Waverly village officials continue to pursue a grant that would explore the possibility of sharing services with the Waverly Central School District, mayor Kyle McDuffee reported to the board of trustees this week.
At Tuesday's board meeting, McDuffee said he recently met with school superintendent Joseph Yelich and representatives of the local Board of Cooperative Educational Services to work toward applying for the first phase of a competitive state grant that would fund the hiring of a consultant. Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a resolution supporting the proposed project and grant application.
Officials have received quotes from four consultants who have "all kinds of great ideas," McDuffee said. "We're pretty excited about this."
The application deadline for the first phase of the Local Government Efficiency Program grant, which would provide up to $55,000 for consulting, is in mid-March, McDuffee said.
The consultant would then determine what cost-saving measures the district and village can take by consolidating business, maintenance, purchasing or other operations, a process expected to take about 18 months, McDuffee said.
Following the presentation of the consultant's recommendations, officials would then make a second grant application for the funds to implement the ideas. The grant would provide a total of up to $200,000 between the two phases.
McDuffee said the grant, if successful, would fit well with Tioga County's long-term plan to encourage the consolidation of services and would also help save taxpayer money.
McDuffee, whose term as mayor ends at the end of the month, also told trustees Tuesday that he is interested in continuing his involvement in the project following his departure from the board.
Amanda Renko can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or email: arenko@thedailyreview.com.
