The Williamson City Council discussed the progress of two pieces of old business that – while divisive items for the previous governing body — appear to have the blessing of the current administration..
Those items are for Williamson to become a homerule city and for the city to adopt a planning and zoning policy.
“I have been in contact with the Municipal League,” City Attorney Nathan Brown said in reference to the homerule process. “I have gotten a lot of examples from other cities who have adopted the homerule process. I am still working on it and will update the council when I have more details.”
Williamson Mayor Charlie Hatfield has long been a supporter of the homerule process. In fact, he proposed the matter to the previous council during his first term as mayor.
Homerule is a strategy passed by the West Virginia Legislature that gives cities and towns more latitude and control of their daily operations. While being a more flexible alternative, all actions must still be voted on by the council thereby not taking any power from elected representatives. It began as a pilot program with a couple of towns and has now spread to approximately 35 municipalities across the state.
One of the critical factors in the homerule process is that it permits participating municipalities the opportunity to add an additional 1 percent to their sales tax to generate additional revenue for various projects.
Brown said, if enacted, the process must be very transparent, especially where additional taxes are concerned. He warned them that the council does not want to find itself in a position of collecting taxes without letting constituents know for what purposes it is being collected.
The progress of a planning and zoning master was also discussed. This again was a topic championed by Hatfield and after a great deal of controversy was abandoned by the previous council.
Hatfield and Williamson Fire Chief Joey Carey have repeatedly discussed the need for a comprehensive planning and zoning plan for the city. Carey has also talked about receiving numerous calls from potential new businesses wanting to locate in Williamson; however, those inquiries stop as soon as they learn there are no zoning regulations in place.
The initial step for planning and zoning initiatives is the creation of a master plan. Hatfield said he has been in contact with officials from the University of Pikeville, Marshall University and the West Virginia University about utilizing graduate students to complete the project. Those discussions are on hold until the beginning of the new school term.
Hatfield said he would update the council on the matter as soon as the negotiations resume.
