Wilkinsburg ballot question could lead to home-rule charter in face of annexation push

A group of Wilkinsburg residents on Tuesday announced a ballot measure that could eventually lead to the borough gaining home-rule status.

The move would counter a separate push that seeks to annex the borough into the city of Pittsburgh.

Five Wilkinsburg residents held a news conference at the Wilkinsburg borough building to detail an upcoming ballot question that asks residents if they want to form a government study commission to look at the possibility of creating a home-rule charter for the borough.

Coinciding with the ballot question, seven candidates who would serve on a seven-member commission to study the issue also will appear on the ballot.

Cheryl Keywanda Ballard-Battle, a candidate for the commission, said the commission would bring a new magnifying glass to how local government functions in Wilkinsburg.

“I don’t believe annexation is the only and best route to create a vibrant borough,” Ballard-Battle said. “The residents should make an informed decision about what we want for our community.”

The ballot-question effort was started by Wilkinsburg Future, a local group that opposes annexation. Ballard-Battle said she was personally opposed to annexation, while other candidates that spoke at the news conference wouldn’t say which way they leaned.

It comes less than two weeks after annexation proponents announced renewed efforts to attempt to merge the borough of about 15,000 residents with the city of Pittsburgh. Annexation proponents have argued that annexation would help the city remain above 300,000 residents, keeping it above the threshold to qualify for certain federal grants, as well as help boost services and development in Wilkinsburg.

It’s unclear what effect a government study commission would have on annexation efforts, but Kim Kaplan, another candidate for the commission, said if the commission was approved by voters, it would take about 18 months for it to complete its work. She said she believes it will also pause any efforts to annex the borough.

Kaplan said the study is the start of an opportunity to change the structure of the borough’s government. She said the potential home-rule charter would “offer more control” over local government and there could be increased access to grants to help fund local services. Some of Wilkinsburg services, such as fire protection and garbage collection, are provided by the city of Pittsburgh.

“If we were to establish a home-rule charter, my understanding is we would have more control over our funding from Allegheny County,” Kaplan said.

Mailers from something called the Wilkinsburg Action Committee have already sent out mailers opposing the the government study commission ballot question with "Vote No to Home Rule in November" in large letters. Photos from Jacquet Kehm, one of the candidates for the commission. pic.twitter.com/rbstzmz1Pk

— Ryan Deto (@RyanDeto) October 11, 2022

Wilkinsburg Action Committee, a pro-annexation political group, has sent mailers to Wilkinsburg residents urging them to vote against the government study commission ballot question. The mailers claim that annexation will help lower property taxes, while a home-rule charter would raise income taxes.

Wilkinsburg has one of the highest property tax rates in Allegheny County.

Commission candidate Jacquet Kehm refuted those allegations, and said the commission is merely a way to open up a public process to evaluate Wilkinsburg’s future.

He also questioned the potential for annexation efforts to move forward, noting that Pittsburgh City Council opposed an initial annexation effort in February and the state legislature repealed an annexation law earlier this year.

Cliff Levine, lawyer for the pro-annexation Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp., told the Tribune-Review in September that he is confident the courts will uphold the annexation law that was repealed.

The government study commission ballot question will face Wilkinsburg voters on Nov. 8. Kehm said a group of residents filed paperwork in early August to get the question on the ballot.