WHEELING — Members of Wheeling City Council will gather for their last regular meeting of the 2024 calendar year tonight, when legislation for another major flood-related repair is among those slated to be introduced.

Tonight’s meeting is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers.

In April, the city was hit with two significant flooding events two weeks in a row. The heavy rains and muddy flood waters from the Ohio River caused mudslides, swept away the Wheeling Island Marina docks and left a mess for affected property owners.

Following the floods, the federal government issued a disaster declaration for areas impacted by the heavy rains and flooding. One of the public facilities damaged by the flood waters was the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

Earlier this year, city officials explained that an intake gate valve malfunctioned during the April floods, and the facility was significantly damaged by debris coming down through the wastewater treatment plant’s interceptor.

The city of Wheeling is expected to be reimbursed for costs associated with flood damage in light of the disaster declaration. Over the past several months, individual projects have been approved by council to repair flood-damaged infrastructure, mostly at the wastewater treatment plant.

Since May, city council has approved more than 40 separate ordinances related to emergency flood repairs to the city’s damaged wastewater treatment plant totaling nearly $2.8 million.

On a number of occasions since taking office in July, new Ward 3 Councilwoman Connie Cain has asked when flood-related legislation would be winding down.

Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron recently said the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency wants to receive each item for repair individually to decide reimbursement eligibility.

So over the past several months, scores of individual ordinances have come before council.

“The reason for that is if we do a general contract, typically you have multiple contractors and you have one ordinance for all of them,” Herron said. “But the way the FEMA rules are — and we do anticipate getting reimbursed from all of these ordinances and all of the expenses — they do require that city council authorize every single component within the repair, and then they determine whether or not that component is eligible.”

Herron said so far, all components that city council has approved for flood-related wastewater treatment plant repairs have been eligible for reimbursement. He added that another important step in the process for the city to receive FEMA funding will be to first receive an insurance settlement for the flood damage.

“We did receive word that we will receive an insurance settlement as a result of this event at the wastewater treatment plant,” Herron said. “Hopefully we’re coming close to the end. But that’s the reason we’ve had so many ordinances associated with it.”

According to the city manager, approximately $4 million in total repairs are expected to take place as a result of the flood damage to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. There is expected to be a $1 million insurance settlement, and the city is expected to be reimbursed for around $3 million in repairs.

During tonight’s meeting of Wheeling City Council, a new ordinance is scheduled for a first reading authorizing the expenditure of $418,000 with Verdantas of Wheeling for engineering services for the wastewater treatment plant and for road slip damages related to the flood events. The cost of the work will be charged to the city’s Water Pollution Control Division and regular Restricted Capital Improvement Project fund with the anticipation of being reimbursed by FEMA.

Another new ordinance up for a first reading will authorize the expenditure of $18,501 with Erb Electric Company of Wheeling for replacement and installation of a flood-damaged power pole.

Other new legislation set to be introduced tonight will authorize a renewal of an agreement with Century Realty LLC to provide leasing services for the first-floor retail space available at the new Market Street Parking Garage. A new ordinance to spend $45,326 with Lashley Tractor Sales of St. Clairsville is also up for a first reading. This is for the purchase of a Kubota snow removal plow and boom.

A public hearing is slated to take place at the beginning of tonight’s meeting for a proposed amendment to the city code as it relates to sewer use and Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Related legislation is set for a final reading and a vote this evening.

Also tonight, members of the Finance Committee of Council are scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. prior to the regular council meeting to discuss the city’s November financial report and the future of the Clay School building and site.