Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott Says Metro Tag Won’t Define City’s Future
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WHEELING -- Mayor Glenn Elliott this week weighed in on the federal proposal that could cause Wheeling and more than 140 other U.S. communities to lose their classification as metropolitan areas, stressing that the effort is still a proposal and is one that will not define the future of the city.
Reactions in communities across the country surfaced over the past several days after an Associated Press report that a panel of statisticians recommended the threshold for Metropolitan Statistical Areas be changed from 50,000 to core city populations of 100,000. That change would result in 144 MSAs across the nation to be downgraded to "micropolitan" areas.
Although those leading the effort contend the measure is being pursued strictly for statistical purposes, those in potentially affected communities have expressed a fear that such a downgrade would negatively impact the amount they can receive in annual federal funding allocations and assistance with economic development programs.
"At this point it is important to keep in mind that the MSA reclassification proposal is as of right now simply that -- a proposal," Elliott said on Tuesday.
"It was submitted by the outgoing Trump Administration on Jan. 19 and awaits review by the Biden Administration. And if approved, my understanding is that it would not go into effect until 2023."
Elliott said it appears that one of the primary goals of this initiative is to increase considerably the portion of the U.S. population classified as rural versus urban.
"From my perspective, obviously, I would be concerned about the potential loss of grant funding eligibility should Wheeling lose its MSA status and be reclassified as a 'micropolitan' area," he said. "At the same time, being reclassified as a rural area could open the doors to other potential forms of assistance as well. Alternatively, there may be opportunities to be included in the Pittsburgh MSA that could increase our exposure and marketability."
The Wheeling MSA includes the city of Wheeling as well as the greater metropolitan area of Ohio and Marshall counties in West Virginia and Belmont County in Ohio. Just a few years ago, the Wheeling MSA was touted as having one of the fastest growing economies in the nation in the wake of the oil and gas boom.
Elliott agreed with Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron, who noted Monday that the city will continue to monitor the proposal and — like other affected communities in the nation — gauge the potential impact such a change could have on federal funding formulas and other public services tied to urban cluster statistics.
"Needless to say, we will be monitoring this proposed rule change going forward to better understand its potential impact on Wheeling," Elliott said. "But at the end of the day, the future of Wheeling rests so much more on decisions we make here and now than it does on any federal assistance formula."