For HNN by Art Harvath
“The budget of this city is out of control and thus far there’s no plan even suggested, to deal with it,"-Huntington City Council Chair, Chuck Polan
A special call meeting of City Council following Huntington Mayor David Felinton’s State of the City report Thursday saw several councilmen questioning the administration’s determination concerning the looming budget deficit facing the city.
Felinton left council chambers following his address to council and was represented by Director of Administration and Finance Jack Thornburgh. Thornburgh did not return following council’s executive session. However, Finance Director Bob Wilhelm did return shortly after the council reconvened from executive session and sat in for the mayor.
“I would like to express my concern that neither the mayor nor the administration remained through our meeting,” said councilman Jim Insco. “In times of this when the budget news hits us of this nature it would seem that our administration would step up and lead the cause.”
The budget news Insco is referring to is the $6 million deficit the city is facing over the next two years.
The city must cut $2,146,342 out of the 2001-2002 budget. For next year’s budget $3,732,021 is the predicted deficit, according to the mayor’s budget released Thursday. To bring the deficit down council has set up four different subcommittees consisting of revenue, fire, police and public works. Each subcommittee will meet with department heads and discuss possible cuts to each one’s budget.
Council chairman Chuck Polan noted that a large part of the city’s budget goes to personnel costs. “We can’t hope to solve a $6 million problem without getting into personnel and benefits, and speaking only for myself, I don’t intend to vote to hire anybody to this city in any capacity until we make some progress in getting this budget under control,” said Polan.
“The budget of this city is out of control and thus far there’s no plan even suggested, to deal with it,” added Polan.
The police pension fund is a big part of the deficit problem. Council had proposed preparing an ordinance to get an excess levy put on the May 14th primary election ballot, but councilman Tom McCallister pointed out that legally there wasn’t sufficient time to advertise the bid and announce a special call council meeting to meet the February 18th filing deadline. It could still go on the general election ballot in November.
The police pension actuary report has presented a dilemma for the new administration and council. After the budget was approved, the police pension board had another actuary report done which raised the city’s contribution 254%.
The city hasn’t filed the new report, and so hasn’t received any money from the state. The city can’t have a new actuary report done because state law makes it clear that only the pension board has the authority to make any updates.
The executive session was to discuss a resolution of council authorizing the mayor to extend the contract providing profession legal services in the matter of Jean Dean vs. Triple A Resources. The firm of Campbell, Woods and Bagley had previously represented the city in the Federal lawsuit of R&J Development. This will be a new suit that is attacking the annexation and it has been filed in the circuit court in Cabell County.
D. Everett Fullerton inquired as to the cost to the city of this service and was informed that it was $160 per hour, with a ceiling of $5,000.
City attorney Ted Morgan said that anything above $5,000 would “have to be done by ordinance, and I will be preparing that ordinance.”
The resolution passed unanimously, with councilman Dick Thompson abstaining. In other action council approved the hiring of William Purdue as Safety & Benefits Coordinator for the city’s personnel division. Councilmen Polan and McCallister voted against the hiring.
