Allegheny County Council passes amendment to property tax hike proposal
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Allegheny County Council is now weighing the idea of a smaller property tax hike for next year.
This comes after several members indicated that they were already going to reject Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato's plan.
Innamorato unveiled the proposal and it included a property tax increase of more than 45 percent. It would have been the county's first property tax increase in 12 years.
The proposal came with an expected backlash.
"I feel this is a terrible time to try to hammer the taxpayers of Allegheny County with a 46.5 half percent tax increase," said Republican Sam DeMarco. "I think that is outrageous. These people are already being hammered with inflation, higher grocery prices, higher gas prices."
On Tuesday night, a committee voted to cut Innamorato's proposal by roughly half.
However, despite the vote, Innamorato's office has told KDKA-TV that the council's plan is not enough. They have indicated that they will negotiate in hopes of reaching a budget that provides needed services for the county.
Help for the elderly
A portion of Executive Innamorato's budget included a 2.2 milage hike, which would help the county's elderly residents - something she put a particular focus on.
"If county council wants to talk about doing a smaller millage increase than what I proposed a month ago, services provided by the Kanes and Department of Human Services will be negatively impacted," she said.
A 2.2 millage hike means property taxes on a home assessed at $110,000 would increase by $182 a year.
"We are asking folks to call their county council members and say you support this budget, you support this investment in our older adults, you support this investment in our human services, in our Kane centers," Innamorato said.
County Council pushes back on budget
Even prior to Tuesday night's vote, the pushback to Innamorato's budget was already well underway.
Multiple council members confirmed to KDKA-TV on earlier this month that there were not enough votes to push the proposed tax increase through.
According to multiple council members, there was a straw poll at Allegheny County Council over the current 2.2 mill increase, and there were not enough votes to support it.
Despite the pushback, Innamorato and others remained steadfast in their proposal.
"Together, these investments represent not just a budget proposal, but a vision for a stronger and safer Allegheny County," Innamorato said. "This budget reflects our commitment to safeguarding every single resident, every first responder, and every community, no matter the size or resources that they have."
