OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Wheeling City Council Meeting Summary - December 16, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, December 16, 2025
BodyWheeling, West Virginia
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, December 16, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 27:39

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

The clerk to call the roll.

0:04

Mr.

0:04

Asaro.

0:05

Here.

0:06

Ms.

0:06

King.

0:06

Here.

0:07

Mayor McGruder.

0:08

Here.

0:08

Mr.

0:08

Palmer.

0:09

Here.

0:09

Mr.

0:10

Siler.

0:10

Mr.

0:11

Sklavanakis.

0:12

Here.

0:12

And Mr.

0:12

Thorngate.

0:13

Here.

0:14

Quorum is present.

0:15

Thank you.

0:16

We do have the December 2nd, 2025 minutes in front of us.

0:19

Is there a motion to re uh accept those as received?

0:22

So moved.

0:23

Second.

0:24

Are there any changes?

0:25

Discussion.

0:26

If not, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

0:29

Aye.

0:29

And those opposed.

0:31

And those minutes are approved as received.

0:33

At this point, we have a scheduled public hearing.

0:35

Is there a motion to exit the regular order of business, please?

0:38

I will make that motion.

0:45

Second.

0:48

Hearing none, I'd ask all those in favor to signify by saying aye.

0:52

Those opposed.

0:53

And we are now in the public hearing session.

0:56

We have no one actually signed up to speak, but I'm going to ask the city manager, please, to make a few remarks.

1:01

Thank you, Mayor.

1:03

This public hearing is a proposal to take funds that uh have been left over for projects from the last three years in C E V G funds that were under budget or uh maybe not completed or not undertaken money that is left over and consolidate that into one project, and it'll be in excess of 300,000 to mill and fill um in East Wheeling uh 12th Street from Jacob up the hill towards Grandview and then Grandview Street all the way across the top of the ridge over to Stone Boulevard.

1:37

Uh that road is in very bad uh condition.

1:40

It's a lone modern income uh benefited uh project and this is a great opportunity to consolidate funds that um you know have not been utilized and put them onto this project, which we hope to uh complete sometime uh in late spring, early summer.

1:56

Thank you.

1:57

Uh without any other business in the public hearing, is there a motion to return to regular session?

2:02

I'll make that motion.

2:04

Second.

2:05

Any discussion?

2:06

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

2:08

Aye and those opposed, and we do return to regular session, and it brings us down to the mayor's report.

2:15

First item tonight on the mayor's report report.

2:18

I'd like to appoint Dr.

2:19

John Holloway, who's in the audience tonight, uh, to the Wheeling Hall of Fame Board.

2:24

Is there a motion?

2:26

I make a motion to appoint uh the appointment of Dr.

2:28

John Holloway to the Willing Hall of Fame Board.

2:31

I'll segment.

2:33

Any discussion?

2:34

If not, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement████████████████████████████████32%
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Technology and Innovation████████████████16%
Public Safety███████████11%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Mental Health Awareness██████6%
Youth Programs████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Wheeling City Council Meeting - December 16, 2025

The Wheeling City Council convened in temporary quarters to address budget allocations, public hearings, police equipment updates, and holiday remarks. The meeting focused on consolidating unused transportation funds, providing a transparency report on opioid settlement usage, and approving critical cybersecurity and police equipment expenditures before the holiday season. Council members expressed strong support for community stability initiatives while addressing the emotional toll of recent public discourse on social media.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the December 2, 2025 meeting minutes as received (unanimous).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Claudia Raymer McKay (Executive Director, Ohio County Family Resource Network): Presented a transparency report on the usage of $150,000 in Wheeling opioid settlement funds. She stated that the funds successfully supported 257 households (581 residents) with rental and utility assistance between December 2024 and December 2025. She emphasized that the collaborative approach aligned with the West Virginia First Memorandum of Understanding to repair harm caused by the epidemic. She expressed gratitude for the Council's trust but stated she was not requesting new funding.
  • Claudia Raymer McKay: Expressed support for the collaborative project's outcomes, noting that the funds directly helped residents avoid eviction and utility shutoffs, citing specific cases of families maintaining housing stability during opioid recovery.
  • John Hallboard (Appellant): Offered remarks supporting the mission of the Wheeling Hall of Fame in recognizing philanthropy. He noted he serves as a temporary representative at the podium.

