Volume 108 Issue 1 Article 7 September 2005 Constitutional Considerations for Local Government Reform in West Virginia Robert M. Bastress Jr. West Virginia University College of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wvlr Part of the Constitutional Law Commons, and the State and Local Government Law Commons Recommended Citation Robert M. Bastress Jr., Constitutional Considerations for Local Government Reform in West Virginia, 108 W. Va. L. Rev. (2005). Available at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wvlr/vol108/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the WVU College of Law at The Research Repository @ WVU. It has been accepted for inclusion in West Virginia Law Review by an authorized editor of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Bastress: Constitutional Considerations for Local Government Reform in West CONSTITUTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM IN WEST VIRGINIA Robert M. Bastress, Jr.* I. HISTORY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM AND CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION INW EST VIRGINIA ............................................................ 127 II. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW .................... 136 III. WEST VIRGINIA CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS ................................ 139 IV. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS ........................................................ 165 V . C ONCLUSION .................................................................................... 169 In 1989, at the urging of Governor Gaston Caperton, the West Virginia Legislature submitted to the State's voters the County Organization Reform Amendment, which would have amended Article IX of the West Virginia Con- stitution to authorize the Legislature to consolidate counties with local voters' consent,' develop three or more alternative forms of county governance, 2 pro- vide for county home rule, 3 create city-county governments with local voter approval,4 and permit increases in local officials' salaries during their terms of • John W.