Monongalia County Board approves proposed 2025–26 levy rates, multiple contracts and waivers

The Monongalia County Board of Education on March 11 approved proposed levy rates for fiscal year 2026 and voted to award or approve a series of contracts and routine items, including a demolition test, a bus‑wash replacement, athletic lockers and an annual waiver for University High School.

Treasurer Nicole Kemper presented the district’s proposed levy schedule and assessed valuations. She said the district’s total assessed valuation for fiscal 2026 was $7,300,000,000, comprised of Class 2 properties at $3.2 billion, Class 3 at $2.7 billion and Class 4 at $1.3 billion. Kemper said the district expects an approximate 6.72% decrease in valuations tied to oil and gas, a reduction she described as about $500 million.

Kemper described the district’s levy pools (regular levy, excess levy and bond/debt service levy) and presented the rates per $100 of assessed value as they appeared in the board materials: regular levy rates for Class 2 at 38.8¢ and for Classes 3 and 4 at 77.6¢; an excess levy for Class 2 at 33.5¢; and debt service (bond) levies shown at small per‑$100 values. She said the rollback threshold was 21.63¢ and that the proposed Class 1 excess levy rate was 16.75¢; based on the presented calculations the district would be below the rollback threshold and would not be required to roll back rates.

Kemper also presented projected gross and net tax collections as shown in the board packet: projected net taxes for the current regular levy of about $36.4 million and projected net taxes for the excess levy of about $35.6 million. She reported outstanding municipal bonds with principal outstanding of $20.9 million and principal and interest due next year of $2,915,096, citing a municipal bond commission letter included in the packet. The presentation noted an allowance for tax increment financing (TIF) of roughly $4 million and explained that the school aid formula factors in TIFs so county boards are made whole.

Board action: The superintendent recommended approval of the proposed levy rates; a board member moved and a second was recorded and the board approved the proposed levy rates by voice vote. The motion carried; no roll‑call tally for that item was recorded in the public transcript.

Other contracts and approvals approved that evening included: • Suncrest Middle School demolition project (partial demolition/testing of three rooms): superintendent recommended accepting the city construction base bid of $115,402 with a projected 45‑day completion schedule; board approved the contract by voice vote. • Bus wash replacement for the transportation department: the board approved the replacement and discussed features including vehicle RFID identification, undercarriage washing and throughput of about one bus every 90 seconds. The transcript reports the district fleet contains 30 buses. The bid/price text in the transcript appears fragmented (transcript shows numbers as “$202.87... 807... Thousand $749.02”); the public record provided does not include a clearly stated total contract amount in the spoken transcript. The board approved the bus‑wash replacement by voice vote. • Custom wood lockers for University High School: board approved Davis Athletics LLC for $109,000 to outfit locker rooms (wrestling and basketball facilities). • LSIC (Local School‑Initiated Changes) waiver for University High School to allow expanded a‑la‑carte food options: superintendent said the district has requested this waiver annually for two years and that the waiver is submitted to the West Virginia Department of Education; board approved the waiver. • Flashlight Learning contract: approved; superintendent said the program will be used for identified English‑language learners and that 285 licenses/units were referenced in the materials to be assigned based on classroom need. • Accounts payable addenda, personnel lists and consent agenda items (including expenditures exceeding $3,000 and other routine agreements) were approved as presented. In some items board members abstained as required for reimbursement votes; those abstentions were performed rather than requiring members to leave the room.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in public meeting): • Proposed levy rates for FY 2026 — approved (voice vote; tally not recorded on public transcript). • LSIC waiver, University High School — approved (voice vote; tally not recorded). • Accounts payable addendum A (board member reimbursements) — approved (voice vote; abstentions noted for reimbursing members as required). • Accounts payable addendum B — approved (voice vote; abstentions noted where applicable). • Suncrest Middle School demolition contract (base bid $115,402) — approved (voice vote). • Bus‑wash replacement contract — approved (voice vote; contract total not audibly specified in the transcript provided). • Davis Athletics LLC wood lockers ($109,000) — approved (voice vote). • Flashlight Learning contract (for ELL supports; 285 licenses referenced) — approved (voice vote). • Consent agenda (multiple items listed in packet) — approved (voice vote). • Personnel list addendum — approved (recorded 3‑2 vote; also listed in separate article due to public comment and executive session).

What board members asked: Board members asked for clarification on levy calculations, the impact of oil and gas valuation declines, TIF treatment under the school aid formula and whether the bus wash recycles water (the vendor’s recycling capability was not confirmed on the public record). Vice President Haggerty and others asked operational questions about bus washing frequency and undercarriage cleaning; transportation staff said drivers generally wash buses twice a week when temperatures exceed 30°F and that the new system will support undercarriage cleaning to reduce salt‑belt corrosion.

Ending: Board members recessed the meeting to continue personnel discussions in executive session and announced the meeting would be recessed to April 15 to officially enter levies; the board scheduled a public work session on May 6 at 5 p.m. to discuss the proposed 2026 excess levy.