Bradford City Council has agreed to pursue state assistance
through the Early Intervention program — so what comes next?
On Thursday, Mayor Tom Riel explained the first step is a
request for proposals — referred to as an RFP — from
consultants.
“We’re preparing to put out an RFP for consulting firms who have
experience with municipal government and hopefully ones who have
experience or a track record with the Early Intervention program,”
Riel said. “A list of consultants was provided by the state.”
He explained the way the program works is that a municipality
must first pass a resolution to take the necessary steps for entry
into the program, and then must seek a consultant “willing to come
in and give a once over of the city’s finances and programs.”
There are five strategies the program focuses on — reduction of
spending, enhancement of revenues, implementation of long-term
strategies for stabilizing the tax base, adoption of best
management practices to achieve operating efficiencies and the
pursuit of cost-sharing strategies with other local
governments.
Once the cost of the consultant is known, city officials apply
to the state Department of Community and Economic Development for a
grant. The city must have a 50 percent match for the cost of the
consultant.
“We’re working on coming up with our share,” Riel said. “We’re
looking for ways to fund it outside of the existing general fund.
We have to come up with the money somehow. It has to be funds we
come up with or solicit.”
The program is also dependent on a factor that’s completely out
of local control — the state budget and when it might pass. In the
past several years, the state budget has been approved late.
Riel said that might mean several things for the city.
“We could possibly be awarded the grant and not receive the
funds, or maybe not get the grant until the budget is passed,” he
theorized.
“The consensus of city council is we’d like to move forward as
quickly as possible. The issue is with funds available if we are
awarded the grant,” he said. “It could happen quickly or it could
happen later in the fall. We’d like it to happen as quickly as
possible.
“We’d like to get a consultant here to get started,” the mayor
said, explaining the ideas and recommendations could be used to
shape next year’s city budget.
