Lock Haven department leaders used the city's Nov. 24 public hearing on the proposed 2026 budget to report 2025 accomplishments and outline near-term goals.

Police leaders highlighted grant-funded purchases and training opportunities that paid for new radios, in-car computers, tasers and an upgrade to a cloud-based records system (Pathfinder); staff said grants covered roughly $390,000 for radios, about $150,000 for tasers and about $64,000 for car computers. The department introduced a new officer (Landon Most) and said testing was under way for additional hires. The chief also described a planned new police station as improving evidence storage, operational efficiency and officer safety.

Parking staff explained that roughly 70% of parking costs are wages, 14% operations and the remainder is benefits; the department is exploring mobile-pay options for municipal lots and may keep meters in place during a transition. Council members pressed about clerical support and overtime assumptions; staff said overtime estimates are based on prior-year usage.

The fire chief said the Firefighter Relief Association purchased turnout gear and washing/drying equipment that saved taxpayers about $130,000. The chief also noted a need for additional life-safety educators ahead of the next ISO inspection and discussed financing options for apparatus replacement, including ten-year loans for certain apparatus.

Code enforcement staff described a new municipal permit-tracking system implemented July 1 (grant-funded through the International Code Council) that moves permit records from paper into an electronic system, allows future online permitting and creates a data feed to county GIS and assessment offices. Staff noted a retirement and part-time return of a long-serving clerk (Donna Judd) and said rental-registration compliance in a referenced area was about 42% as of Nov. 21.

Council and residents asked questions about vacant-property registration, third-party vacancy lists, staffing and how the software might reduce the need to hire a full-time clerk. Property maintenance staff said they have sent 105 notices of violation in five months and plan to target about 20 long-vacant properties for registration and follow-up; staff said the third-party vendor focuses on foreclosure/delinquency data, requiring local walk-through work to identify long-term vacant properties.

The budget hearing was closed after the presentations and the council returned to unfinished business.