Harrison County (West Virginia) Commission to consider Charles Pointe tax relief following delay of Mon Health development

In 2022, The Exponent Telegram reported CED assessments at Charles Pointe totaled $10.3 million from tax years 2017 through 2021.

Commissioners approved forbearance of the assessments to give the developers, Genesis Partners, additional funds to establish more tax revenue generating businesses to pay down the bonds by which the development was financed.

If CED assessments kept the same pace, the total amount the county may seek relief for would total more than $12 million.

But Harrison County commissioners did not offer the exact figure owed to the county.

Commission President Susan Thomas said she had been advised by county attorney Trey Simmerman to not offer comment on the issue, and so did not.

Forbearing the taxes was initially amicable with bondholders because it suggested there would be fewer delinquent bond payments in the future with a greater tax base established.

At a public hearing on the extension of Charles Pointe's tax increment financing agreement last July, Bridgeport Mayor Andy Lang, who opposed the extension that ultimately passed, said Charles Pointe was delinquent on about $93 million in bond payments including interest.

Prior to the public hearing, the commission signed a letter in support of Genesis Partners requesting bondholders release deeds of trust and waive CED assessments on a parcel of land that includes the proposed construction site of the Mon Health Harrison Neighborhood Hospital.

The concessions requested are part of a larger overall agreement tied to restructuring the bonds on the property, Tom Aman, who serves as the county's bond counsel for Charles Pointe, has said.

"We're working with all parties to come up with an equitable solution," Harrison County Commissioner David Hinkle said recently.

The commission's letter of support said the concessions were necessary to begin construction of the hospital, which was scheduled to start in December but was delayed due to the issues, Mon Health President and CEO David Goldberg confirmed.

"Time is of the essence," the letter warned.

Goldberg has not said whether the health care company will seek to build the hospital elsewhere, but expressed concerns with the issues at Charles Pointe.

“We want to be at Charles Pointe. But if they can’t solve their issues, we will find an alternative site,” he said in December.

Although groundbreaking for the project was delayed, Goldberg said the goal was still to open the hospital in early 2026.

During a commission meeting last week, commissioners postponed consideration of the aforementioned application for relief from erroneous CED assessments after being advised by Simmerman not to enter executive session on the matter.

Instead, after the meeting, commissioners held a closed-door informational meeting with Simmerman, Aman, County Assessor Allen Ferree and Prosecuting Attorney Rachel Romano.

"It's all a little bit odd, but the devil is in the details," said John Roush, who serves as interim counsel for the West Virginia Ethics Commission.

Simmerman advised for commissioners not to deliberate toward a resolution on the agenda item but said that the meeting could take place behind closed doors due to attorney-client privilege.

But Roush said, the mere presence of an attorney does not necessarily mean attorney-client privilege applied to the entire discussion.

In response to a request for comment Friday, Hinkle noted that all matters discussed at the informational meeting fall under attorney-client privilege and reiterated that all involved parties are working toward a resolution.

Requests for comment from Thomas, Commissioner Patsy Trecost and Genesis Partners Director of Development Mark Dellana went unreturned.