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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Even before they&#8217;ve been made public, some of the options a consultant is proposing to improve city finances are causing a stir.</p><p>City council Chairwoman Beth Gilbert and city Administrator Ted Wampole agreed privatizing the ambulance and public works services as a cost-saving measure was one of the most drastic steps proposed by The PFM Group of Philadelphia.</p><p>&#8220;I stand vehemently against any privatization of any of our city services, especially as an attempt to save money,&#8221; Gilbert said by email Wednesday.</p><p>She said the city could end up paying more for services in the long run and residents could receive less than they get now.</p><p>&#8220;If privatization is on the table, then so is quality,&#8221; Gilbert reasoned.</p><p>The financial consultant hired last year for $75,000 to assist the city with developing a game plan to fix its finances under the state&#8217;s Early Intervention Program will present the options at a public meeting Thursday night at City Hall. PFM representatives, paid from the combination of a $60,000 state grant and $15,000 from the city, have appeared before council several times since December.</p><p>Gordon Mann, director of The PFM Group, said the upcoming presentation will take into account developments over the past four months, including council&#8217;s approval of a $47.1 million balanced budget for 2017.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll give an updated financial projection,&#8221; he said, adding the discussion will focus on ways to address the fiscal woes facing the city. He declined to go into detail about the presentation.</p><p>Wampole said he&#8217;s seen the options. &#8220;Some of them make sense,&#8221; he said.</p><p>The consultant is doing its job &#8212; taking a hard look at the numbers and making recommendations, according to Wampole.</p><p>No vote will be taken Thursday.</p><p>Meanwhile, another arm of PFM has been providing council with details of a bond deal to restructure the city&#8217;s debt service and repair a section of the Solomon Creek wall.</p><p>By a 3-2 vote, council approved the first of two readings of an ordinance to refinance a portion of the $86.2 million debt service and issue $5.5 million in bonds for the infrastructure project. The second vote was delayed until April 6 in order to hear the PFM presentation.</p><p>Gilbert cast one of the two votes against the ordinance and explained her opposition, saying she would like to treat the two issues separately.</p><p>&#8220;If we have to borrow money to repair Solomon Creek, then so be it,&#8221; she said. But the additional debt from the proposed restructuring would place &#8220;even further burden on the taxpayers,&#8221; said Gilbert.</p><p>Wampole reiterated the administration&#8217;s position that the short-term fix contained in the pending ordinance doesn&#8217;t go far enough to help with the city&#8217;s cash flow. The city will have to go before council in 2018 with another refinancing, he said.</p><p>&#8220;Our hope is we can get their support for a total refinancing,&#8221; Wampole said.</p><p>Gilbert would like to see council included in discussions with the administration instead of only when PFM issues a new report. &#8220;The city simply cannot function properly if city council continues to be left in the dark,&#8221; she said.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>One plan would privatize services</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p>What: Wilkes-Barre city council will hold a special public meeting on a &#8220;Presentation and Discussion of PFM&#8217;s Early Intervention Program, Menu of Options&#8221;</p><p>When: 6 p.m. Thursday</p><p>Where: City Hall, 40 E. Market St., Wilkes-Barre, fourth-floor city council chambers</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>For other local news stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/local" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

City officials say consultant to recommend ‘drastic’ options to improve Wilkes-Barre’s finances