Pittsburgh council moves ahead with plans on park tax spending

City Council on Wednesday advanced a proposal that would allow Pittsburgh to spend money collected through a controversial park tax.

The 0.5 mill tax meant to increase funding for Pittsburgh’s parks earned approval from city voters in 2019.

Collection of the tax began this year, though specific plans regarding how city officials would use a trust fund holding that cash have yet to be finalized. Three council members voted against plans to begin collecting the tax, calling it an added burden on homeowners and renters, particularly in the midst of a pandemic that sparked widespread financial hardships.

“I think this is a terrible time to be increasing millage,” Gross said at the time. She, along with Council members Anthony Coghill and Corey O’Connor, voted against the measure then.

City Council previously rejected a plan to divide the funds evenly among the city’s nine council districts, citing concerns that parks in poorer communities were in greater need.

Under the current proposal, which was unanimously recommended by City Council Wednesday, the money would be placed in the Pittsburgh Parks Trust Fund. City Council would have to approve use of the funds annually.

The money could be used for things like improvement, maintenance, operation of parks, improvements to park safety and provisions for equitable funding of parks. The money could also be used as matching funds for grant opportunities.

The bill, which has been held since it was initially introduced to council in January, was brought back to the table two weeks ago. At that point, it was held once again after several council members said they hadn’t been briefed on the measure. There were also concerns about the legislation’s specific language.

During that conversation, some council members also highlighted the importance of moving ahead on the trust fund so that the money collected through the park tax can be put to its appropriate use.

“We have parks we want to get fixed up,” Councilman Anthony Coghill said. “We want to get this rolling.”

Councilman Bobby Wilson said he represented a district “that can’t wait” for the funds to be spent, though he said he was “in the dark” about the bill at the time.

If the legislation passes, it will allow the city to use the money, which is currently unable to be spent.

“This is the bill that would create the vehicle for the fund to exist,” Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle explained.

There is about $9.5 million allocated for the trust fund waiting to be spent, Councilwoman Deb Gross said Wednesday. About a third of that is earmarked for additional staffing and maintenance at city parks, she said, with the rest set aside for capital projects for parks.

One of the key elements of the proposal, Gross said, is that City Council will need to approve money allocated from the fund, which clears the way for a publicly-open process. Council approval is required for many city trust funds, she said.

“We want to make sure that any of those allocations are discussed at this table,” she said.

Gross advocated for a measure to expand the public participation in the process, though that is not included in the existing legislation.

All members of City Council present on Wednesday voted in favor of advancing the legislation, paving the way for a final vote as early as next week. Councilman Corey O’Connor was not at Wednesday’s meeting.

“It was a difficult balancing act,” Council President Kail-Smith said of negotiating a way to spend the controversial tax dollars.