Pittsburgh approves spending plan for $10.8 million parks tax fund

City Council on Monday approved the spending plan for the fund holding the money collected through the Pittsburgh’s new parks tax.

This will be the first year the city has the dedicated fund to use for park projects.

The trust fund is projected to contain $10.8 million at the start of the new year. Any money remaining in it at the end of the year can be carried over into the next year.

Under the budget approved by City Council, money will be allocated to several city parks including:

• $300,000 for Oakwood Playground in Oakwood.
• $884,205 for Moore Recreation Building in Brookline’s Moore Park.
• $225,000 for Upper McKinley Playground in Beltzhoover.
• $750,000 for East Hills Park in East Hills.
• $500,000 for Chadwick Playground in Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar.
• $650,000 for Spring Hill Park in Spring Hill.
• $900,000 for Manchester Spray Park in Manchester.
• $200,000 for Manchester Field in Manchester.

The budget also includes $400,000 for construction at Lawrenceville’s Arsenal Park, as well as money for lights and bleachers at a new dek hockey rink in Lincoln Place and citywide upgrades to pool lockers and fitness equipment.

More than $1.6 million is allocated for the Department of Public Works to purchase things like tractors, mowers, dump trucks and pickup trucks.

The budget for the parks tax money was included in Mayor Bill Peduto’s 2022 budget.

The 0.5-mill parks tax, approved by city voters on a 2019 ballot referendum, is meant to increase funding for the city’s parks. City officials began collecting the tax this year.

City Council last month created the Parks Tax Trust Fund for the money collected through the tax. Council has to approve how the money is used each year.