Published: June 21, 2009 08:49 pm      

Communities cash in with severance tax

WELCH — Despite a tough economic year for the Mountain State, localities across southern West Virginia continue to cash in on oil and gas severance tax payments.

McDowell County leads the region with $508,513.71 in oil and gas tax collections, according to the latest report from State Treasurer John D. Perdue.

Mercer County collected a smaller percentage of oil and gas severance tax payments at $40,443.37.

According to Perdue, 75 percent of the distribution went to counties that produced the oil and gas while 25 percent of the money went to counties and municipalities based upon their populations.

The distributions to towns varied from $314.48 to the town of Anawalt in McDowell County to $1,274.15 to the town of Athens in Mercer County.

Bluefield received a payment of $13,239.81 while Bramwell netted $492.54. The town of Bradshaw collected $332.14 and Matoaka netted $366.52. The city of Princeton received a payment of $7,338.49. The town of Northfork collected $600.07. War netted $911.10, and the city of Welch collected $3,102.13. Union in Monroe County received $633.31.

Perdue said oil and gas severance tax payments to the counties and municipalities jumped to $8.3 million this year. That’s a 16.1 percent increase from oil and pas payments over the same period a year ago, according to a report from Perdue’s office.

“Natural resources represent the economic drivers for our counties and municipalities throughout West Virginia,” Perdue said in a press release. “My office works diligently to get these funds quickly transferred to local officials so they can go about serving their constituents.”

– Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com