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Mayor Farrell presents flat $78 million general‑fund budget, urges transparency and fiscal resiliency
Summary
Mayor Farrell on Saturday laid out a proposed FY2026 general‑fund budget of $78,000,000, describing it as "flat" with the prior year and emphasizing transparency, conservative forecasting and a goal to build unassigned reserves and two months operating cash.
Mayor Farrell on Saturday presented his proposed FY2026 general‑fund budget for the city of Huntington, saying the proposal is a $78,000,000 plan that is "flat" with the prior year and is now in the hands of the city council for review, public inspection and eventual adoption.
The mayor said the city charter requires the mayor to submit a budget message before February 15 and noted the procedural next steps: publish the budget and summary, allow a two‑week public inspection period, hold a public hearing, conduct budget work sessions and then send the budget to council for consideration.
Why it matters: Farrell framed the budget around six guiding principles — transparency, accuracy, flexibility, focus on priorities (public safety, infrastructure and economic growth), understandability for the public, and a forward‑looking approach to build financial resiliency. He said the administration wants two months of operating cash available and a longer‑term unassigned fund balance target.
The mayor repeatedly described the proposal as conservative and as a plan, not a final spending outcome. He told council members that the administration will submit a revised budget after the fiscal‑year close (the July 31 revision required within 60 days of the start of the fiscal year) to update ending fund balances and reflect actuals.
On reserves and cash: Farrell said the budget shows an estimated unassigned fund balance of $9,000,000 at June 30 under the FY2026 proposal and stated an administration target for two months of operating cash of about $11,000,000 to improve resiliency. Council member Tia Rumbaugh asked for the two‑month figure; the mayor pointed to a chart in the presentation and said the $11,000,000 is an estimate and will vary with actual receipts and spending.
Revenue and forecasting: Farrell told council the $78,000,000 is a revenue‑balanced budget and reviewed several revenue line items the administration expects to vary by assumptions (property taxes, sales and B&O, user fees and interest income). He described the revenue forecasts as conservative, based on historic trends and current economic expectations, and reminded the council that some revenues are influenced by county or state actions. On interest income he said recent years produced higher receipts and the administration budgeted $200,000 for FY2026 because it expects interest rates to decline from the recent higher levels.
Next steps and transparency: The mayor said he wants to make contribution and grant spending more transparent and to publish clearer documentation of how discretionary contributions will be evaluated. He asked council to use the public comment periods and upcoming work sessions to ask specific questions about departmental lines.
Ending: Farrell closed the session by reiterating that the budget is his plan for the general fund and that the council will now exercise its charter duty to review, hold a public hearing and consider the budget for adoption.
