New Huntington Mayor, Steve Williams, presented the annual State of the City address Friday afternoon to Huntington residents and city council members.
Williams used The State of the City address as a way to establish his plans to make the city of Huntington better and to no longer be the “butt of the joke.”
Williams addressed several subjects during his 45 minute speech, including the city budget, beautification, increasing the arts in the city by creating a council for the arts and bringing more business to the area.
Williams strayed from his prepared speech due to nerves, but managed to speak more openly about the subjects he finds important to make the city a better place for all those who live in and visit it.
The mayor said Huntington’s government is the most efficient in this part of the country, saying the residents of Huntington “get more with less.”
He made no hesitation to thank the city employees for the work they do and the long hours they put in, and said they deserve a pay raise, which has not been seen since 2007.
He also mentioned beautification of the city and will begin to crack down on residents who leave "junk" on their property visible to other residents. Williams said property owners must take responsibility for the area they own, and that means keep it looking nice and not like a junk yard.
Williams continued to say he plans to meet with area landlords because everyone in Huntington deserves a safe place to live. He said nearly half of Huntington residents are renters.
The mayor also discussed increasing the arts in the city by creating a council for the arts, which Williams said is "long overdue." He said he has a goal of bringing more film business to the area, because there have been filmmakers coming to the area to produce projects. He said hopefully one day producers and actors will come to "Hollerwood" instead of "Hollywood."
Williams will be creating the mayor's office of film, theater and broadcasting with the goal of anyone coming into the office knowing every step that has to be done in order to conduct business in Huntington.
He also wants to create an office for physical fitness, due to Huntington being one of the unhealthiest communities in the United States. He is going to have "mayor's walks," inviting members of neighborhoods to walk and talk about the community, encouraging refreshing exercise to make Huntington a healthier place.
The $43 million budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year is $1 million more than the 2012-2013 fiscal year budget, with no tax or fee increases for Huntington residents.
***This will be run as a brief in the 2/18 version of The Parthenon.
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