23 W.Va. Cities Apply for 16 Home Rule Slots

More than 20 West Virginia cities are seeking to participate in a program that would give them a larger say in how they govern.
 Monday was the deadline for cities to submit applications to the West Virginia Municipal Home Rule Program. Sixteen cities will be chosen to join the program’s four existing participants.
 
The Home Rule Board will interview representatives from each of the 23 new applicants.
 
Board chairman Patsy Trescot tells the Charleston Daily Mail that the board will meet June 13 by telephone to discuss where and when interviews will be conducted.
 
The program shifts power from the state to the local level. It began as a five-year pilot in Bridgeport, Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling.
 
In 2013, the Legislature allowed up to 20 municipalities to participate.