Topic: Lest we forget...

[HerdNBluefield79]

Some detail - so may not be for the faint of heart....but, this is an article that tells me why people in Huntington (and Sons of Marshall) should be pi$$ed at the possibility of council members talking about further cuts in the police force...


Detroit Free Press Article:
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/huntington8e_20050608.htm

[W0lfman]

Pretty graphic article.  I posted a link to that a few days ago.

http://theherdsportspage.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2297

[biggreenthunder]

The once-vibrant coal mining town nestled along the Ohio River ...

I don't ever remember Huntington as a "coal mining town."  Manufacturing, yes.  But I haven't seen any abandoned mines in the Huntington area.

[HerdNBluefield79]

My bad, I don't like to duplicate... but it's an important read for all of us.

[RCliff]

Some detail - so may not be for the faint of heart....but, this is an article that tells me why people in Huntington (and Sons of Marshall) should be pi$$ed at the possibility of council members talking about further cuts in the police force...

So which taxes are you suggesting need to be increased??? The $2.00 per week fee that all workers in Huntington have to pay,or  the Municipal service fee, or  B%O taxes, or property taxes, which is it??????????????

It is easy for people who don't live in the city to slam this city, but the fact is there are no more revenue streams.........

I own a small apt building in Huntington......3 units, and pay 1800 a year in property taxes, B % O, municipal service fees, and refuse removal fees.

Non property owning residents who do not work in the city pay NO taxes. All taxes are paid by property owners, businesses, and those who work in the city with the 2 per week fee.

Come on guys, I would like to see a larger police force, but simply slamming the city for trying to operate on a balanced budget, is just wrong.

[herdfannindy]

Some detail - so may not be for the faint of heart....but, this is an article that tells me why people in Huntington (and Sons of Marshall) should be pi$$ed at the possibility of council members talking about further cuts in the police force...

So which taxes are you suggesting need to be increased??? The $2.00 per week fee that all workers in Huntington have to pay,or  the Municipal service fee, or  B%O taxes, or property taxes, which is it??????????????

It is easy for people who don't live in the city to slam this city, but the fact is there are no more revenue streams.........

I own a small apt building in Huntington......3 units, and pay 1800 a year in property taxes, B % O, municipal service fees, and refuse removal fees.

Non property owning residents who do not work in the city pay NO taxes. All taxes are paid by property owners, businesses, and those who work in the city with the 2 per week fee.

Come on guys, I would like to see a larger police force, but simply slamming the city for trying to operate on a balanced budget, is just wrong.

$1800 a year for property taxes isnt very much for a 3 unit apartment complex.  I pay that just for my 1800 sq. ft. home

[RCliff]

$1800 a year for property taxes isnt very much for a 3 unit apartment complex.  I pay that just for my 1800 sq. ft. home[/quote]

It is all relative, as my home property (In Cabell co) tax is less than half that.....and my home is worth more...., and if you look at all the vacant rentals around the south side of Huntington, try paying for the property, insuring it, paying these property taxes, and B%O for rental income, maintenance, etc, and see if ownership is profitable..

However, that is not the issue, the issue is which taxes do complainers (who don't pay Huntington taxes) want to raise for us to pay?????

[bbcard1]

Isn't the taxes, it is that, outside of Marshall, Huntington is a shrinking dying city, albeit one I will always have a fondness for.  The tax base is just too small to support an infrastructure and stucture of a bigger city that simply cannot be downsized.  Huntington is a city that has rare problems and as such has very few advocates and fixes are hard to figure. Even most rustbelt cities long ago found a way to recover but Hton sort of has two very  strikes against it:  dependency on dying industries, and an impoverished, in-bred state government.   The Youngstowns of the world at least had a state economy that could help them pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

I sometimes wonder if it's just that I'm older and more jaded or it is true, but the Huntington I see at 44 is not as beautiful or interesting as the one I saw at 20.  I do love Pullman Square and the Herd HOF Cafe and the little baseball card shop, but somebody has to get serious about economic development...not talking about another big box store or another fricken call center, but something real. Not a business, but a direction.

[biggreenthunder]

Some detail - so may not be for the faint of heart....but, this is an article that tells me why people in Huntington (and Sons of Marshall) should be pi$$ed at the possibility of council members talking about further cuts in the police force...

So which taxes are you suggesting need to be increased??? The $2.00 per week fee that all workers in Huntington have to pay,or  the Municipal service fee, or  B%O taxes, or property taxes, which is it??????????????

It is easy for people who don't live in the city to slam this city, but the fact is there are no more revenue streams.........

I own a small apt building in Huntington......3 units, and pay 1800 a year in property taxes, B % O, municipal service fees, and refuse removal fees.

Non property owning residents who do not work in the city pay NO taxes. All taxes are paid by property owners, businesses, and those who work in the city with the 2 per week fee.

Come on guys, I would like to see a larger police force, but simply slamming the city for trying to operate on a balanced budget, is just wrong.

