Here is my summary of the Tuesday, October 22, 2024 regular meeting of Allegheny County Council. My votes are in parentheses, as is the prime sponsor of each item. 14 members were present (Prizio absent).
Given that most of Council’s time is currently being spent on budget deliberations, this was a light agenda, with one confirmed appointment to the Area Agency on Aging and another introduced to the Accountability, Conduct, and Ethics Commission.
13228-24 (County Executive – Health & Human Services) This ordinance alters the fees and penalties associated with asbestos abatement. The ordinance had received a neutral recommendation out of committee and was sent back to committee for further discussion.
13229-24 (County Executive – Health & Human Services) This ordinance increases the permitting fees associated with air permitting within Allegheny County. The ordinance had received a neutral recommendation out of committee and was sent back to committee for further discussion.
I was very disappointed to see the items regarding our Air Quality Program sent back to committee. The poor air quality in Allegheny County (19th worst in the country for yearly particulate pollution) is one of the reasons I first became invested in county government. The suggested fee increases simply require the polluting facilities applying for permits to pay for the labor necessary to generate said permits. Failing to pass these bills will do one of two things: 1. Require taxpayers to foot the bill of the County’s largest polluters to generate permits and enforce our air quality standards or 2. Lead to significant cuts in our County’s already understaffed Air Quality Program, providing even less capacity to hold our worst polluters accountable. I hope that Council will ultimately listen to the 156 Allegheny County residents who spoke in favor of these items (out of 162 total commentors) during the 30-day public comment period provided by the Board of Health.
13276-24 (Macey – Committee on Assessment Practices) This ordinance would specify the employees assigned to the Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review.
13277-24 (Macey – Committee on Assessment Practices) This ordinance would remove the line stating that the Office of Property Assessment shall process and schedule all appeals for the appeals board.