In a budget address to Pittsburgh City Council that lasted more than an hour and a half, Mayor Ed Gainey spent little time talking about the proposed 2025 budget itself.
Instead, Gainey, who faces re-election next year, used much of the speech to highlight his achievements over the nearly three years he’s been in charge. He spotlighted the priorities of his administration, focusing on issues like downtown revitalization, the Public Works and Public Safety departments, and investments in infrastructure and transportation.
And while he acknowledged towards the end of the speech that the city faced a couple of lean years in the near future, he said he would build off those earlier efforts.
“Two tough years will not stop us from continuing our mission of rebuilding your government and making it deliver for you,” Gainey said.
The 2025 draft budget includes planned increases in anti-litter inspector positions, deployment of the automated red light enforcement program, and continued investment in bridge repair.
The mayor allocated only a small portion of the speech to talking about the city’s expected financial strain in the next two years, a period in which finances will be constrained by a spike in debt payments and the end of federal COVID-19 relief. He also said little about the question marks surrounding the city’s police bureau, which has faced a long-term decline in staffing and, more recently, the sudden departure of its police chief, Larry Scirotto.
“Despite the recent retirement of our outstanding former chief, I remain confident in the bureau,” Gainey said. “I know that under the leadership of Acting Chief Chris Ragland, we will continue to work together and complete the work that we have started.”
Gainey did say he would continue efforts to "civilianize" some administrative positions in the bureau, a move that would free up more officers to work on the streets. And he focused on improvements that have been made in public safety and violence intervention since he took office. He noted that homicides and fatal shootings are 43% lower than they were at the same point in 2021, the year before he became mayor.
During a press gaggle after the speech, Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak noted that the budget does not currently have money set aside for another national police search, as was done to find Scirotto. Scirotto stepped down at the beginning of the month after initially announcing a return to refereeing NCAA college basketball in his off hours.
“The decision about the police chief is the mayor’s to make, and he’s not made that decision yet,” Pawlak said. “There aren’t resources in the budget plan as proposed today for a search like the one we did last time.”
Pawlak said the budget proposal discussed Tuesday contains some adjustments to revenue projections. which he said were related to changes to city permitting fees. But he said otherwise the numbers are largely the same as those in a preliminary budget draft that was released in September.
“The core of the mayor’s proposal, which is preserving the investments that he’s proposed in the last two budgets and building on that work where we can under these circumstances, is really what you heard the Mayor address today," Pawlak said.
Gainey’s speech touted affordable housing initiatives, including a suite of zoning amendments, set to be discussed by Council in the coming months, that would remove some obstacles to building new housing, while also increasing requirements for affordable housing through inclusionary zoning.
Not all council members were enthusiastic. Councilor Bob Charland was particularly unhappy with the lack of discussion of “how we’re going to clean up the city or find solutions for homelessness in 2025.”
“Mayor Gainey must have thought his campaign announcement did not get enough attention, because that is the only reason why, in a yearly budget address, we’re hearing about initiatives from years ago,” Charland said.
Councilor Theresa Kail Smith said she looks forward to asking questions during the upcoming budget hearings. She’s concerned about public safety and capital projects.
“All public safety is concerning to me at this point, including with the smaller numbers of EMS and police, and where we are with fire. And equipment is always concerning also,” she said. She said she hopes to hear more about how the budget will benefit the West End of the city, which she represents.
City Controller Rachael Heisler said that she wishes the mayor had talked more about the future of city finances during the presentation. She noted she supports several of Gainey's projects, like the Vision Zero traffic safety initiative, the return of in-person permit applications, and stronger safety protections.
"As we monitor the evolving fiscal landscape, it's critical to recognize potential revenue shortfalls amid uncertainties surrounding real estate taxes, earned income taxes, and the facility usage fee," she said.
"By carefully managing expenditures and exploring alternative revenue sources, we can help safeguard the city’s fiscal health while providing essential services. The Controller's Office will collaborate with all City departments to address both immediate needs and long-term sustainability, ensuring these investments promote a safe, inclusive, and resilient Pittsburgh.”
