On Oct. 7, Allegheny County’s chief executive presented the 2026 Comprehensive Fiscal Plan (Plan), outlining proposed spending for operations, capital projects and grants the county receives. The grand total comes to $2.96 billion.
From 2020 through 2024, the operating budget proposed by the chief executive was the amount eventually approved by County Council.
Last year, the 2025 Plan proposed an expenditure amount of $1.2 billion and a property tax increase. Spending would have grown 14 percent and the property tax rate would have increased 46.5 percent. After the council’s pushback, the tax increase was reduced to 36 percent and the spending proposal from $1.2 billion to $1.17 billion (2.1 percent lower). Proponents said the proposed tax increase, along with a boost in the homestead exemption, would only cost a median value homeowner an additional $15.21 per month. The median value homeowner is now paying an additional $13.09 a month. The hike led to a commitment from the executive and the council to work through the year on cost savings.
| Year | Proposed Operating Budget ($, millions) | Approved Operating Budget ($, millions) | % Change from Prior Year |
| 2020 | $959.8 | $959.8 | 2.9 |
| 2021 | $942.5 | $942.5 | -1.8 |
| 2022 | $990.6 | $990.6 | 5.1 |
| 2023 | $1,019.9 | $1,019.9 | 2.9 |
| 2024 | $1,054.6 | $1,054.6 | 3.4 |
| 2025 | $1,200.0 | $1,174.5 | 13.9/11.3 |
| 2026 | $1,192.0 | n/a | 1.5/n/a |
The press release on the Plan notes “[t]he administration found $15 million in cost savings for next year through a variety of measures” including contract renegotiations; examining benefits for spouses and dependents; getting rid of vacant positions, a fraction of which were funded; examining rent;, and managing nurse contracts at the Kane Regional Centers.
It is probably safe to assume there won’t be a slight decrease in the property tax rate as a result. The Plan notes “[b]ecause of the successful cost-saving measures we’ve been engaging in all year, we are able to invest in several important initiatives for the County in the 2026 budget.” A departmental reorganization and a labor-relations-type office stand out. That will cost money and may be a duplicative function offered at the state level.
What level of scrutiny will County Council place on this budget? If the attitude is that if property taxes aren’t going to increase it is smooth sailing, then it is hard to expect a lot of scrutiny. But if the attitude is that the $15 million in savings is a small start and ought to be built upon by avoiding the creation of new functions and restrained spending growth ought to be the norm, this budget needs a very close look.
