The City of Wellman has decided how it will spend its federal COVID-19 relief funds.

The city council approved the use of their American Rescue Plan allocation to install 650 to 700 new water meters. Cost of the project is about $180,000, to be covered by the approximate $270,000 they received from the bill passed this March. City Administrator Kelly Litwiller says it has been 10 to 12 years since the current meters have been replaced. The completion date for having all new meters installed is dependent upon the availability of residents and when the city can coordinate installation times. The city hopes to have them done over the next six months. Litwiller also says the new meters will be cell read meters that can send data straight to the beacon system. This will be highly beneficial to the city and its residents as city workers will no longer have to manually scan data. Leaks and other issues can be detected instantly saving residents’ time and money.