HOLDING OFF — Weirton Council, during its meeting Monday night, tabled a proposal which would have seen the city hire six new firefighters to assist in the reopening of the County Road Fire Station. Pictured, from left, are Mayor Dean Harris, Ward 4 Councilman Rick Stead, Ward 5 Councilwoman Brittany Holloway, Ward 6 Councilman Anthony Rocchio, and Ward 7 Councilman Chris Jonczak. -- Craig Howell

WEIRTON — While officials said they still have a goal of reopening the County Road Fire Station, Weirton Council held off on approving a proposal with such a plan in mind.

Council, during its meeting Monday night, unanimously agreed to table to proposal which would have moved forward with a recommendation to hire six new firefighters for the Weirton Fire Department as part of a plan to reopen the station located on County Road.

Monday’s tabling was pushed by a motion from Ward 4 Councilman Rick Stead, who said, while the council supports the firefighters, he wants to make certain the city is on solid footing.

“We 100 percent support you guys. We want to do this and we want to make sure we do this correctly,” Stead said. “I am 100 percent committed to getting the additional men hired, or women, firefighters in general to get the safety concerns and to open the County Road Fire Station and provide coverage to the one portion of the city that doesn’t have any station house right now.”

Prior to conducting any of its business, council convened into an executive session for 17 minutes to discuss personnel issues.

Mayor Dean Harris said he intends to work with council and the fire department to put a plan in place to make certain the proposal can move forward.

“The vote is not a reflection of the administration’s position,” Harris said. “We are going to work to get you those six firefighters.”

Council noted plans for an informational workshop for council and firefighters, currently scheduled for Jan. 22, for further discussions on the proposal.

The resolution had been sponsored by Councilmembers Tim Connell, Brittany Holloway, and Anthony Rocchio. While the resolution itself gave direction to the hiring of six new firefighters and the reopening of the County Road station, which has been used primarily for storage and training for more than 20 years, it did not specify how much such a move would cost or where the funding would be derived.

Officials previously indicated the potential of the city using approximately $600,000 from its Rainy Day Fund; however, several on council have pointed to the need for a continuous stream of revenue to support the firefighter salaries and benefits and the station’s operations.

The main suggestion has been a possible increase to the city’s Municipal Service Fee, which assesses $2 per week from anyone working within the city limits.

The actions all follow a set of work sessions held over the last year, as well as similar proposals presented on numerous occasions to the previous city administration.