Legislative

Whether your municipality has a population of 50 or 50,000, it has a major stake in Legislative deliberations in Charleston. Consequently, an important League priority is Municipal autonomy. The League has a long established reputation as an articulate advocate for municipal interests.

  Every bill pending before the Legislature which might affect localities is evaluated by the League’s Legislative Committee, and aggressively opposed or supported by the League’s lobbying team in concert with local officials around the state.

The League’s position on the respective measures, which number close to 400 in the average session, is reported to officials in every community through our weekly Legislative Report.

A quick telephone call or website visit will get you up-to-the-minute status reports on pend-ing legislation, copies of bills or laws and general backgrounddata on any legislative matter.

The WV Municipal League is the official membership organization of local governments dedicated to advancing the public interest, building democracy and community, and improving the quality of life by strengthening the capacity of local governance and advocating the interests of local communities.
 
Local government officials, as custodians of democratic values, work together through the WV Municipal League to safeguard the authorities and improve the capacities of local governments to respond to the needs and aspirations of the people.
 
While we who administer and legislate at the local level recognize that local government is a creature of the State government, we also believe that the level of government that functions closest to its citizens is the one best able to govern most effectively.  Moreover, we believe that the majority of the citizens of this State share this view.  We ask that the legislature and the administration join with the WV Municipal League to strengthen and streamline the administrative, fiscal and policy relationship between the two levels of government.
 
Local government officials act together through the WV Municipal League to express and advocate their common interests and views as responsible partners in the democratic system of governance.
 
In carrying out this mission the WV Virginia Municipal League serves as an advocate for its members in WV in the legislative, administrative, and judicial processes that affect them; develops and pursues a state municipal policy that meets the present and future needs of our State’s municipalities and the people who live in them; and provides information, education, and technical assistance to local officials to help them improve the quality of life and delivery of services in their cities, towns, and villages.
 
The League is a voluntary, nonpartisan organization operating through an executive director with offices in Charleston, West Virginia.

Muncipal Policy

The central purpose of the WV Municipal League is to advance the interests and welfare of the people residing in the cities, towns and villages of our State.  The basic goals of the League are to provide information and assistance to municipal officials and to represent
municipalities collectively in matters before the state and federal government.  The objectives to our members are:
 
(1) To provide means whereby municipal officials and others interested in municipal government may interchange ideas and experiences;
(2) To provide for the collection and dissemination of information relating to municipal affairs; in response to requests by members and, when possible, by other government officials and individuals.  
(3) To secure enactment of beneficial legislation for municipalities; aggressively protect local control and support legislation that strengthens the autonomy of WV municipalities; and to prevent the passage of such measures as may be detrimental
to their interests;
(4) To promote education in municipal governments;
(5) To do any and all other things necessary and proper for the benefit of municipalities.
(6) To represent the interests of our collective membership and to serve local governments
by providing cost-effective programs and services.  
The policy statement of the League is approved at the annual meeting and provides
direction for the legislative program of the League.
Once a position or goal has been adopted, the League should be regarded as the formalvoice for the WV municipalities in such matters; however, the League will find it necessary to have assistance from municipal officials in these activities.  The League will not intervene or act upon matters of local dispute between member cities, unless authorized by the Board of
Directors.
 
ROLE OF CITIES
 
SECTION I
 
Local government is the level of government that deals with the basic physical and social
services desired by individuals residing in their communities.  Cities must be provided with
the resources and authority to carry out this vital role.  Citizens of local governments should
have a major voice in determining the nature, scope and funding of various service
programs offered at the local level.
 
SELF GOVERNMENT
 
SECTION II
 
It is the right of the people in a democratic society to govern themselves, to create agencies
and charge such agencies with the duties and responsibilities, and to grant to them such
powers as the people may deem appropriate to serve their needs.  Local government
empowerment is a grant of power, not to the governments, but to the people residing in the
municipalities.
 
The Legislature should allow all municipal voters the right to use any local assessment they
deem necessary to provide for the local government operation, the services they provide,
and how they provide for the community’s future.  State laws, rules and regulations should
be adopted to allow these local governments to modernize their procedures to best serve
their public.  
 
It is the purpose of this organization to provide the citizens the power to structure their local
governments as fits their individual needs and desires.  Such changes will allow these
governments to perform the services the citizens deem appropriate and desirable.
 
PUBLIC FINANCE
 
SECTION III
 
The League believes that public finance problems are shared by all.  The State and its political subdivisions should not be in conflict or competition with one another for tax resources; nor should the state or federal government be the sole taxing units in our system of government, thus prohibiting proper local taxation.
 
(1) Tax legislation must address itself to the revenue and service needs of municipal governments, to enhance and preserve the financial integrity of our municipalities, and also to provide for future increases in revenues.
 
(2) The state should greatly expand the sharing of resources with local government in a manner commensurate with the responsibilities of these municipalities for providing basic services to their citizens until such a time as the state realizes the true nature of local government operations and provides these governments with
their rightful autonomy.
 
