State of the City address RECAP

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams called for a reduction in the general fund budget but said the state of the city is vibrant and fiscally sound in the annual State of the City address Tuesday.

With revenue projected to be over $1 million less than what was originally projected for the current fiscal year, Williams used his address to defend and explain the budget changes. He made it clear that no layoffs would occur, and efficient streamlining in the operations of the city, namely the public works, police and fire departments, would compensate for the budget reduction. Williams said the process would require all departments to work together to ensure quality services for citizens.

“When revenue growth is limited or declining, we are demonstrating that such a partnership assures efficient and effective delivery of services,” Williams said.

Williams said the city is in a state of growth and will continue to pursue development projects that further enhance Huntington as a leading city in the region.

The four major projects being discussed are the Hal Greer Boulevard corridor, the River to Rail area on the west end of Huntington, the industrial area between Marshall University and the Highlawn neighborhood and the creation of high-speed broadband Internet access throughout the city. Williams said the combination of these projects will provide the greatest economic expansion opportunity our city has seen since the 1940s. Commercial, retail and housing developments are planned for each of the different areas.

According to Williams, the redevelopment of the area between Marshall and Highlawn will provide the longest-lasting impact for the city.

“You transform that part of the city, and then Huntington becomes a totally different player in the Ohio River valley,” Williams said.

A surprise development project Williams announced in his address is the redevelopment of Riverfront Park as an area for commerce. Possible construction projects include a state-of-the-art, 260-slip marina, a boardwalk with retail facilities and restaurants and RV riverside camping facilities. The Riverfront Park project is estimated to take six to 10 years to complete.

In his address, Williams said combating drug addiction within Huntington is the single largest issue the city is facing. He said the new approach will be to focus on the addicts not the dealers. He said the city needs a two-pronged approach, continuing the aggressive law enforcement strategy and coupling it with accelerated addiction treatment.

Since January 1, Huntington has had 87 overdoses and 12 deaths due to overdose.

“We had 87 missed opportunities to save a person’s life,” Williams said. “We have 87 families devastated. We have 87 neighborhoods disrupted.”

Though Williams recognizes that he does not have the legal authority to direct the effort, he said the city has a moral and ethical responsibility to come together to fight addiction. Williams said one resource that is being underutilized is the area youth, and he said he would do his best to start there on the journey to decrease addiction in Huntington.

Williams also mentioned the importance of equality and diversity in the Huntington community.

“My vision for our city is that we become a city that embraces our diversity and actively seeks inclusiveness as we learn to stand as one people celebrating our differences,” Williams said.

The mayor cited the recent events in Ferguson and Cleveland to show the importance of open communication between community leaders, city government officials and citizens. He also made it clear that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered citizens will have a voice in the city, without discrimination.

Williams’ address was full of optimistic and forward-looking projects, but he emphasized that these projects would take time and would entail a very complicated process. Though the budget is decreasing, Williams said the city has changed for the better and will continue to grow.