CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the House of Delegates are scheduled to take a final vote Monday on a bill that would remove language from state code that says WVU Tech has to keep an administrative office in Montgomery.
The current law says Tech must be headquartered in Montgomery, but HB 4310 would change that to allow the university to move the institution to Beckley. The WVU Board of Governors approved the plan last year.
On Saturday, Delegate Tom Fast (R-Fayette) spoke against the bill during a floor session after he unsuccessfully tried to derail the legislation. He said there needs to be more of an effort to keep Tech where it has been for the past 120 years.
“If the leader, the flag ship of this institution, put its heart and soul into this institution that was given to them, certainly it can survive an additional 120 years,” he said.
But Delelgate Ricky Moye (D-Raleigh) said the state can’t afford to keep Tech in Montgomery.
“We the state don’t have the endless pot of money it will take to raise these building and build new ones,” Moye said. “But, there are, right now, available in the Beckley area, very good buildings that is move-in ready.”
By moving Tech to Beckley, Moye said student enrollment could increase, which is exactly what needs to happen.
“We have legislative studies that have confirmed that for Tech to be viable in Montgomery, they’ve got to increase their student population from 1,200 to 1,800. Despite the numerous efforts to achieve that, it hasn’t happened,” he said.
The decision to move Tech has not been well received in the Upper Kanawha Valley and continues to raise concerns. Kanawha, Fayette County Commissions and town of Smithers each signed an agreement with WVU that would prevent them from suing the university for Tech’s move. Montgomery City Council members denied signing the contract.
Moye called it “senseless” to delay action on the bill because the state is facing a real problem.
“We don’t have the money to keep Tech in Montgomery. That’s the bottom line,” he said.
If approved, the bill would then be taken up in the state Senate.