Manchin Vetoes Charleston's "Metro" Scheme on Technicality (Morgantown: tax, live in)

[CTMountaineer]

Representatives of Charleston interests are alarmed that the town is losing population and will slip under 50,000 residents in the next census, so they are trying to force residents to Pond Gap and Glasgow, 20 to 30 miles from Charleston, into being part of a metro government. The current law provides for a 55% majority vote to bring this about to prevent just such abuses of residents of rural areas by the towns. The new bill would lower that percentage to a simple majority. Moreover, it treats Charleston as some kind of special entity when in reality it is no different than any of the other small towns in the State. It is a bad idea. The residents of towns in Kanawha County (which is already geographically the size of three counties) should not be forced to subsidize Charleston operations.

[NOVAmtneer82]

What did he veto? The 50 percent majority ruling?

They have been talking about incorporation since well before I left with no end in sight. The whiners from outside city limits don't want it to happen and will probably make sure it doesn't leaving West Virginia without a single city above 50,000 residents. It has nothing to do with subsidizing Charleston operations, it's an attempt at economic development that West Virginia could use A LOT more of. What base county are you using to determine that Kanawha is the size of three counties?

Kanawha County could use the economic help just as much if not more than Charleston considering its population has fallen from 250,000 in 1960 to just above 190,000 today. Kanawha County, WV Population by Decades. You can check the annual county estimates for the 2008 numbers but it is around 191,000 for 2008.

Will it be the end all be all? Who knows I guess time will tell...but it certainly could be a worthy start.

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by mtneeratheart

What did he veto? The 50 percent majority ruling?

They have been talking about incorporation since well before I left with no end in sight. The whiners from outside city limits don't want it to happen and will probably make sure it doesn't leaving West Virginia without a single city above 50,000 residents. It has nothing to do with subsidizing Charleston operations, it's an attempt at economic development that West Virginia could use A LOT more of. What base county are you using to determine that Kanawha is the size of three counties?

Kanawha County could use the economic help just as much if not more than Charleston considering its population has fallen from 250,000 in 1960 to just above 190,000 today. Kanawha County, WV Population by Decades. You can check the annual county estimates for the 2008 numbers but it is around 191,000 for 2008.

Will it be the end all be all? Who knows I guess time will tell...but it certainly could be a worthy start.

Even if they shove this through, West Virginia still wouldn't have a town larger than 50K. How in the world would you classify Cedar Grove as being in the same town as Charleston? or Cabin Creek? And, what makes Charleston any more special than any of the other towns that have slipped below 50K in the past couple of decades?

As to the geographic size of Kanawha, take a look at it on the state map. It is larger in size than all but Pocahontas, and some parts of it are no more populous. It is about the same size as Monongalia, Marion, and Harrison combined and has about the same population as those three, but they are not getting any kind of special consideration and they are growing.

[David Kennedy]

The answer to West Virginia's Metro Problems is to merge some counties.
We discussed this last year.
It's a much bigger problem than Charleston.
The people, government and services would benefit if some counties were merged into others and it would be less costly.

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by David Kennedy

The answer to West Virginia's Metro Problems is to merge some counties.
We discussed this last year.
It's a much bigger problem than Charleston.
The people, government and services would benefit if some counties were merged into others and it would be less costly.

Actually I could see that happening. Morgantown and Clarksburg are just 30 miles apart and the area between them is developed. It would make perfect sense to merge Monongalia, Marion, and Harrison counties into one county. Marshall and Ohio counties should probably be merged. The problem is, there are always forces in place to keep the status quo... political entities and the like. However, reducing the majority needed to 50% does not do enough to protect those who live in outlying areas. With something like this, there should be a clear mandate for change.

[corgis]

I'm happy that South Charleston won't be absorbed into Charleston - we have better city services here than in Charleston. Twice a week garbage pickup, once a week trash pickup, free recycling bags, free leaf bags, no city services fee, we get more services and I like that a lot,

[BJC]

Twice a week garbage pickup, once a week trash pickup what is the difference?

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by corgis

I'm happy that South Charleston won't be absorbed into Charleston - we have better city services here than in Charleston. Twice a week garbage pickup, once a week trash pickup, free recycling bags, free leaf bags, no city services fee, we get more services and I like that a lot,

That's my point. Charleston is concerned about missing out on some Federal funding because they are losing population, like the other WV towns that are in the same situation, and they want to absorb an entire county just so they can count the numbers as part of their own. Since they would have trouble getting a mandate of 55%, they managed to go through the back door via politicos and get a bill that would reduce it to a simple majority to approve it. Since Charleston has more population than the other towns in the county, they would actually have a disproportionate voice in what happens to South Charleston, Glasgow, Cedar Grove, and Pond Gap. It makes no sense, and why should South Charleston have to foot part of the bill for Charleston and actually have worse services in the process. The whole thing is a scheme to make the rest of Kanawha County pony up for Charleston's short comings and population losses.

[David Kennedy]

The cancer scare to bureacrats is 'having to downsize government...means no jobs for the relatives!

[NOVAmtneer82]

South Charleston and all other towns in the Kanawha Valley aren't exactly economic gems...what do they really have to lose from entering in such an agreement. It has been said time and time again that the suburban communities around Louisville didn't lose their identity when they merged into metro government nor did they see huge tax increases and a loss of vital services.

I just simply cannot see how people are against this. Do state residents not care that within a year or two there won't be a single city with a population over 50,000? And no Morgantown isn't growing to the point where it will get anywhere near that large in the next 10 or even 20 years. At least at current rates. The Eastern Panhandle is still exploding but most of that growth is outside of existing communities and therefore not resulting in any one large population center. The Kanawha Valley is probably the location that makes the most sense.