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City will use surplus to 'play catch-up' on deferred expenses

The city's expenses continue to run well below its income, providing what Huntington Mayor Brooks Fetters sees as an opportunity to get caught up on projects deferred during leaner economic times.

"There were about five years when nothing was able to happen," Fetters said.

His plan to spend $921,000 of the city's surplus funds in a variety of areas ranging from purchasing police radios to awarding cash bonuses to city employees won approval from the Huntington Common Council on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Not all of the six council members present at the meeting, however, thought it was a good idea.

"I would like to see the taxpayers get a break," said Councilman Greg Davis, who cast the lone vote in opposition to the plan.

Noting that city residents recently absorbed a 38 percent water rate increase, Davis argued for leaving the $921,000 in the city's general fund to be used for day-to-day expenses with the possibility of eventually being able to decrease the city's property tax rate.

Davis even offered to help fund one of Fetters' proposed expenditures - buying new chairs for the meeting room on the third floor of the City Building.

"I would donate the raise for new chairs here," Davis said, referring to the pay raise previously approved for city council members.

Davis' arguments fell on deaf ears, with the spending ordinance passing on a 5-1 vote on first reading. Councilman Jim Long was absent.

"It should be recognized that the general fund balance is healthy," Councilman Charles Chapman said. "We're playing catch-up here."

Fetters said the city's expenses run about $400,000 a month and that he anticipates that the city will accumulate a surplus of $1.14 million for the first six months of 2014. That is over and above the $1.3 million being held in reserve for unanticipated expenses, he says.

"These are dollars that need to be used to make quality of life improvements for those who call Huntington home," Fetters said in a letter presented to council members explaining his proposed expenditures.

Fetters' plans for spending the $921,000 include:

• An extra $100,000 to remove unsafe buildings throughout the city.

• $50,000 to refurbish the fighter jet displayed at Huntington Municipal Airport and replace the Korean War-era jet displayed at Memorial Park. Both planes are on loan from the United States Air Force, he said, and the upgrades will be done in conjunction with the Air Force.

"We are not honoring anybody by having those planes look the way they do," Fetters said.

• $5,000 for replacing chairs used by board members in the council chambers. The chairs are more than 30 years old, Fetters noted, and are used by many boards that meet in that room.

• $65,000 to purchase 20 upgraded radios for city police vehicles, allowing officers to communicate easily with other agencies.

• An additional $100,000 for sidewalk repairs, including both sharing costs with property owners for sidewalk replacements and installing ADA compliant curb ramps in areas with high pedestrian traffic.

• $101,000 to give each city employee a $1,000 bonus for their willingness to institute cost-cutting measures.

"We continue to do more with less," Fetters said. "There have been reductions in all sorts of places."

• An additional $300,000 for repair of streets and alleys.

• $200,000 to purchase street maintenance equipment, including a mower and a bucket truck.

In other business:

• Council designated all areas in the city that are zoned industrial park, business park, light industry and general industry as economic revitalization areas. The designation, approved every two years, allows businesses inside those areas to apply for tax abatements.

• Anthony Goodnight, the city's director of public works and engineering services, was reappointed to the Huntington Plan Commission.

• An ordinance amending the 2014 salary ordinance to reflect current salaries was approved on first and second readings.

• Fetters informed council that he received a letter from Huntington Township Trustee Tim Guy canceling the township's fire protection contract with the city as of April 15.