Environmental and health groups and a Pittsburgh councilman told the Allegheny County Board of Health yesterday that its embattled Air Quality Program should continue under local control and get the staffing and resources needed to do the job.

"A county air program allows for more local input and for putting the public back in public health issues," Jessica Seabury, director of the Consumer Health Coalition, told the board.

City Councilman William Peduto, in a statement read by his spokesman, Dan Gilman, said the county needs a local program to ensure the clean air and water resources that are "a necessary part of developing a new economy for the 21st century."

The statements of support for the program ended a Board of Health meeting dominated by the kinds of air pollution permitting issues central to criticisms leveled by county Chief Executive Dan Onorato, county administrators and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

Critics have said the program takes too long to issue air pollution permits and have questioned the need for local pollution rules tougher than state regulations.

One option discussed by Mr. Onorato is turning over all or some of the county air program to the state Department of Environmental Protection. He has ordered a full-scale review of the 50-year-old county program and county environmental regulations. That program review, which has not been a public process, is expected to be finished by the end of the month.

Myron Arnowitt, state director for Clean Water Action, said discussions and decisions about the fate of the county program should not be happening behind closed doors.

"Policy committee meetings that are not advertised to the public are not the proper place to have those discussions," Mr. Arnowitt said. "If the board intends to take action, I hope it will institute a public process for evaluating the program and steps it will take to make a decision."

All of the groups and Mr. Peduto urged the health board to hold public hearings.

Rebecca Morris-Chatta, assistant solicitor for the air program, reported that the program is doing a good job on installation permits needed by companies to build new facilities or expand existing factories. But it hasn't had staffing to keep up with issuing operating permits to companies that show they can meet permit emission limits.

She said the average time for issuing an installation permit fell from 183 days in 2006 to 104 days in 2007, with the quickest permit issued in 47 days.

"So I believe we've answered the concern about getting the permits out and issued, and I'd like to see us go forward with the necessary resources," Ms. Morris-Chatta said.

Kathryn Klaber, executive vice president of the Allegheny Conference, pointed to the backlog of 197 operating permits, some 10 or 12 years old, that are awaiting issuance as evidence that the program still has problems.

"We think the program owes more to the residents and more to businesses," Ms. Klaber said. "When you add up all the factors, we think the state agency is doing a better job than the county [air program]."

At least eight employees have left the program in recent months, including Roger Westman, the longtime manager who chose to retire rather than accept a reorganization of the program's administration. Mr. Onorato has frozen hiring while the review is under way.

To address the operating permit backlog, all but nine of which are for companies classified as "minor" pollution sources, the board appropriated $500,000 from the county's Clean Air Fund to hire an outside contractor to do the reviews. Money in the fund comes from fines and penalties paid by companies for air pollution violations.

Jim Thompson, the air program's interim manager, said the appropriation will cover about 18 months and half the work. He predicted another $500,000 or more will be needed to finish the job.

The $1 million plus that will eventually be paid to consultants would be enough to pay the annual salaries and benefits of six to eight full-time engineering positions in the program.

"We have a local air quality program with decades worth of experience in dealing with our unique air shed, we have specially developed regulations that speak to local sources of pollution, and we have an open public participation structure," said Michael Parker, legal director for the Group Against Smog and Pollution.

"The county should think carefully," Mr. Parker continued, "before making any decisions that could result in a backsliding in enforcement or create an obstacle to citizen involvement."