Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The Allegheny County Council held a public hearing on the 2027 proposed budget, hearing presentations from the Sheriff's Office, Treasurer's Office, the Court of Common Pleas, and Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT). The meeting began with public comment from three registered speakers, followed by departmental presentations and council questions.
Good evening, everyone. Tonight, public hearing on 2027 proposed budget. We'll hear from the sheriff's office, treasurer's office, the court of common plea, and the Pittsburgh Regional Transit. As always, I ask my colleagues to limit themselves to two questions per invited group. We will begin tonight with public comment. There are four registered speakers. Uh Jared, on you. First up is Benjamin Chizzar, who I don't see. Next would be John Stonecypher. Good evening. I'm Jack Stone Pfeiffer, resident of Manchester. There we go. Can we start the timer again? Thank you, brother. Good evening. I'm Jack Stonecypher, resident of the Manchester neighborhood within the city of Pittsburgh. Do these numbers actually hold up against spending and collections during this current year? Council needs this year's spending, the year-end forecast, and the basis for next year's adjustments. The sheriff's net increase is two percent. For expenditure recoveries, the spending rises over eight percent. What supports collecting this additional two point one million dollars in reimbursement from the sheriff? Nearly all of the treasurer's four hundred and twenty-two thousand dollar reduction comes from an increased turnover in savings. Do we really want less staff in the treasurer's office when we know the colossal amount of work in the next few years regarding the pension? The criminal court stationary and office supplies budget is negative twenty-two thousand dollars. Perhaps that's the reason why the budget is balanced this year. What credit or accounting adjustment justifies this figure? A negative expense needs an exploration. Court software licenses fall by $708,000. Are these savings or costs being paid elsewhere? How about in the capital bank? Pardon me. How about in the capital plan? We're actually using that to fund software license renewables for the upcoming years. Is that the best use of our resources? Election operating expenses are already appear and have been moved into the grants budget. How much of our traditional operating expenses is being moved and shuffled away? What happens when this funding ends and we fall over the fiscal cliff with more debt? Separately, how much is being pardoned? For the PRT, the county's transit fund assumes a six point three million dollar draw from the reserve fund with an additional 9.5 million transfer out. While the June the June fund balance was actually negative. Timing may explain this, but we need to understand how this year-end reconciliation will work. Before adoption, identify all these cost shifts and the fallback when savings reimbursement and reserves all fall short. What does passing a balanced budget accomplish if its assumptions do not hold up? Thank you. Thank