June 4, City council struggles to meet quorum requirement in penultimate meeting
Just four members of council met on June 4 during the body's penultimate meeting. The slim quorum approved several ordinances for flood repairs and an opioid fund request.
Wheeling, W.Va. – With two meetings left of the 2020-24 city council, just four members appeared for the penultimate meeting. Councilors Dave Palmer, Ward 6, and Ben Seidler, Ward 2, were each absent, as was Vice Mayor Chad Thalman, Ward 1, who underwent shoulder surgery.
Mayor-elect Denny Magruder, and Councilors-elect Tony Assaro, Ward 1, and Connie Cain, Ward 3, were in attendance . Each will be sworn in on July 1.
During his mayor’s report, Mayor Glenn Elliott honored former Rep. David McKinley with a key to the city for his service to the City of Wheeling. Speaking of McKinley’s time in Congress, Elliott said his office had been extremely helpful for the city, in contrast with current Rep. Alex Mooney who, in Elliott’s estimation, has not been responsive to the city’s needs.
Elliott praised McKinley for his bipartisanship, specifically noting his vote in favor of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which has seen millions of dollars flow into Wheeling.
Speaking briefly, McKinley encouraged residents to do their part in serving their community. “Caring for Wheeling, caring for this community, and caring for our state–I just hope you all can continue that in your mission and what you’re all trying to do,” McKinley said.
During his report, Elliott declared Friday, June 7, Pride in Wheeling day, and nominated Everett Gray to the reconstituted Recreation Commission.
The council adopted several ordinances, including a $150,000 request for use of opioid settlement funds to be shared between several local agencies, the purchase of a $94,359 tuck for the water department, $60,000 for the city’s contribution of the 4th of July firework display, and $46,775 of ARPA money used to purchase new outdoor furniture at the Centre Market.
Six ordinances totalling $230,302.15 were adopted to address repairs to the Wheeling Pollution Control Division’s waste-water treatment plant. The plant saw significant damage during the April back-to-back floods, causing waste to flow untreated into the Ohio River for some time.
This reporter is waiting for a response to a Freedom of Information Act request to the City of Wheeling and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection regarding this issue.
City manager Robert Herron says he believes the federal government will reimburse the costs associated with the WPCD repairs based on President Joe Biden’s federal disaster declaration covering the floods. As well, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration will set up local offices in the Clator neighborhood to assist residents in filing claims for flood relief.
Herron also updated the council on the demolition of the Wheeling Inn, which could see work begin imminently once a WVDEP review is concluded. Demolition of the Center Market parking garage will continue through May 2025.
At the council’s next–and last–meeting on June 18, the group will consider several additional ordinances for repairs to the WPCD waste treatment plant, as well as the purchase of chemicals for the water department.