Craig Howell ADJUSTING THE SCHEDULE – The Weirton Finance Committee met Friday, with members recommending a fund transfer from the city's Financial Stabilization Consolidated Investment Account to the General Fund to assist with payment on the city's paving contract.

WEIRTON — Weirton Council will be asked to transfer funds from its investment account to assist with the alignment of its municipal street paving program.

The city’s Finance Committee on Friday morning recommended council approve a resolution authorizing the transfer of $1.5 million from the city’s Financial Stabilization Consolidated Investment Account to the General Fund.

“Back in ’17, we took money from the Rainy Day Fund and put it into an investment account,” City Manager Mike Adams explained, noting interest earnings of approximately $1 million from the investment between January 2018 and April of this year.

Adams explained the city, in recent years, has increased the amount of paving performed on municipal streets.

“Our paving initiative is one of the biggest we’ve ever done,” Adams said.

Public Works Director Allen Hess explained one of the issues the city has faced is that the list of streets to be paved often is determined in the fall to assist with budgeting, only for officials to find other streets may need improvements as a result of damage during the winter months.

Hess noted it is better for the city to shift the schedule so contracts are addressed at a single time, from April through July.

“It’s better all around for us to do it at the beginning of summer,” Hess said, “instead of dividing it between two fiscal years.”

A resolution adopted by council in April notes the milling and paving scheduled to take place during fiscal year 2025-26, which ends July 1, is $1,450,157.20, while work for fiscal year 2026-27 would total $1,219,229.60. Those funds are part of a contract with Kelly Paving.

The move would be a one-time transfer and expenditure, officials noted Friday, in an effort to realign the paving schedule and make sure all of the paving contract is addressed at one time.

If approved, Adams explained, the funds would be returned to the investment account as soon as they are available to ensure the city doesn’t lose out on future gains.

“We’re committed to getting the money back into the Rainy Day Fund,” he said.

Council also will be asked to authorize a budget revision to account for the fund transfer.

Other items recommended by the Finance Committee on Friday and set to go before council when it meets at 7 p.m. Monday include:

— A resolution for the Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $404,588;

— A contract with Encova for workers’ compensation insurance at $107,161;

— A contract with Coban Technologies to renew yearly software licensing for in-car and body-worn cameras for the Weirton Police Department at $12,022.50;

— A contract to purchase eight sets of protective firefighting coats and pants from MES Life Safety at $40,167.56.