Coal Severance Tax Database Each year, the coal industry pays millions of dollars to the state in the form of coal severance taxes. Roughly 90 percent of the money stays at the state level, paying for education and state programs. $24 million repays bonds for new roads, highways and bridges. The rest is distributed among every county and municipality in the state for them to use as they see fit. As West Virginia looks for ways to diversify its economy, some people are asking where that money goes and how it's being spent. Using the Freedom of Information Act and state records, The Herald-Dispatch tracked severance expenditures from 1995 to 1999 in West Virginia's 55 counties and 234 municipalities. The newspaper's computer analysis showed that roughly half of the severance tax was used for day-to-day expenses, from conducting elections to buying new police cars to replenishing office supplies. Another 13 percent went to public safety to help pay for jails, 911 service and fire departments. An additional 17 percent of the money was spent in unspecified areas. Severance tax numbers in this category had to be taken from the state auditor's office because several local governments did not answer numerous requests from The Herald-Dispatch for information. The state auditor did not keep specific data on how local governments spent severance tax money until 1999. This database will let you see how your local county or municipality spent coal severance over the last five years. If you would like a copy of the Microsoft Excel document of this database, click here.

Select a county from the following list to view additional information and then click submit. Barbour Berkeley Boone Braxton Brooke Cabell Calhoun Clay Doddridge Fayette Gilmer Grant Greenbrier Hampshire Hancock Hardy Harrison Jackson Jefferson Kanawha Lewis Lincoln Logan Marion Marshall Mason McDowell Mercer Mineral Mingo Monongalia Monroe Morgan Nicholas Ohio Pendleton Pleasants Pocahontas Preston Putnam Raleigh Randolph Ritchie Roane Summers Taylor Tucker Tyler Upsher Wayne Webster Wetzel Wirt Wood Wyoming

County	1995 - 1999 Severance Tax Expenditures
Barbour	$853,923.79
Berkeley	$620,001.16
Boone	$13,796,938.00
Braxton	$390,168.00
Brooke	$965,836.30
Cabell	$1,131,105.34
Calhoun	$95,191.43
Clay	$1,307,853.88
Doddridge	$68,226.45
Fayette	$2,174,954.29
Gilmer	$182,470.00
Grant	$1,308,015.43
Greenbrier	$893,314.03
Hampshire	$246,123.78
Hancock	$194,464.88
Hardy	$151,875.94
Harrison	$1,185,973.04
Jackson	$305,156.34
Jefferson	$421,056.00
Kanawha	$5,349,414.91
Lewis	$265,330.46
Lincoln	$459,447.97
Logan	$8,375,742.23
Marion	$2,985,839.60
Marshall	$4,186,124.44
Mason	$285,308.56
McDowell	$2,931,563.71
Mercer	$836,466.10
Mineral	$389,070.00
Mingo	$9,521,241.00
Monongalia	$5,422,541.42
Monroe	$151,981.00
Morgan	$154,122.00
Nicholas	$1,915,120.18
Ohio	$1,015,193.28
Pendleton	$136,296.20
Pleasants	$180,396.28
Pocahontas	$96,994.00
Preston	$1,156,700.28
Putnam	$512,891.39
Raleigh	$4,041,859.44
Randolph	$808,237.88
Ritchie	$372,393.30
Roane	$204,094.05
Summers	$171,614.71
Taylor	$93,050.00
Tucker	$165,996.39
Tyler	$107,961.20
Upsher	$922,671.27
Wayne	$1,805,394.82
Webster	$1,985,106.47
Wetzel	$307,307.70
Wirt	$71,436.42
Wood	$1,053,983.29
Wyoming	$1,339,110.08
Grand Totals	$86,070,650.11