$1800 a year for property taxes isnt very much for a 3 unit apartment complex.  I pay that just for my 1800 sq. ft. home

Same here Carlos.  And I'm in a fairly small town outside of Cincinnati.  Our town is only 15 minutes from downtown Cincy but it's really about the size of milton or Hurricane.  My property tax is about $1700 a year as well.  I can't imagine what it would cost for 3 apt buildings here.

[biggreenthunder]

I could be wrong but I seem to remember reading when people were looking at the turning the Civic arena into a baseball field that the Big Sandy actuall COSTS the city like $500K every year.  It doesn't generate the city anything and actually requires a subsidy to stay operational.  Had we let Mr. Turman and his group put the stadium there, Huntington would automatically have an additional $500K every year; or about 10 new police officers.

[HerdNBluefield79]

I could be wrong but I seem to remember reading when people were looking at the turning the Civic arena into a baseball field that the Big Sandy actuall COSTS the city like $500K every year.  It doesn't generate the city anything and actually requires a subsidy to stay operational.  Had we let Mr. Turman and his group put the stadium there, Huntington would automatically have an additional $500K every year; or about 10 new police officers.

It wasn't only that - HIMG was rumored to go in the new office complex that would've been built along side the baseball stadium...

I still advocate that all city governments should be dissolved into a county municipality.

[carolinaherdfan]

Here where I live, South Carolina, the taxes for (3) units would be approx. $3,000., and we are considered a low tax state. Also, these three units would not be in the actual city limits, or the tax would still be a little higher, than that amount.

Carolina,
ps. RCliff has a good question. Who is willing to pay anymore, and he also makes a good point about the difference in markets.

[goherd50]

Huntington's biggest problem is the cost of the police and fire pension funds.  It costs more to pay the pensions of retired firemen and policemen than what  they are paying for ones on active duty.

Ten or fifteen years ago the city "solved" this problem by financing it in a way that put off some of the cost until later, like a balloon payment.  Well, its now later.  The orginal concept was that revenues would grow fast enough to take care of the problem.  They didn't.

[OhYeaahMU]

$1800 a year for property taxes isnt very much for a 3 unit apartment complex.  I pay that just for my 1800 sq. ft. home

It is all relative, as my home property (In Cabell co) tax is less than half that.....and my home is worth more...., and if you look at all the vacant rentals around the south side of Huntington, try paying for the property, insuring it, paying these property taxes, and B%O for rental income, maintenance, etc, and see if ownership is profitable..

However, that is not the issue, the issue is which taxes do complainers (who don't pay Huntington taxes) want to raise for us to pay?????[/quote]


Or perhaps the solution is to just teach your children not to get involved with drugs and drug dealers.  Then, there would be no reason for the Detroit dealers to be interested in Huntington.  Everyone always wants someone else to fix their problems.

[biggreenthunder]

However, that is not the issue, the issue is which taxes do complainers (who don't pay Huntington taxes) want to raise for us to pay?????

If those that complain don't pay taxes, it's because they don't live there.  If they don't live there anymore (like myself), maybe just maybe, there is a reason for it.  Backwards political thinking and lack of resources and jobs are just a few or the reasons.  IF Huntington would solve it's problems, maybe some would move back.  As much as I'd like Huntington to get straightened out, it doesn't really affect me.  If you guys don't want to pay higher taxes, (and no one does), then be content with the level of service you get with the city.  But out of towners can say all we want.  IN the final result though, it's not our decision to make.  Nor do we have to live with the consequences of the actions (or lack thereof).

I'm not trying to be adversarial or anything.  Just stating that out of towners can complain about the city they left.  And there IS a reason most of us left.  But it will be up to those that currently live there to make the decisions as it affects them the most.

[carolinaherdfan]

BGT, is correct, it doesn't affect us in the least. We, read the paper, we post on this message board, and we post about conditions like this on this thread, because we still care. We hate to see such a fine place go down the tubes. I am tired of people blaming the Mayor. I, don't know the man, but I personally believe he has floated plausible ideas for the city. I, further believe he is a better mayor than our mayor here where I live. Every idea he has tried to sponsor has been shot down, because he is not part of the good old boy network in the area. We'll, look where that system has let the city slide to. I can't wait until another election. The new guy saying we have to step up and take responsibilty. We have to protect our young , and old people alike. We have to do this, and that, but will never come up with a concrete idea as to how we are going to afford to do any of the things that we needed to do yesterday. Think about it, Huntington, 2 years from now, it will only be a worse situation to correct. Yes, I will admit it, I still Love the area, and I still own property there, and I come back sometimes for the entire fall, just because of MU.
I would be willing to pay double the taxes I pay now if I was guaranteed the city actually had a game plan, but with the council, which IMHO, is the big problem gets replaced, which will probably never happen, than leave my taxes alone, because I no it will only be a partial band-aid, that will drop off of the sore before I can drive back down here where I live.


Carolina,



 :mad:  :-?

