Latest news with #TomBloom
Dominion Post
2 days ago
- General
- Dominion Post
Hampshire County Commission: Say no to transmission projects
MORGANTOWN — The Hampshire County Commission is urging its counterpart in Monongalia County to take a public stand against high-voltage transmission projects looking at West Virginia as a means to an end. It's exceedingly likely that request will be granted Wednesday, when the Monongalia County Commission takes up a resolution regarding the MidAtlantic Resiliency Link project. In a letter dated July 15, the commissioners in Hampshire County say they're 'deeply concerned' with both the 500 kV MidAtlantic Resiliency Link (MARL) and 750 kV Valley Link projects and ask Monongalia County to help present a 'united front' before grid operator PJM Interconnection and the West Virginia Public Service Commission. 'We propose forming an informal coalition of affected counties and towns to share information, coordinate participation in regulatory proceedings and press for solutions that protect our property values, environment and quality of life,' the letter states. MARL is a 105-mile stretch of high-voltage transmission lines that will run from Greene County, Pa. to Frederick County, Va. Up to 13 miles of that project could run through Monongalia County depending on the route selected. Other West Virginia counties in the potential path include Preston, Mineral, Hampshire and Jefferson. The Valley Link project is a 261-mile high-voltage line that would run from Putnam County to Frederick County, Md. This project could impact more than a dozen counties in West Virginia, including Putnam, Kanawha, Roane, Calhoun, Braxton, Lewis, Upshur, Barbour, Tucker, Preston, Grant, Hardy, Hampshire and Jefferson. As one of three counties that could potentially see both transmission projects clear a 200-foot swath through the local countryside, the Hampshire County Commission says it believes there are better alternatives than 'carving through untouched landscapes.' One alternative, the letter explains, is the promotion of local power generation where the energy is actually needed. 'Hampshire County is deeply concerned that the 500 kV MARL project and the 765 kV Valley Link project would erect massive 160-foot transmission towers across our scenic ridges and valleys, primarily to carry electricity from generation in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to far-off data centers in Louden County, Virginia. These lines would impose significant burdens on our communities without providing any meaningful local benefit.' The comments out of Hampshire County are very similar to those shared by commissioners here when they sat down with representatives from NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic earlier this month. 'I don't see the benefit we're getting in Mon County at all,' Commissioner Tom Bloom said. 'You have a job to do, but I don't like it on the backs of Mon County residents, and that's what I'm worried about.'
Dominion Post
12-06-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Mon Commission grappling with soaring insurance costs
MORGANTOWN — 'This is just not sustainable.' Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom lamented that the annual increases in the cost of group employee health insurance is on a trajectory that will consume an untenable percentage of the county's overall budget in the near future without intervention. On Wednesday, the commission approved a proposal from Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield that comes with a 20.48% cost increase to the county when it takes effect Aug. 1. All told, the percentage increase absorbed by the county will total just over $1 million. Commissioner Sean Sikora explained that the final agreed-upon number was actually negotiated down significantly from Highmark's opening offer, which would have kept everything unchanged from the current plan — except the cost, which would have jumped 34.8%. In order to bring the percentage down, the commission agreed to raise employee deductibles from $6,000 single/$12,000 family to $7,000/$14,000. That disclosure was followed by a commitment from the commission to cover all employee deductibles at a potential maximum cost of $900,000. There will be a change on the employee end. Co-insurance — the percentage of a medical bill the patient pays after meeting the deductible — will increase from 10% to 20%. 'Really, that's the only negative impact to the employees,' Sikora said. 'There's two positive impacts. One, they're not getting a premium increase when there is one — a significant one. Two, they're not having to pay any deductible, which previously they had to pay $750 or $1,500.' Sikora explained that the county, like many other public and private entities, is facing what's known as the 'group plan dilemma' in which costs rise higher and higher while the level of satisfaction – either from employees, employers or both – falls. Embedded within the group plan concept is the inevitability that a small number of individuals will push costs up for everyone. It was explained that the offer Highmark first presented to the county was predicated on the fact that the company paid out 23% more than it collected in premiums in the current cycle. 'The problem we're dealing with is our experience in claims is what's driving our cost. There's nothing we can do about that. It's really just what they call in the industry the 'group dilemma.' Having these group plans, if we put it out to bid or we ask for a new proposal, we're paying for our experience. All that information is known and all that information is out there. We have a small portion of our participants that account for nearly 50% or 60% of all our claims, and those aren't going away.' While the commission opted to move forward with the Blue Cross/Blue Shield proposal, the insurance discussion isn't over. The body recently heard a pitch regarding ICHRA, or Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement, through which employees would work with a consultant to select their own health plan options from various insurance carriers and the commission would reimburse employees tax-free for premium costs up to a defined amount. As it stands, the commission is looking at an overall insurance spend of approximately $6 million in a $43.6 million budget. That's up from about $4.9 million. Based on recent history, there's no indication the county won't be back in this position a year from now. 'And that's just not realistic. That's not acceptable. We have to look at other options,' Bloom said.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bloom: The food crisis is here
