Providing for the needs of the elected officials in the courthouse and the people in the county is the primary responsibility of the County Commission. This has not been easy due to a very, very tight budget for the past several years. However, many things have been accomplished during my term on the Commission and I would like to share a few of them.

As Chairman of the 911 Advisory Committee, my dream has always been to have a brand new state-of-the-art 911 center for Cabell County. That dream is now becoming a reality. The new 911 center is being built on Norway Avenue on the site of the old Gallaher School Building. The whole building has been designed around the program and will be equipped with the very latest technology in communication systems.

Three new ambulance stations have been built in order to reduce response time. One is at Salt Rock, another was built on Norway Avenue on the old Gallaher School property and the third is almost completed and is located in the West end of Huntington on Washington Avenue. Milton is the next site for a station and land negotiations are in progress. The Barboursville area has the most calls for ambulance service and discussions have begun for a location of a new ambulance station in that community.

Four (4) Deputies have been hired for the Sheriff’s Office and money provided for a
new County Drug Task Force to deal with increased drug activity in the county. Every year the Commission allocates money for new cars, equipment and uniforms for the Sheriff’s Deputies.

Money has been allocated to almost every department in the courthouse for new space saving filing systems. Records are an important part of the courthouse, but there is no room left for more records to be stored. Money was allocated in this year’s budget for
imaging equipment in order to save old documents and eliminate the need for more space.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) has been provided for the new Industrial Park on
Route # 2 which is owned by HADCO. The money will be used for infrastructure.
ALCON will be constructing a new building at this site that will bring in 350 new jobs.
TIF money has also been allocated to the City of Huntington for 400 pieces of property in the downtown area including Pullman Square as well as Kinetic Park.

The Commission has been responsible for bonding to allow new construction at Marshall University, St. Mary’s Hospital and Cabell Huntington Hospital.

Economic Development money is provided to the Tri-State Airport each year to continue to upgrade the service provided to the area.

At this time 96% of the homes in Cabell County have water, but the county is constantly working to provide money to extend lines to those who do not have water. Fire hydrants have also been installed in rural parts of the county. A new 1.9 million dollar project begins in October, 2008 that will provide water to 129 families. This project should be completed in the spring of 2009.

Jail costs have been reduced by $75,000 to $80,000 a month due to: home confinement and the day report center; daily monitoring of jail bills; help and cooperation of Judges and Magistrates; and a $1.00 reduction in the daily rate due to a lawsuit filed by Cabell County on behalf of all counties in the state.

The County Senior Levy and money from the Hotel/Motel Tax has been used to fund many important projects and programs in the County. This money serves our seniors and brings tourism to the County.

A new levy was placed on the ballot and approved by the voters to provide money to County Volunteer Fire Departments, Tri-State Fire Academy, and Huntington Fire Department. That same levy provides money for Economic Development.

In addition to all of the services provided, the County Commission has been able to give pay increases to employees and continues to provide good benefits including excellent health care coverage.