[RCliff]

quote]


Or perhaps the solution is to just teach your children not to get involved with drugs and drug dealers.  Then, there would be no reason for the Detroit dealers to be interested in Huntington.  Everyone always wants someone else to fix their problems.

Excuse Me, ........Listen buster, my kids are NOT involved with Drugs or Drug Dealers...... My son is a 4.0 Graduate student At Marshall with only a thesis to complete, ( having earned a Double Major Undergraduate with a 3.8 GPA, and my daughter works 40 at Amazon and another 40 at her own coffee  shop, Java Joint, both are in huntington.

Perhaps you should quit smoking the dope and READ the posts.

[carolinaherdfan]

JMO, my heart goes out to the families of these fine young people who lost their lives needlessly, and very untimely. I have tremendous empathy for these families, and would not want them to bear any additional pain.
However, I believe it would be a good thing for the Huntington community, and young people to read this article. They need to really know what they are dealing with, and the young people need to understand these games are "deadly" serious."

Carolina,

Peace!

[ShawHerd]

Please don't take me wrong and I'm sure you guys mean well but....

What's ironic is listening to you guys comment on the woes of Huntington.

Your answer was to move away. You won't find me criticizing your decisions to do so and your critiquing is unnecessary too. If you are serious about helping Huntington perhaps when you retire you'll come back and do the walk instead of the talk....We all know what's wrong with Huntington and talking won't fix it.


 :o

[carolinaherdfan]

Please don't take me wrong and I'm sure you guys mean well but....

What's ironic is listening to you guys comment on the woes of Huntington.

Your answer was to move away. You won't find me criticizing your decisions to do so and your critiquing is unnecessary too. If you are serious about helping Huntington perhaps when you retire you'll come back and do the walk instead of the talk....We all know what's wrong with Huntington and talking won't fix it.


 :o

Shaw, I would never take you wrong, I most always read your posts, and I feel you are a good fellow, so I know you are not trying to be rude.

Personally, I moved away because of my children, and the way they were involved here, where I live. I will always be part of our area. I still own property in WV, and have always leased it. That is why I bought my motor home, so I could travel to WV, and to follow the Herd. I still own the MH, but am considering to not lease the property in the future, so I can come back, and live there some, because I do like the area, but I love the Herd.
You are probably more right than wrong in your post, but the reason I always post on these subjects, is because it seems the people who actually live there do not post, or do very little. I just feel like they have hit the brick wall so long, they have became numb.

Best Wishes, and Go Herd!

Carolina,

 :-P

[biggreenthunder]

Please don't take me wrong and I'm sure you guys mean well but....

What's ironic is listening to you guys comment on the woes of Huntington.

Your answer was to move away. You won't find me criticizing your decisions to do so and your critiquing is unnecessary too. If you are serious about helping Huntington perhaps when you retire you'll come back and do the walk instead of the talk....We all know what's wrong with Huntington and talking won't fix it.


 :o

I was born 31 years ago and Huntington as well as the state of WV had the exact problems they have now 31 years before that.  I saw the same stagnation from those in power and the people's short-sightedness to keep electing the same nimrod's that accomplished nothing.  They had 23 years from the time that I was born until I left to show me one ounce of forward thinking that might have kept me in the state.  The State can wallow in stagnation and status quo but I don't have to hold it's hand while it goes down.

And you're right, talking won't fix it.  You people back in WV need to start fixing it.  It only impacts me for a couple hours each month when I cross back into the state.  But if it doesn't get fixed, while I'll weep for the loss, it won't affect my life one bit.  You guys there need to step up to the plate and "do the walk" that you challenge us out of towners to.

[ShawHerd]

Shaw, I would never take you wrong, I most always read your posts, and I feel you are a good fellow, so I know you are not trying to be rude.

No I was not trying to be rude anymore than you were. I believe you to be sincere in your wishes for Huntington and feel you are a good fellow also. But.... as long as some of the best exit Huntington.... problems become compounded.  

Additionally it's in the eye of the beholder. I see things turning around. While drugs are a problem the latest catastrophe has awakened the citizens and law enforcement. A new law enforcement task force has already been formed and the people of Huntington are worried about their kids.

 We are attacking our economic problems through biotechnology. Huntington, our hospitals and Marshall have formed a group and have real plans.

The people are still the best here and we have a work force ready and willing. I'm not much for negativity and believe it never fixes anything. JMO and not saying that you do. I am not pointing toward you or anyone else on this board but as long as we are talking I thought this thread was a good place to start.

And you're right, talking won't fix it. You people back in WV need to start fixing it. It only impacts me for a couple hours each month when I cross back into the state. But if it doesn't get fixed, while I'll weep for the loss, it won't affect my life one bit. You guys there need to step up to the plate and "do the walk" that you challenge us out of towners to.

....duh....

[carolinaherdfan]

I read over some of my past posts. I can see a pattern of sarcasm. It isn't needed, when a person is down. I would never be rude, unless it was an accident. However, I do use this from time to time on the smack boards.

Best Wishes, and thanks for your insiteful post,


Carolina,

 :cool: