LEGAL ADVICE – Weirton City Attorney Vince Gurrera, left, advised Weirton Council not to take action on either resolution included on the agenda of a special meeting held Thursday, noting he had not been provided any documentation for review. Also pictured is Mayor Harold Miller. -- Craig Howell

WEIRTON — A special meeting of Weirton Council, scheduled to discuss proposed resolutions over the possible creation of two new Tax Increment Financing districts and the potential return of a municipal primary election, saw no action Thursday, under advice from the city attorney.

The meeting, set for Thursday night in the council chambers of the Weirton Municipal Building, had only two agenda items: a resolution to implement Tax Increment Financing Districts for the Half Moon and North End areas of Weirton, and a resolution to amend Article VIII of the City of Weirton Charter to re-implement a municipal primary election.

Upon calling the meeting to order at 6 p.m., members of council voted to go into executive session, although no justification for the session was announced prior to entering, as required under West Virginia Code 6-9A-4.

Following the executive session, which lasted about 10 minutes, City Attorney Vince Gurrera advised council not to take any action on either resolution, explaining he had not been provided with any information on the proposals to review.

“There’s no real documentation for either of these two resolutions,” Gurrera said. “I’ve not gotten to review anything.”

Under Gurrera’s recommendation, no action was taken on either resolution, and the meeting was adjourned.

Both issues had been raised informally during department head reports at council’s regular meeting on Nov. 12, with Ward 4 Councilman George Ash questioning each topic. Ash, Councilmembers Flora Perrone and Enzo Fracasso were listed as sponsors for both resolutions on Thursday’s agenda.

Weirton changed its election schedule as part of a series of charter changes made in 2019, lining it up with the nation’s presidential election. The change, made through the passage by council of Ordinance 2070 and the approval of voters, also eliminated the city’s primary election. It also gave the current council a term of just over five years to line up with the 2024 election, with subsequent officials holding the traditional four-year term.

The process to amend a municipal charter is set out under West Virginia Code 8-4-8, and requires such changes to be done through passage of an ordinance – not a resolution as was proposed Thursday – which requires two readings from the governing body, as well as a public hearing. If objections are made, the issue must then go before the voters during the next election.

Creation of TIF districts follow similar methods, with requirements for public hearings, as well as the notification of the state Development Office, prior to enacting such a district, as delineated under the terms of the West Virginia Tax Increment Financing Act.

Weirton already has one such TIF district, designated in the area of the Three Springs Business Park in 2004, with funds provided through the district used on extend and complete Park Drive and to provide for utilities and other improvements for the ongoing Park Place Development area located off of Three Springs Drive.

The areas targeted through the proposal on Thursday’s agenda could have included the Half Moon Industrial Park located off of Freedom Way, as well as former steel-making property now owned by the Frontier Group of Companies, although no specific descriptions of the district boundaries have been made public.