Safety Committee ordinance could allow Health Dept access to personal request/information sytem

HUNTINGTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – In a Monday evening meeting of the Huntington Public Safety Committee, representatives convened to discuss a number of proposed ordinances, including one which would allow the city health department limited access to a personal request and information system of the City of Huntington.

Ordinance 2022-O-13, as presented, would authorize a memorandum of understanding agreement between the City of Huntington and the Huntington Health Department to provide health dept with limited access to city’s personal requests and information system otherwise known as Huntington WV 311.

Huntington WV 311 was presented earlier this year by the City of Huntington as a non-emergence service request system. The system is accessed through an online portal or free mobile app which allows for the submission, tracking, and exploration of a variety of city service requests. Upon submission, requests are forwarded to the appropriate city service teams for review and resolution.

Director of Council and Constituent Engagement, Mark Bates, was present and spoke at Monday’s meeting of the City of Huntington Public Safety Committee, and presented the ordinance before the committee as a means of improving public relations as they pertain to city entities, including code enforcement and the city health department.

“This action will improve current interactions between the city code enforcement and housing inspectors and the health department on concerns such as trash, unsanitary living conditions, rodents, human feces, and needles,” Bates said during his appearance. “The health department access will be limited to these categories that they assist the city in.”

The ordinance, which saw passage during the meeting, touches on several areas regarding living conditions which have become more significantly pertinent throughout the Month, specifically with regard to the flash flooding recently incurred by the city, coverage of which can be found through the following links, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

For more information on the 311 request/information system, visit the City of Huntington website here.