Pittsburgh City Council on Monday approved an $844.7 million budget for 2024, with few changes from Mayor Ed Gainey’s original proposed spending plan.
The new budget includes $686 million for operating expenses and about $158.7 million for capital projects. It is about $5.5 million more than Mr. Gainey’s first draft budget, with no tax increases.
This budget “continues to move forward our goals of making Pittsburgh the safest, most welcoming city in America, where everyone who lives and works can thrive,” Mr. Gainey said in a statement Monday . “These long-term investments into the future of our city are critical for our vision for Pittsburgh.”
Mr. Gainey highlighted some of the investments being made, including millions of dollars for bridge rehabilitation and traffic calming.
Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said Monday that she had “a lot of concerns” about passing the budget, and that there were some portions of it she was “anxious” about supporting.
Ms.Kail-Smith opposed a piece of the budget that will set the number of city police officers at 850, rather than the previously budgeted 900. The city hasn’t had 900 officers in a number of years, as retirement and resignations outpace new recruits.
Jake Pawlak, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said during budget hearings that because the city won’t reach that 900 level in 2024, officials were lowering the budgeted number to use the money elsewhere.
Ms. Kail-Smith also voted against legislation that would approve $1 million to retire medical debt for city residents, something that was initially proposed in last year’s budget discussions.
“In many ways, this budget is a continuation of investments that were made last year to ensure that we’re investing in rebuilding the city’s core capabilities to deliver services,” Mr. Pawlak said last month.
The 2024 budget doesn’t include any investment in new capital projects, in an effort to complete ones that have already started. That’s also meant to pad the city’s savings ahead of what could be leaner years.
By the end of 2024, all federal COVID-19 relief funding must be under contract. It must be completely spent by the end of 2026. Additionally, the city will see an increase in its fixed debt payments in 2025 and 2026. Current projections show the city is estimated to bring in only $3 million more than it spends in those years. In 2023, the city’s revenues were about $40.2 million more than expenses.
Mr. Pawlak has said the Gainey administration is “confident” it has “adequately prepared” for any financial shortfalls that may be coming.
The 2024 budget also includes a 7% pay raise for City Council members. The nine members made about $81,000 each in 2023, and the raise will put their salaries at about $87,000. When the city was under state budgetary oversight, Council members did not take cost of living raises.
“For the failure to take the cost of living adjustment for over a decade, everyone can see that you make a considerably smaller amount than all the other city employees, any other director or any other elected official,” Dan Friedson, Council’s lawyer, said last week.
Though the budget is approved, Council still has to vote on a fee schedule to determine how much residents pay for things like pavilion rentals and permits.
Hallie Lauer: hlauer@post-gazette.com
First Published: December 18, 2023, 6:54 p.m.
Updated: December 19, 2023, 10:51 a.m.
