HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Cabell County voters have ultimately defeated a five-year school excess levy that included reduced funding to libraries and parks.
The levy failed in Tuesday’s Primary Election with about 64 percent of the vote. There were about 10,388 votes against it and more than 5,800 for it.
Huntington resident Marty Fowler was among the “no” votes. He and many others with the community Facebook group “No Parks, No Libraries, No Levy!” have rallied together to shut down the proposal.
“It’s a lot of disbelief that ‘wow we did it’ and a lot of gratitude from the citizens — a bunch of people who really didn’t know each other — pulled together, united around a common issue and won the day,” Fowler told MetroNews Tuesday night.
The original proposal would’ve removed $2 million dollars in funding for the Cabell County Public Library and the Greater Huntington Park & Recreation District; however, in March, the Cabell County Board of Education reached a compromise and voted to provide libraries and parks with partial funding in the total amount of $1.5 million.
Under the revised levy, the library system would’ve received $1.37 million and $200,000 would’ve gone to parks. Libraries typically receive about $1.5 million while parks receive around $500,000.
Fowler said the school board never listened to the community’s concerns.
“They ignored us, they ridiculed us and belittled us and now they have to fix this self-inflicted wound,” he said.
Cabell County Schools Superintendent Dr. Ryan Saxe previously cited a decline in student enrollment, a lack of additional COVID-19 funds and inflation for the funding cuts. MetroNews reached out to Saxe for comment Tuesday night but did not receive an immediate response.
Fowler said Saxe and other school officials need to get their spending priorities in line.
“The school superintendent Ryan Saxe insisted on a fixed amount of money for the parks and libraries every year and with inflation, that’s not going to be the same amount in five years that it is today,” he said.
The levy has faced a number of court challenges over the last year. In February, the state Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision that would’ve continued funding libraries and parks. In Dec. 2023, a Cabell County Circuit Court judge ruled in favor of libraries and parks after the two parties filed a lawsuit against the school board. The BOE then appealed the lower court’s decision to the Supreme Court.
Saxe previously told MetroNews it was still important to get money to libraries and parks.
“They are the fabric of our communities. That’s why it was important for us to be able to work with them,” Saxe said earlier this month.
In addition to libraries and parks, the school excess levy also would’ve funded school resources officers, school security guards, high school and middle school athletics, playgrounds/outdoor learning spaces, career technical education and workforce development, cyber safety/device security and facility maintenance across the district.
Cabell County Library Executive Director Breana Bowen and Greater Huntington Park & Recreation District Executive Director Kathy McKenna released a joint statement following Tuesday’s vote and pledged their support to working with the Cabell County school board to find a solution.
“It is our opinion that the failure of the levy is directly related to the Cabell County Board of Education’s decision to significantly reduce funding to the CCPL and GHPRD. While the CCBOE is no longer obligated to fund either entity, the failure of the levy speaks volumes regarding the desire of the majority of Cabell County voters,” the statement read in part.
The levy could be up for a vote again in November.
Fowler said the school board needs to step up between now and then to provide more funding before he and others in the community will consider voting “yes.”
“We’re not going to be happy until the parks and the libraries are adequately and permanently funded in a way that you can’t just unilaterally swipe every time you have a budget deficit,” he said.
The levy has provided funding to the library system since 1967 and parks district since 1983.
Also in Huntington, the nominees for mayor were decided Tuesday night.
Huntington business owner and U.S. Air Force veteran Patrick Farrell defeated combat-wounded Vietnam veteran Andy Battista, of Westmoreland, and U.S. Army veteran Richard Luther, of Guyandotte, for the Republican nomination. Farrell received 2,011 votes to Battista’s 795 and Luther’s 282, according to unofficial results.
Former Huntington City Council member Jennifer Wheeler secured the Democratic nomination over U.S. Coast Guard veteran, retired Huntington Police officer and Cabell County Magistrate Judge Dan Ferguson. Wheeler received 2,549 votes to Ferguson’s 1,055 votes.
The City of Wheeling also held a mayoral race which was decided Tuesday night.
Wheeling voters elected Denny Magruder to serve as the next mayor. He faced five other challengers and garnered 2,622 votes.
Wheeling Councilwoman Rosemary Ketchum finished second with 1,643 votes. JT Thomas finished third with 1,337 votes, Chad Thalman fourth with 1,065 votes, with Beth Hinebaugh and Carl Carpenter finishing fifth and sixth, according to unofficial vote totals.
Magruder is the retired longtime executive director of the Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority, which oversees WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theatre.
Magruder begins his term in July and replaces current Mayor Glenn Elliott who ends his second and final term at the end of June. Elliott, a Democrat, takes on Republican Gov. Jim Justice in the race for U.S. Senate this fall.