PITTSBURGH —
Allegheny County voters will decide in the Nov. 3 election whether county council members should be granted access to benefits, personal staff and offices, which are currently prohibited under the Home Rule Charter.
“The ballot question asks whether members of county council should be able to have fringe benefits, such as health insurance, and personal staff and offices. Right now, the Home Rule Charter, which is kind of the Allegheny County Constitution, defines that they cannot have those things,” said Ruth Quint, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh.
A “yes” vote would mean agreeing that council members should have access to funding for personal staff, local district offices, and fringe benefits, including health and life insurance, pensions, and personal motor vehicles. A “no” vote would maintain the current restrictions under the Home Rule Charter.
“People who are for passing this change argue that it would give them more ability to be a check and balance on the executive branch of Allegheny County government,” Quint said.
She added, “People that are against it would say a couple of things. One is just it would cost more money, although there is no money added in this amendment, there’s no nothing added to the budget that would take a separate vote. They’re saying that that’s the way the Allegheny County Charter was written. And in order to change the Allegheny County Charter, we should wait for the recommendations of the Government Review Commission, which is meeting right now and will report in November.”