Published: January 22, 2009 11:59 pm      

Work force concern for Mineral planners

Most available to businesses don’t have college degrees

KEYSER, W.Va. — As Mineral County updates its comprehensive plan, concerns over the current economy and work force were discussed Wednesday night.

“The thing that is interesting and alarming is the percent of the younger adult population with college degrees,” Mike Dougherty, West Virginia University extension office specialist and associate professor, said. “Now, it is under 10 percent. The state and national trend is going up. ... Most of the other numbers we’re tracking are where we expected. Of all the numbers, that’s one number that tracks badly.”

Dougherty, along with three of his graduate students, is working on the county’s comprehensive plan update. He told the county planning commission that the new data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Surveys, which has more recent information than the 2000 Census records. He said the number of people with college degrees under the age of 25 has dropped in the last few years.

He said either college graduates are leaving the area or fewer students are attending college, which doesn’t seem to be the case. However, he said regardless of the cause, a large portion of the young work force available for businesses does not have a college degree.

I think we’re doing a bad export job,” Scott Clay, county planning director, said. “I can count the kids who graduated (from WVU) that I know returned to the area on one hand.”

The county’s difficulty in competing with its neighbors was also discussed at the meeting. Nearby states like Maryland can offer tax breaks to new businesses that counties in West Virginia cannot.

County Commission President Wayne Spiggle said he doesn’t agree with the practice of offering these tax breaks, because he feels it results in giving away far more than an area gets in return. However, he said it makes it very difficult for Mineral County to compete.

He questioned Dougherty on the possibility of doing some sort of “home-grown” businesses that would have government participation as well as that of the private sector. He suggested this might factor in with the county’s study of bringing in green jobs like solar panel manufacturing.

Dougherty said it might be one way that the county could compete with its neighbors. He also suggested that incubator buildings are a good way to get businesses to start off in a county and stay there as they grow.

There was also a question about restricting businesses such as exotic dancing, which recently was a concern when the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the Legz Club in Ridgeley and deemed that a Mineral County ordinance was in violation of freedom of speech.

Dougherty recommended going to the Legislature and getting the portion of the West Virginia Code that says counties with a planning commission cannot adopt an ordinance limiting the areas where exotic entertainment can be located changed.

He said that this way, the county would be able to include restrictions in the comprehensive plan without having to go so far as countywide zoning. He added that should the county consider zoning, it might be better done in areas where there is a real need for it, particularly in the northern part of the county.

Dougherty said he hopes to have the plan update done before the graduate students finish school at the beginning of May.