Discussion Items

  • CEVG Fund Consolidation (City Manager): Proposed consolidating over $300,000 in unspent C.E.V.G. funds from the last three years to pave East 12th Street and Grandview Street in East Wheeling. The project aims to address road conditions that are described as being in "very bad condition" and to utilize funds that would otherwise remain under-budget or uncompleted.
  • Wheeling Hall of Fame Appointment: Proposed the appointment of Dr. John Holloway to the Wheeling Hall of Fame Board. Dr. Holloway expressed appreciation for the honor and commitment to serving the board.
  • Opioid Settlement Update (City Council & Community): Council members, particularly Councilor King, expressed emotional support for the resilience of local staff and the community, while lamenting the "hatred on social media" regarding recent decisions. Councilor King emphasized the need for unity among council members and residents to continue making difficult decisions that serve the greater good.
  • Cybersecurity & Police Equipment (City Manager Mr. Heron): Requested second readings on cybersecurity software subscriptions and police equipment (body cams, dash cams, tasers) due to impending price increases on January 1, 2026. The City Manager noted these items may be reimbursed by a state grant once funds roll out. Councilor Palmer expressed support for the sanitation and operations crews who worked during recent severe weather.
  • Washington Avenue Support: Councilor King urged residents and visitors to visit businesses on Washington Avenue to support them while the bridge remains closed for approximately 10 months.
  • Holiday & Community Events: Various council members wished the city a Merry Christmas and promoted the Wheeling Park High School hockey team's upcoming camp.

Key Outcomes

  • Public Hearing: Motion to enter and exit public hearing regarding the road consolidation project approved (unanimous).
  • Appointment: Dr. John Holloway appointed to the Wheeling Hall of Fame Board (Aye votes from Asaro, King, McGruder, Palmer, Sklavanakis, Thorngate).
  • Ordinance - No Parking Zone: Ordinance for a no-parking zone on Delaware Street near South York Street approved (unanimous).
  • Ordinance - Tree Services: Ordinance authorizing $21,440 expenditure with LaRoach Tree Service Inc. for Heritage Park approved (unanimous).
  • Ordinance - Route Control: Second reading of ordinance for $49,999.78 expenditure with Dukes Route Control approved (unanimous).
  • Ordinance - Skid Mounted System: Second reading of ordinance for $15,000 rental with Esmal Corp approved (unanimous).
  • Ordinance - Software Maintenance: Second reading of ordinance for $81,675.06 expenditure with Tyler Technologies approved (unanimous).
  • Ordinance - Cybersecurity: Second reading of ordinance for $149,042 expenditure with GHA Technologies approved (unanimous).
  • Ordinance - Firewall Subscriptions: Second reading of ordinance for $35,918.70 expenditure with GHA Technologies approved (unanimous).
  • Ordinance - Police Equipment: Second reading of ordinance for $197,600.12 expenditure with Axon Enterprise Inc. approved (unanimous).
  • Resolution - Section 108 Loan: Resolution accepting contract for Ohio Valley Food and Innovation Hub loan guarantee approved (unanimous). Clarified that repayment is through annual allocations, not a direct city liability for principal.
  • Resolution - Greenwood Storm Sewer: Resolution changing funding source for Greenwood Storm Sewer Improvements to 2021 A bonds approved (unanimous).
  • Resolution - Consolidated Fund: Resolution authorizing investment of surplus funds via the West Virginia Board of Treasury Investments approved (unanimous).
  • Public Comment Continuation: Meeting concluded with John Hallboard beginning his remarks at the podium.

Meeting Transcript

The clerk to call the roll. Mr. Asaro. Here. Ms. King. Here. Mayor McGruder. Here. Mr. Palmer. Here. Mr. Siler. Mr. Sklavanakis. Here. And Mr. Thorngate. Here. Quorum is present. Thank you. We do have the December 2nd, 2025 minutes in front of us. Is there a motion to re uh accept those as received? So moved. Second. Are there any changes? Discussion. If not, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. And those opposed. And those minutes are approved as received. At this point, we have a scheduled public hearing. Is there a motion to exit the regular order of business, please? I will make that motion. Second. Hearing none, I'd ask all those in favor to signify by saying aye. Those opposed. And we are now in the public hearing session. We have no one actually signed up to speak, but I'm going to ask the city manager, please, to make a few remarks. Thank you, Mayor. This public hearing is a proposal to take funds that uh have been left over for projects from the last three years in C E V G funds that were under budget or uh maybe not completed or not undertaken money that is left over and consolidate that into one project, and it'll be in excess of 300,000 to mill and fill um in East Wheeling uh 12th Street from Jacob up the hill towards Grandview and then Grandview Street all the way across the top of the ridge over to Stone Boulevard. Uh that road is in very bad uh condition. It's a lone modern income uh benefited uh project and this is a great opportunity to consolidate funds that um you know have not been utilized and put them onto this project, which we hope to uh complete sometime uh in late spring, early summer. Thank you. Uh without any other business in the public hearing, is there a motion to return to regular session? I'll make that motion. Second. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying aye.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com