7 day forecast
One oversight board seeks Pittsburgh's release from distressed status
Share with others:
One of Pittsburgh's financial oversight boards has requested that the city be released from eight years of oversight.
Dean Kaplan and Jim Roberts, who lead the Act 47 team, made the request in a letter Friday to C. Alan Walker, secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
The department has the authority to decide whether to release the city from Act 47, the oversight law, which has limited spending, required personnel cutbacks and intruded on the city's independence since 2004.
"Today, Pittsburgh has a structurally balanced operating budget with recurring revenues consistently outpacing expenditures," Mr. Kaplan and Mr. Roberts said in the letter.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl previously called for an end to oversight and supports the Act 47 team's request, his spokeswoman, Joanna Doven said.
The end of Act 47 oversight would not affect the operation of a second oversight board, the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, which approves city budgets, controls the city's share of gaming revenue and has prodded the city on management issues. That board was established by the Legislature and governor to provide an additional layer of oversight.
Ms. Doven said a public meeting on the Act 47 team's request will be held later this month.
First Published October 10, 2012 11:51 am
