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NEWS
Public hearing proposed for user fee
City Hall
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- The public will have an opportunity to voice its opinion on Mayor Kim Wolfe's proposal to raise the user fee by $1 a week.
Huntington City Council voted Monday to refer the ordinance for the proposed fee hike to its finance committee. Finance Committee Chairman Steve Williams said he hopes to have a public hearing on the issue within the next week.
"I continue to hear from people who say the city isn't transparent enough," Williams said. "Citizens deserve an opportunity to speak on this issue, and council members should give it a more thorough review before we proceed to a vote."
The current $2 weekly fee is charged to anyone who works within the city limits.
Increasing the fee to $3 would generate about $1.65 million. Wolfe gave council members a list of things that the $1 fee increase would cover in next year's budget.
The Police Department would hire seven officers as well as one full-time civilian and one part-time civilian. It also would allow the department to purchase five new cruisers and offset a $286,000 increase in its pension fund next year.
The Street Department would receive $800,000 for paving. The city would hire a street sweeper operator so it can operate two street sweepers simultaneously and purchase a backhoe and two trucks.
The Traffic Engineering Department would receive $47,600 to purchase two trucks and a utility trailer.
Williams said the list is a start, but Wolfe's administration will have to do better than that.
"I want to see how the entire $3 fee would be used, not just the increase," he said after the meeting. "Specifically, how will it be spent within the restrictions of the ordinance?"
At $3 a week, the user fee is projected to generate $4.85 million next year. The ordinance establishing the fee says it is designated for public safety and street and traffic maintenance.
Here's a look at other issues addressed Monday during the meeting:
TRAIL FUNDING: The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing Wolfe to accept $145,600 in Transportation Enhancement Program funds from the West Virginia Department of Transportation for the Harveytown trail project. The project will connect the trail at the western end of Ritter Park to Harveytown Park.
The city will commit $36,400 in Community Development Block Grant funds as a match.
CITYWIDE CLEANUP: Wolfe announced there will be a citywide cleanup between April 25 and May 5. He said more details will be forthcoming.
LIAISON: City Council unanimously approved a budget resolution moving $12,415 into the mayor's line item of the budget. The transaction represents the funding needed to pay a constituent services liaison for the remainder of this fiscal year. Wolfe is expected to name who he has hired for the position on Wednesday.
ORCHESTRA GRANT: The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing Wolfe to apply for a Local Economic Development Assistance Grant on behalf of the Huntington Symphony Orchestra. The grant will allow the organization to erect billboards in the city to promote itself.
