$1,000 supplemental allowances distributed to all city employees
HUNTINGTON – Mayor Steve Williams and Huntington City Council Chairman Mark Bates announced Thursday, Oct. 8, that all city employees will receive a $1,000 supplemental uniform and cleaning allowance for reimbursement of added expenses that employees have incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Approximately 325 employees – bargaining unit, professional and administrative – will receive the $1,000 supplemental payment, the costs of which will come from the city’s general fund. The mayor and City Council members will not receive the supplemental payments. Distribution of the payments began Thursday afternoon.
“I am extremely proud of our employees’ efforts this year,” Mayor Williams said. “They have families who depend on them, and the strain of schools closing, businesses closing, churches making adjustments and family routines being disrupted have placed an enormous burden on their lives.
“Amazingly, amid of all this, we have watched our expenses and revenues and found ourselves more fiscally sound than any city in the state and likely in this region of the nation.”
“This is the right thing to do for city employees who have worked so hard through the pandemic and made personal sacrifices to continue serving the citizens of Huntington without interruption,” Bates said. “It is important to underscore that we can afford to make this supplemental payment because of the strong partnership between Mayor Williams and City Council and the fiscal discipline of the mayor and his leadership team.”
In May, approximately 285 employees – all members of the city’s three bargaining units and administrative employees who were not working from home – received a $900 supplemental allowance for continuing to interact with the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayor Williams also proposed and City Council unanimously approved the elimination of the refuse fee ($20 per month) for all city residents and the elimination of the Business and Occupation Tax for restaurants and retail shops from April 1 through Sept. 30.
Mayor Williams will propose an extension of the elimination of the refuse fee and B&O Tax for restaurants and retail shops for the months of October, November and December for City Council’s approval in the near future.