The City of Weirton will now have an all new way to vote in their next primary election and progress is being made with the new developments on Three Springs Drive.
At Monday’s city council meeting, they had two items on the agenda that involved new voting machines and implementing a tax increment financing plan for the new developments off Three Springs Drive.
Previously, Weirton residents only had paper ballots to fill out during elections. However at the recent meeting, the council approved the leasing of voting machines for the 2019 elections, an estimated cost of $7,600.
Weirton City Manager Joe DiBartolomeo says that the city decided to lease the machines rather than purchase them because the machines become outdated and the city only has an election every 4 years.
Now residents will be able to vote electronically next year during the primary election on Tuesday April 2nd and the general election on Tuesday June 11th.
The Three Springs Drive development has been in the works over the last couple of years. The state of West Virginia has approved up to $10 Million of financing if necessary that will go through the county.
That money will be used to improve the surrounding area. DiBartolomeo says, “The city’s part is we’re going to develop the roadways, the lighting, any sanitation lines or any water lines. That’s what the money’s used for.”
DiBartolomeo clarified that the money will not be going towards the actual building itself, just the surrounding areas.
They still have not figured out what one of the developments will exactly be. There was the idea of a conference center, but DiBartolomeo says that has received some negative feedback.
