By Stephen Smoot
The disagreement brewing between the City of Bridgeport and Genesis Partners, the developers of Charles Pointe, dominated debate during last week’s Harrison County Commission meeting.
David Goldberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mon Health, as well as executive vice president of Vandalia Health, spoke to open the meeting. He came to share “how excited we are to break ground on the hospital we promised you years back.”
That hospital will be located on land under development in the district.
Discussion commenced with an agenda item that proposed that the Harrison County Commission engage the law firm of Steptoe and Johnson “to represent the Commission in litigation in support of certain provisions of the West Virginia Tax Increment Financing Act.”
“Litigation” refers to cases filed by the City of Bridgeport in both federal court and also the Kanawha County Circuit Court.
Commissioner David Hinkle inquired as to how the item ended up on the agenda. County Administrator Laura Pysz-Laulis explained she had done so at the request of Commissioner Patsy Trecost.
“Mr. Trecost, would you explain why we’re doing this please?” asked Hinkle.
Trecost explained that a bill signed into law to allow for extensions of Tax Increment Finance districts from 30 to 45 years was “obviously lobbied against severely” and that he expected that those against the law would file suit to challenge it.
He then noted that the TIF district had spawned tremendous development and “more opportunity than we could ever imagine.” Trecost later stated that all parties should “say thank you” for the legislation and “be happy for the growth we have had.”
Hinkle not long after countered with “so we have an entity that’s challenging the constitutionality of a bill that passed and part of this Commission doesn’t believe they have the right to challenge that constitutionality?”
“Part of the Commission doesn’t see the purpose of it because we follow the letter of the law,” said Trecost. He later stated that “they are 100 percent within their rights” to file suit, but “they have been 100 percent against us since the very beginning as it went through legislation.”
Hinkle pointed out that the City of Bridgeport had been left out in key parts of the discussions and process. He also expressed concerns that the Commission “spent $145,000 already” and that the case could go on for years and cost much more in that span.
Thomas Aman represented Steptoe and Johnson and provided explanations and context to different issues during the meeting.
Later in the meeting, County Commission President Susan Thomas called for an executive session. Michael Romano, Rachel Romano, and Bridgeport Mayor Andy Lang were invited to join. Lang declined because he had been invited to the Commission meeting at the last minute and was not prepared.
Commissioners agreed to set a meeting for the following Wednesday that would include the Bridgeport Mayor.
Additionally, Hinkle had invited Genesis Partners to join the meeting and represent their position. Through their lawyer, James Christy, they declined, explaining that they did not wish to make public comment while issues were being litigated. Those included what Christy described in the letter as “unfounded legal threats” from the City of Bridgeport.
The lawsuits filed create problems in that they have held up the restructuring of the bond package. Michael Romano stated that the City of Bridgeport “knows it has leverage” because of that.
Toward the end of the meeting, Hinkle noted that he understood the positions of both sides, but emphasized the need to get all parties together to discuss the issue and create problems in that they have held up the restructuring of the bond package.
