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A levee tax or surcharge were among ideas floated Friday by city, county, state, and federal lawmakers during a brainstorming session on the cost of recertifying the levee placed at $13.6 million and climbing.
As the team looks for ways to pay for the costly repairs, the legislators, who've been tapped because of the unfunded mandate, listened.
"It'd be better if you say we need money now or the city is going be under water," said U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, R-Cogan Station.
"What do I do when it becomes $15 million to $25 million and I have to tell people in Bradford and Northumberland counties," Marino asked. "How do we pay for that?"
"We're going to work on it," said state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, who said last year's distribution of Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grants was $130 million with more than $1 billion in requests.
"We understand some of this is falling under local share, but for our municipalities we need to get it to a manageable level," said Kurt Hausammann Jr., executive director at Lycoming County Department of Planning and Community Development.
He said other municipalities in similar situations considered a stormwater fee to be the impetus for a long-range solution.
Costs to repair relief wells, the first line of defense during storms or high water of any magnitude, are $2.2 million in the city and South Williamsport.
Tony Mussare, county commissioner, in a moment of introspection said the state and federal governments' priorities seem to be mixed up.
"We elected officials -- we waste money," he said, upset that a 12-year-old can use an access card (also known as medical or food assistance cards) to buy potato chips but the region's taxpayers have to foot part of the bill for a levee recertification.
Because of such waste and misdirection of taxpayer dollars, Mussare said what might have to occur is what was done as part of the Chesapeake Bay initiative. Ratepayers covered the costs for years of improvements to the two city wastewater treatment plants and continue to as the Williamsport Municipal Water and Sanitary Authority replace aged infrastructure.
"Nobody is as prepared as we are," said Jack McKernan, county commissioner, of those working together on the funding and repairs.
So far, $1.5 million has been spent to get answers, said City Council President Jonathan Williamson. "We have skin in the game." The levee, while the bulk remains in the city, is a multi-municipality issue, he said.
"We're working as a team," said Jason Fitzgerald, president of Penn Strategies, the city economic development consulting firm.
After the meeting, Mayor Gabriel J. Campana, who attended, said without the revenue coming, more taxes will be expected from the homeowner.
He added the levee fee or stormwater fee would be a tax.
"Citizens are at a breaking point," he said. "What are council's ideas to bring additional dollars into the city?"