Listen Now: Morning News

Pleasants County thinking ‘outside the box’ in effort to attract residents

ST. MARYS, W.Va. — The Pleasants County Commission and the Pleasants County Development Authority want to boost the county’s population they’re willing to give $1,000 to anyone interested in being part of it.

Jody Murphy

Under a new program, those who move into the county and buy or build a home will be written a check from the development authority.

According to Pleasants County Development Authority Special Projects Coordinator Jody Murphy, it’s an incentive program aimed at reversing trends of people leaving the county.

“We’ve got a great school system. We have things to do on the Ohio River and a great water park. We’re close to nice cities like Parkersburg and Marietta,” said Murphy. “We think it’s a great place to live and we want to attract more people. The drawback is we’re only 135 square miles. We’re a pretty small county and if we’re going to grow, we need new residents.”

Whether $1,000 is enough incentive to get folks to become Pleasants County residents remains to be seen. Murphy reasoned it at least gets the attention of prospective home buyers.

“It’s not a whole lot of money, it’s probably more window dressing than anything else,” Murphy admitted. “But it’s an incentive to attract new residents to the county and we hope it’s enough of an incentive to get them to at least take a look at us.”

Murphy said the $1,000 will equate to a refund of the first year’s property taxes. Additionally there are other incentives to enroll children in Pleasants County schools or a licensed daycare facility in Pleasants County.

It’s an unusual idea, but Murphy believes new ideas are the key.

“We’ve got to think outside the box. As it stands, we can’t compete with Wood County in terms of housing. We may be more equal footing with Tyler and Ritchie,” he explained. “But we need to stand out and we think this is one way to do that.”

The county not only hopes to grow, but according to Murphy several large employers in Pleasants County have indicated plans to expand in the next few years and the influx of new jobs will require residents to fill them. They’re hoping the cash back incentive will attract families with school aged children to boost the county’s demographics and population.

 





More News

News
MetroNews This Morning 3-28-24
Summary of West Virginia news/sports/weather for Thursday, March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024 - 6:25 am
News
PSC approves settlements involving Mon Power, net-metering cases
Rate increase went into effect Tuesday.
March 27, 2024 - 9:42 pm
News
Speakers at Focus Forward symposium discuss AI capabilities in West Virginia
The event was organized by the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
March 27, 2024 - 8:30 pm
News
Justice vetoes vaccination exemption bill, draws praise from healthcare groups
Educational and healthcare organizations banded together to urge a veto.
March 27, 2024 - 6:35 pm