Mayor skeptical about City Hall consultant fee
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Williamsport City Council has budgeted money for a consultant to do another engineering and architecture assessment of the former condemned City Hall, which Mayor Derek Slaughter does not favor spending for that purpose.
The 2024 proposed budget is close to $30 million and includes a 1 mill real estate tax increase that City Council has promised it will reduce tonight. It has taken about $124,000 out of the mayor's original budget and may include another $107,000 or so along with additional cuts as promised by Councilman Vince Pulizzi.
In the first reading of the budget, under contracted services, council proposed an increase -- from zero to $85,000 in the line item. That is due to a third-party needing to livestream the council meetings but most of the issue is over a third-party consultant on the continuing City Hall debate – which Slaughter describes as a “waste of taxpayer money.”
Mayor Derek Slaughter said in a video interview ahead of the meeting that he thinks it makes financial sense for the city to sell City Hall at 245 W. Fourth St. The building was condemned on Aug. 4, 2021 due to water damage and further water damage from a burst pipe occurred in December of that year. The property also requires additional accessibility upgrades inside even though a ramp was put outside ahead of the water damage due to a consent decree the city was following under a federal court order.
The administration made that recommendation of sale and the city agreed to hire a real estate agent to do that work, Slaughter said.
The city received three bid proposals, including the highest responsive bid that remains tabled by council. That bid is $555,500 from JBAS Realty of Jessup, whose owner, John Basalyga, has said would include a commitment of spending $5.5 million to create second and third floor apartments and a small coffee shop/restaurant and common area to respect the historic character and history of the city on the first floor.
"The administration's stance is that we need to move with the sale of City Hall," Slaughter said in the video interview.
"It is 40,000 square feet for 25 (ish) employees and we don't think that is a financially savvy or sound approach to moving forward to move the city offices back into the building."
"I don't think that expense is necessary, as far as it relates to City Hall," Slaughter said.