HUNTINGTON, W.Va. –The City of Huntington has passed its budget for fiscal year 2026.
When presenting the $78 million budget for fiscal year 2026 budget Monday night, Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell said the budget addresses the most important needs.
“This budget is financially responsible. It’s prudent. It avoids controversial spending and instead focuses on the things that people want the most — less drugs, help for the homeless, fixing the roads and flooding, and growing jobs,” Farrell said.
During his presentation, Farrell asked city council members one question before the budget was voted on — “what changed?”
This question was in reference to the proposal within the budget to cut funding for the Huntington Cabell-Wayne Animal Shelter from $400,000 to $200,000. It also showed the elimination of funding for the Huntington City Mission’s emergency overnight low-barrier shelter, which serves the homeless community.
Farrell said that former Mayor Steve Williams made the same proposal regarding the shelter in 2024. He asked what had changed in the council’s attitude towards the proposal.
“What I’m proposing to you is the exact same thing that former Mayor Steve Williams proposed to you for the 2024 budget, and you all approved it. If you don’t support it today, that same $200,000, I would ask the question, ‘what changed from 2024 to today?” Farrell said.
Council member Sarah Walling followed up by asking Farrell how much the city spent on the latest flooding event in Enslow Park, to which Farrell said he did not know and could not provide an estimate. Walling then asked Farrell to expand on his Veteran Homeless Pilot Project that was mentioned. Farrell responded by saying he would put a presentation together when it was ready.
“What has changed is that we did not have to worry whether or not Steve (Williams) was going to cut checks that got approved,” Walling said. “When he said, ‘we’re going to spend money on this, we’re going to spend money on that,’ or ‘this costs this,’ and we asked him questions, he could answer them. What you’re asking us to do is to approve a budget because of all of the things you have just said, but you can’t tell us what they are or how much they cost.”
Monday’s meeting saw a chamber full of residents who stayed for over four hours of discussion regarding the budget, much of that time going towards the animal shelter.
After hours of discussion, council members voted on an amendment to give an additional $50,000 to the animal shelter, moving it up to a total of $250,000 for the upcoming fiscal year. The additional funds come from reducing the city’s jail bill from $550,000 to $500,000.
The budget was passed as amended. It will go into effect on July 1.
