HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Mayor Patrick Farrell unveiled his first proposed city budget since becoming mayor in a Saturday meeting with city council.
The proposed spending plan, which will take effect July 1, cites several priorities that Farrell has previously discussed.
“My vision for our great City is for Huntington to be the vibrant Jewel City, the catalyst for growth and prosperity throughout our region,” Farrell said in his January inaugural address. “I want us to be a safe, healthy, and welcoming community for everyone who calls this place home. To do that, we don’t need to do anything extraordinary. We just need to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
Farrell said he wants to make Huntington safer by “Fully funding police and fire, pushing forward on the Westmoreland Fire Station, preparing for rising jail costs, strengthening legal resources, and launching a Veteran Homelessness Pilot Project.
A second priority is investing in the city’s infrastructure including beginning work on more than $200 million in stormwater and wastewater upgrades.
Thirdly, Farrell said his budget focuses on economic and population growth through the new Innovation District connecting the downtown with Marshall University.
Farrell is also calling on the city have enough cash reserves to cover two months of operating expenses.
Farrell will work with city council on the proposed budget. Council will vote on a plan in the weeks ahead.