Harvannah Attorney General Seeks To Disband WHMC

AG: regional council takes away rights of rural citizens

CLEVEY SPRINGS, HVN--The Western Harvannah Metropolitan Council (WHMC) is unconstitutional, and should be disbanded immediately, Harvannah's Attorney General said Wednesday.

In an affidavit to the state's Superior Court, Attorney General Julia Giorchani (CNS) said the WHMC, a regional governmental body with jurisdiction over Scandinaugh, Herell and Bourneham Counties in the western half of the state, is unconstitutional because it creates legislation that affects not only the urban residents it seeks to represent but also rural residents who live outside the counties' major metropolitan areas.

The WHMC was created last year, as an attempt to coordinate governmental cooperation and to streamline local ordinances and laws for residents of the three counties, which, together, account for just over half of the state's population. The idea behind the WHMC was that, since all the cities on Harvannah's western coast are virtually connected due to urban sprawl and the counties closely linked geographically, economically and culturally, one governing authority would be more productive than each community and county having its own government.

Local officials in Harvannah supported the creation of the WHMC and urban residents widely support its existence. However, even before its inception, rural citizens were opposed. Many living in rural communities and in the countryside feel the WHMC is wrongfully imposing taxes on them for services provided mostly in urban areas. Furthermore, laws passed by the council apply to the entirety of the counties, not just the cities.

Giorchani says she's suing on behalf of the counties' rural residents, who feel their tax dollars are being used only for urban projects and who feel the WHMC is passing laws that should not apply to them.

"The WHMC is imposing a one-size-fits-all method on every citizen in these counties. That's not right," Giorchani said. "What's right for downtown Harlyne is not necessarily right for Raeka or Ebram's Point or rural Herell County. Some laws are appropriate only for urban areas, and should not be applied to rural areas too. This is unconstitutionl. Voters should have local control over local issues."

Giorchani's lawsuit seeks to nullify the WHMC's authority and disband the council.

"The cities and municipalities need to start over from scratch and create a new council that deals only with metropolitan issues," Giorchani said. "We need a governing body that is effective and representative and does not take away the rights of any citizen."

WHMC President Ray Augustino (N-Scandinaugh Co.) declined to comment Wednesday afternoon and directed the media to the council's legal team, which also declined to comment.

Harlyne Mayor Kallain Carney was out of the office Wednesday, but Ashford's Landing Mayor Peter Levenko and Clevey Springs Mayor Todd Kren both agreed changes must be brought to the WHMC and its role.

"I think change is [coming] in the future," Levenko said.

"I don't know if [the WHMC] needs to be disbanded, but it definitely needs to be changed and refined and we need to have an honest conversation between all the cities and municipalities and county governments and try and figure out a governing process that works for the purpose of governance and also works to the voters' benefit," Kren said.

Currently, the WHMC is made up of six members--one from each county, and three at-large positions--and is responsible for things such as imposing taxes, refuse collection, and tourism promotion. Presently, the council is evenly bipartisan, with three members from the CNS and three from the NAT.

Giorchani's lawsuit will be presented before a court in April.