Monday January 23rd 2023
Huntington City Hall
Huntington City Council met for their second January meeting Monday night. Mayor Steve Williams opened the meeting with brief remarks announcing the city’s new Black History banners and thanked the research committee. State Delegate Sean Hornbuckle, Dr. Cicero Fain, Sandra Clement, Sylvia Ridgeway, Council members Duron Jackson and Theresa Johnson and others were recognized by Mayor Williams for their research and collaboration on the city’s new Black History Month banners. A reception will be held Sunday January 29th at the A.D. Lewis Community Center to celebrate the launch of the city’s new Black History Month banners.
Rachel Allinder addressed council with a quarterly update on the Foundry Theater program at the renovated Jean Carlos Stephenson auditorium in City Hall. Ms. Allinder delivered upbeat remarks on the Foundry theater’s progress and announced that new sound and film projection equipment is being installed to facilitate the Appalachian Film Festival, popular films and more touring musical performances at City Hall. She reported talking to Governor Jim Justice today in Charleston about the tourism boost the Foundry Theater project at City Hall would bring to Huntington, and particularly mentioned the work of Huntington’s recent “Citizen of the Arts” Michael Valentine.
The mayor then called a group of Huntington firefighters to the podium to announce that January 2023 is the City’s Firefighters Cancer Awareness Month, Mayor Williams pointed out that firefighters “put our safety before there own” and due to toxic exposure they have a 9% greater chance of developing and dying of cancer than other citizens. “Cancer is the leading cause of line of duty deaths,” the Mayor stated while making the official proclamation and he praised city council and the fire department’s leadership for insuring that each first responder has two separate sets of gear, “so Huntington firefighters don’t have to go directly from from one toxic environment response scene to another,” without changing out of gear exposed to smoke and toxic chemicals.
A number of resolutions then passed council by unanimous vote. An ordinance equalizing allotted sick days for administrative officials to match union employees’ benefits passed unanimously without discussion.
City Attorney Scott Damron spoke in support of changing the language of “a codified ordinance of 2009 to make it more in line with State law language and match state law.” This ordinance change “repeals incorrect language concerning public nuisances” and will help the city address situations like the recent Premier Lounge issue, Damron said. As approved by the council’s Public Safety Committee, the public nuisance ordinance changes passed council with unanimous council support.
Also passing unanimously Monday night was resolution 2023 R-01, which allows Huntington to apply for and receive funding from the Federal Infrastructure and Jobs Act for certain non-state owned bridges. City Public Works director Mark Bates spoke in favor of the resolution which he said would fund improvements for two bridges on Wilson Court, an Enslow Blvd. bridge, and Beechwood, Madison Avenue, Harveytown and Whitaker Blvd. bridges.
City finance official Cory Denison then went to podium to ask for an increase in funding of $732,000 for the new Bob Bailey Senior Wellness Center on 15th Street West in the Central City district. Due to materials and labor costs, no competitive bids came in under the previous projections, so after brief questions by council members Patrick Jones and Bob Bailey the resolution 2023 R-04 passed without dissent.
Item nine on the agenda was also approved, it creates a TIF (tax increment financing) district for the Highlawn neighborhood, the new TIF was approved and now the additional earmarked funds request will be forwarded to the West Virginia Department of Development. Patrick Jones inquired whether the TIF would increase local taxes and city officials assured him that no new taxes would be levied but the Highlawn TIF area (in Mr. Jones’s Council District) would now qualify for a larger share of existing county and state revenues. The Highlawn TIF then passed unanimously.
In the “Good and Welfare” public comment session two citizens from the East End addressed Council. Joe Record thanked the Mayor, police chief and fire chief for recent work in the Guyandotte area, Mr. Record praised police and fire officials for their proper handling of recent emergencies and said he had observed extremely professional responses in Guyandotte fire and police situations.
Ms. Donna Cheatham returned to the public podium to again ask for more enforcement and patrols in her Staunton Road area, repeating her concerns about speeding vehicles and traffic safety along Staunton Road.
Finally, council member Theresa Johnson closed the meeting with remarks praising her Fairfield District community for once again fielding a local basketball team, and her own pleasure at seeing the new team’s fine uniforms and cheerleading outfits.
Council Chair Holly Mounts gavelled the relatively short City Council regular meeting into adjournment at 8:15 pm.