Pittsburgh City Council reviews 2027 budget, focuses on overtime, rainy day fund
PITTSBURGH —
Pittsburgh City Council is reviewing the 2027 preliminary budget and five-year plan, with discussions centered on overtime pay and the use of the rainy day fund to address the city’s financial deficit.
Council members Bobby Wilson and Erika Strassburger raised concerns about the rising costs of overtime pay.
“We have these increases in overtime throughout the years, and I know that they have a strategy this year,” Wilson said. “And I think as they continue to learn more on how to make that process more efficient for overtime, we are decreasing the amount of overtime that’s happening and we are paying just the normal rate.”
The budget also proposes using the rainy day fund to cover part of the deficit the city faces this year and in the future.
“It’s very honest about where we will be in five years if nothing changes, going down from our rainy day fund to the extent that we have nothing left,” Strassburger said.
The $728 million budget, presented by Mayor Corey O’Connor on Wednesday, includes nearly $27 million from the rainy day fund. The city projects budget deficits through 2031.
“Dipping into the reserves isn’t going to last, so I think it’s a combination of growth, cutting wasteful spending, going out and getting other partners, not just local but federal and state partners, to try and bridge those gaps,” O’Connor said.
Strassburger and Wilson expressed approval that the budget does not include tax increases or job cuts. O’Connor also highlighted that the budget allocates funding for vehicle fleets, which will address public safety concerns such as ambulances and fire trucks breaking down.
“Fleet has been a huge issue for us for a number of years, but I think going out and getting partners like Highmark and UPMC to contribute to that fleet so we can have vehicles that don’t break down,” O’Connor said. “We’ve already ordered ambulances. Fire trucks are also being ordered right now.”
The mayor will present a formal budget at the beginning of November, and public hearings will be held before the council votes on the budget by the end of the year.