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BETHANY -- Bethany Council on Wednesday approved a $149,343 budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year after adjustments were made for declining revenue.
Mayor Patrick Sutherland said the town is expected to see a drop of about $15,000 in revenue, much of it due to an anticipated drop from the hotel tax paid by Bethany College for the Mountainside Conference Center and cable franchise fees paid by students at the college.
College officials announced earlier this year the center and adjacent Gresham Inn and Harder Hall will be closed temporarily while funding is sought to renovate them, though reservations booked before Jan. 1 would be honored.
The town had split revenue from the center with the Top of West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Sutherland said college officials have indicated plans to reduce the number of cable drops at the school in light of the growing number of students who turn to online entertainment services instead of cable television.
Included as part of the students' room and board, the cable franchise fee for students is $20 for the first semester and $10 for the second semester.
The yearly fee is $45 for homeowners and $35 for renters.
Sutherland said town Treasurer Melanie Stewart, town Recorder Cindy Hoffman and he were able to make enough cuts to the budget to offset the reduced income, but he said in the future council may want to consider raising the fee.
The budget also will reflect a $1-per-hour raise for the town's nine part-time police officers approved by council Wednesday.
Sutherland noted Bethany Police Chief Mike Bolen had requested the raises while particularly expressing concern about the $14.25 starting wage being too small to attract new officers.
Councilman Ed Dully made the motion for the raises, saying, "They should be making over $15 to start. They absolutely should be."
But Dully said he'd also like to see more patrols to curb speeding and stop sign violations and regularly monthly reports from the department.
Council also approved a three-year agreement for billing services provided by the Ohio County Public Service District. The district, which provides water to Bethany, collects data and issues the bills for customers served by Bethany's wastewater treatment system.
The new agreement includes a 25-cent increase in the monthly surcharge assessed each customer for that service.
In other business:
• Bethany Fire Chief C.E. Schwertfeger said 11 firefighters are undergoing training as first responders and will be tested in the near future. Plans for a first responder unit arose after the department's ambulance service was disbanded due to lack of involvement attributed to the time required for training and responsibilities.
• John Lipinski, director of operations at Bethany College, and Michael Ceraolo, community service chairman for the Theta Beta Pi, said the fraternity will offer residents assistance with spring cleaning and light yard work on April 14. The group will be gauging interest from residents through Facebook but also received council's permission to approach residents door to door.
• Sutherland said he and Hoffman will meet with officials with Southwestern Energy to discuss complaints about noise levels and traffic issues related to its hydraulic fracturing operations in the area. He said he's also contacted the West Virginia Division of Highways about potholes on city streets, which belong to the state road system.
(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)