BANGOR - The city of Bangor is now in the process of hiring a consultant to look at the Public Safety Department’s budget.

That decision was made last night by the City Council in an effort to find ways to improve both the police and fire departments, which, combined, received more than $1-million in overtime this past year. Councilors say, despite that budget, the money isn’t their major concern; they just want to ensure the departments are running as smoothly as possible. At this point, there is no time frame or specific budget that the council is looking at. Councilors do expect to include both the police and fire departments in any decisions they ultimately make on who to hire for the consultation.