West Virginia — An unusual fee in a West Virginia county is adding dollars to customers’ experience, and a ski resort isn’t happy about it.
WBOY reports that Timberline Mountain has announced a lawsuit against the Tucker County Commission over an ambulance fee that was introduced earlier this year.
The Special Emergency Ambulance Service Fee has added a 2% tax on recreational activities in Tucker County, including skiing and snowboarding. This has affected Timberline Mountain, with the fee being added to products like tickets, rentals, and lodging.
Timberline has decided to sue the county, with General Manager Tom Price stating in a press release that the fee is “a blunt instrument that unfairly scapegoats the tourism industry.” The ski resort claims this fee goes past the maximum tax rate, which is supposed to be set by the Hotel Tax Act (6% versus the 8% it now claims it’s at). The ski resort also claims it’s in violation of the Emergency Ambulance Act because it “deliberately burdens those least likely to use the service while excluding those most likely to use the service from contributing.”
“Timberline and other tourist centers account for less than 10% of the EMS calls in the county, yet Timberline and other recreational centers are being forced to shoulder a disproportionate share of the burden. That’s fundamentally unfair,” said Price.
The county is pushing back against Timberline Mountains’ claims. Mike Rosenau, who’s the President of Tucker County Commission, said he was surprised that the ski resort was suing because without the fee, it wouldn’t be able to offer emergency services in the county. He also disputed Timberline’s belief that they’re customers are paying a disproportionate share, as 40% of ambulance rides come from non-county residents:
“The case is it’s not only what may have happened at the ski area itself or the hotel itself or the river itself, or the bike trail itself. It’s also the travel of people coming in,” said Rosenau. “None of the statistics cover the lost hikers that we have that we spend days upon days looking for that EMS has to stay there and cover. It doesn’t count the endless car accidents we have in our county on the roads that people coming to our county to visit—the million-plus visitors a year.”
As of Thursday, the county had yet to be served with the federal lawsuit.
Image Credits: Timberline Mountain
