OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Wheeling City Council Meeting - February 3, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, February 3, 2026
BodyWheeling, West Virginia
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 24:29

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

As we make to discuss decisions that will expect all residents.

0:06

Sorry.

0:07

Let us pray for our city to have compassion and unity for our well-being.

0:14

I want to America.

0:33

We now call the wheeling city council meeting of February 3, 2026 to order, please.

0:39

I would ask the clerk to please call the roll.

0:41

Mr.

0:41

Osara?

0:42

Here.

0:43

Ms.

0:43

Kane?

0:43

Here.

0:44

Mayor Magruder?

0:45

Here.

0:45

Mr.

0:46

Palmer?

0:46

Here.

0:46

Mr.

0:47

Siler.

0:47

Mr.

0:48

Sklavanakis?

0:49

Here.

0:49

And Mr.

0:50

Thorngate.

0:50

Here.

0:51

Quorum is present.

0:52

Thank you.

0:53

We do have the January 20 and 26 council minutes in front of us.

0:56

Is there a motion to accept those as received?

0:58

So moved.

0:59

Second.

1:00

Any changes or discussion?

1:02

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

1:04

Aye.

1:05

And those opposed.

1:06

And we will uh approve those minutes as received.

1:10

At this point, we've got the mayor's report, a couple of comments.

1:13

One, uh, I think we all know that the state of the city address is scheduled for February 10 next Tuesday at noon.

1:20

Uh last chance, this is a ticketed event, and you have to acquire tickets before five o'clock this Friday because we have to cut off the count at that point.

1:27

So we'd ask anybody that please that wants to attend, uh, make sure you either call the office here or get in touch with the people at the arena on e-ticks uh to purchase tickets.

1:37

They are $15 and includes lunch.

1:39

Uh also want to mention tonight that councillor siders ill this evening.

1:43

That's why he's not with us.

1:45

Uh also want to take a minute to congratulate one of our fellow council members here, uh Ty Thorngate.

1:50

Fabulous job.

1:51

I I think many of you saw with the media coverage, uh, the West Virginia State hockey tournament that took place this past weekend.

1:58

And and Ty, I know you were a major part of that.

2:00

You have some comments, you want to wait to your remarks.

2:02

I'll wait till I have Mars.

2:03

Gotcha.

2:04

Thank you.

2:04

Thank you very much.

2:06

Uh I think that's probably going to conclude uh the mayor's report.

2:10

Uh so we'll go to the clerk's report.

2:12

There's a notice of application to operate a private club for Los Fajitos Mexican restaurant and grail wheeling located at 26 Elm Terrace.

2:20

And that concludes the clerk's report.

2:22

Thank you.

2:23

Unfinished business.

2:24

An ordinance of the council of the city of Wheeling to create a two-hour parking zone on National Road in between Cole Avenue and Junior Avenue Bridge.

2:35

An ordinance of the Council of the City of Wheeling relocating the bus stop on National Road across from Junior Avenue Bridge to the west, closer to Cole Avenue.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████30%
Public Safety█████████████████████████25%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████15%
Economic Development██████████10%
Water And Wastewater Management████████8%
Public Engagement████████8%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Wheeling City Council Meeting - February 3, 2026

The Wheeling City Council convened on February 3, 2026, at 7:31 PM to discuss and vote on a series of ordinances, reports, and presentations. The meeting, led by Mayor Magruder, covered a range of administrative and community-focused items, including funding approvals, public safety announcements, and a presentation from Easter Seals regarding opioid settlement funds.

Consent Calendar

  • Accepted the January 20 and 26, 2026 council minutes as received.
  • Approved Traffic Commission minutes from December 11, 2025.
  • Approved Finance Committee minutes from January 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Carly Dipmar was recognized to address the council, but no further details were provided in the transcript.
  • Eric Tilberto, President and CEO of Easter Seals, along with Marketing Director Betsy Bethel McFarland, presented on the organization's services. They highlighted that Easter Seals provides nearly $400,000 in free healthcare annually in the Ohio Valley without support from National Easter Seals, relying on municipal and community philanthropy. They noted a sharp rise in demand for autism, ADHD, and behavioral services linked to the opioid epidemic, and formally requested a portion of the city's opioid settlement funds to support a health record system expansion and coordination with medical providers for treating infants and children affected by opioids.

