Pittsburgh City Council advances plans to create Lead Safety Trust Fund

Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced a measure that would create the Lead Safety Trust Fund to help finance the city’s new Lead Safety Ordinance.

The city would put $2 million in American Rescue Plan funding into the trust, which would also hold other cash dedicated to enacting the Lead Safety Ordinance. Additional funds could come from nonprofits or private entities, according to the legislation.

The trust fund would be used for costs related to implementing the Lead Safety Ordinance, including material and employee costs for lead testing or remediation, safety training for city employees and general contractors and related community outreach initiatives.

City Council adopted the Lead Safety Ordinance in November in an effort to reduce the number of lead poisoning cases in Pittsburgh, particularly among children. From 2015 through 2019, 849 children in the city were confirmed to have lead poisoning, representing about 39% of all new cases in Allegheny County.

The law calls for routine inspections of rental homes built before lead paint was banned in 1978. If lead is found during an inspection, it must be remedied and the residence repainted.

The measure also requires a registry of child care facilities, which will be inspected for lead, too.

All demolitions in the city will need to have permits that require a lead-safe work plan, and demolition sites will be inspected. Contractors working in spaces built before 1978 will need to require a free, eight-hour lead safety training.

The proposal to create the trust fund received preliminary approval this week. A final vote could be as soon as next week.