Huntington City Council adopts several ordinances

BY KATIE QUINONEZ

The Huntington City Council adopted several ordinances Monday evening during a city council meeting.

The council adopted an ordinance to amend the current zoning ordinance of the city, 1998 and the zone map. Administration and Finance Director Brandi Jacobs Jones said the ordinance received unanimous favorable recommendation from the Planning Commission.

The council also adopted an ordinance recommending the mayor to enter into a contract to provide the Huntington Police Department with a video surveillance network. The network will consist of four additional cameras, which will bring the total of surveillance cameras in use to 21, said Police Chief Skip Holbrook.

Jones said the successful bidder to furnish the cameras is McDaniel Electric of Huntington. The total cost will be $52,000. Homeland Security grant monies will be used to cover over $51,000 of the costs.

A Huntington citizen who attended the meeting became outraged at the council for adopting the ordinance, at which point he became belligerent and refused to let the meeting continue. He said an alternative to a video surveillance network would be to have local church pastors go with police officers to houses and check in on citizens.

The council also referred an ordinance for the mayor to enter into a contract to furnish the Huntington Fire Department with one new 2011 Ford Expedition to the Committee on Finance. Jones said the successful bidder was Stephens Auto of Danville, W.Va. The total cost is $27,196.

The council appointed James Hensley to his first term on the Huntington Municipal Development Authority and James F. Duke, Jr. to his first term on the Urban Forestry Committee.