CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Charleston Area Alliance wants the community to be educated about metro government.

"It's time we do something," Alliance President Matt Ballard said Sunday. "It's about changes for and by the people."

To help, the Alliance has created a special task force to begin the formation of a community-wide organization to educate voters on metro government issues.

In 2006, state lawmakers passed a metro government bill, which allows smaller communities to merge to form larger governments. County voters must approve the measure by a 60 percent margin, according to the bill.

Alliance Chairman Jack Rossi and five Alliance members make up the task force. Other members include Mike Basile of Spilman Thomas & Battle; Pat Bond of Mountaineer Capital; Dave Hardy of the Kanawha County Commission; Skip Lineberg of Maple Creative; and James Sturgeon of Pauley, Currey, Sturgeon & Vanderford.

Ballard said Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper asked the Alliance to help with an educational campaign about metro government.

Carper is leading a group, including Ballard and two other Alliance staff members, on a trip to Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 4 and 5 to study the workings of the city's metro government.

During the trip, Ballard hopes to speak with local businesses about the impact of the merger, he said.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Charleston Area Alliance wants the community to be educated about metro government.

"It's time we do something," Alliance President Matt Ballard said Sunday. "It's about changes for and by the people."

To help, the Alliance has created a special task force to begin the formation of a community-wide organization to educate voters on metro government issues.

In 2006, state lawmakers passed a metro government bill, which allows smaller communities to merge to form larger governments. County voters must approve the measure by a 60 percent margin, according to the bill.

Alliance Chairman Jack Rossi and five Alliance members make up the task force. Other members include Mike Basile of Spilman Thomas & Battle; Pat Bond of Mountaineer Capital; Dave Hardy of the Kanawha County Commission; Skip Lineberg of Maple Creative; and James Sturgeon of Pauley, Currey, Sturgeon & Vanderford.

Ballard said Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper asked the Alliance to help with an educational campaign about metro government.

Carper is leading a group, including Ballard and two other Alliance staff members, on a trip to Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 4 and 5 to study the workings of the city's metro government.

During the trip, Ballard hopes to speak with local businesses about the impact of the merger, he said.

The Alliance has advocated for metro government before, including hosting a presentation by Louisville Deputy Mayor Joan Riehm in 2006 and giving financial support to a series of community forums on metro government presented by the South Charleston Area Community Advisory Panel.

Also, the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, the legislative arm of the Alliance, helped push for the passage of the metro government bill in the state Legislature.

For the Alliance, this kind of merger is something quite familiar, Ballard said. The Alliance was formed in 2004 after the melding of the Business and Industrial Development Corp., Charleston Renaissance Corp. and Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Exactly what the task force will do is still up in the air, Ballard said. He expects a Web site, mailing lists and public forums.

"I think there are a tremendous amount of questions that need to be answered," he said. "Like what it [metro government] is, what has it done for other communities and what can it do for us."

To learn more about the task force, call the Alliance at (304) 340-4253 or e-mail i...@charlestonareaalliance.org.

Reach Sarah K. Winn at sarahkw...@wvgazette.com or 348-5156.