Williamsport committee considers hiring PFM to study regional fire-service billing

Williamsport's council committee on May 26 discussed a resolution to engage PFM Group Consulting LLC to advise on how the city structures intergovernmental fire-service arrangements with South Williamsport and other nearby municipalities.

Chief Hare, who presented the item, said the work is intended to create a repeatable framework for requests for assistance and possible billing formulas. "We're looking at multiple options of how we can set this up going forward," he said, adding that the study would consider approaches such as per-capita billing or billing by area and would prevent the administration from having to "reinvent the wheel every time." He said Gordon at PFM "was integral in with the south side agreement," and that PFM has done similar work for other cities.

A committee member welcomed the proposal and urged administration to consider whether the consultant's model could be applied to other city services. "PFM does pretty great work," the member said, and suggested the city could use the same approach for policing or other service areas if feasible.

Council members asked about cost and schedule. Chief Hare said the engagement would be paid from his department's contract-and-services budget line and would be capped at $5,000. "It's not to exceed $5,000," he said. He estimated the city would have preliminary numbers in about "two to three months" to help evaluate and apply any recommended models.

The committee did not record a formal vote or amendment in the transcript; the clerk moved on to the meeting's second item, which required no discussion. The committee adjourned after a brief meeting and scheduled the next session for Thursday.