(3) The state should provide local government the right to impose local taxes for the support of local services of a type, and at a level reflective of the desires of their citizens.  These powers should be granted by removing restrictions in the WV laws, rules and regulations that prevent municipalities from using types and levels  of taxation that are suitable for local economy.
 
(4) The municipalities must not be required to continue dependence upon a regressive tax system imposed upon them at the state level.  It is vital that municipalities are given authority by legislative action to enact local progressive tax systems for the benefit of its citizens.  The local government deserves the right to rely upon the same revenue sources as the state government, remembering local officials are nearest to the citizens and reflect their concerns and needs on a daily basis.
 
 
(5) Proposed legislation affecting municipal income or expenditures must carry financial impact statements to enable the Legislature, public officials and other citizens to evaluate such proposed legislation. 
 
(6) Municipalities should receive an equitable share of all revenues collected by the State legislature within their respective municipal jurisdictions as provided by law. The State should provide monetary and other incentives to encourage local governments to provide services on a regional basis.
 
PLANNING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
 
SECTION IV
 
The increasing complexity of urban issues and the imposition of greater roles by the state and federal government in the solution of such issues, have increased the need to plan the use of limited resources, establish systems to coordinate planning among governmental units, and relate specific planning activity to the overall needs of our communities.  Therefore, the League supports annexation laws to facilitate annexation to be used as a tool for planning, economic development, and urban growth.  In addition, there is a need for study of the issue of appropriate municipal control over unincorporated areas that use the services of the municipal government.
 
General law should also be modified to facilitate annexation or consolidation of services on a regional basis where the local citizens desire such changes.  The League supports such consolidation as well as annexation laws that sustain and improve the quality of life in our cities.
 
Individual annexations are unique to the locality and the League believes that the localities should maintain control of land use decisions and that neither the state nor federal government should usurp a municipality’s power to make such decisions.
 
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
 
SECTION V
 
The fair and equitable treatment of public employees is vital to the continuation of strong and effective local governments.  Providing services within financial constraints requires increasing productivity of public employees, continued building and improving of public management practices, and sound personnel procedures and administrative mechanisms.
 
The League supports the concepts of equal employment opportunity without discrimination in the recruitment, selection, promotion, retention and retirement of public employees.
 
HOUSING
 
SECTION VI
 
One of the greatest needs in all segments of our state is the provision of safe, decent housing for all citizens.  We support equal housing opportunities and urge increased activity and funding for private and public housing to meet this need.  We support programs that would specifically assist in these projects, and urge greater local
control and individual responsibility.  For the benefit of all levels of government, the State should provide assistance to municipalities dealing with blighted areas of their communities, including funding and enforceable laws regulating unsightly/hazardous buildings.
 
ENVIRONMENT
 
SECTION VII
 
Municipalities and their residents depend upon a healthy and productive environment for their long-term well being.  The League is committed to the protection and enhancement of this resource base and to a clean and safe environment.  The League commitment recognizes; however, the need to achieve and maintain a balance for sustaining environmental resources, economic growth and social development in our cities, towns, and villages.
 
Identifying and protecting resources, as well as managing the human impacts upon them, should be the quest of all levels of government and the priority of the citizenry.
 
The federal and state legislative bodies and administrative agencies concerned with environmental programs should establish goals with reasonable time frames and standards that are both realistic and cost-effective.
 
The state and federal governments must provide a means to enable municipalities to carry out mandated required water and wastewater programs.  This should be accomplished with minimum bureaucratic procedures.
 
Responsibility for establishing rates for user charges in utility services owned by municipalities must be given to those local governments rather than the Public Service Commission.
 
ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION
 
SECTION VIII
 
Revenues collected from highway user sources are needed if municipalities are to meet their responsibilities for construction and maintenance of their local street systems.  These funds shall be designated for this type of expenditure only.
 
The state should, considering the needs of its constituents, provide financial assistance for the operation of mass transit systems.
 
ENERGY
 
SECTION IX
 
A crucial problem facing our national, state, and local governments is the decreasing availability and increasing cost of fuel and energy.  The consequences of not resolving this difficult problem are of such magnitude that all segments of our society must be encouraged to conserve existing supplies and a high priority must be placed
upon the development of additional safe and renewable sources of energy.
 
MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
 
SECTION X
 
State imposed restrictions on the ability of municipalities to carry out the functions of municipal government in the most economic and business like manner must not interfere with the responsibilities of local official to provide full value for every tax dollar.  Efforts to update the statutes and rules pertaining to charter and non-charter municipalities should be pursued for both ease of understanding and fiscal integrity.
 
The League will support measures revising and modernizing the procedures and structures of municipal government in any respect to remove all unnecessary state restrictions on municipal operations.
 
State or Federal intervention in local affairs is only warranted in matters of greater than local significance. changes should not be made in the laws affecting local government without substantial local input from affected jurisdictions and the League, and include their full participation in developing these changes.