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Ahhhh, Another Huntington City Council Meeting, Another
Verse of Kumbiya
The City Council met Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in a special call meeting to discuss the continuing deficit facing the city for the 2001-2002 and 2002 and 2003 budget.
Normally, I would report on each item on the agenda, and what action was taken on each item. But this meeting left me more confused about the budget reduction plan than I ever was. A lot of talk, and a lot of numbers, but nothing agreed or voted upon. So I’ll start with the first of three items listed for discussion or action.
The first item for discussion was the 2001-2002 deficit reduction plan. Mayor David Felinton proposed a $30 increase in the refuse collection fee. However, councilman Tom McCallister pointed out that the fee was illegal in that a fee can’t exceed the estimated cost of the service it is collected for. City Attorney Ted Morgan concurred. Jim Insco proposed a $5 a month increase in the service to bring it more in line with what the service actually costs the city. No other real plan was proposed.
The second item was the 2002-2003 budget reduction plan. It seemed that every time this was mentioned, a councilman would point out that the first item on the agenda was still under discussion. And so back and forth the discussion went from this year to next year’s budget back to this years budget.
The third item was a resolution for the revision of the fiscal year 2001-2002 general fund budget. No plan was offered and no vote was taken.
Council chairman Chuck Polan did say that a vote would be taken during Monday night’s regular council session. What plan they would vote on, they didn’t know, but a plan will be voted up or down Monday night. The council meets Monday at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.
The City Council met Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in a special call meeting to discuss the continuing deficit facing the city for the 2001-2002 and 2002 and 2003 budget.
Normally, I would report on each item on the agenda, and what action was taken on each item. But this meeting left me more confused about the budget reduction plan than I ever was. A lot of talk, and a lot of numbers, but nothing agreed or voted upon. So I’ll start with the first of three items listed for discussion or action.
The first item for discussion was the 2001-2002 deficit reduction plan. Mayor David Felinton proposed a $30 increase in the refuse collection fee. However, councilman Tom McCallister pointed out that the fee was illegal in that a fee can’t exceed the estimated cost of the service it is collected for. City Attorney Ted Morgan concurred. Jim Insco proposed a $5 a month increase in the service to bring it more in line with what the service actually costs the city. No other real plan was proposed.
The second item was the 2002-2003 budget reduction plan. It seemed that every time this was mentioned, a councilman would point out that the first item on the agenda was still under discussion. And so back and forth the discussion went from this year to next year’s budget back to this years budget.
The third item was a resolution for the revision of the fiscal year 2001-2002 general fund budget. No plan was offered and no vote was taken.
Council chairman Chuck Polan did say that a vote would be taken during Monday night’s regular council session. What plan they would vote on, they didn’t know, but a plan will be voted up or down Monday night. The council meets Monday at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.
