The Authority That Wouldn’t Die!!!

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The Mayor just appointed City Council's most junior member to the board of the Stadium Authority, an Authority that was created in 1965 to "provide increased commerce and prosperity, and to promote cultural, physical, civic, social, and moral welfare to the general public". No doubt its role as the owner of Thr [...]

Pennsylvania Policies Increasingly out of Touch

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Notwithstanding its incredibly good fortune in being the home of vast natural gas deposits that are propelling much of the economic growth being experienced currently, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is losing its ability to compete for capital and jobs. The state has antiquated and seriously inadequate laws regarding property assessmen [...]

Right to Work Enters Rust Belt

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

A few days before the "Big Game" the state of Indiana is poised to become the first rust belt state to enact a Right to Work law. Both houses of the state legislature have passed the bill and it now goes to the Governor for his action. Indiana would be the 23rd state in the union to be a Right to Work state.

A Microcosm of Tax Policy

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

A newspaper article over the weekend provided an in-depth and interesting take on what it means to homeowners who have their street split down the middle between two taxing jurisdictions. In this case the purpose of pointing out the split is the looming reassessment in Allegheny County, with new values expected to take eff [...]

Effects of Merger up in the Air

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

No, we're not talking about a City-County merger: that idea has not surfaced since the 2008 Nordenberg report was unveiled and got a lukewarm response. Nor are we referring to the proposed idea of the County Executive to create a SEPTA 2.0 in southwestern Pennsylvania out of PAT and other regional carriers: when the Exec traveled to Ha [...]

County Exec Asking Legislature for Increased PAT Funding

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The newly installed County Exec, after declaring he would be leading the charge in PAT labor negotiations, has made his way to Harrisburg to lobby for more funds for all but bankrupt Port Authority. He will argue that the looming $64 million deficit and the cuts in service it will require could have serious negative effects on the region's econom [...]

The Starting Point for the New PAT Contract

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The County Executive has stated he will be the driver of the bus, so to speak, on the next PAT contract, noting that he's "going to be leading the charge". The current four year contract between PAT and the ATU rank and file expires June 30th (first level supervisors expires July 31st). Seems like only yesterday the current l [...]

A Look at the Local Housing Market

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

In light of the reassessment-delayed until 2013 when new values will be fully implemented-and the County's 21% 1 mill tax increase-to go into effect immediately and to be paid on the upcoming tax bill-it is worth noting that the median home sale price in Allegheny County rose 43% over the last eleven years from $84k in 2000 to $120k in [...]

Where Do Proposed Cuts Stand Historically?

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The Port Authority (PAT) unveiled its plans for service reductions this week, noting that if actions are not taken to close a $64 million budget gap a cut in service that would lower the number of bus and trolley routes from 102 to 56.

If it seems like familiar territory, it should.

"Despite an estimated $320 million of other post-employment benefit liabilities for health care and life insurance as of January 1, 2006, the City has only funded these benefits on an annual basis when they are actually due to former employees who have already retired". That is how Recommendation PN03 of the 2009 ame [...]

Convention Equilibrium Still Off

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

We wrote a decade ago about the new convention center and where it stood in terms of national context: as Pittsburgh was expanding so too were many other cities. When the dust settled convention center square footage was up 41% among the top fifty markets. Convention demand, on the other hand, fell rapidly and was u [...]

It’s Like 2005 All Over Again

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Yesterday Judge Wettick essentially said "keep going, but let's slow down" when he allowed for a one year delay in the implementation of the 2012 assessed values until 2013. The ruling dealt with the Pittsburgh Public Schools-the district that was moved to the front last year so that the budget and tax rates would be ready to g [...]

The Year without a Strike…Almost

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Pennsylvania is the perennial leader in teacher strikes among the small group of states that actually permit them. But the 2011-12 school year was shaping up to be something of a rarity: a school year without a strike. The first months of the school year came and went and there were no strikes until the Neshaminy School Distri [...]

Fitzgerald: Emperor Wannabe or Ignorant of How Separation of Power Works

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

In his latest rhetorical foray into governmental theory and structure, Allegheny County's Executive dismisses the role of the judiciary and attempts to arrogate unto himself and Council exclusive rights to determine how much property owners will pay in taxes and on what basis those taxes will be determined. This most recent denigration of [...]

So, What Does the ICA Want the City to Do?

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Two days before this past Christmas a letter was hand-delivered to the Mayor noting that the 2012 budget "fail[ed] to reflect the conditions for approval that the ICA has required". Those conditions were threefold: first, to adopt a strategic capital plan, which would be important given the fact that the City has not issued [...]

The Effects of a Reassessment Delay

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

If you are happy with your assessment and might see your real estate tax bill stay the same or fall as a result of the new numbers, you will have to wait until 2013 to reap the benefits. That's the message delivered by Judge Wettick based on yesterday's news that he may be open to delaying the implementation of the new ass [...]

A Look at the County’s Pension System

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

In mid-December the County's Retirement Board voted to increase contributions to the retirement system by one percentage point to 8%. This was the second annual increase to the contribution level (it went to 7% effective January 1, 2011), one that had been at 6% since 2003. But this boost does not just affect employees of the C [...]

The Recent History of Assessments in PA

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

As is well known by now, Allegheny County mailed out its assessment notices to owners in the City of Pittsburgh and Mt. Oliver, beginning the process of its first reassessment since 2002. What may also be known, but has not gotten as much attention, is that Washington County is currently in Commonwealth Court over their pl [...]

A New Sheriff in Town

info@alleghenyinstitute.org — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100

With a letter rescinding its approval of Pittsburgh's 2012 budget, the ICA (oversight board) has sent a strong signal of its unwillingness to continue business as usual vis-à-vis the board's relationship with City administrators. The ICA board membership has been reshaped in recent months with two appointments who replaced outgoing m [...]

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