Submitted by Greg Cottrill, DC Parks
What would you like citizens to know about the services you provide?
Park: The Park offers recreation, social activities, venues for events (4-H, Fair, and multiple School Board), swim lessons, and summer camps. Additionally, the park system provides opportunities for passive enjoyment of nature with fishing, bird watching, hiking, camping, and other nature-based activities.
Extension Service: For over 100 years, Extension has helped solve problems for individuals and communities. Whether it’s home gardening, information about food safety, 4-H, Energy Express, or taking charge of your health, we take research-based information you can use and create programs that will make a difference for you and your community.
Libraries: The Library provides citizens of all ages with a broad range of materials and programming designed to serve their informational, educational, cultural, and recreational needs.
Health Depart.: The services provided by the Doddridge County Health Department are provided to and for all citizens of Doddridge County regardless of age, race, creed, or ability to pay. The Health Department provides services where otherwise there might be a gap in access to care or might allow Doddridge County citizens a choice in receiving services locally as opposed to traveling 20-30 miles for bloodwork or other nursing needs.
Can you give us insight as to the educational benefits of the levy dollars?
Extension Service: The foundation of Extension is education. We bring relevant research-based information to communities, everything from beekeeping, soil testing, STEM education, Diabetes education, helping grandparents obtain resources needed to raise grandchildren, community development and much more. Agriculture and Natural Resources, positive youth development, health and wellness, and community engagement are the foundation of Extension Education.
Health Depart.: Educational benefits of the levy dollars through the Health Department are educational and health related issues, diagnosed medical problems, and any health concern a client might have and not understand fully.
Libraries: The library’s desire, of course, is to instill in citizens of all ages the love of reading. Through reading, comes knowledge, therefore many programs are created to encourage patrons to check out our free books. In addition, we provide patrons with free access to many expensive educational resources: books, videos, periodicals, and various electronic databases. Under normal circumstances, the library also schedules entertainers/educators to perform/enlighten us on a variety of educational and cultural topics. We offer craft classes and/or instructional videos to the patrons that are looking for a creative outlet. Our newest club, Dish-It-Up!, focuses on cooking and patrons are able to experiment and learn to make new dishes for their families. Our programs not only educate, they fill a social aspect as well.
Who benefits the most from your portion of the levy?
All: Every single person benefit in some way from one or more, if not all, of the agencies supported by the Levy. We work to support programs and activities that enhance and improve the quality of life in our county. Through programs that teach farming and sustainability to ones that provide direct health benefits and home care; or programs that offer information and research to offering a quite reflective place to visit, each of the agencies strive to impact and support everyone. Like throwing a rock in a pond and following the ripples; that is how far our support goes.
If the levy doesn’t pass, how will it affect the services you provide the community?
All: If the Levy failed it would severely impact programming, staffing, and operations within each agency. Each agency would be forced to cut programming that could no longer be supported. Additionally, operating hours would be curtailed at each agency and staffing levels would have to be downsized due to the funding be eliminated.
Does the levy help keep your department from requesting funds from the county commission?
All: To a great degree each of the four of us relies heavily, or in the case of the Park and Library, almost exclusively, on the Special Levy to operate. The Levy covers everything from programming expenses, operations, and payroll depending on which agency you examine. Except for special instances, such as capital improvements, all four do not approach the County Commission for additional support. The Levy provides adequate funding to cover our budgetary needs. We have rolled back the levy each of the last three times it has ran to allow for growth within the county and our constant evaluation of our budgets.
If the levy doesn’t pass, will you need to request funds from other sources?
All: All four agencies would have to look at every option available to them to continue providing services. These could include writing grants and fundraising.
What other sources will you turn to?
All: We would look for other funds through grants, donations and fees to provide support to our yearly programming. Because of the levy, we can provide many services for free or at a very low cost. If the levy failed programs could only be offered if funds could be secured annually. This would create uncertainty for each agency on what could be offered.
How many years have you been associated with the levy?
All: The four agencies each have been included with the Special Levy since it began in 1987.
The portion of money that the levy collects is relatively small, does that have bigger impact on citizens or larger corporations?
All: The most considerable portion, over 94%, of levy disbursements come from businesses in the county, and the largest portion of that comes from oil & gas producers. Looking at the average citizen of Doddridge County’s tax ticket, the portion that will support Extension Services, Health Department, Library, and the Park system is typically less than $20. This can vary based on the size of an individual’s property and its valuation.
Because the revenue from the larger corporations has contributed greatly to the tax base in Doddridge County, the Special Levy has continued to roll back the rate we collect. We have all worked hard to stay within budgets.
In closing, what would you say to appeal to the citizenry to help pass this levy?
Park: The Park provides a location for so many county residents to meet and have fun and create family memories. Whether it is a family reunion, a day at the pool, a livestock auction, a church camp, or riding a Ferris wheel at the Fair, people come to the Park to be with family and friends. For nearly 50 years, the Park has been a constant in the county. Support the Park as it continues to improve and offer even more to everyone in the county.
Extension Service: This levy has been in existence since 1987. All four agencies have local board members who help with programming decisions and services offered to our communities and all four agencies have been very conservative in how we use our funding. Services provided by all four agencies are very different and contribute to the quality of life that enhances our community.
Libraries: Perhaps you personally do not use any of these 4 agencies. We ask you to think about the children, the senior citizens, the low-income patrons, the patrons who need guidance with paperwork, and many others who walk through our doors. They need our help; they need this levy to pass.
Health Depart.: Help us continue to provide quality programs and services through our agencies and even look at more things you would like to see happening locally.