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Commissioners approve large exoneration after Office of Tax Appeals order for high-technology property
Summary
Monongalia County commissioners unanimously approved an exoneration tied to a state Office of Tax Appeals order affecting Blockchain Power, after the assessor said the company was granted a special high-technology valuation in a related appeal; the adjustment produced a large tax change recorded in the meeting.
At its March 11 meeting, the Monongalia County Commission unanimously approved eight exonerations that included a large adjustment tied to Blockchain Power, a local high-technology property operator. The board moved the exonerations off the consent agenda for separate discussion and vote.
Patrick Tenny, chief deputy assessor for the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office, told commissioners the assessor’s valuation of the property had been upheld but the Office of Tax Appeals and prior rulings produced a special high-technology valuation in a similar case that required an adjustment. ‘‘We got the order basically saying that we are to give them salvage value off of the valuation that we had,’’ Tenny said in explaining why the exoneration was large. He read the amount into the record as approximately $494,461.8 (formatting in the transcript was unclear).
Commissioners asked whether the amount would be refunded to the taxpayer or credited against future bills; Tenny said he did not know whether payment had been made for tax year 2025 and that the county’s options if it refused to follow the order would be limited to litigation or further appeal. ‘‘The company would probably turn around and ... file a motion with the court’’ or seek mandamus, he said, noting the order came from the Office of Tax Appeals and is binding on the assessor.
The board voted in favor of the exonerations as presented. The meeting record shows the motion carried on the board’s verbal ‘‘I’’ votes.
Why it matters: The decision reflects an interaction between local valuation, state tax rulings and appeals processes. A state-level taxability decision can require local assessors to change valuations and produce substantial tax adjustments; county officials said the outcome in a related Preston County case influenced the result for Blockchain Power. The approval leaves open potential legal or administrative follow-up if affected parties (the county or taxpayer) pursue further appeals.
Next steps: Commissioners did not direct staff to pursue litigation at the meeting; any further legal action was described as a county option but was not taken up. The exoneration will be reflected in the county’s tax records and any downstream billing or refund accounting procedures.
