We, the undersigned citizens of the city of Parkersburg, West Virginia, do hereby request that legislation be developed and put into force to restrict the number and locations of halfway houses or rehabilitation homes in the city.

While we the signers support criminal rehabilitation, we believe that local councils, authorities and residents should be consulted before charities are permitted to purchase houses anywhere in the city to be used as halfway houses or rehabilitation homes. Parkersburg has 20 percent of all drug recovery facility properties in the state and this is more than our fair share.

We will present this petition to Mayor Tom Joyce of Parkersburg, to House of Delegates John Kelly, Vernon Criss, Roger Conley, Senators Mike Azinger, Donna Boley and Attorney General Patrick Morrissey to encourage these representatives to pass legislation that would require the consent of local councils, authorities and residents before these developments could go forward.