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City Council keeps same direction in ever-tougher role

As the year began, Williamsport City Council reorganized and re-elected Jonathan Williamson as council president and Randall J. Allison as vice president.

The action came without comment, but, intended or not, it said a lot. It left the message that council, as a group, is comfortable with the direction it has taken in the past year.

That direction has included a closer examination of its role in city government, its working relationship with Mayor Gabriel J. Campana and a referral of the mayor’s expense vouchers to the state Attorney General’s office.

This more proactive approach may strike some as negative. But far from that, it’s actually council executing its watchdog role to a fuller extent.

And that’s what council’s job is.

It should go without saying but bears repeating that council’s eyes should be augmented by a vigilant city controller, the elected fiscal watchdog of city finances. In the same vein at the reorganization meeting, council members expressed concern as they approved a $1.5 million line of credit with M&T Bank until real estate tax revenues come in, probably in March.

The tax anticipation note has been part of the process since 2004, but Council President Williamson recalled a few years ago the note was for $1 million. Councilman Joel Henderson correctly noted the increased amount necessary is a reality check – and it includes $10,000 interest.

The reality check is that council’s more aggressive involvement in city operations needs to include a closer-than-ever monitoring of the city’s spending during the year to make sure a shortfall isn’t looming later in the year.

City Council tends to be the receiver of frustrations when residents and taxpayers are upset at the cost of government or the services they may or may not be receiving.

People tend to forget this is a part-time job with almost no financial reward. But it’s a job that has never been tougher.

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