Apr. 18—MORGANTOWN — MORGANTOWN—The need and the funding for food programs are heading in opposite directions according to one local official. "This is really not a political issue, " Tom Bloom said. "This is common sense. Of all the programs to cut, why would you cut the most essential program in the state, the country—feeding kids and feeding families ? Bloom, a Monongalia County Commissioner and co-founder /executive director of the nonprofit Pantry Plus More food program, posed the question during a recent discussion with The Dominion Post. He can foresee a looming disaster. He got a sneak peek last weekend, when the number of people who showed up to the Mountaineer Food Bank's weekly food giveaway was as high as ever—some 306 families—but the food available was a fraction of the typical amount. PPM runs the giveaways and supplements the food on offer using donations, including items provided by local businesses, like Kroger, Walmart and Panera. "Today, we received four pallets of food from MFB ... normally we receive 10 pallets, " he wrote in a social media post following the event. He would later explain the food provided consisted of shelf stable items and didn't include any dairy or fresh produce—both staples in past deliveries. But the issue isn't with the Mountaineer Food Bank problem—it's about funding. Among the recent cuts in federal spending was more than $1 billion for local food programs, including Local Food Purchase Assistance, which allows the purchase of locally-grown food for schools and pantry programs, and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. "We're working with Mountaineer Food Bank. They are pulling their hair out trying to see how they can continue to meet the needs. They are the middle man trying to get food out and I feel horribly for them, " Bloom said. "We're really concerned how we're going to meet the needs of people in West Virginia." Bloom said the funding crisis was a main topic of discussion during a quarterly meeting of area pantries and feeding programs. He believes a significant portion of those pantries and programs won't exist this time next year if things continue on this trajectory. "This is a huge story and it's nationwide. I do not understand why DOGE would be cutting such a needed program. It's not redundant and it's not wasteful. It's helping people make it. Most of the people who come to our programs are working. They have jobs but prices have gone up and they're having to make difficult decisions, " Bloom said. "The first couple times people come through, they're embarrassed, but it becomes a necessity." One of the ideas being discussed is a coordinated effort to work with restaurants, event centers and stores to be able to retrieve prepared food—or food aging off of store shelves—and get it to a central location to be distributed quickly. "Again, that will take time and energy, and probably a little bit of funding to get organized, but it may be something we need to look at. We're going to have to think out of the box because the need continues to be more and more, " Bloom said. "The crisis is here." The Dominion Post reached out to representatives of the Mountaineer Food Bank, but did not hear back in time for this report.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
County commission hearing from frustrated trash customers
Jan. 29—MORGANTOWN — Unlike the city of Morgantown, Monongalia County has no real dog in the fight when it comes to trash collection. Whereas the city has an exclusive and enforceable contract with Republic Services, trash collection in the county is the purview of the West Virginia Public Service Commission. Even so, county residents are getting fed up with missed service and asking the county commission for help. "We're receiving numerous complaints about garbage pickup, " Commissioner Tom Bloom said Wednesday. The commissioners shared a couple letters to demonstrate the point. One resident, who lives just outside the city's boundaries, near the Morgantown Municipal Airport, said there hasn't been a trash collector by her home in a month despite area roads being clear. She asked the commission to hold Republic Services accountable, noting her family in Morgantown are receiving service. "The accumulated trash is gross, and if people store these bags in their garages they attract mice and rats, " she wrote. "We need representation to deal with the trash company. We pay our trash bill. Why should trash pile and fall into our streets ?" Another letter, from an Arbogast Lane resident, said garbage in his neck of the woods hasn't been picked up yet in 2025. "Trash is starting to pile up, " he wrote. Bloom later told The Dominion Post that he hears from at least five or six people weekly from different areas of the county — particularly the Cheat Lake area. "Most ask for guidance and help in resolving their problem, " he said, explaining he believes there is a misunderstanding from some that the county works with these businesses. This is a recurring issue this time of year. It was almost exactly one year ago that Monongalia County Litter Control Officer Alex Hall said he was getting inundated with calls about missed trash pickups in the county. Hall suggested reaching out to the trash hauler in question, then making a formal complaint to the WVPSC. The PSC hotline is 800-344-5113. West Virginia Code mandates all individuals have and use trash service or deliver their trash to the transfer station no less than every 30 days. In the meantime, Bloom said he would forward the complaints along to the service provider. In addition to Republic, other haulers operating in Monongalia County include Mountain State Waste and Morgantown Disposal.
