It has been said you have to spend money to make money. There also is the idea you can spend money to save it.

For example, spending $50 on an oil change can prevent costly engine work. Quality clothing is more expensive than fast fashion today but saves money in the long run. No one wants to pay for an urgent care visit, but that bill could head off the high bottom line of a hospital stay.

That seems to be the idea the majority of Pittsburgh City Council is promoting. On Tuesday, two contracts totaling $5.8 million were approved for a master plan that would provide a framework for things such as zoning, departmental collaboration and future budgets.

There definitely is logic to paying for planning. It’s why you engage an architect to draw up a blueprint for a house instead of just hiring guys to show up with hammers, wood and a vague idea.

But Pittsburgh doesn’t have enough money to front-load into a project to this degree. The city has real services to provide right now that would benefit from that funding.

If we are going to talk about putting money into advanced planning, perhaps there could be funds socked away like a Christmas club for the stalled idea of a public safety training facility and a city-owned police headquarters. The idea has been on the table for years. It occasionally is remembered when something comes up like the renewal of a $1.3 million per year lease for the current headquarters.

Truly, prioritization and a genuine path to completion of a project like this is what a good master plan could accomplish. Does it have to cost so much, though? Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, pointed to a greater cost per resident for the Pittsburgh proposal compared to that in other cities.

Nearly half the cost is through a two-year, $2.6 million contract with Common Cause Consultants for community engagement in the project.

Assessing community needs and goals is important. So is ensuring buy-in. The city needs to know what it can rely on its residents to embrace while planning for the future.

But do people want to buy in to a master plan at that cost? Or would they rather see more shelters for the homeless, more fire trucks and more snow plows? Do they want to see millions spent on subcontractors for communication, or do they want to see better training for city employees? Or maybe even just see the city save some money?

Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, said the expense is important at a “time of necessary austerity.” Perhaps that austerity is why Strassburger also pushed for a ban on fancy foie gras in December — despite it not being a Pittsburgh staple.

Maybe if city council wants to know more about the people’s wants and needs, more time could be spent talking to the residents and less time spending their money.

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