Morgantown's $3 Weekly User Fee Lags Behind Inflation

City Council considers adjusting the fee to keep up with rising costs of maintaining streets and providing police services.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 10:04pm

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A serene, photorealistic painting of a solitary city street lamp post bathed in warm, golden sunlight, casting long shadows across the pavement. The image evokes a sense of quiet contemplation about the challenges of urban infrastructure maintenance.As Morgantown considers raising its 'user fee' to keep up with inflation, the city must balance fiscal realities with the political sensitivities of an unpopular tax.Morgantown Today

Morgantown, West Virginia's $3 Safe Streets & Safe Community Fee, often referred to as a user fee or service fee, has not been adjusted for inflation since its implementation in 2016. City Councilor Mark Downs says the revenue generated by the fee now has 36% less purchasing power than it did a decade ago. Downs has proposed legislation to index the fee to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U) to ensure the city can maintain the same level of services the fee was intended to support.

Why it matters

The service fee revenue is used to fund equipment for the city's police and public works departments, as well as paving, resurfacing, cleaning, maintenance, and winter treatment of public streets, medians, and sidewalks. As the fee's purchasing power has eroded over time, the city has had to do more with less, raising concerns about the city's ability to deliver the promised level of service to residents and businesses.

The details

Councilor Downs noted that had the fee been adjusted annually for inflation, the city would be anticipating service fee revenues closer to $5.4 million in fiscal year 2027, rather than the $4.12 million currently projected. While some councilors expressed concerns about potentially complicating the fee by exempting certain groups, others said they would like to see a reallocation of funds, with a smaller percentage going to the police department and more to street maintenance and public works.

  • The $3 Safe Streets & Safe Community Fee was implemented on January 1, 2016.
  • The fee is anticipated to generate approximately $4.12 million in revenue for the upcoming fiscal year.

The players

Mark Downs

Morgantown City Councilor who has been working on legislation to adjust the service fee to keep up with inflation.

Ryn Simonton

Morgantown's city attorney who provided legal guidance on the fee.

Jenny Selin

Morgantown City Councilor who expressed concerns about complicating the fee by exempting certain groups.

Danielle Trumble

Mayor of Morgantown who is concerned about the potential for the state legislature to take away the city's ability to charge the fee.

Jodi Hollingshead

Morgantown City Councilor who would like to see a reallocation of the fee's funds, with less going to the police department and more to street maintenance and public works.

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What they’re saying

“I think it's our responsibility to ensure that the fee stays at a level where we can provide that same level of service. Otherwise, it just erodes confidence in us and our ability to deliver.”

— Mark Downs, Morgantown City Councilor

“Our main problem is there's so few ways that cities can generate funds that even though this is not our favorite way, it is a way to diversify and it is a way to generate funds. And so, if we indexed it [for inflation], which makes every bit of good sense, and just left it alone, that would be the simplest even though we all might prefer to look at it from an income standpoint, which we can't do.”

— Jenny Selin, Morgantown City Councilor

“I'm also concerned that as soon as we say we're increasing the fee in any way, the legislature is going to take it away, because they have already tried that a few times.”

— Danielle Trumble, Mayor of Morgantown

What’s next

The issue will be taken up again during Morgantown's April 28 committee of the whole meeting, where the public will have a chance to provide input on the proposed changes to the service fee.

The takeaway

Morgantown's $3 weekly service fee, intended to fund critical infrastructure and public safety needs, has failed to keep pace with inflation over the past decade. Adjusting the fee to match rising costs is a necessary step to ensure the city can maintain the level of services it promised to residents and businesses, but city leaders must also navigate potential political challenges at the state level.