Sandra Clements Visit

JMC 414 students on Thursday learned about Huntington City Council and budget from council person Sandra Clements of district 5, one of 9 districts in Huntington. Her district is the south side of Huntington, including the area surrounding Cabell Huntington Hospital. As a lifelong Huntington resident and second-term council member, Clements said her biggest project is currently the destruction of government housing. All 129 units are being vacated and residents are being moved to other areas throughout the city (not as a whole). After the land is rezoned, Clements would like to see a grocery store and pharmacy occupy the space. Clements said the number one priority for the city should be jobs. Huntington as a city is underemployed. Once more people have jobs, Clements said, crime will go down and the city will have money to tend to other community issues.

Policy for nonprofits

For Brittanee Barton's blog to cover a nonprofit story, it is necessary to know the tax exempt status of the organization because many events involve the donation of money. In addition, audits and 990 forms will be examined. The Better Business Bureau and IRS will be checked for complaints about the organization. The agency or entity submitting the press release should include contact information for major players, such as the executive director of the organization, as well as a brief background of the organization. This is much enhanced by the inclusion of a brochure explaining the organization's mission statement and outcomes. Brittanee Barton's blog will use this information to ensure coverage of a reputable cause, not just an event.

United Way Visit

For the first time this year, the United Way of River Cities raised less than $1 million in their fundraising campaign. The chapter raised just over $900,000, a steep decline from the $1.5 million goal just ten years ago.

Will Holland, Director of Resource Development, attributed this trend to inefficient communication. While speculatively, United Way would seem popular because it is one agency that contributes to many relevant organizations, donors cannot see the direct impact. This may discourage their decision to donate through United Way. He also said in the past, United Way relied on work place engagement to raise funds. With work place engagement disappearing, it is necessary to find a new way to connect with the millennial generation.

Marketing coordinator Kaylin Adkins said she hopes the marketing budget will help with this connection. This is the first year marketing has been designated their own budget, which Adkins said will help fund concrete message distribution, such as tee shirts and physical brochures. All marketing materials boast the mantra “Live United.” She said she is also relying on the growth of social media in younger generations. In addition, United Way employees give many community presentations advocating for the mission and they rely heavily on storytelling for personal connections.

Mirroring the shifts in marketing, United Way has also shifted its general way of approaching its bettering the community mission. Executive Director Laura Gilliam said the focus has moved from quick bandaid fixes to dealing with larger, overall issues. She said this change became evident in 2002, with research proving that providing money to addiction treatment facilities, for example, does not solve the problem of substance abuse. In other words, too much time was being spent on safety net, while there was a huge need to turn to prevention.

To begin this redirection, United Way identified “local critical issues.” These include the betterment of education, income and health. Fundraising and grants provide the money distributed to organizations dedicated to improving these three prongs. Organizations must be located in the five county community United Way River Cities supports. These counties are Wayne, Cabell, Lincoln and Mason in W. Va., as well as Lawrence County, Ohio.

In order for an organization to receive funding, a letter of intent must be submitted. Any 501(c)3 can submit a letter of intent that shows how they are working on one of the local critical issues the United Way has designated. A community investment council then reviews and scores the letter based on how well it is written, how it addresses the critical issue, the outcomes identified and the mission statement, among other considerations. Once approved through the first stage, the organization is asked to complete a more involved online application. This includes a statement of need, budget, target demographic and more detailed plans on how the funding will achieve a certain outcome. Another set of volunteers from the community grade the online proposals and make final funding recommendations. Gilliam said the decision making committee stresses outcomes, not output. This means they are looking for how organizations will impact the behavior, skill or knowledge of a population. They want to know about the results of the work, not the work itself.

