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Biafora is a scumbag. A disgrace. His complete mob boss mentality that has plagued the city of Morgantown for YEARS will not continue as the people/powers that be can finally stand up to this little man. He and Raese both need to be on a first class ticket out of Morgantown and straight to the gates of hell.
It's easy to take an emotional position based on these turf battles. The fact is, Biafora was actually on the same side as the politically appointed Development Board (appointed by this same council) that denied the VFW site development. I disagree with Mr. Biafora here, as I did in the VFW situation, but that does not mean the current council is doing a good job. I actually voted for all of these guys thinking they just had to be better than the previous group. Now, I am far from certain. Never in my memory have things been so contentious here in terms of government, both at the city and the county levels. Recent electees have served to make the situation worse than before. Where a spirit of cooperation existed in the past, now everything is contested with controversial outcomes. Biafora is a mega developer in these parts. The only thing a council battle with him is going to prove is that he has the money and the where-with-all to develop anything he wants outside of city limits, which, in spite of his alliance with the Presbyterians, he has been highly successful at doing.
WVU buys up property, making those parcels tax-exempt. That would hurt the BOE allocation, though I'm pretty sure there's some type of guarantee on school funding, so I don't know how that would play into things. Plus, the properties that WVU is building on will have a fair amount of retail, and the B&O tax (and any future sales tax the City might want if they get home rule) would still go to the City. I don't know the projected net gain/loss on that, though.
WVU buys up property, making those parcels tax-exempt. That would hurt the BOE allocation, though I'm pretty sure there's some type of guarantee on school funding, so I don't know how that would play into things. Plus, the properties that WVU is building on will have a fair amount of retail, and the B&O tax (and any future sales tax the City might want if they get home rule) would still go to the City. I don't know the projected net gain/loss on that, though.
You're talking about two different things. When any "non profit" owns a property... a school, a church, etc., it is exempt from property taxes. Any businesses that operate there, however, are not exempt from normal taxation. I believe the confusion arises in that once WVU owns the land, it is exempt from municipal control. That is true. The University has its own police force, its own rules, and so forth. It is not subject to city control in any manner. The adjacent areas (roads going through) are subject to joint control. Once a property is owned by The University, it is effectively outside of the city per se. Gordon Gee is the de facto Mayor.
A business operating on WVU land would be exempt from city taxes and control because it is basically outside of the city's control. State taxes would apply though, because the law does not exempt University for profit activities from state taxes. If WVU were another type of non profit (Church, American Legion, etc.), the state sales taxes would not apply but city control would apply. The only similarity is that both are not subject to property taxation. The situation is not nearly as cut and dry as Biafora is painting it.
Last edited by CTMountaineer; 08-14-2014 at 05:51 AM..
You're talking about two different things. When any "non profit" owns a property... a school, a church, etc., it is exempt from property taxes. Any businesses that operate there, however, are not exempt from normal taxation. I believe the confusion arises in that once WVU owns the land, it is exempt from municipal control. That is true. The University has its own police force, its own rules, and so forth. It is not subject to city control in any manner. The adjacent areas (roads going through) are subject to joint control. Once a property is owned by The University, it is effectively outside of the city per se. Gordon Gee is the de facto Mayor.
A business operating on WVU land would be exempt from city taxes and control because it is basically outside of the city's control. State taxes would apply though, because the law does not exempt University for profit activities from state taxes. If WVU were another type of non profit (Church, American Legion, etc.), the state sales taxes would not apply but city control would apply. The only similarity is that both are not subject to property taxation. The situation is not nearly as cut and dry as Biafora is painting it.
Maybe I didn't make it clear or am misreading your response, but I meant that they didn't pay property taxes. Here's how I understand it. Take the Sheetz grocery store set for University Place. WVU owns the land, so Sheetz doesn't pay property taxes. They do, however, pay a B&O tax to the city as well as state and federal taxes. If Morgantown ever gets home rule and decides to implement a sales tax, purchases there would be subject to it as well. This is how it was detailed by the University and developers.
Maybe I didn't make it clear or am misreading your response, but I meant that they didn't pay property taxes. Here's how I understand it. Take the Sheetz grocery store set for University Place. WVU owns the land, so Sheetz doesn't pay property taxes. They do, however, pay a B&O tax to the city as well as state and federal taxes. If Morgantown ever gets home rule and decides to implement a sales tax, purchases there would be subject to it as well. This is how it was detailed by the University and developers.
According to todays DP, this is correct. The private enterprises will be paying B&O taxes even though they will be operating on University land, and city and county governments will be getting millions in tax revenue. Property tax will not be an issue with the developments.
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