IMAGE GALLERY: The State of The City Address

Working together with the aid of multiple grants , such as the Weed and Seed program, has earned the Huntington Police Department  the “2011 U.S. Attorney’s Award for Law Enforcement Agency of the Year.” The Huntington force had an overall city-wide crime reduction of 20%, a 62% reduction in violent crime in the Fairfield neighborhood and a 39% reduction in drug crimes in the Fairfield neighborhood.  Under Police Chief Skip Holbrook’s leadership, the HPD has administered over $2.7 million in federal, state and foundation grants including the final Weed and Seed year of funding,  an LG crime mapping system that enables law enforcement to view areas where crime patterns are developing, and the Forensic Investigation has purchased an automated fingerprint live scan and tracking system. Wolfe emphasized that all of these accomplishment came through grant funding, and , added, that the department has applied to the Commission of the accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies for national accreditation.

“The police department is a model of what can happen when strong leadership, valued employees, and infusion of training, technology and needed equipment  are provided to a department,” Wolfe said. “We have weathered the storm of high crime and distrust of law enforcement , in under six years to become an agency of the year on the path to becoming a prestigiously nationally accredited agency.”

Meanwhile, Wolfe emphasized that “we could not have foreseen the beginning of a worldwide recession that hit shortly after we began this term,” which led to “wiping out construction projects for three years [and B & O revenue therefrom], the “wettest year on record with 62 inches of rain creating flooding, hill slides, and further erosion of our already fragile infrastructure.”

Bottom line: The City counted on the “occupation tax” as one part of a tax reform package that shifted burdens away from business and those on fixed incomes. With the “occupation tax” tied up in litigation, the Mayor with regret, proposed an increase in the city user fee from $3 per week to $5 per week.

“With all of the successes throughout neighborhoods and across every department and division, we are still faced with the challenge of having the financial resources necessary to provide the services that are critical to sustaining or improving the quality of life for residents and businesses. As a municipality we are limited in what is available to generate revenue. At the moment our hands are tied while our tax reform package is awaiting a decision by the [Kanawha] Circuit Court [Editor’s Note: And inevitably the West Virginia Supreme Court].”