The yearly application process starts in January and ends June. Funding takes effect in July. Non-safety net organizations apply for funding every two years, while basic needs entities, like City Mission are required to reapply each year. The organizations must submit a 990 tax return and an audit conducted by a certified public accountant. The organizations must also send quarterly reports on outcomes achieved because it has become too time consuming for volunteers to have on-site visits. The United Way has the authority to suspend funding if organizations are not making appropriate progress. These organizations are allowed to reapply next funding cycle.

Proposal for the Marshall University Foundation

To: Prof. Burnis Morris

From: Brittanee Barton

March 24, 2014

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RE: Story Outline: Marshall University Foundation Inc.

Subject: I want to investigate the money raised by Marshall University Foundation. MUFi’s 990 claims the organization brought in almost $27 million through donations, grants and gifts in 2012, but only brought in $17 million and $7 million in the two years prior. I want to investigate how the university is generating so much more money and how it is being used.

Need: It is the university’s job to bring in money and fund infrastructure, scholarships and facility improvements. The quadrupling in funds from 2010 to 2012, however, is staggering. People with any stake in the university need to know how this money is being raised and from where (i.e. Applying for more grants, recruiting a greater number of donors, etc.).

Scope:  In the past couple years, several buildings have been approved and constructed. I am sure those required an increase in funds. I want to look into what combination of grants, gifts, donations etc. allowed for these initiatives.

Methods: I have located the 990 and annual financial reports online, so I can use those for pure numerical figures. My next step is to do archival research on any articles or statements published regarding the construction of recent buildings. I then will need to do interviews at MUFi.

Sources: I need to look at local papers and media outlets (WSAZ, WOWK, Herald-Dispatch), as well as any releases from the university. Then, I would like to talk to the CEO, CFO and any special chairs of fundraising.

Presentation: My report will be submitted via email by April 29. It will also be posted on my blog. The article could possibly be featured in the Parthenon.

Follow-up: With classmates writing stories on other beats in the area, it could run as part of a series.

Huntington Budget Meeting - March 8, 2014

Huntington City Council members and Mayor Steve Williams on Saturday assessed budget concerns of the public works sector. The meeting opened with questions from the first two sessions of budget hearings. Council member Scott Caserta requested residential fees be raised in order to cover the needed revenue for police, paving and the fire department. As such, city service fees (CSF) and municipal service fees (MSF) would need to increase. The goal is to generate approximately 1.5 million dollars for these entities. Currently, each house in Huntington pays a base rate of $120 CSF and 7.35 cents per square foot MSF. To raise $1.5 million solely from CSF, the base rate would need to increase to $214 per year. To raise the money solely from MSF, it would need to increase to 10.3 cents per square foot. There is also the option of increasing both fixed and variable rates, but by a smaller percentage. The fees were last raised nine years ago.

District 4 Representative Gary Bunn suggested public interest meetings with council members in respective districts to interact with citizens about the possible change. The council also considered a large public interest meeting for the whole city, but it would have to be moved to a bigger hall or building. This raised concerns for how closely council meetings needed to be chained to City Hall Chambers. Williams said the city's best bet for support on this issue is to rely on citizens wanting service problems resolved. "My intent is not to go out to the public and say do you want to raise fees because we're going to have everyone saying no," Williams said. "From a police standpoint, a fire department standpoint, public works, what are some of the things you want done? If there are people who want their street paved or stop the flooding, they'll come out and say I need this fixed." If agreed upon, Williams said meetings with specific districts would occur in late March and early April in order to take action in May.

The annual state of the Municipal Parking Board presented by director Mike Wilson served as new business. He said he is commonly asked why the parking board made so much money in the past, yet no money now. He said the answer is a rise in insurance cost, unexpected medical costs for retirees and the sale of lots. The lot across from Wendy's on Third Avenue, for example, was sold, losing the board $30,000 per year. Events, such as 5k races, are becoming more frequent, cutting out some of the revenue for parking, as streets are not open at the 8:00a.m. parking meter start time, though they are open by 10:00. Wilson said the parking board is operating at break-even status right now, so action is needed in the near future. A handout of ways revenue could be increased was provided, including ideas such as raising meter fees, raising citation prices or a grant from the city budget. Williams, however, suggested first trying another route. "We're agreeing that all the revenue from parking citations, fines should go directly to the parking board," Williams said. "Right now, the city takes a percentage of it, but because of their bond requirements, they need it." He said he believes this will be a good answer, at least for the short-term. It is anticipated that the art incubator Marshall purchased downtown will also bring in new parking revenue. In addition, parking board employees will be getting a 3 percent raise after staying consistent since 2007.

