by Kate Shunney
Members of the Morgan County Planning Commission board have asked Morgan County Commissioners for guidance in how to proceed with work to update the county’s Comprehensive Plan by mid-2027.
West Virginia’s Code under Chapter 8 lays out the purposes and contents of a Comprehensive Plan and says that the plan is good for 10 years. Morgan County’s last Comprehensive Plan was adopted in February 2017.
The plan contains sections on each aspect of the county, from population and school enrollment to highway facilities, healthcare services, land use trends, water and wastewater infrastructure.
Commissoner Sean Forney, who sits on the Morgan County Planning Commission as the commission’s representative, said at the March 18 county meeting that he was unsure about the role of planners in preparing the plan. 
Planning Commission member, former county commissioner and attorney Glen Stotler added his questions to the conversation.
“To some extent, the Commission sits at the top of the pile,” Stotler said of the County Commissioners. He said planners were seeking some direction from commissioners about the future direction of county development before they undertake to rewrite the Comprehensive Plan.
Commissioner Bill Clark said he thought that direction is somewhat up to the community to determine.
“What do you want to see happen in the next 10 years?” Stotler asked.
Planning Commission president Marshall Younker, who is also the county’s 911 director, said he doesn’t want the planning board to work months on the plan update without knowing more from commissioners about their vision of the county future and future projects.
Commissioner Sean Forney said in the next 10 years, the inventory of local infrastructure will be important in steering growth.
“Growth is going to happen,” Forney said.
He said with the completion of a $100 million bypass and connector road, plus a southern sewer and water line extension, that future development can be expected.
Forney said his vision includes developing a northern Industrial Park with key utilities if the county could get U.S. Silica on board to sell 200 acres to site such a park.
“If the county has plans like that, we need to know that,” Glen Stotler said.
Commissioner Clark said he had been in contact with West Virginia University, which works with counties and municipalities to create and update Comprehensive Plans for a fee.
Planner Alex Moore said he had also reached out to consulting engineers to see if they do consulting work on plans, too.
Commissioners and Planning Commission members all admitted they had not been closely involved in previous Comprehensive Plan revisions and were not very familiar with the contents of the plan or the process to update it.
Glen Stotler pointed out that having a Comprehensive Plan is not a precursor to instituting zoning in a county.
Morgan County’s current Comprehensive Plan can be found online at https://morgancountywv.gov/planning-commission/comprehensive-plan/
What’s the plan contain?
State code says, “The general purpose of a comprehensive plan is to guide a governing body to accomplish a coordinated and compatible development of land and improvements within its territorial jurisdiction, in accordance with present and future needs and resources.”
It goes on to prescribe, “When preparing or amending a comprehensive plan, a planning commission shall make comprehensive surveys and studies of the existing conditions and services and probable future changes of such conditions and services within the territory under its jurisdiction.”
The plan can include data about
“population density, health, general welfare, historic sites, mobility, transportation, food supply, education, water and sanitation requirements, public services, accessibility for the disabled and future potential for residential, commercial, industrial or public use” as allowed under state law.
Morgan County’s plan will need updated highway mapping and demographic data from the last U.S. Census, along with updated school enrollment figures, business lists, employment figures and more.
Younker said he believes planners will need to speak with the county’s Economic Development Authority and other bodies to complete the update.
West Virginia law says that the process of creating or updating the plan should be done collaboratively and with a sense of cooperation:
“The major objective of the planning process is providing information to and coordination among divergent elements in the municipality or county. The elements in the comprehensive plan shall be consistent and governing bodies, units of government and planning commissions must work together to ensure that comprehensive plans and future development are compatible,” state code says.
Under state law, the Planning Commission will prepare the revisions to the plan, including at least one public hearing before adopting a revised document. At that time, planners present the revised plan to the County Commission with their recommendation for approval and adoption.
Commissioners must also hold a public hearing prior to their final vote on the adoption of the 10-year plan. The timeline for these steps is set out in the West Virginia Code.
County planners said they would discuss the process and possible consulting assistance at their next monthly Planning Commission meeting, set for yesterday, March 24.
