WVFA eNews Weekly

The Canaan Resort & Conference Center has made us aware that WVFA Annual Meeting hotel rooms will soon be released back to the general public. That is, the hotel will soon no longer guarantee that a room with be available or held for the attendees of the WV Forestry Annual Conference. The conference center will still guarantee the same low WVFA rate; however, there is no guarantee that we will be able to reserve a room - no guarantee that rooms will be available. Please make your WVFA hotel room reservations now by telephone at (304) 866-4121 (then dial 1 for reservations and ask for WVFA rooms), and register for the meeting by clicking the link below.

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/wvf-nwl/pdf/AnnMtgReg-2015.form-2.pdf to view the full article online.

The Joint Select Committee on Tax Reform met all day on June 9 at the Capitol. The sessions included:

Mechanics of Property Taxes – Jeff Amburgey, Director, Property Tax Division, West Virginia State Tax Department; Mark Muchow, Deputy Secretary, West Virginia Department of Revenue
Discussion of Municipal Taxes – Lisa Dooley, Executive Director of the West Virginia Municipal League; Huntington Mayor Steve Williams; Wheeling Mayor Andy McKenzie
Unleashing Capitalism: A Comprehensive Approach to Tax Reform with a Focus on Capital Investment – Dr. Russ Sobel, The Citadel, Charleston, SC
Perspectives on County Taxes – Patti Hamilton, Executive Director, West Virginia Association of Counties; Jerry Knight, Property Tax Consultant, West Virginia Association of Counties
County Government Tax Concerns – The Honorable Nancy Cartmill, Cabell County Commissioner; The Honorable Jack Woodrum, Summers County Commissioner

All information discussed during the meetings will be posted to the Legislature’s website, which can be found on the committee's web page. Information also can be found on Facebook and via Twitter at @WVTaxReform. The Committee also requested all public comments be e-mailed to tax.reform@wvlegislature.gov.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/wvf-nwl/articles/?aid=325874&issueID=41972 to view the full article online.

Last week, WVFA staff attended a meeting of the Eastern Panhandle Business Association in Charles Town, WV. At that event, speakers took a close look at what’s going on in Charleston these days within the Legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Tax Reform. Former State Tax Commissioner Mike Caryl and Delegate Eric Householder, the only member of the Committee from the Eastern Panhandle, presented the latest developments in the Committee’s work. Information from the meeting indicates that changes (perhaps sweeping changes) are coming that will affect every one of us.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/wvf-nwl/articles/?aid=325876&issueID=41972 to view the full article online.

WEST VIRGINIA CODE
CHAPTER 5. GENERAL POWERS AND AUTHORITY OF THE GOVERNOR, SECRETARY OF STATE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL; BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS; MISCELLANEOUS AGENCIES, COMMISSIONS, OFFICES, PROGRAMS, ETC.
ARTICLE 24. WEST VIRGINIA FOREST MANAGEMENT REVIEW COMMISSION.
5-24-1. Short title.
This article shall be known by and may be cited as "The Forestry Development Act of l987."

5-24-2. Legislative findings, purposes and intent.
The Legislature hereby finds and declares:

(a) That the future economic base of West Virginia is tied to the development of the forestry industry.

(b) That efforts to enhance and promote the expansion of the forestry industry should be coordinated among the several state and federal agencies, commissions, boards, committees, associations and other entities.

(c) That the development of the forestry and wood products industry will require: (1) The development of multiple-use, sustained-yield management plans for nonindustrial timber tracts; (2) the development of products and markets for the grade of materials that currently comprise a majority of the state's available resources; (3) a stable and predictable tax program for both new and existing firms; (4) a centralized protection program that will reduce risk from fire and pestilence; and (5) financial assistance for the attraction and expansion of new and existing secondary manufacturing facilities with special emphasis on assistance for smaller firms employing less than twenty persons.

(d) That the present and future welfare of the people of the state require, as a public purpose, a continuing effort toward the promotion and development of the forestry and wood products industry.

(e) In recognition of these findings and purposes, it is in the best interest of this state to create the West Virginia forest management review commission as a statutory body.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/wvf-nwl/articles/?aid=325560&issueID=41972 to view the full article online.