PITTSBURGH —
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato unveiled her proposed 2027 budget to council members Tuesday night, outlining a $3 billion plan that avoids tax increases and layoffs while addressing key funding priorities.
The operating budget totals approximately $1.25 billion, reflecting a 4.7% increase compared to this year.
“If you remove the one-time $10 million payment for a 2010 bond issuance, and $21 million we spend to draw down state DHS and juvenile probation funding, the operating increase is actually only 2%,” Innamorato said. “So what that means is that the majority of our departments across the county are actually receiving flat funding, or a slight decrease.”
The budget proposal includes $9 million in savings by eliminating 150 vacant positions. It also allocates additional funding for housing, eviction prevention, the county jail, and the Department of Human Services.
“There are many factors outside of our control that are driving up costs for the county,” Innamorato said.
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Council members expressed relief over the absence of tax increases and layoffs, particularly after a significant property tax hike in 2025.
“Obviously, you’re happy any year in which you don’t have a tax increase, but you have no layoffs throughout the county,” said District 5 Council Representative Dan Grzybek.
“This is a time when we really want to make sure that all of the residents have the ability and more money in their pocket to pay those utility costs and grocery bills and other needs that come across their plate every day,” Council President Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis said.
Despite the positive aspects of the budget, council members raised concerns about potential impacts from federal legislation, including reductions to Medicaid funding that could affect county services.
“Making sure that we can do whatever we can in the county to utilize DHS to meet where those holes are without having a ballooning cost in DHS is something that I’m going to be really looking at in the budget,” Grzybek said.
Additionally, council members noted the need to address the county’s underfunded pension system, which could require $100 million annually in additional funding starting next year.
The budget now moves to committee, where council members can propose changes. A final vote is expected later this fall, with the budget set to take effect on Jan. 1.
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