Council Briefs: $80 million sewer, water system bonds moving forward
Councilors approved a resolution Tuesday that would allow the city to reimburse itself for the cost of previous sewer, water system improvements from soon-to-be issued bonds.
WHEELING, W.Va. — The Wheeling City Council held its regular business meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 9. During that time, councilors approved a resolution that would allow the city to recoup costs incurred for sewer and water system improvements from a set of soon-to-be issued bonds. The bonds, now projected to total no more than $80 million, could see Wheeling rapidly upgrade its outdated combined sewer overflow systems.
Other top headlines from the meeting include councilors' approval for the city to spend $500,000 on new vehicles and equipment for the Wheeling Police Department — an “annual” purchase exacerbated by the need for more K9 vehicles — and discussions on replacing high-pressure sodium streetlights throughout the city with modern, and more expensive, LED lights.
Staggering sewer bonds move forward…
Councilors unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday that would allow the city to reimburse itself the costs it has incurred to improve the city’s sewer and water systems in the event that some $80 million in bonds for ongoing work are approved. It’s unclear how far back the reimbursements could stretch. A request for clarification to the city clerk was not returned at the time of publication.
In July, members of the city council unanimously adopted an ordinance seeking $6,000,000 in bonds to fund future sewer and water system improvements. Now, the total for the projected bonds has ballooned to not more than $80 million, a dramatic increase being attributed to a recent report showing over $60 million of work needed to modernize the vital utilities.
Wheeling, like many cities in the United States, combines its sewer and stormwater systems into one combined system destined for the wastewater treatment plant. This system is prone to overflowing during even minor rain events, according to the city’s Water Pollution Control Division, releasing untreated sewage into area streams, creeks and the Ohio River.
For several years now, the city has taken periods of infrastructure rebuilding — like that of the downtown Streetscape project — to modernize its sewer system, separating stormwater from legitimate wastewater, in an effort to relieve pressure on its dated wastewater treatment plant. .
If approved, the $80 million bonds would straddle the city with debt for decades, but the benefits likely outweigh the costs. The city has proposed increasing sewer and water rates by 38%. For a sewer customer using a standard 4,000 gallons per month, this would see bills rise from $42.76 per month to $57.62. In return, improvements to the system could see less polluted waterways and an upgraded treatment plant that, hopefully, reduces smell in the area.
While councilors gave their approval for reimbursing the city from the bonds, it has yet to adopt an ordinance authorizing the bonds to be issued. That process will take until at least October to complete and requires three readings of the ordinance.
Wheeling Police Department to get $500k in new vehicles, equipment…
The Wheeling Police Department will receive a slew of new vehicles and equipment after councilors adopted a handful of ordinances approving the purchase.
Before voting on the matter, Councilor Connie Cain, Ward 3, asked city officials how many vehicles the department currently had — a number Chief of Police Shawn Schwertfeger estimated at 70 to 75, including motorcycles, trikes, UTVs, etc.
City Manager Robert Herron added to the chief’s comments, saying that the purchase of new vehicles is annual, included in the city’s budget, and allows for a program that sees officers take cruisers home with them.
“Several years ago, city council made a significant investment in the police department vehicle area in instituting a take-home cruiser program,” Herron explained. “Part of that investment was to make sure that we maintained the annual replacement of vehicles…that have timed out to keep that program going and to not have to go through a significant investment of acquiring 20 or 30 cars like we did to begin with.”
Herron further explained that this year’s cost for new cruisers was “a little bit higher than normal” because of the department’s need for new K9-equipped vehicles.
The routine investment in vehicles comes as the city’s police department has continued to see its budget increase year-over-year, and as the department has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from state and local apportioned opioid settlement funds.
Streetlight replacements continues to loom over council…
Over the last few months, streetlights have been a subplot for members of city council.
Councilor Ben Seidler, Ward 2, has frequently called on American Electric Power, or AEP, to ramp up its replacement of burned out streetlights in his ward. Now, it appears as though work will move forward at a faster pace.
The city manager informed Seidler and other members of the council that AEP had completed an audit of lights on Wheeling Island with results pending, but that the company plans to repair 44 fixtures along Zane and Virginia streets. Seidler further pushed for more work to be done throughout the city, but Herron explained the cost of replacing lights is significant.
Many streetlights throughout Wheeling are high-pressure sodium lamps. These lights are relatively easy to maintain and replace, but Herron says AEP has had issues acquiring parts in recent years. AEP’s solution is to replace burnt out and broken lamps with LED streetlights, but that too has its drawbacks.
LED lights have been impacted by a West Virginia Public Service Commission-approved tariff, increasing their cost for communities across the state. Currently, high-pressure sodium lights cost the city $6.50 each per month, while LED lights are approximated by Herron to cost $15-17 per month. Still, AEP has chosen to move forward with the change to LED.
Ordinances Passed; Ordinances Proposed
Councilors unanimously adopted a handful of ordinances and resolutions during their meeting Tuesday, including:
$22,500 to James White Construction Co. of Weirton, W.Va. for valve replacement at the Grandview water station;
$27,500 to Centrisys of Kenosha, Wis. for rental services for a wastewater treatment plant centrifuge damaged during the April 2024 floods;
$27,504.85 to Jim Shorkey Auto Group of Irwin, Penn. and charged to a West Virginia First Foundation grant for the purchase of a 2026 Trailblazer LS for the Wheeling Police Department’s Crisis Response Unit;
$22,506.02 to Colossus, Inc. of Chicago for the purchase of an annual subscription for “caliber mobile software” for the police department;
$284,871 to Jim Shorkey Auto Group of Irwin, Penn. for four 2023 Dodge Charger Pursuit vehicles and three 2025 Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles for the police department;
$133,006.55 to Bearcom of Dallas for equipment to outfit police department vehicles;
$33,350.01 to Motorola Solutions of Coraopolis, Penn. for police department cruiser radios;
$38,506 to Northside Chysler[sic] Dodge Jeep Ram of Summersville, W.Va. for the purchase of a 2024 Dodge Durango for the police department;
An ordinance vacating and abandoning portions of an alley adjacent to 52 Elmwood Place;
A resolution approving invoices related to the cleanup and remediation of 58 19th Street; and,
A resolution authorizing the city to reimburse itself for already completed sewer and water system projects from yet-to-be issued bonds issued by the city.
At their next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16, councilors will hear the second reading of their proposed $80 million in bonds for sewer and water system improvements.
The cost of living is going up.