PARKERSBURG -Continuing his quest to find entities willing to take the plunge into metro government, state Sen. Brooks McCabe came to Parkersburg Thursday.
McCabe, D-Kanawha, spoke to more than 40 people at a luncheon at the Blennerhassett Hotel. McCabe came to continue his push for cities and counties to move toward a consolidation of government and government services.
The luncheon was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley and the Economic Roundtable.
McCabe said the idea is not about creating big government, but reducing costs.
"We have too many counties, too many schools and school systems and they are too costly to fund," he said.
McCabe said many towns, cities and counties in West Virginia are coming under the gun financially to provide services to citizens and rather than bite the bullet and step toward consolidation, they are coming to the state for help.
"We in the Legislature need to get our act together. And show some tough love," he said. "Rather than subsidize we have to say enough is enough."
McCabe said there have been discussions of metro government in Clarksburg and Harrison County, but no one has taken that first step.
Local officials in Wood County have had meetings on metro government and consolidating services, but the meetings- at least one of which featured McCabe- produced no results.
McCabe said if Parkersburg and Wood County were to merge under metro government the city's population would grow from 31,000 to more than 80,000, making a Class 1 city.
McCabe said when businesses and industry look at areas for expansion and growth they review metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). According to McCabe, the merger to Kanawha, Putnam and Cabell counties would produce an MSA that would be among the top 100 in the country.
The senator acknowledges many have not taken the steps to metro government out of fear. Local officials worry about the loss of political power and residents fear the loss of community identity.
One of the concerns of the metro government is the idea smaller towns would be swallowed up and lose the ability to govern. Richard Adams, chairman and CEO of United Bankshares, asked McCabe what would happen to Williamstown if Wood County and Parkersburg consolidated into a metro government.
McCabe said the metro aspect becomes an overlay with the population of the county counting toward Parkersburg, but local government remains intact. McCabe said Williamstown would retain its city council and tax structure.
"Residents within the boundaries count as part of the Parkersburg metro area, but they remain as Williamstown."
Adams also asked if Vienna could take a lead in metro government. McCabe said no. Enabling legislation reserves the metro government to be enacted by the largest city in the county.
McCabe said whichever entity takes the first step toward metro government will be able to approach the state for help. But so far none have step forward, not the growing areas of Morgantown and Monongalia County, nor Martinsburg and Berkeley County, the stable areas of Parkersburg and Wood County or Charleston and Kanawha County or the areas in decline, such as Welch and McDowell County, which has lost more than 5,000 people in the last 10 years.
Yet McCabe continues to tout the idea and the effort.
McCabe said educating residents and officials is the first step to making metro government a reality.
"I'll go anywhere in the state to talk about metro government," he said.
