Athens County voters will see a one-mill levy for the Athens City-County Health Department on their November ballots, according to WSAZ. Department administrator Jack Pepper described the request as a combination of three existing levies of 0.3, 0.3 and 0.4 mill. The station’s report says county taxpayers already pay those three levies; if the new measure passes, the separate levies would cease.
Pepper told WSAZ that the department provides restaurant inspections and health clinics and that many services depend on levy revenue. He pointed to a recent weekend event that drew more than 500 people and involved 3,000 medical procedures and roughly $300,000 in services at no cost. Local dollars helped support part of that event, he said.
WSAZ reported that the proposed property tax is calculated by multiplying property value by 0.35 and dividing by 1,000. Pepper said a failed levy could lead to reduced or eliminated programs, and that cutting staff would likely cause delays in service. He said passage would allow the department to keep offering services with little or no change.