Left, Justice City Policy Assistant Zoe Tishaev of the The Institute for Justice. Right, Ryan Barber, development director for the city of Parkersburg.

PARKERSBURG – Parkersburg is joining West Virginia’s other largest cities in an effort aimed at making it easier for people to start businesses.

The Institute for Justice, a nonprofit public interest law firm, recently announced plans to partner with the Mountain State’s five largest cities – Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg and Wheeling – for West Virginia Works, a program to identify and reform regulatory barriers to starting a business.

“We’re thrilled to bring together leaders from across the Mountain State to collaborate on creating a more friendly business environment,” Institute for Justice City Policy Assistant Zoe Tishaev said in a news release. “By working together to ease the regulatory burden on small business owners, this cohort can further unlock the entrepreneurial potential in their cities and across West Virginia.”

Leaders from the cities will discuss regulatory barriers at the municipal and state level over a 10-month period, the release said, engaging entrepreneurs and community members in the process.

“I think it’s an exciting opportunity to meet with kind of my counterparts across the state … to learn best practices,” Parkersburg Development Director Ryan Barber said.

The goal is to be as accessible to entrepreneurs and new business owners as possible, he said. Parkersburg already offers incentives to assist those looking to start a business, Barber said, including a property tax rebate program, a vacant building revitalization tax credit and grants for facade improvements.

The goal is for representatives to take concrete policy recommendations back to their cities for consideration, the release said.

“Through collaboration, data, and regulatory reform, this cohort equips local leaders with the tools to turn identified barriers into actionable solutions,” Brenda Delbert, Wheeling’s building and planning director, said in the release. “We are looking forward to working with other cities across West Virginia.”

Morgantown Mayor Danielle Trumble said in the release that land-use and zoning reform will allow the city “to reactivate underutilized spaces and to ensure that small businesses can thrive.

“By listening to local entrepreneurs and creating more transparent, efficient processes, we will build a Morgantown that better serves everyone who lives, works and invests here,” she said.

The Institute for Justice is based in Virginia and says its mission is “to end widespread abuses of government power and secure the constitutional rights that allow all Americans to pursue their dreams.”

West Virginia Works is a collaborative effort between the Institute’s Cities Work Initiative, the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office and the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, a program of the state development office.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.