BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Among the issues discussed at Tuesday’s Raleigh County Commission meeting were the recently increased rates for sewer and stormwater.
The rate increases saw Beckley sewer services undergoing a $12.40 per month hike, while stormwater rates were increased by $3.66 monthly. These increases were approved last week by the City of Beckley, against whom the Raleigh County Commissioners purport to be in the process of filing an injunction, along with the Beckley Sanitary Board.
Commission President Dave Tolliver stated that the injunction is being discussed with Attorney Roop as a result of the stormwater payment required by residents outside the city, which Tolliver called “taxation without representation.”
“The people outside the city have no say-so whatsoever in when projects outside the city will be done,” Tolliver said on Tuesday. “It’s strictly up to the Beckley Sanitary Board. The raises will raise about $9 million for the Beckley Sanitary Board, and we know right now that … over $7 million of this money will be spent inside the city of Beckley.”
This is not the first time that Tolliver has taken this position. During the Tuesday, April 19, 2022 Raleigh County Commission meeting – when the proposed sewer and stormwater rate increases existed only as propositions and had yet to go into effect – the Commission President declared the proposed increase to be taxation without representation, and gave made implications that the entity may be considering legal action on behalf of the residents outside city limits.
“At the Commission’s request, we’re exploring all legal avenues that the residents of the county outside of the city limits may have available,” Tolliver said in the Commission meeting which was held just over two weeks ago. Coverage of this meeting can be found here.
More information on the Beckley Sanitary Board stormwater fees can be found at the BSB website here.