Number of W.Va. Cities Seeking Home Rule Grows

 The number of cities seeking to participate in West Virginia’s Municipal Home Rule Program is growing.

WDTV reports that Shinnston City Council voted Monday to allow the city to submit an application to the Home Rule Board.

Last week, city councils in Martinsburg and Nitro approved similar ordinances. Other cities seeking participation in the program include Bluefield, Clarksburg, Fairmont, Morgantown, Buckhannon and Elkins.

The program shifts power from the state to the local level and gives municipalities a larger say in how they govern. It began as a five-year pilot program in Bridgeport, Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling.

In 2013, the Legislature continued the program until July 1, 2019, and allowed up to 20 municipalities to participate.