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Williamsport council begins formal process to solicit bids to sell City Hall
Summary
Council authorized starting a solicitation for bids to sell City Hall, with members urging an RFP that prioritizes long-term highest-and-best use (retail/housing) rather than simply the highest price. Staff noted grant applications and digitization work are pending and the city must plan for secure relocation of records and evidence.
At the Committee of the Whole on June 23, the council discussed a resolution to solicit bids for the sale of Williamsport City Hall. The sponsor said the building is on the 2026 budget and the resolution would allow staff to open a bidding process intended to attract proposals that would rehabilitate the property and return it to productive use.
Council members emphasized several constraints that should shape any sale process. One member urged that the request for proposals be crafted to seek the "highest and best use" for the downtown — examples offered included street‑front retail or housing — rather than a narrow push to accept the highest price. The sponsor said the city solicitor confirmed the administration has discretion to include selection criteria and is not required to accept the top dollar bid alone.
Members also raised operational and records‑management concerns: an application for a grant to move records has been submitted but not yet awarded, and the city is beginning a digitization process to remove non‑secure records from City Hall. The police chief and staff warned that secure police property and evidence require a chain‑of‑custody relocation plan and that only a few authorized personnel can move those items; staff said a grant decision on evidence/property relocation is expected in early fall but that staff could move items before the grant if necessary.
Timelines discussed in committee included circulating the RFP to council before the Thursday meeting, receiving bids within roughly 30 days, a council vote on bids in August, and a potential closing as early as late September — all described as contingent on logistics such as vacating the building and grant timing. The speaker proposing the schedule noted these dates were aspirational and dependent on administration coordination.
No formal vote or final contract award was recorded in the committee discussion captured in the transcript; the resolution was presented as the first step to authorize solicitation of bids.
