City council hears first requests for opioid settlement funds; Ongoing flood relief discussed
Wheeling's police department is requesting over $77k of opioid settlement funds to purchase a side-by-side citing 'homelessness.' Some councilors voiced concerns.
Wheeling, W. Va. – The city of Wheeling’s city council met on Tuesday, April 16. Proposals for the first use of the opioid settlement money was discussed and city staff and residents were commended for their relief efforts after back-to-back floods struck the city in April.
Mayor Glenn Elliott was absent during the meeting leaving Vice Mayor Chad Thalman in charge. With just under a month before Wheeling elects a new mayor and city council this gave Thalman, a candidate for mayor, the chance to show residents how his administration would conduct regular business.
The council heard proposals from the city’s police and fire departments for use of the opioid settlement money – the first of its kind in the city since settlements were reached in lawsuits against opioid distributors, including Kroger, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid, and CVS.
These funds are controlled by the West Virginia First Foundation, a private organization created by the state. Other municipalities began receiving funds in December 2023.
The city’s police department requested $152,438.08 and the fire department requested $431,833.69 in funding. Each department attached letters to their requests detailing how funds will be used.
The city’s police department says it will use its $152,438.08 in requested funds for K9 units ($20,000), the purchase of an utility task vehicle ($77,005.08), a cargo trailer ($6,239), Crisis Intervention Training for officers ($1,179), covert cameras ($14,882), and a TruNarc handheld narcotics analyzer ($33,133).
Roughly 22% of the requested money would go directly towards combating the use and sale of opioid drugs–TruNarc handheld narcotics analyzer and Crisis Intervention Training. The remaining 78% of funds would go towards the purchase of equipment, drug dogs, and vehicles.
In a letter explaining the use of over 50% of their request to purchase a utility task vehicle the police department cites ‘homelessness’ and the proximity of camps to the city’s walking trails. The department went on to claim a ‘majority of reported crimes’ involve the homeless despite an accompanying statistic placing that number at 36% of reported crime.
The letter goes on to say the utility task vehicle will help assist victim advocates and a peer recovery support specialist from the department to reach homeless camps located far from the city’s main streets – a decision made by the city itself.
The fire department says it will use its $431,833.69 in requested funds for CPR and Narcan training equipment ($4,554), devices to securely store controlled substances ($15,814), automated CPR devices ($154,219.45), power stair chairs to move incapacitated individuals down stairs and from confined areas ($64,714.55), disinfecting equipment ($3,766.16), automatic external defibrillators ($89,441.46), 32 ballistic vests for first responders ($29,035.52), and an EMS slide attachment for the departments current utility task vehicle ($10,289).
Some members of the city council sounded disapproving of the use of funds by the police department to purchase an utility task vehicle during conversations before the meeting began. A vote on both requests could occur at the May 7 city council meeting.
During the Mayor’s Report, Thalman commended city administration, including the police, fire, operations, and sanitation departments, for their work during the April 5 and April 13 flooding events. Councilors Dave Palmer, Ward 6, Jerry Sklavounakis, Ward 4, Rosemary Ketchum, Ward 3, and Ben Seidler, Ward 2, echoed this praise.
At least 54 city employees worked “around the clock” during the crisis. FEMA arrived in the city on Tuesday, April 16, to assess the damages, and residents were asked to fill out a survey detailing their losses.
Particularly, members of the council thanked their colleague, Councilor Seidler, for his work. Seidler’s ward includes Wheeling Island, which faced the brunt of devastation from both floods.
Seidler spoke about the efforts that took place in the aftermath of the floods. He, in coordination with The House of the Carpenter, spent time estimating the amount of support that had been offered to community members.
The House of the Carpenter is a religious-based charity affiliated with the West Virginia Conference of United Methodist Church. The organization offers a food pantry, a second-hand store, and classes for children and adults
Over the last two weeks, Seidler said 1100 volunteer hours had been recorded by House of the Carpenter. Seven food providers, sixteen businesses, and several houses of worship and nonprofits, as well as private citizens, donated roughly $120,000 worth of food and supplies for those affected.
Seidler was also commended for rallying volunteers to assist in fully relocating the organization's first floor as it faced flooding on or about April 13. In a matter of thirty minutes, Seidler says 75 to 100 people showed up to assist the gargantuan task, including Senator Ryan Weld and Delegate Shawn Fluharty.
Reflecting on the severe weather, Seidler asked city manager Robert Herron to look into offering relief to residents as it relates to the water bills incurred to clean up the damage. Seidler also asked the city manager to review the city’s trash ordinance citing what he says was a “lot of scavenging” that took place as residents stacked their refuse in their alleyways.
The council approved six items held over from their last meeting. These included:
$57,847 in funding for Wesbanco Arena for the purchase of a dehumidifier;
A $102,975 contract with Aster Oilfield Service of Bellaire, OH, for abatement and demolition of eleven residential properties in the city;
A contract with Top Notch Landscape and Supply approving up to $7,800 bi-weekly for grass cutting services;
An agreement with Russell Nesbitt Services of Wheeling, W.Va., for lawn care services;
A $298,900 contract with CT Consultants of Wheeling, W.Va., for storm and sanitary sewer separation, to be paid by APRA; and,
A $24,053 contract with Estabrook of Berea, OH, for the purchase of a membrane filtration system pump for the Water Treatment Plant
City manager Robert Herron updated the council on several ongoing infrastructure projects throughout the city.
A contract to paint the Heritage Trail walking bridge crossing Route 2 has been awarded and the North Carolina-based company is scheduled to start work on May 27, taking up to 45 days to complete.
Landscaping along Main Street in downtown Wheeling has begun in anticipation of paving in June. Herron also stated that Market Street will see its trench line, left behind from the sewer-separation project, will be resurfaced soon.
Vice Mayor Thalman proclaimed April ‘Sexual Assault Awarness Month’ citing statistics showing 53% of women and 29% of men will experience “unwanted sexual contact” in their lifetime. As well, Thalman noted that 32% of people with intellectual disabilities and 47% of transgender people experience sexual assault.
Councilor Palmer noted the closure of Monument Bridge in Elm Grove, thanking city staff for their coordination with residents as the project began.
Councilor Sklavounakis thanked fellow members of council for approving an ordinance funding storm and sanitary sewer separation projects in Valley View, noting that project would help alleviate basement flooding in the area.
Councilor Ketchum said 100 bags of flood waste and garbage had been collected by volunteers at Heritage Port after the flood. She spoke of the new exempted camp along the maintenance trail, thanking city manager Herron and organizations like Street MOMs and Catholic Charities for their work during the transition. Ketchum invited the community to attend the Ohio County Solid Waste Authority’s Earth Day celebration at Wheeling University from 1 to 5 on Saturday, April 20.
Councilor Seidler asked the city to secure the Wheeling Inn, which has sat abandoned since it closed. The property will be torn down in the near future with a new Wheeling Visitors Center taking its place.
The city council will meet again on May 7, a week before the municipal election. At that time they will consider the two opioid funding requests as mentioned above, as well as four other funding proposals including a homeowner sidewalk repair assistance program.
So let me get this straight, the cops want to be prepared arrest more people for their opioid addictions and the firefighters want to be prepared to help more opioid related incidents. Where is the proposal to create more support for addicted individual to break their addictions? What options do addicts have in Wheeling to begin with and can more be done outside of just waiting for individuals to overdose like it seems the police and fire department are preparing for with their proposals for the funds? Sounds like exploiting addiction for opioid sourced revenue streams. Where is the empathy?