Employee asks commission for data on county-paid MyPark Pass; commissioners say usage metrics are low

A Monongalia County employee asked the commission on Jan. 15 for information about the county-funded MyPark Pass program and whether the benefit should be opt-in, saying he had never activated the pass and questioning how many employees use it.

“Some of the questions that I had about this were how many employees does the county have, including a full and part time breakdown?” said Cal Carlson, listing the payment totals he found in county transaction records and noting the program’s annual per-employee cost as shown in county memos.

Carlson, who gave his address and identified himself as a county employee, said he found $35,964 paid to MyPark Properties across fiscal years and that a memo showed 333 employees eligible for a $108-per-year pass. He asked how many employees had activated or used the benefit in 2023–25 and whether usage metrics — for pool visits, exercise amenities or discounted rentals — were being tracked.

“Perhaps less than half of the county employees are utilizing this benefit,” Carlson said, and suggested the commission consider making the pass opt-in or reallocating funds to offset rising health-insurance costs.

Commissioners and staff responded during later reports that the pass was adopted as part of a funding arrangement to support the Aquatic and Track Center and to encourage community partners to participate. Commissioner Sean (surname not specified) said the county became “one of the three partners” supporting the center and that signing on to the MyPark program was intended as an incentive to keep the facility operational.

“I will tell you that I’ve pushed a number of times to notify to get Mylan Park to put some out regular correspondence to our employees because it wasn't being used by our employees,” Commissioner Sean said, adding he expected the county’s internal figures to be low but that facilities and new amenities (such as new pickleball courts) are part of the evolving program.

Commissioner Sean said he would compile the specific information Carlson requested and provide it to him. The commission did not take formal action on the MyPark Pass during the meeting.

Why it matters: The MyPark Pass is a county-funded employee benefit tied to local recreation partnerships and to the county’s funding strategy for the Aquatic and Track Center, a facility the commission said remains financially strained following its COVID-era opening. Commissioners framed the pass as both a funding mechanism and an employee benefit, and said they will provide usage data on request.