Members of Wheeling City Council will meet tonight to hear first readings on several new pieces of legislation, including ordinances for purchasing and outfitting police cruisers totaling around a half-million dollars.

Although Wheeling City Council met just last week, the most recent meeting had been delayed a week because city officials were attending the annual West Virginia Municipal League Conference in Morgantown. Last week’s meeting was the first council meeting held in four weeks — an unusually long gap between business sessions for the city.

Tonight’s meeting, which is scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. in city council chambers, puts city council back into the regular rotation of meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.

Most of the new ordinances pertaining to contracts for purchases of police vehicles or related equipment are scheduled to be charged to the police department’s fund. Several years ago, the city moved to a program at the Wheeling Police Department that provided all police personnel to have take-home vehicles.

Before the take-home vehicle program was initiated, officers would often trade off vehicles between work shifts. This practice kept cruisers running constantly, reducing the life of the vehicles and their warranties.

The take-home program was designed to save the city money in the long run and to increase visibility of a police presence with more cars out in the community, officials indicated.

Tonight, an ordinance up for a first reading will authorize the expenditure of $284,871 with Jim Shorkey Auto Group of Irwin, Pa., for seven police vehicles — including four 2023 Dodge Charger pursuit vehicles and three 2025 Ford Police Interceptor utility vehicles.

Other ordinances are also up for first readings tonight. One authorizes the expenditure of $133,006 with Bearcom of Dallas, Texas for equipment to outfit police vehicles. A new ordinance in the amount of $33,350 with Motorola Solutions of Coraopolis, Pa., will be for the purchase of police cruiser radios.

An ordinance authorizing the city manager to spend $38,506 with Northside Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram of Summersville, W.Va., for the purchase of a 2024 Dodge Durango for the police department will also receive a first reading. By comparison, Stephens Automotive Group proposed West Virginia state contracts for the purchase of a Dodge in the amount of $42,717 and a Ford in the amount of $45,057.

First readings are also slated for an ordinance authorizing the expenditure of $22,506 with Colossus Inc. of Chicago for the purchase of Caliber Mobile Software annual subscription to be charged to the police department, as well as an ordinance authorizing the expenditure of $27,504 with Jim Shorkey Auto Group for a 2026 Chevy Trailblazer LS for the Crisis Response Unit to be charged to the West Virginia First Foundation Grant.