Monongalia County Commission approves $422,259.68 trustee payment for TIF district; notifies levying bodies

The Monongalia County Commission on March 19 approved a payment of $422,259.68 to a bond trustee to cover tax-increment financing (TIF) increments that county staff concluded had not been remitted to the TIF fund, and voted to send letters notifying affected levying bodies, including the City of Westover and the local board of education.

The payment addressed increments tied to parcel assessment and split issues related to a Menards parcel, county staff said. County Administrator Renetta McClure said staff verified the amounts and the commission made the trustee payment so the county could meet its bond obligations while it seeks reimbursement from the levying bodies.

Why it matters: The commission said it made the trustee payment to ensure bond payments were made on time and will seek to recover the money from the levying bodies that received the tax revenue. The county indicated the letters are intended to put the City of Westover and the Board of Education on notice as they prepare budgets; staff said there is no fixed timetable for reimbursement and repayment could be handled either by offsetting future tax distributions or by check.

County staff explained that the issue stems from how property parcels were split and assessed when the Menards parcel was recorded, which led to some tax increments being remitted to levying bodies instead of the TIF district. The county verified the amounts and paid the trustee; the commission approved sending formal letters to request reimbursement and to provide documentation as the city and school board prepare budgets.

The commission recorded the total payment as $422,259.68. The transcript contains numeric allocations for Westover and the school board, but the amounts were unclear in the public record and are therefore not specified in this article. County staff said they will discuss the figures in follow-up conversations with the affected levying bodies and offered options for repayment timing and methods.

Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (minutes, exonerations, vouchers, fiduciary orders): approved unanimously. County Administrator Renetta McClure read the voucher totals to the record. - Personnel: Approved full-time court security officer appointment (James Montag), effective April 1, salary listed as $3,076.38 per month; approved full-time recycling center worker/litter control officer (Joseph Dombrowski), $33,000 annually. Both motions passed unanimously. - Fleet management RFP (MCC-2025-1): Received one proposal (Enterprise Fleet Management); commission voted to accept the submission and proceed to evaluation. Approved unanimously. - Grants: Approved reimbursement requests and grant documents for multiple grants including a community grant ($1,126.91), impaired-driving grant ($2,947.22), SAKI grant (amount stated in transcript as $125,315.96), and VOCA grant ($9,166.45). Approved unanimously. - Correspondence: Received a request from the City of Westover to accept donation of a generator formerly used at the Catherine's Knob 911 tower; commission accepted the correspondence and said it will appear on a future agenda. Accepted unanimously. - Letters to levying bodies regarding TIF increments (start of process to seek reimbursement): approved unanimously. - Montongalia County Ballpark / WV Black Bears seat numbering: Approved a reimbursable funding authorization of up to $3,000 to the WV Black Bears for seat number sticker replacements; motion passed unanimously.

What commissioners said: During discussion of the TIF matter, a commissioner said the county had been in dialogue with a developer and attorneys about increments that were not remitted and that ‘‘once we verified the amounts, the commission went ahead and made that payment, with the understanding that then we would go ask the levying bodies ... to refund the county for the amount we paid,’’ as reflected in the meeting record.

Other business: The commission received the Monongalia County Planning Commission annual report, accepted an application (Michael Lehi) for the Monongalia County Building Commission for future consideration, and completed routine budget and department review work sessions.

Ending note: County staff said they will follow up with the City of Westover and the Board of Education to explain the calculations and to negotiate timing and method of reimbursement. No timetable for repayment was specified in the meeting.