The Necessary, the Nice and the Nostalgic

I walked into the Brooke County Commission meeting with little idea of what to expect, primarily because Brooke County did not have any online offerings of its' agenda.  I did let the commissioner know I would be there, and that helped.

I was right in my suspicions when it came to the atmosphere.  When I got there, despite the fact that it was the time to start, the Commissioner, Bernie Kazienko, asked me to stand up and introduce myself and then had everyone else stand up and introduce themselves to me.  A local journalist then handed me one of the few agendas available and then the meeting got underway.

The Commission is in the process of funding and building a pipeline t go between three communities, Wellsburg, Beech Bottom and Hamlin.  This would provide a shared water source for situations in which any one of the communities did not have suitable drinking water.  This is fairly common in the area because of flooding of the Ohio River and creeks, as well as mountain runoff flooding.  Now, there is a good chance this will become even more common because of new natural gas wells being built in the area.  Wellsburg drinks water treated from the river, but Beech Bottom and Hamlin drink well water.  If the water in Beech Bottom were to be contaminated because of a frackwater or natural gas leak, the small town could simply divert some of Wellsburg's supply.

Another item drawing much disagreement was funding for Brooke Hills Park.  The Commission used to fund the park by $30,000 dollars per year, but it had been removed the previous year as a line-item.  This argument will continue in further discussion next meeting, after other more vital services are secured, Kazienko said.

Other issues included tire collection and garbage being amassed outside homes near Cross Creek--and questions over whether there was a way to help those who are not fortunate enough to be able to afford to get rid of it themselves.

Few issues were truly resolved in the meeting, but when the county has little money with which to resolve them, there is little that can put to rest instead of being put aside until funds present themselves.

One allotment that was able to be made was a gift to the Wellsburg City Museum--a glass case in which to display a flag Civil War to celebrate its' anniversary.  Secretary for the Board, Ruby Greathouse said she wants it to be displayed properly rather than tucked away in an old sack.

"I wanted that thing so bad I was going to go out and get it with my pension," Greathouse said.

The meeting concluded on somewhat uncertain terms, quickly to be dispelled by talk of the upcoming West Liberty Hilltoppers basketball game.

Brooke County Commission Meeting (Wellsburg, W.Va.)

I plan to go to the Brooke County Commission meeting while at home for spring break.  I will be there for three days, so it will be the perfect opportunity to get some work done and learn a little about the government where I am from.  I have always heard and suspected that it is a bit of a good ol' boys network, but we will see.

Liaisons, Animals and Trust Issues: Huntington Budget Session 3

To make the budget work, Mayor Wolfe asked department heads to find a way to cut $30,000.  He said the only way he could think to make that work in his office would to be to eliminate a relatively new position, created at the beginning of the 2010-2011 fiscal year. It is titled the constituent Liaison.

City council members were not happy with this proposal.

This person acts as the link between the council and the public to make communication and reaction more expedient.  The mayor said it was nothing personal, there was just nothing else that he could cut.  Council member Insco said since the position was created both the council and the people get answers faster than ever before.  He asked Wolfe to come up with some idea so as not to get rid of the title.  This was both moved and seconded.  The council was so willing to reinstate to position that many, prompted by Council member Williams agreed to meet at a later time to find a way to generate the revenue to allocate to it.  Several members such as council members Ritter and Jackson said they were skeptical of the position at first--because he happened to be a friend of the mayor's--however they quickly changed their minds once it became effective.  

The second matter of contention was funding for the Cabell-Wayne Animal Shelter.  Insco proposed that the city of Huntington should remove $100,000 of its from the shelter and move $500 into contingency.  Both Cabell and Wayne Counties fund the shelter, but Huntington is the only municipality that actually supports it.  This did not sit well with most of council.  Insco said he simply wants to prove a point, but Wolfe--a former humane officer--said the way to do so is probably not to devastate the budget.  Council member James Ritter said the city is not in much of a position to complain about funding.  Wayne county deals mostly with big animals such as horses, but it still pay for cat and dog fees, Ritter, nearly in tears, explained.

Insco said he did not plan to let the point extend its purpose.  He said he hopes the other municipalities will contribute and resolve the problem, and that he would not pursue this if he did not think it would come together by July first.  He said if other municipalities do not consider it to be of importance a jolt might make them think differently. For now, Huntington will no longer fund the shelter, except through Cabell county funds.  

