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We have concerns about the study outlining options for how Williamsport's government can address City Hall.
As reported in this past weekend's edition, the costs of renovating the building at 245 W. Fourth St. are high and the costs of replacing that building with a newly constructed building or newly purchased building are higher still.
Of course, with the cost of living and other excessive taxes and spending at the federal and state levels, any set of scenarios where the city could take on anywhere from $28 million to $65 million in additional expenses is troubling.
What we also find troubling is the lack of discussion on what the costs of modifying the offices the city has now been using to house government functions for years so that they can permanently serve as city offices would be.
Again, these locations, owned by the city or by entities under the city government's ultimate purview, have been meeting the needs of constituents and staff for years already.
They may not meet the needs of constituents and staff perfectly -- but renovations and adaptation of the buildings could further address that.
We do not find the assertion that our city government needs to be consolidated in one location, to be compelling. Our county government is not centralized either, having offices even in different municipalities, and we have never heard frustrations about any inconveniences that causes.
It remains possible that retrofitting the currently used offices would not be that much cheaper -- or cheaper at all -- than renovating the building at 245 W. Fourth St. In that case it would likelt make more sense to renovate the building at 245 W. Fourth St. and to consider selling the offices and buildings currently in use instead.
Ultimately we still believe the more responsible course is to find the option that allows the greatest opportunities to avoid tax increases and commits the largest percentages of our city's future budgets to truly vital public services, such as parks and police.
Part of accepting that responsibility is cast the net as wide and far as possible to keep the expenses of offices for administrative staff as low as possible.