×

City needs leadership, not hand-wringing

The municipal government of Williamsport owes the Federal Transit Authority $1.4 million — and, as reports in Monday’s and Tuesday’s editions of the Sun-Gazette detail, that debt will likely increase due to interest being charged after a 30-day deadline that started Jan. 8.

The FTA’s expectations, we fear, are not unreasonable. We have often promoted tougher oversight on the spending of tax dollars — federal and state tax dollars included. Holding local government to spending grants on designated purposes is only a logical, necessary step in those efforts to prevent wasteful spending. Allowing local governments to skirt those stipulations only undermines the principle of responsible stewardship of tax revenues — even when the skirting is in our own neighborhoods many years ago, under different leadership of both the city and River Valley Transit services.

Mayor Derek Slaughter deserves considerable credit — he has spent years cautioning the city of the possibility, if not the likelihood, that grant money would have to be repaid to federal and state agencies.

Unfortunately, many in our city government — most specifically on our city council — have often been dismissive of these concerns. We hope that in the future there will be a time of reflection on why they failed to heed the mayor’s warnings.

More unfortunately, we imagine any sense of vindication Mayor Slaughter might feel to be heavily tempered with concern, even fear, for what must come next: The city has to figure out how to prepare to repay this $1.4 million sum and possibly other sizable sums, as other federal and state agencies may very well note that the lack of financial oversight years ago leaves the city unable to prove that our municipal government fulfilled the requirements and stipulations on their grant funding any more adequately.

The city cannot wait. Its government cannot dither, Hamlet-like, as this crisis emerges.

We need our leaders to proactively review the city’s budget. We need our leaders to be prepared — now, not next year and certainly not years in the future — that the efforts to address this debt will require sacrifices.

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today