Pittsburgh council sets weekend meeting for people to comment on 2021 budget
Dozens of Pittsburgh residents who have provided Pittsburgh City Council with comments on the 2021 budget have lamented when the meetings are generally scheduled – on weekday mornings.
They’ve said many more people would offer input on the budget and what programs people would like to see the city prioritize if the meetings were at a more convenient time.
In response to that, council has scheduled a virtual public hearing at 1:30 p.m. Saturday for residents to provide input on the 2021 budget.
To register to speak @ Dec 19 council public hearing, use the Speaker Signuo form on https://t.co/OYjV3Irsp0#citycouncil #councilmeetings #councilchamber #pittsburgh #pgh #publichearings #cityclerksoffice #ccb #postagendas #cablecast pic.twitter.com/wa7mIqFb2b
— City Clerk's Office (@CityClerk_Pgh) December 17, 2020
“We wanted to hold something so the public could feel they had time to speak,” council President Theresa Kail-Smith said.
People can register to speak by filling out a form here. They can register until noon Saturday and can watch the meeting on the city’s YouTube channel.
The 2021 budget of $564 million doesn’t increase taxes and will require the city to lay off more than 630 people unless it receives $26 million in federal aid for coronavirus relief.
Such aid has been lobbied for by Mayor Bill Peduto and has been in some relief proposals in Congress.
The comments from residents that council has received thus far have mainly involved calls to cut the proposed police department budget of $111 million by 50%, something council members have said it can’t legally do.
The comments people have made during the public meetings have been different from the message some residents have provided to council through phone calls and emails, Kail-Smith said, where some people have said they police department shouldn’t be cut.
“There definitely are people with concerns we can and should address,” Kail-Smith said.
Council members has said the budget process may be changed next year to allow for more resident involvement and to give council itself more time to debate the makeup of the spending plan.
People can also comment before the 10 a.m. meeting Monday when council is set to adopt the budget.
Tom Davidson is a TribLive news editor. He has been a journalist in Western Pennsylvania for more than 25 years. He can be reached at tdavidson@triblive.com.
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