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WEIRTON -- The Weirton Transit Corp. Board of Trustees and city of Weirton continue taking steps toward transitioning what has long been a private public transit service into a municipal department.
The Transit Board met Friday afternoon in what was listed as an emergency meeting, convening into executive session to discuss legal matters.
"We have secured legal counsel to assist with the dissolution," board Chair Flora Perrone explained following the meeting.
Obtaining legal representation was the lone item on Friday's agenda.
The Transit Board voted in June to begin the process of dissolving the private, nonprofit entity which has overseen public transit services in Weirton since its founding in the late 1980s. The move followed the discovery of financial issues in the fall of 2021, which officials have said stemmed from the non-payment of taxes, as well as the resulting fees and penalties.
With assistance from Weirton Council, transit officials were able to pay off those funds earlier this year, but came close to having to shut down transit services, at least temporarily, in June as a result of a lack of available revenue. A shutdown was averted through a paring down of routes and other services, which has continued.
The city, meanwhile, began advertising Thursday to hire a new transit director to oversee operations of the planned municipal transit department.
According to the notice, "The transit director directs, supervises and coordinates planning budgeting, procurement, and contract management activities related to the City of Weirton's Public Transit Department in addition to other job-related work as required. This position holds first level supervisory duties involving transit and transportation areas within the department. The Transit Director hires, manages, directs, and assigns work to the transit staff. This position is considered salary-exempt under the FLSA."
The salary range, as approved by city council during its regular meeting Oct. 10, is between $63,798 and $76,096.
The full listing for the post is available under the "Employment" section of the city's website: www.cityofweirton.com.
Council, with guidance from the West Virginia Department of Transportation, has been working toward transitioning the service into a city-operated department, approving an emergency reading of its ordinance at the October meeting, making the transition effective Wednesday.