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American Rescue Plan budget ordinance gets positive recommendation

Williamsport City Council’s finance committee on Tuesday gave a positive recommendation to an ordinance adopting the American Rescue Plan budget on first reading.

Council President Adam Yoder said it was an ordinance adopting the budget for the funding that the city has received and will receive in a second tranche this spring.

“We are looking at $8 million to $10 million allocated in categories, but not to any specific items,” Councilwoman Liz Miele, committee chair, said.

“You’re looking at $7.3 million,” Yoder said, adding a large amount is for relief.

In the last work session there was a consensus to start wrapping it up and get money to projects that are shovel ready and have been discussed, he said.

An economic development consultant has been discussing effectively using the money for economic development projects and concepts.

The budget is similar in design to the capital budget.

Yoder said he reached out to all 10 elected officials in the city who compiled the individual budget identifying the projects they want to see funded and how much for each one. Mayor Derek Slaughter and Controller Margaret Woodring and Treasurer Nicholas Grimes were included along with the seven members of council.

It consists of individual categories, common projects that all those in consensus wanted to see and spoke about publicly, and then Yoder compiled the information, putting in the average amount reflected in the individual allocation for each project.

“It is a starting point to close the initial allocation process,” he said, adding it took him about an hour to compile. It is not necessarily final and can include future changes and other projects that may be added between finance and two public readings at council.

Slaughter said the administration is reviewing the budget and would have additional comment on Thursday.

Former Council President Randall J. Allison noted how the budget effectively synthesized ideas, memorialized them and put them down on paper and in a comprehensive way and easier to digest than writing down on note paper.

“I am sure we are going to be enlightened as we go on and find out maybe we will have to make some shifts. We have the ability to do that within this ordinance,” Allison said..

Councilman Eric Beiter wanted to make sure the ordinance offered an effective way to pivot should a project cost run into an overage and there was a need for a transfer from the general fund, capital budget or rescue fund money.

Splash Pads, for example, were given with cost estimates that were in the $580,000 range, however, the budget showed $500,000 allocated.

“I think we could draw that down through a resolution process,” Yoder said. “We have a couple mechanisms that could be used.”

If that situation would occur, Yoder said he suspected the city would know that and identify that before the money may be needed.

Most ordinances have 20 days before final enactment. That does not apply to budgetary ordinances, however. The lengthiest wait to transfer any funding would be seven weeks, Miele said.

The motion was passed with the full body of council with a positive recommendation.

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