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Mineral County leaders approve contract with U.S. Windforce
Pinnacle project comes with $250,000 annual minimum property tax payment
KEYSER, W.Va. — A contract agreement with U.S. Windforce approved unanimously by the Mineral County Commission establishes a $250,000 annual minimum property tax payment for the proposed Pinnacle wind farm project.
The commissioners approved a letter of support and the contract, which will set a "tax floor" for the life of the project, at their Tuesday public meeting. The contract will become effective in the tax year that follows the July 1 assessment when the project is determined to be complete, in service and operating. Should U.S. Windforce decide to construct fewer than the proposed 23 turbines, the company will pay a fraction of the minimum tax instead, prorated according to the number of turbines.
The tax payment will persist as long as the project operates at the Green Mountain site. Should U.S. Windforce sell parts or all of the project, it is required to transfer the obligations of the contract to the purchaser.
The tax levy in Mineral County is comprised of several smaller levies, including a state levy, county levy, Board of Education current and excess levies, and a fire and rescue service excess levy. The contract is intended to help protect the county should it lose one or more of these tax levies or if the levy rates would change. While Commissioners Cindy Pyles and Janice LaRue supported the project, commission president Wayne Spiggle and Mineral County Prosecuting Attorney Jay Courrier had some doubts.
"I'm not sure that it helps the county at all," said Courrier. "I'm not certain about why we thought this was a good idea."
"If (the county should lose the levies), the county would be thrown into chaos," said Spiggle. "The contract wouldn't save us from that chaos."
LaRue agreed that the contract is more of a fail-safe. "The contract probably isn't worth anything because we hope that never comes about," said LaRue.
Despite Spiggle and Courrier questioning the contract, it was approved without objection.
Testimony also began Monday in a West Virginia Public Service Commission evidentiary hearing in Charleston regarding the wind farm. The Public Service Commission will use the evidence presented during the hearing to decide if approval will be granted to construct the wind farm. The deadline for the PSC’s decision is Jan. 11.
Another topic that was discussed at the meeting was the review and approval of a concept paper for a countywide crime watch program.
A grant would provide for a countywide coordinator to organize crime watch communication and establish television surveillance at "hot spots" throughout the county.
While Spiggle admitted that such a program wouldn't be a "silver bullet," he believes it would help reduce crime.
The concept also found support from Sheriff Craig Fraley. "I'm supportive of anything that will facilitate the prevention of crime," said Fraley.
The commission also approved letters of support for a proposed hydroelectric facility on Jennings Randolph Lake and the Living Hope House of Keyser, an addiction rehabilitation facility that would also be established in several other counties.
Cory Galliher can be reached at cgalliher@times-news.com
