By D.L. Bowles
At its regular meeting on July 21, the County Commission issued a proclamation to support the recovery initiative, West Virginia Goes Purple and recognize September as National Recovery Month. Several residents were in attendance to support the initiative. Dave Taylor, who serves as an outreach and community liaison for recovery and wellness organizations in West Virginia, spoke to the Commission about the prevalence of addiction in West Virginia and the importance of recovery.
West Virginia Goes Purple is a statewide, grassroots initiative dedicated to raising addiction awareness and fighting the stigma around recovery. For National Recovery Month, the initiative asks citizens to show solidarity and break the stigma of substance abuse disorder. During September, citizens are asked to wear purple, display purple ribbons and lights, share recovery stories and support local treatment initiatives.
The Commission approved a contract for mowing the Meadow River Trail. The approval of the bid from AMF Enterprises is contingent on Fayette County paying half the cost of the contract.
The Commission approved an ordinance to increase the hotel/motel occupancy tax from the present rate of 3%. In 2007 West Virginia granted counties the authority to raise the tax up to 6%. The Commission advised the county did not raise the tax over the years at the request of The Greenbrier Hotel. Before the ordinance is implemented, the Commission will hold public hearings on Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. and Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.
In other business, the Commission advised they are continuing to work on completing zoning ordinances prior to holding a public hearing. The Commission advised the forthcoming ordinances will not change current zoning maps or classifications and will impact only about 8% of the county.
The next County Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026 at 10 a.m.
