City/County Merger

City/County Merger:

For the benefit of Pittsburgh’s residents, Mayor Ravenstahl has taken the bold step of endorsing a plan that may eliminate his own job.  With one of the most fragmented governments in the nation, the Mayor believes consolidating the City with the County will save taxpayer dollars and encourage more growth in the region.

The Mayor will leave the decision up to the people through a ballot vote, but is seeking ways to be more efficient now.

Cost-saving moves include the City picking up Wilkinsburg’s trash, merging the Housing Authority police with the City’s, and purchasing in bulk with the County and other entities.

In 2007 the City began picking up the Wilkinsburg’s trash and will save the nearby municipality $1 million dollars over the course of the agreement. By merging the Housing Authority Police with the City’s, 19 officers are utilizing the City’s 21st-Century safety technologies to better patrol our neighborhoods. This merger has also created better efficiencies within the Housing Authority through the elimination of duplicative administration functions.  Calls are dispatched more efficiently, and better communication means a safer City for residents.

Last year, the Mayor reached out to the County and local governmental entities to purchase electricity in bulk. Using this and other “economy of scale” approaches has saved the City and other nearby entities more than $250,000 dollars. