MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS — Members of the Weirton Finance Committee, from left, Councilmen Rick Stead, Tim Connell, and Anthony Rocchio, discuss their agenda during Friday's meeting. -- Craig Howell

WEIRTON — The city may be distributing the first batch of its opioid settlement funds, pending a decision from City Council.

The city’s Finance Committee met Friday morning, recommending a pair of resolutions to allocate a portion of the city’s allotment of West Virginia Opioid Settlement Funds — derived through court cases brought by the State of West Virginia against various pharmaceutical companies and retailers over the sale of prescription opioids, with officials saying a lack of effective controls helped to fuel the opioid crisis in the state — and split among West Virginia’s counties and municipalities.

While City Manager Mike Adams has noted the city has received several applications for the funds, the first two allotments are for proposals by Weirton’s police and fire departments.

If approved by council Monday, the Weirton Police Department is set to receive $211,654.85, with Chief Charlie Kush explaining the department plans to use the funds to purchase two vehicles for use by its K-9 division and a new camera system.

According to the department’s application for the funds, “Receiving this reward will allow for the purchase of two new K-9 vehicles. Our canines and their handlers will be able to safely help stop the influx of opioids into the City of Weirton. The reward will also allow for the purchase of video/LPR systems to be placed throughout the city in order to suppress the opioid epidemic.”

LPR stands for “license plate recognition,” which has the capabilities to read license plates, and, working with other systems, alert law enforcement to owners of the vehicles and their status.

When questioned by the committee, Kush noted the purchase of the new vehicles will mean the purchase of new accessories, including kennels, for the vehicles as well as those currently used by the department will not fit properly.

The purchase will replace two vehicles currently in use, which he said are approaching 100,000 miles.

“We’ve had a lot of mechanical problems with them,” Kush said.

The Weirton Fire Department has been recommended for $277,555.10 for the purchase of various pieces of equipment, and related training, according to the department’s funding application.