CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Next summer, residents of Clarksburg will vote for mayor and whether to continue collecting the city's coal severance levy, which funds City Parks of Clarksburg, as well as the city's police and fire departments.

While police and fire receive some of their funding from the levy, the parks department could face more serious fiscal challenges if the levy is not passed.

"People need to go out and vote," City Parks of Clarksburg Superintendent Doug Comer said.

City Parks of Clarksburg, which is an autonomous department of the city of Clarksburg, receives $580,226, or about 40% of its total budget of $1.7 million, from the city's levy.

Funds generated by the Clarksburg Splash Zone and the Clarksburg Amphitheater are instead reinvested into the parks that generated the re

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