Second 2025 Budget Hearing: Community College of Allegheny County and Court of Common Pleas (October 28, 2024)

This hearing, held on October 28, 2024, was the second of three public hearings on Allegheny County's 2025 budget. The county council received presentations and testimony on the proposed budgets for the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) and the Court of Common Pleas (Fifth Judicial District). Public comment was taken at the beginning and again after the CCAC presentation.

Public Comments & Testimony

• First public commenter (name not given) strongly opposed a millage increase, stating "high taxes kill a community's potential" and called for massive spending cuts, including freezing hiring, limiting salaries to $100,000, cutting benefits, and reviewing all contracts. He questioned the role of county government in CCAC, the health department, and the jail, and argued that austerity is necessary before discussing new revenue.
• Bernard Up Mosey (Beach View) advocated taxing the top five non-profit organizations (UPMC, AGH, universities) that own over 47% of tax-exempt property, calling for a 50% tax on them. He also criticized the county executive and voted for council member Sarah but felt she had changed. He raised concerns about voting machines and hospital patients being denied the right to vote.
• A later public commenter (name not given) spoke about the Health Department budget, urging the council to increase permit fees on U.S. Steel to make the air program self-sustaining. He noted U.S. Steel spent $1.6 million on lobbying in 2024 (including $420,000 in the last quarter), while a fee increase of $50,000 per facility would cost the company only about $150,000 total. He argued the fight is about control, not money.

Discussion Items

• Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC): President Dr. Bullock and Vice President Connie Dyer presented the budget. Key points:
  • CCAC's mission is to provide affordable access to quality education. For every dollar spent, students gain $4.70, taxpayers gain $2.50, and society gains $9.50.
  • Student demographics: 54% women, 46% men; 67% part-time; 37% ethnic minority; 79% graduate debt-free; 82% of graduates live and work in the region.
  • Enrollment is recovering post-pandemic; fall 2024 headcount was 10,522 (down 0.37% from goal), with 23.4% of goal reached for full-time equivalents.
  • Operating budget for 2024-25 is $114.986 million (7.2% increase over 2023-24), plus $9.714 million capital. County contribution requested is $35.3 million (13.6% increase from $31.1 million). CCAC remains the lowest-cost community college in Pennsylvania at $1,890 per semester for full-time in-county tuition.
  • They described various workforce development programs, including nursing (100% NCLEX pass rate), CDL, paramedic, fire vest (498 volunteer firefighters received scholarships), and a new culinary institute and robotics lab at the Center for Education, Innovation and Training.
  • In response to council questions: CCAC did not budget for a 46% property tax increase; they were not asked to propose cuts. If county funding were reduced by 10%, they would need to review programs and personnel. They do not consider their budget wasteful. Asked about tuition increases, Dr. Bullock stressed the importance of keeping tuition low for low-income families. CCAC's original request was higher than the $35.3 million proposed, but they did not specify the exact amount.
• Court of Common Pleas (Fifth Judicial District): President Judge Susan Abbaswitch presented the court's budget, covering civil, criminal, family, and orphans court divisions, as well as magisterial district courts. Key points:
  • The court employs over 1,100 people and operates 46 magisterial district courts plus Pittsburgh Municipal Court (open 24/7).
  • Civil division: 5,822 new general docket cases, 8,025 arbitration cases, 3,974 tax assessment appeals, ~1,900 landlord-tenant cases. A new help desk for landlord-tenant cases is opening early 2025.
  • Criminal division: 26% of cases resolved on expedited docket, 19% via ARD, 45% via trial or specialty courts (drug, DUI, mental health, veterans, etc.). Specialty courts reduce recidivism. Probation supervises 15,625 individuals; electronic monitoring averages 715 people (87% increase over last year). Walk-in reinstatement for warrants avoided jail time.
  • Family division: Collected $77.5 million in child support (January-September 2024); 4,290 support filings; 5,741 temporary PFA petitions; 1,754 divorces; juvenile handled 513 dependency cases and 1,047 active probation cases.
  • The court requested $103,269,018 but received $97,377,070 (about $5.9 million less), a 4.1% increase over last year. They described efforts to cut costs (e.g., reducing staff from 7 to 5 in one department, building an in-house interpreter application).
  • President Judge stated that a 10% cut would be "catastrophic," requiring personnel reductions that would create case backlogs. They need more beds at Shuman Juvenile Detention Center; two pods are expected to open in early 2026. The potential sale of the municipal court building would disrupt operations and increase costs for all city justice partners.
  • Council members praised the court's diversion programs and focus on connection over punishment.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken during this hearing. The council received testimony and will use the information to inform budget decisions. CCAC's budget request for $35.3 million in county funding is under consideration; the court's approved amount is $97.4 million. Further hearings are scheduled, and council members emphasized that while they want to support education and the courts, they face a difficult budget situation with a proposed 46.5% property tax increase from the county executive.