Discussion Items

  • Mayor's Report: Announced the State of the City address on February 10, 2026 at noon, a ticketed event ($15, includes lunch) with ticket deadline of February 6 at 5 PM. Congratulated Councilor Ty Thorngate for his role in the West Virginia State Hockey Tournament.
  • City Manager’s Report (Bob Heron):
    • Reported that FEMA approved funding for a slip repair on Glenwood Road (from the 2024 flood disaster), with utility relocation starting February 9, 2026 between 10 AM and 2 PM, using flaggers for traffic management. Bidding for the project expected within six weeks.
    • Announced receipt of a state cybersecurity grant covering 100% of $230,000 in previously adopted cybersecurity expenditures.
    • Presented the budget schedule: budget distributed to council on February 27, work session March 3 at 4:45 PM, council work session March 10 at 5 PM, and general fund budget approval at the March 17 meeting.
    • Notified council of federal appropriations secured by Senator Capito, Congressman Moore, and Senator Justice: $2 million for Northern Parkway Improvement Project, $2 million for Gateway Center Trail Connector, $250,000 for Wheeling Police Department neighborhood resource units, and $5.6 million for Wheeling Park Commission historic building renovations.
  • Public Safety Announcement: Fire Chief provided tips on preventing and managing frozen pipes during extreme cold, including blocking drafts, leaving cabinet doors open (without space heaters), knowing water shut-off locations, avoiding open flames for thawing, and safely removing icicles. Vice Mayor and Councilor Osaro praised city workers for their performance during the cold spell.
  • Councilor Ty Thorngate: Reported on the 2026 West Virginia State Hockey Championships held at WesBanco Arena, featuring 12 high school and middle school games, one college game (WBU vs. Slippery Rock). The event drew over 2,500 fans, 5,000+ YouTube views, and 95,000 Facebook impressions. Noted that Wheeling Central Middle School and Wheeling Park High School won second consecutive state championships.
  • Councilor Palmer: Clarified that ordinances 1 and 2 (regarding a parking zone and bus stop relocation on National Road) were tabled because they require re-evaluation; he plans to revisit with stakeholders when weather permits.

Key Outcomes

  • Unfinished Business (Votes):
    • Ordinance authorizing $139,935 to Pedicord & Son for exterior steel and metal painting of the intermodal parking garage: approved unanimously.
    • Ordinance authorizing $415,000 transfer to Ohio Valley Area Development Corporation for economic development ($200,000 from regular RCIP, $215,000 from project fund): approved unanimously.
    • Ordinance to install two stop signs on Hildreth Avenue at North 15th Street: approved unanimously.
    • Ordinance creating compact car only parking at meters 2135 and 2133 on Market Street: approved unanimously.
    • Ordinance authorizing $40,050 to Perry and Associates for audit services for FY2025: approved unanimously.
    • Ordinance authorizing allocation of West Virginia opioid settlement funds to Easter Seals for health record system expansion: approved unanimously.
    • Ordinance authorizing $5,872,220 to Dantis for engineering services for wastewater treatment plant and collection system improvements (charged to 2025 bond): approved unanimously.
  • Original Propositions (Votes on Resolutions and Ordinances):
    • Ordinance to expend $114,115 with Calc Roofing for 36th Street and Bridge Park Pool roof replacements (CDBG funds): passed.
    • Ordinance to expend $73,915 with Yawn Electric for EV chargers at Intermodal Transportation Center and Center Market (EECBG funds): passed.
    • Ordinance to expend $54,712.35 with GameTime for Mozart Park shelter and recreation equipment (project fund): passed.
    • Ordinance to expend $15,190 with Atlas Environmental for rental of two temporary frac tanks (water pollution control division): passed.
    • Ordinance to extend service agreement with Dantis for 12 months for flow monitoring and wastewater system improvements: passed.
    • Ordinance authorizing conveyance of real property at 129 15th Street to Ohio Valley ADC: passed.
    • Resolution approving invoices for cleanup and remediation of 5819th Street property: passed.
  • Tabled Items: The two ordinances regarding a parking zone and bus stop relocation on National Road died due to lack of motion or second.

Meeting Transcript

As we make to discuss decisions that will expect all residents. Sorry. Let us pray for our city to have compassion and unity for our well-being. I want to America. We now call the wheeling city council meeting of February 3, 2026 to order, please. I would ask the clerk to please call the roll. Mr. Osara? Here. Ms. Kane? Here. Mayor Magruder? Here. Mr. Palmer? Here. Mr. Siler. Mr. Sklavanakis? Here. And Mr. Thorngate. Here. Quorum is present. Thank you. We do have the January 20 and 26 council minutes in front of us. Is there a motion to accept those as received? So moved. Second. Any changes or discussion? If not, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. And those opposed. And we will uh approve those minutes as received. At this point, we've got the mayor's report, a couple of comments. One, uh, I think we all know that the state of the city address is scheduled for February 10 next Tuesday at noon. Uh last chance, this is a ticketed event, and you have to acquire tickets before five o'clock this Friday because we have to cut off the count at that point. So we'd ask anybody that please that wants to attend, uh, make sure you either call the office here or get in touch with the people at the arena on e-ticks uh to purchase tickets. They are $15 and includes lunch. Uh also want to mention tonight that councillor siders ill this evening. That's why he's not with us. Uh also want to take a minute to congratulate one of our fellow council members here, uh Ty Thorngate. Fabulous job. I I think many of you saw with the media coverage, uh, the West Virginia State hockey tournament that took place this past weekend. And and Ty, I know you were a major part of that. You have some comments, you want to wait to your remarks. I'll wait till I have Mars. Gotcha.

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