Chief says grant-funded Bearcat would cost city insurance and routine maintenance; committee presses on cost-sharing and use
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Summary
Chief Justin Ottaviano told the committee a grant will cover the $353,529 Lenco Bearcat purchase and that the city’s only expected costs are insurance (estimated $1,700–$3,000/year) and routine maintenance. Council members probed how often the vehicle would be used, cost-sharing for the multi-jurisdiction CERT team, and whether the asset would benefit only Williamsport.
Chief Justin Ottaviano presented a resolution on March 31 to accept a Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development grant to purchase a 2026 Lenco Bearcat armored vehicle, which he said has a purchase cost of $353,529 and is sponsored by state officials. Ottaviano emphasized the grant covers the purchase and that the city’s direct costs would be limited to insurance (initially estimated at about $3,000 but later revised in discussion to $1,700–$2,000 annually) and routine maintenance.
Ottaviano described multiple recent high‑risk incidents where an armored vehicle would have reduced response time and risk to officers, and he said the Bearcat is also useful in flood and rescue scenarios because it is built on a heavy-duty chassis. He stressed the vehicle is intended to support patrol operations as much as the CERT team and that in recent months he estimated approximately 40 incidents where a Bearcat could have been used.
Council members raised questions about where ongoing costs would fall, given that some CERT responses occur outside city limits; Ottaviano said most recent incidents described were within Williamsport but did acknowledge mutual‑aid participation from nearby municipalities and Penn College officers. One council member requested that, once the vehicle arrives this fall, staff provide a report on usage and the split between CERT and city-specific deployments. No formal committee vote was recorded in the transcript.
