Weatherly and Packer Township seem to be getting closer to a deal to continue funding Citizens' Fire Company No. 1.

The two sides have been discussing a contract for several months.On Monday, at borough council's monthly meeting, the board was one vote shy of approving a three-year agreement, but decided to send back a modified contract to the township's board of supervisors."We have something special here. I think it's an advantage working with Packer on the fire department, because once we make that deal, we can work together as a team," mayor/council President Thomas Connors said.Citizens' Fire Company, based in Weatherly, has provided fire service to neighbor Packer for decades. For many years the borough billed Packer for the service, but for three years (2012-2015) they did not.However, this would be the first contract confirming the relationship.The two sides already agree on the base cost of the contract, which would increase from $14,000 to $18,000 over about three years, but they are still working out how to cover three years of payments that were missed."When two parties have an issue, you can't blame one. A bill wasn't sent all those years," Connors said.Packer Township supervisor Sue Ann Gerhard said she proposed cutting in half the roughly $20,000 owed by the township to the borough for 2012-2015, because neither side noticed the oversight.That idea came to a vote, but council split. Connors, Joseph Cyburt and George Miller voted in favor of the contract.Cecilia Gower, Harold Farrow and Norman Richie said they were in favor of a plan where Packer took care of the entire unpaid balance over the course of five years.Ultimately, council compromised. They voted to send the contract back to Packer - asking them to pay approximately $12,000 of the $20,000 that is owed.