Wheeling council approves second reading for wastewater ventilation purchase, accepts minutes and introduces multiple water/sewer financing measures

Wheeling City Council on Sept. 16 approved a second reading to authorize $23,730 for replacement ventilation units in the bar screen room at the city’s water pollution control division and completed a series of routine votes while introducing a package of water and sewer financing and expenditure ordinances that will return for additional readings.

The council voted by voice on a motion to approve the purchase from TS Eliot Contracting LLC of Wellsburg, West Virginia for replacement ventilation units; the motion was seconded and approved. The meeting record shows multiple other original propositions were introduced, including a proposed issuance of up to $80,000,000 in combined waterworks and sewerage system improvement revenue bonds (Series 2025B) and related rate-setting ordinances; engineering and repair contracts for water distribution and treatment facilities; and an Oakley/Oglebay Park improvement revenue bond series 2025 (see “Votes at a glance”).

Those measures were presented as original propositions and will require subsequent readings or public hearings before final action. The council also accepted the Sept. 2, 2025 minutes and voted to receive planning commission minutes from July 14, 2025 and GWSCA minutes from June 24, 2025. The council voted to hold over the Traffic Commission minutes (8/14/2025) and the EHLC minutes (8/07/2025).

Nut graf: The meeting combined routine procedural votes (minutes and minutes-holdovers) with the introduction of substantial financing and procurement items for the city’s water and sewer system. Many of those financing measures are at the ordinance-introduction stage and still require additional readings, public hearings or procurement steps before they become binding.

Most important actions and how they moved forward

- Second reading approved for ventilation units (bar screen room): motion to second-read the ordinance authorizing $23,730 with TS Eliot Contracting LLC for replacement ventilation units was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. The ordinance was read again and the council recorded its vote.

- Acceptance of minutes: The council approved the Sept. 2, 2025 council minutes by voice vote.

- Public hearing procedural motions: The council temporarily exited the regular order of business to open a public hearing on the consolidated annual performance and evaluation report regarding the CBBG program (transcript language) and later returned to regular session; both procedural motions were moved, seconded and approved.

- Receipt/holding of commission minutes: Planning Commission minutes (7/14/2025) and GWSCA minutes (6/24/2025) were received as submitted. Traffic Commission (8/14/2025) and EHLC (8/07/2025) minutes were held over.

- Original propositions introduced (to be acted on in future readings/public hearings): A package of water and sewer items was read into the record, including: • An ordinance to authorize up to $80,000,000 aggregate principal amount of combined waterworks and sewerage system improvement revenue bonds, Series 2025B (tax-exempt) and accompanying documents (bond purchase agreement, continuing disclosure, tax compliance policy). (Introduced; additional readings required.) • Ordinances establishing and fixing water rates, fees and charges and proposing construction of water improvements for the City’s water division. (Introduced; additional readings required.) • Ordinances establishing and fixing sewer rates, fees and charges and approving sewer improvements for the water pollution control division. (Introduced; additional readings required.) • Multiple procurement authorizations for engineering and repair services charged to water or water pollution control, including vendors and amounts as read on the record: Atlas Environmental Management — $18,080 (temporary frac tanks); Fredantis (formerly CT Consultants) — $330,000 and $433,000 and $762,000 for several engineering projects; Hydraulic Services Inc. — $32,114 and $35,362.50 (gate cylinder purchase and rebuilding services); Centrus — $27,000 (centrifuge rental). (All introduced as original propositions.)

Questions or debate recorded in the minutes were limited for the listed ordinances; most were presented as original propositions or procedural votes and will return for additional council consideration as required.

Ending: Several of the introduced financing and rate-setting ordinances are large in scale and will require further readings, public hearings and, in some cases, bond counsel review before the council takes final votes. The ventilation-unit purchase proceeded immediately to second reading and was approved; the council scheduled the rest of the financing and procurement items to advance through the normal ordinance process.