Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper says it's not worth it to join a potential lawsuit against West Virginia University over its decision to move the WVU Institute of Technology from Montgomery to Beckley.
"Resistance is futile," Carper said Friday. "You could stop it or delay it. But even if you stopped it, the result would be pretty much the same."
Carper intends to vote not to file suit against WVU at the county commission meeting next week.
"The WVU Board of Governors has made it clear that they're not going to change their minds," said Carper, who met with WVU President Gordon Gee this week.
Some Montgomery residents have warned the decision to move the 120-year-old university will devastate the local economy.
WVU Tech is on the border of Kanawha and Fayette counties, although neither county earns any money in tax revenue from the school itself because it is off the books.
However, when the campus moves, both counties will lose money from professors, students and employees who make the move with the university.
"When you look at property values that we base our budgets on, it would be substantial," said Fayette County Attorney Larry Roberts about the loss of tax revenue when the university leaves.
Instead of trying to prevent the Legislature from changing a law that says WVU Tech has to stay in Montgomery, Carper plans to focus on maintaining the existing infrastructure and trying to recruit businesses to occupy the existing property.
But filling those buildings will be a challenge.
"For the same reasons WVU Tech is leaving, it's difficult to get people to move in," Carper said.
In a meeting between Gee and political leaders in the Upper Kanawha Valley, WVU agreed to strategize about what can be done to make sure that Montgomery and the surrounding community stays afloat.
"While we think that the decision is vital, it doesn't mean that we don't want to help Montgomery and the Upper Kanawha Valley," said Rob Alsop, vice president for legal and governmental affairs at WVU, about the decision to move the university.
Carper said it's his personal mission to help the community and protect the infrastructure.
"We're going to participate fully to try and come up with a solution for the best possible, highest use of the property," Carper said.
One group that has expressed interest in the buildings is the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.
Both the Kanawha County Commission and Fayette County Commission will vote on whether or not to pursue a lawsuit at meetings next week.
Reach Daniel Desrochers at dan.desrochers@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4886 or follow @drdesrochers on Twitter.