Mayor outlines winter response, shelter capacity and budget timeline; council thanks public works

Mayor Patrick Farrell told the Huntington City Council on Jan. 13 that the new administration will prioritize public safety, infrastructure and local economic growth and detailed the city's response to a recent winter storm and a vacant-building fire.

Farrell said the city worked with local shelter partners before the storm to avoid deaths from exposure, and that both the City Mission and Harmony House had agreed to take in people and expand hours as needed. He also said the city is preparing a budget due to council in February and that he is serving as acting city manager while the administration completes a transition in personnel.

The meeting opened with ceremonial remarks and a roll call before Farrell spoke about the past two weeks of transition. He said the former city attorney retired and that "Scott Damron is now here as our city attorney in a private capacity," and added that the city manager position is vacant and he is acting as city manager until a replacement is found. Farrell summarized his administration's priorities as public safety, infrastructure maintenance and economic growth and said those priorities will guide the forthcoming budget.

Farrell described emergency operations during a recent storm and thanked public works, sanitation crews, firefighters and police for storm and emergency response. He said the city had coordinated with the City Mission and Harmony House "to make sure that they wouldn't turn anybody away" during the storm and that Harmony House had extended hours to provide warming services on weekends.

The mayor also reported an earlier fire at a vacant building on Fifth Avenue, saying investigators had determined that at least seven people who were living inside the vacant structure were present during the fire and that the matter remained under investigation by the fire marshal. He said vacant and unsafe buildings are often used as makeshift warming shelters, creating safety hazards for both occupants and nearby neighborhoods, and referenced a past instance when the body declared a property a public nuisance.

Council members used the meeting to thank public works and sanitation crews for snow and ice work. Councilmember Sarah Walling noted that Harmony House was keeping extended hours and that the Cabell County Public Library would open at 8 a.m. as a warming option (library staff would not offer full library services during the early opening). Several councilmembers asked residents to support small businesses once weather conditions allow.

In public comment, Campbell County Assessor Irv Johnson congratulated the newly seated council and offered the assessor's office's data and support to city staff on shared projects.

Procedural actions taken during the meeting were limited and largely routine: the council approved the synopsis of the previous meeting (motion by Miss Mount; second by Mr. Sweeney) and later adjourned. No ordinances, resolutions, contracts or budget votes were taken at this meeting; the mayor said the proposed budget will be delivered to council in February for future consideration.

The meeting closed after brief additional thanks to public works. Councilmembers emphasized safety, neighborhood impacts of vacant properties, and continued coordination with shelter partners as the city prepares policy and budget work for the coming weeks.