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DA Closes Oversight Board Investigation

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More than a year after documents and records were seized by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, the DA and the PA Attorney General’s office have determined that there will not be any criminal charges filed against the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (oversight board) or its former executive director.  The authority board opted not to renew the contract of the executive director effective May 31, 2016.

Since that time the General Assembly passed and the Governor signed legislation making changes to some of the procedures of the oversight board.  In April the current director noted that the DA’s investigation delayed the completion of 2015 and 2016 financial audits required by the revised legislation to be done by end of calendar year.  Presumably the announcement by the DA’s office today will move that process along.

In the announcement the DA noted several concerns he had with the ICA: one being “the lack of proper oversight of the operations of the ICA”.  We noted in a 2016 Brief  that the audits required under the 2004 law were nowhere to be found.  In that piece we offered several suggestions related to oversight and monitoring of authorities (the DA’s announcement also mentioned the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority) including having staff in each legislative chamber be responsible for monitoring compliance with reporting from authorities back to the General Assembly; for elected officials making appointments to authorities to demand reporting from their appointees; and for appointees to read and understand the statute creating the authority so as to know the purpose and responsibilities of it.

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Allegheny Institute
Allegheny Institute

The Allegheny Institute is a non-profit research and education organization. Our mission is to defend the interests of taxpayers, citizens and businesses against an increasingly burdensome and intrusive government.

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