TEAYS VALLEY, W.Va. -- A proposed agreement to put the city of Nitro under the jurisdiction of the Putnam County Health Department is still on the table after a Tuesday night meeting between city and county officials.
Members of the Putnam County Health Board agreed to continue to review the issue and asked Nitro's city council to provide more information about its demographic, septic system and financial records.
"My main concern, of course, is the funding," said Putnam Health Department Director Jackie Fleshman.
Nitro officials want the Putnam Health Department to cover the city in order to bypass the Kanawha County smoking ban, which affects Nitro's Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center.
The Kanawha-Putnam county line runs through Nitro, but the racetrack is in Kanawha County.
Nitro City Councilman Craig Matthews said the racetrack has lost about $300,000 a month in revenue because of the smoking ban.
The Nitro City Council has passed an ordinance that allows smoking in all "resort destination" businesses.
"We haven't put it in effect because it will immediately go into a legal fight," Matthews said. "I do not want to start a long and expensive fight."
Under state law, Nitro can form its own health department or merge with another county's.
The first solution would be for Nitro to create its own health department, Matthews said.
"The drawback, as I'm sure you folks understand, is it's expensive to run a health board," Matthews said.
TEAYS VALLEY, W.Va. -- A proposed agreement to put the city of Nitro under the jurisdiction of the Putnam County Health Department is still on the table after a Tuesday night meeting between city and county officials.
Members of the Putnam County Health Board agreed to continue to review the issue and asked Nitro's city council to provide more information about its demographic, septic system and financial records.
"My main concern, of course, is the funding," said Putnam Health Department Director Jackie Fleshman.
Nitro officials want the Putnam Health Department to cover the city in order to bypass the Kanawha County smoking ban, which affects Nitro's Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center.
The Kanawha-Putnam county line runs through Nitro, but the racetrack is in Kanawha County.
Nitro City Councilman Craig Matthews said the racetrack has lost about $300,000 a month in revenue because of the smoking ban.
The Nitro City Council has passed an ordinance that allows smoking in all "resort destination" businesses.
"We haven't put it in effect because it will immediately go into a legal fight," Matthews said. "I do not want to start a long and expensive fight."
Under state law, Nitro can form its own health department or merge with another county's.
The first solution would be for Nitro to create its own health department, Matthews said.
"The drawback, as I'm sure you folks understand, is it's expensive to run a health board," Matthews said.
The cost to run its own health department would negate any additional tax revenue from Tri-State once the ban is lifted, he said.
The second solution is for the city to become part of Putnam County, he said.
"This would help Nitro avoid a lengthy and expensive legal battle," he said.
"Putnam County already provides services to about one third of Nitro's population," Matthews said. The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department serves the remaining two-thirds, he said.
Putnam would be adding about 3,750 people in addition to about 40 businesses to its health department if it accepted the merger.
Fleshman said the county would need to hire at least two health inspectors to cover the new territory, in addition to personnel for medical and all other services the health department provides,
That's a cost Nitro is willing pay, Matthews said.
Board members said they would host a public forum before any decision is made.
"[The public] will want to see what's in it for Putnam County," board member and County Commissioner Joe Haynes said. "They're going to want to see what the incentive is."
@tag:Reach Veronica Nett at veroni...@wwvgazette.com or 304-348-5113.
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It's amazing what a little bit of gambling money will do to get county and city officials worked up. I'm sure there are more important things they can be spending time on. Putnam County HD should be putting their efforts towards making the smoking ban the same as Kanawha County, then there wouldn't be this issue.