exponentially. For example, six years ago the WCEMS paid $4,000 per year for workers compensation. This year that cost will be $39,000. The increase is largely because the state no longer subsidizes workers compensation. Workers compensation must be paid on all workers, even volunteers.

The EMS departments in the state experienced the extreme rate hike five years ago, but this is the first year the fire departments are being hit with similar raises.

Consequently some volunteer fire departments across the state have closed their doors. That has already happened on Fish Creek in Marshall County, prompting the New Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department to enter into a mutual aid agreement with Marshall County to help give fire protection to that area.

McBee said it is very likely that if the levy does not pass, then three VFDs in the county will shut down immediately and more might close subsequently.

But workers compensation isn’t the only high ticket need. McBee said they all need some new equipment as mandated, yet unfunded, by the state. The EMS vehicles aren’t exactly new either, with a few over 10 years old.

Obviously other costs like fuel and utilities have also increased.

Employee salaries are also an expenditure, one McBee would actually like to see increase. Currently she estimates that three of the four EMS stations-Pine Grove, Grandview, and New Martinsville-are operating on a 90 percent paid staff. But the remaining station, Hundred, is only approximately a 50 percent paid staff.

“We’d like to put more people out there because they’re so far away from everyone else,” McBee said.

There are also emergency medical squads with the New Martinsville and Folsom VFDs, but they forfeited their portion of the EMS funding as they know the other EMS stations are in greater need. “They haven’t ever had to struggle like we have,” noted McBee.

The levy funding would be divided equally among 11 VFDs: New Martinsville, Paden City, Grandview, Silver Hill, Wileyville, Hundred, Pine Grove, Reader, Jackonsburg, Folsom, and Smithfield.

In the event that one or more of the VFDs shut down, their annual levy funds will be divided equally and distributed to the departments remaining in operation. In the event a new fire department opens or a closed fire department reopens, the $300,000 funding will be redistributed equally among the departments.

The proposed levy would be as follows per $100 of assessed valuation on each class of property: Class I, 2.33 cents; Class II, 4.66 cents; Class III, 9.32 cents; and Class IV, 9.32 cents.

Assessed value is 60 percent of a property’s appraised value. For instance, a person’s home (Class II) appraised at $100,000 would be assessed at $60,000, making the yearly taxes on it raise by $27.96 for the levy.

In the event the separate and aggregate assessed value of each class of taxable property within the county increases during the term of the special excess levy, the levy rate will be reduced so that the projected collection will not exceed $500,000 in any fiscal year.