Finally, the council debated independent contributions related to economic development. Funding of the Cabell-Wayne Animal Shelter was widely discussed. Williams said an accountant is reviewing the shelter's status, but as of now, the city will be contributing $100,000 to operation costs. The amount may increase after the accountant finishes up next week. The only revenue for the shelter comes from adoptions, grants and donations. Councilman Gillespie asked why smaller towns in the Cabell-Wayne area do not contribute money to the shelter that also serves them. Williams said Huntington uses the shelter the most, but did not know why other towns did not contribute. The city will also be contributing to the ambulance service so citizens of West Moreland are afforded ambulances. Williams said though West Moreland is in Wayne County, ambulance opportunities should be present. Harris Riverfront Park just received a grant for a Tony Hawk skate park. The city renewed its contribution to the Huntington Park and Recreation District to assist with the skate park, an eventual spray park and the upkeep of Huntington's numerous parks. Lastly, though no specific amounts of money were stated, city council members agreed they wanted to find money to enhance Huntington In Bloom beautification efforts and enhance Christmas decorations in the city.

The next city council meeting will be Monday and the next budget hearing March 20.

Chapter 8 Assignment

The meeting I am examining is the Huntington City Council meeting on February 24, 2014. Following the meeting, the newspapers most closely examined a land transfer and a conference which Mayor Steve Williams will be attending.

The first lead seems pretty straightforward, reading "The Huntington City Council approved transferring 19.4 acres of property along the riverfront in the city's West End to the Huntington Municipal Development Authority by a 10-1 vote during a meeting Monday night." The article, however, then investigates why Pete Gillespie, representative from that district, voted against the transfer. He said there was a barge permit already in place for that piece of land. He also asked its worth to no avail. Williams claimed the land should have gone to HMDA all along and stated that there is a company that is interested in buying the land for economic development.

This item sat pretty low on the agenda (12 of 18), but seemed to involve controversy, which might be why the reporter chose to cover it. Nearly 20 acres is a good sized piece of land, which may have also factored into the equation. If I were the reporter, I would pursue the barge lead, as the permit was established last year. Why has no action been taken and now Gillespie is concerned? The HDMA director also answered negatively to Gillespie's question of if proceeds from the sale could be used to better his district. Where will those proceeds go? I would also look into what specific company was interested in the land.

The story regarding the Community Progress Leadership Institute is written a bit more feature-y and as more of a feel-good piece. The reporter was quick to point out the illustrious company Huntington joins at the Harvard based conference, but he did not go into how or why Huntington was selected. What criteria were used to select cities and did we have to apply? Also, what effect does this have on weak city finances? Are we paying to fly multiple people out there and stay four nights?

Six items on the agenda were centered around the sanitation board, including issues such as software maintenance for the GIS system, updating the contract and support agreement and a partnership with Potesta engineers to redesign wastewater technology. If items from one department dominate an agenda, I feel some sort of media coverage is necessary. Waste water and sanitation do affect the majority of the population. The rest of the meeting was filled with ordinances of Williams entering to contract talks with supply companies or economic development firms. I feel like these are not quite as newsworthy because they are not as relevant to the population as a whole.

City of Huntington Meeting

I will be attending a City of Huntington budget meeting tomorrow. It will cover the budget regarding public works including sanitation and trash fund. This is the third meeting in a series of annual budget meetings held in City Hall.