Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott will hold a press conference today at 1 p.m. in Council Chambers to announce how the city will react to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and mayoral candidate Chris Hamm hopes to hear that the decision has been made to freeze all non-essential spending.
City Manager Robert Herron, Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger, Fire Chief Larry Helms, Ohio County Health Department Administrator Howard Gamble, Ohio County EMA Director Lou Vargo, and city department heads will be present at the gathering to answer any and all questions. At this time, two cases have been confirmed in St. Clairsville, Ohio, but no known cases exist in Ohio County nor in the state of West Virginia.
However, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice told reporters at WSAZ-TV Monday evening that he’ll likely follow actions taken in Ohio and Pennsylvania and order the closures of bars, restaurants, and casinos, and that is why Hamm would prefer the city now save instead of spending.
“If I was the mayor right now, I know the first conversation I would have would be with City Manager Bob Herron to see what the possible impact would be to tax revenue if Gov. Justice makes the decision to close bars and restaurants and casinos in West Virginia,” Hamm explained on The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY) Monday afternoon. “I would ask the city manager if there are projects that can be put on the back burner to preserve the income for that possible shortcoming.
“I’m not talking about the city not doing what they have to do for the citizens of Wheeling; I’m talking about the non-essential things that can wait until this is all over,” the candidate said. “The governor is going to order what he feels will keep the people in this state the safest possible by following what all of his health advisors are telling him, and that’s why he closed the public schools. This is something none of us have ever experienced before, so no one can predict the future.”
General Fund
Mayor Glenn Elliott and members of the Council received in late February the projected $35.8 million budget for fiscal year 2020-21, and it has been posted on the city’s website.
The city’s Business and Occupation Tax generates approximately 33 percent of the municipality’s annual general fund, but additional revenue streams exist, including first-responder pension funding from earnings at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack. Hamm, who initially filed to run for the Ward 3 council seat before changing his mind, feels such similar closures, if ordered, could have a significant impact on collections.
“It’s just something I feel needs looked at if it hasn’t been already,” he said. “That’s why I hope to hear that news when Mayor Elliott has the press conference (Tuesday). I’m not sure what can be saved and what can’t at this point, but I would work to identify as much as possible so we can prepare for the immediate future.”
As of this morning, there were more than 4,000 COVID-19 cases in the United States with at least 80 deaths thus far, including 50 confirmed cases in Ohio, 22 in Kentucky, and nearly 80 in Pennsylvania.
“No one really knows how this is all going to play out, and that’s why I think freezing the spending that can be is a good idea,” Hamm said. “We have to take care of the people with the city services, and we have to make sure our employees are OK, too. I just hope they are looking to the future at the same time.”
