A near-unanimous Allegheny County Council approved County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’sproposed 2023 budgets on Tuesday after making a few amendments. The passage marks the 11th consecutive year with no increase in the county’s property tax.
For the first time in county history, just more than $1 billion is allocated in next year's spending plan. That represents a 2.9% increase from the 2022 budget. According to Fitzgerald, most of the increase is due to rising personnel expense.
“Over the past week, there have been several amendments offered to the proposed 2023 operating budget,” Fitzgerald said in a statement after the budget was passed. “With tonight’s passage of the bill, we will … begin reviewing the changes to determine next steps and to ensure that any amendments are in the best interest of county taxpayers.”
During a budget and finance committee meeting at the end of November, Democrat Bethany Hallam introduced amendments to add a position to the housing court help desk, create an “I voted” sticker contest modeled after theviral Ulster County, New York contest, and allocate an additional $2.8 million for the Community College of Allegheny County.
All three amendments made it into the final operating budget. But a fourth — to pull about $4.7 million from the county’s fund balance to increase the salaries of public defenders, as well as staff in the district attorney’s office and other justice-related offices — was defeated.
The United Steelworkers, which represents those employees,reached a tentative agreement with Allegheny County late last week. The deal includessalary increases and improved working conditions, but members still have to ratify the contract.
Councilor Dewitt Walton sponsored an amendment to reverse' Hallam's $4.7 million increase. He said the county will be obligated to pay union members according to the terms of the contract.
“This amendment is not designed or intended to be anti-worker,” Walton said, noting that he’s a former staffer of the United Steelworkers. “It has no negative impact on the compensation adjustments that are there in the [tentative agreement].”
Some council members shared concerns about drawing down the county’s fund balance, which can be used to offset future budget shortfalls. Financial experts generally recommend governments maintain a fund balance ofat least 5% of operating revenues.
Democrat Tom Duerr cautioned against using the general fund for repeat expenses.
“If these expenses are to be used for salary increases, we will have to come back next year and dip into the general fund again to satisfy those increases,” he said.
“Going into the rainy-day fund just willy-nilly, thinking that that’s something that everybody should do — that is going to open doors for the 27 other collective bargaining units in the county to come to us personally and say, ‘You did it for these guys, why not do it for us?’” said Republican Suzanne Filiaggi. “[The county has] said there’s money, you’re going to get your money.”
Hallam pushed back, noting that the tentative agreement was reached after the budget was written.
“If there is enough money in the currently proposed, unamended budget, then show me where it’s coming from. Show me where it is. Show me what you’re cutting instead,” Hallam said.
In a statement, county spokeswoman Amie Downs said, “[W]e have a more than $1 billion operating budget and are confident that with the appropriations available and processes in place that we will meet the financial terms of this agreement along with the dozens of other agreements we have with all of our unionized employees.”
Democrat Jack Betkowski was the lone “no” vote on the operating budget, saying it is a “moral document” that didn’t accurately reflect his priorities for the county, like fully funding the district attorney’s office and public defenders.
Still, the public defender’s office will get $665,741 more than it did last year, and the district attorney’s office will receive $1,040,878 more — increases in the 4-to-5 percent range.
Under the spending plan, the county’snewly created Department of Sustainability will receive $814,060.
A separately approved$84.4 million capital budget will finance 53 longer-term infrastructure and capital improvement projects. Those include the continued restoration of the Roberto Clemente/6th Street Bridge as well as building upgrades at the county jail and its Kane Community Living Centers.
Council also approved $1.77 billion in grants mostly from a federal coronavirus aid package, as well as other federal, state and other grants – including the county’s share of a statewide settlement with opioid manufacturers that the county expects to spend in 2023.
