Amid proposed property tax increase debate, Innamorato says cuts would be "catastrophic" to Allegheny County
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato outlined her budget initiatives on Wednesday.
Chief among them is a proposed property tax increase, but it is still under debate how much of an increase will happen. Some members of Allegheny County Council argue Innamorato's proposal is too high, but she said anything less could be catastrophic.
People who own property in Allegheny County pay taxes that pay for things like county parks, staffing at the county jail and running the courthouse, among others. Over the last several years, a lot of that money came from special federal and state funds. But Innamorato says it's time to be "clear-eyed about the reality that we're facing."
"A structural deficit doesn't happen overnight," she said. "We've gone 12 years without raising property taxes in Allegheny County."
Neighboring counties have raised taxes over the years. Westmoreland County raised property taxes by 32.5 percent last year. Innamorato's budget has a 46.5 percent raise, which converts to an increase of 2.2 mills. In practical numbers, an average Allegheny County house valued at $110,400 would pay $182 more per year.
Some on Allegheny County Council agree on the need for a tax increase, but they are against a property tax increase of 2.2 mills.
"We architected a memo with our budget director and our county manager, and it showed that the cuts would be absolutely catastrophic to the county," Innamorato said. "There would be mass layoffs, including layoffs of police, complete decimation of our parks department."
She went on to list closing the pools, potentially closing the Kane facilities and many other examples.
All of her proposals will ultimately come down to a vote. For Innamorato to get her 2.2 mill increase, 10 of the 15 council members have to agree and agree within the next few weeks when the vote will be taken.