Police funding was on the agenda, though most of that part of the meeting focused on a single, long-time member of the department--a maintenance worker named Roger.  Some city council members as well as city workers were concerned about the security of documents and information in the building, but Police Chief Skip Holbrook said this had never been a concern and was not one at the time.  the city wanted to use a part-time cleaning service the city has been using, but Holbrook pointed out the switch would be both necessary and detrimental because he would not trust the new people and because Roger is both reliable and a jack of all trades.  They say he is capable of fixing things around the department and is always willing to come in.  He said he estimates Roger saves the department a good amount of money in extra fees and services.  Brandi Jacobs-Jones said a cost-benefit analysis begged to differ.  

A controversial item included new business and occupation compliance and supervision software that would go with the renovation of a room meant for the same purpose.  This would eliminate eight positions--though there was argument over whether to eliminate those eight and create one supervisory role.

To conclude this post, one of the most ear-catching parts of the session--when asked what was new in legal, the answer was this: Nothin.'

Huntington Budget Session

I plan to go to a Huntington City Council budget session Saturday morning.  Items on the agenda include human resources, planning and development, finance, legal, mayor, police and the trash enterprise fund.

It could be telling to see whether more or fewer people show up to this 9 a.m. meeting as opposed to the one after the State of the City Address.  There were quite a few people willing to speak their minds at that one.

Covering Nonprofits: The Salvation Army

For my class nonprofit project I chose to cover the Salvation Army of Huntington West Virginia.  At this time the tax return for this organization does not appear to be available on the internet, and I am unsure of whether the Huntington chapter files an individual 990 form.  In the meantime I've done the research on the Salvation Army World Service Office in Alexandria, Va.

In the Salvation Army's 2009 tax return form I found the following:

• In 2009 the Salvation Army had a total revenue of $21,612,301
• Expenses totaled $24,309,300
• Total assets were $25,426,791
• The company's CEO is Daniel Starrett
• In 2009 Starrett made $57,403

The company is located in the following location:
615 Slaters Lane
Alexandria, Va.
22314

I plan to find whether the officers of Huntington's branch filed an individual tax return.  If so I plan to disclose that information later on this blog.

Budget, Budget, Budget

Huntington's city council meeting last night was all about budgeting, which would appear to be fitting after the State of the City Address and unveiling of the coming fiscal year's budget.

This was the first city council meeting I'd been to, and I was absolutely not expecting it to last nearly three hours, but the items on the agenda were constantly interjected with both comments from the council members and from concerned citizens.  These citizens certainly seemed interested in having their voices heard by everyone.

One of the biggest budget issues that kept popping up over the night was a hiring freeze within the Huntington Fire Department.  The city has a hiring freeze that will not allow the fire department to hire additional staff, which they believe they need.  They thought they had a solution in the form of a grant that would allow them to pay for up to 10 positions for two years, but to be eligible the department needs to be at full staff -- meaning they would need to hire before the grant was any sort of guarantee.

Council member Steve Williams asked a question that seemed to have been either overlooked or ignored: what happens when the two years are up?  Full staff for the fire department is 106 firefighters, six of which are currently unfilled because of budget concerns.  If six are hired so that 10 more may be paid for (putting staffing over at 116), those positions may have to be cut in two years if no additional grants or other funding opportunities present.  The time it takes to train this staff would be unhelpful in the process -- it takes three months to train a firefighter and one month to officially hire one.   Additionally, several current firefighters have expressed plans to retire within the next year.

The motion failed.

Other concerns included sanitary board issues, street salt, new crime-tracking technology, officer efficiency and safety, zoning and economic development.  When it came down to it though, nearly everything came back to jobs.

Finally, I had my first in-person look at Tom McCallister in action.  I'd seen him before through editing VOSOTs at work, but I'd never actually seen him at work.  He interjected faithfully, with plenty to say about jobs, finance issues, and he was happy to take up any cause another concerned citizen wanted to raise.  It made the meeting longer and it was disruptive, but I have to admire the man's persistence when it comes to his opinions and convictions.

Huntington City Council Meeting

I plan to attend the Huntington City Council Meeting slated to take place after Huntington Mayor Kim Wolfe unveils his proposed budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.  

This meeting will be the first city council meeting I've covered in person (I've written about several from afar from video footage at work), and I'm interested in seeing what some of Wolfe's constituents might say in regards to the budget.  In fact, I'm interested to see what the members of the council will say.  

Council members and residents alike will probably scrutinize any decision that has to do with jobs, roads, or the police force.  I'm wondering if city council will agree or disagree with Wolfe's proposals -- and how outwardly they might show with which side they most identify.

Certainly there will be much to discuss, and though the agenda is set, much of the discussion will likely stem from the biggest mayoral announcement of the year.