Tuesday, May 3, 2011

043011-ARS-Assignment 10

043011-ARS-Assignment 10
By: Alyssa Salyers
I compared the online minutes for the Cabell County Board of Education meeting on March 15 to an article about the meeting, published in The Herald-Dispatch on March 16. I found the reporter focused on the two naming requests tabled during the meeting.
Although the naming requests were a major part of the meeting, the meeting minutes showed another item on the agenda that was just as highly discussed. Board members conversed about the new turf playground being placed in local area schools. According to the minutes, the board approved the motion to supply Huntington Middle and Southside Elementary with a new turf playground despite a challenge to the motion by a single board member. The article touched upon this fact, but did not go into detail as to why board member Parsons challenged the motion.
The first naming request written about in the article was to name the Barboursville Middle School football stadium. The other, to name the executive board room of the Cabell County Board of Education for the late Ted T. Barr. Both requests were listed in the meeting minutes. The article contained details of the board discussion of significant contributions made by former members. However, the meeting minutes did not contain a record of this discussion.
I would like to ask the board the following questions. I believe it would make an interesting story.
- How does the board recognize past members who have made outstanding contributions?
- Why should the board choose to name the board room after Barr?
- How were former board presidents honored?
- Should former board president be honored? Why or Why Not?

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Budget Story

03-30-11-ARS-Budget

By: Alyssa Salyers

After combing the budget to find money for paving city streets, Huntington Mayor Kim Wolfe hit a few financial potholes of his own. He soon came to the conclusion that filling potholes will require sacrifice and that job vacancies in the fire department will remain unfilled.

Police Chief Skip Holbrook and Fire Chief Creig Moore have been asked to shave thousands of dollars from their budgets in order to help fund the city’s paving project.

Moore identified $90,000 that could be cut from the fire department budget without adversely affecting services.

After a line-by-line review, $100,000 was cut from the police department budget.

The mayor’s proposed budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year is flat. The proposal shows minimal revenue growth and limits new expenditures to the purchase of computer software and street paving.

The $39.3 million 2010-2011 budget actually called for a 10% pay decrease. Many city offices were closed one day per week and workers worked fewer hours and collected smaller paychecks.

Mark Bates, council chairman said there were layoffs in the 2010-2011 budget that were later restored.

Wolfe’s $39.2 million budget proposal for the current fiscal year restores the five day work week for employees whose pay and hours were reduced by 10% last year, but suggests laying off six workers and leaving other job vacancies unfilled.

The proposed 2011-2012 budget includes pay raises for the city clerk and finance director.

With Huntington’s tax reform package now approved by the West Virginia Home Rule Board, Huntington’s budget will likely change to reflect the increased revenue from the 1% occupation tax and 1% sales tax. The sales tax goes into effect on Jan 1, while the occupation tax is set to begin on July 1. The B & O tax reduction included in the measure goes into effect on Jan. 1 as well.

Wolfe is proposing $440,000 into the city’s contingency fund next fiscal year in order to bring the fund to the $1 million level necessary to keep the city’s BBB+ bond rating.

Fire and Police Department Sidebar

Mayor Kim Wolfe’s 2011-2012 budget proposal is flat, but much like the streets of Huntington, full of potholes.

Paving is a priority this fiscal year. The importance of fixing the city’s streets looms so large that both the police and fire departments have been asked to trim their budgets in an attempt to allocate several hundred thousand dollars more to the paving project.

Police Chief Skip Holbrook was asked to trim $200,000 a year, but said that cutting more than $134,000 would adversely affect the services his department provides.

In a line-by-line review Holbrook identified a $10,000 savings in fuel costs, and cut the furniture budget to zero.

In the end, $100,000 was cut from the police department budget.

Fire Chief Creig Moore said budget cuts were not possible in the fire department.

A line-by-line review of the the budget for the fire department is currently being conducted.

Wolfe’s budget called for leaving vacancies in the fire department unfilled.

Proposed

Departments	Fiscal Year 2009-2010	Fiscal Year 2010-2011	Fiscal Year 2011-2012 EST THUR 6/30/11
Police Department	11,004,524	10,977,181	10,904,958
Fire Department	10,252,681	10,362,836	10,272,836

Expenses

Departments	Fiscal Year 2009-2010	Fiscal Year 2010-2011	Fiscal Year 2011-2012
Police Department	10,839,725	11,070,353	10,977,181
Fire Department	10,396	10,373,117	10,362,836

-30-

After Huntington City Council

By: Alyssa Salyers

At tonight’s Huntington City Council meeting several citizens stood up and spoke their opinions.

Council members voted unanimously to approve an ordinance to purchase new high-definition surveillance cameras. After the vote an audience member by the name of Piles said in his opinion these cameras were not a good improvement for our city. He said the cameras would “spy” on the citizens of Huntington. Pile’s said he thought the real issue was the Huntington Police Department just simply were not doing a good enough job at patrolling the city. However the cameras are going to be placed soon in the Fairfield West area, to help lower crime in the area.

Members of the council also approved an ordinance to raise the fee for the certificate of use of occupancy from the now $15 to $75. Before this approval an audience member, McCallister, said he was outraged by this ordinance. He said he didn’t understand why council who voted to raise this fee $60. McCallister also commented on Mayor Wolfe’s absence from the meeting. He said this was in fact Wolfe’s fourth absence this year.

Also the proposed contract with Big Run Landfill was sent back to the finance committee.

Council also discussed Gino’s Pizza anniversary celebrations and Kenney Grant, restaurant owner.