Marion County Humane Society calls on residents to vote for upcoming levy

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — With early voting underway, the Marion County Humane Society is asking that residents of the county vote ‘yes’ to the humane society levy, which will be on the ballot on May 14.

On Wednesday, the Marion County Humane Society hosted a meeting open to the public to discuss the importance that the approval of the levy has on the shelter’s daily functionality.

In 2023, the Marion County Humane Society received a new building to help more animals in need and provide better functionality for day-to-day work. The project was primarily funded with donations through fundraisers , but there is still a $1,100,000 balance on a loan from the building, which the levy would also help cover.

In a informational packet given to those in attendance of the meeting, the Marion County Humane Society stated, “At this time, it is not financially feasible to both expand shelter services and pay down the remaining debt on the new facility. Given these circumstances, we appeared before the Marion County Commission in December 2023 seeking their approval for a three-year tax levy.”

12 News spoke with Donna Long, president of the Marion County Humane Society, on why this levy is crucial for dogs and cats in need.

“The necessity to care for animals that would otherwise be abandoned or abused, I don’t care if you don’t even like animals, there’s just an ethical responsibility that we ought to have. We get it, we recognize that we are asking county residents to take on another tax. We’re all taxpayers, but this levy is relatively quite small,” said Long.

In the packet, the Marion County Humane Society included the levy’s cost to each taxpayer based on the appraised value of their homes.

If approved, the levy would raise an estimated $490,000 per year for the humane society.

Employees of the shelter said during the meeting that it will not increase adoption fee rates from its current standing of $75 for cats and $175 for dogs.

Early voting will be available until Saturday, May 11 and Election Day is May 14.

The full informational packet is available below:

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.