The City of Huntington approved a budget of $500,000 each for federal and state grants during the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the same amount it was allotted last fiscal year but just 2% of the overall budget of $40.3 million.
In a Huntington City Council meeting March 20, Mayor Kim Wolfe adopted the same amount he asked for in his proposed budget for the grants department. However, this does not mean it is in the clear. The budget will not be officially underway until July 1.
For the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the grants department budget was also $1 million and is staying afloat this coming fiscal year even through tough economic times. However, it endured a 68 percent decrease from the 2008-2009 fiscal year budget of $3,108,115.
Brandi Jacobs-Jones, director of administration and finance for the City of Huntington, said the grants department has not received any more cuts this year because the general fund or revenue streams generated by city fees directly affects it.
The Finance Director for the City of Huntington, Deron Runyon, said the amount of grants received each year varies, and the figures depend on the grant sources being available and the amount of applications made each year.
Jacobs-Jones said the grants division is based on several different grants from all departments.
“For example, the Weed and Seed program would come through as a grant that provides programs and services to a number of places,” Jacobs-Jones said.
These would include police overtime, community centers and the Cabell County Prosecutor’s office, among others, Jacobs-Jones said.
Runyon said from its million-dollar budget, the grants department will use its funds for the regional highway safety office, police department grants, homeland security grants, Local Economic Development (LEDA) grants from the state of West Virginia legislature, as well as others.
The grants department has only a single staff member who Runyon said is paid for with federal highway safety funds. The staff member is responsible for serving the western West Virginia region. Most other grants are obtained through staff members from different departments, such as police, fire and development who prepare applications as part of their daily work and receive almost no general funds from the allocated grants budget, Runyon said.
Contributions also go into play in this department of the budget.
A total of $42,000 was from contributions or funds transferred from other entities, according to the adopted budget. An additional $208,400 was for contributions from other funds, such as contributions to communities and authorities.
The grants department budget of $500,000 for federal and $500,000 for state is to be used over a few years, Runyon said, for hiring police officers and purchasing equipment from Federal Stimulus funds.
"The city is the regional recipient and many departments in this region will benefit from these grants."
Grants and Contributions for Huntington City Budget
| | 2008-2009 fiscal year | 2009-2010 fiscal year | 2010-2011 fiscal year | Total Decrease |
| Grants | 3,108,115 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 2,108,115 or 68% |
| Contributions | 1,404,260 | 1,296,232 | 250,400 | 1,045,832 or 80% |
| Totals | 4,512,375 | 2,296,232 | 1,250,400 | 1,045,832 or 46% |
Source: City of Huntington
Decline in Huntington City Budget
| | 2008-2009 fiscal year | 2009-2010 fiscal year | 2010-2011 fiscal year |
| Budget | 41,217,850 | 44,618,876 | 40,289,914 |
Source: City of Huntington
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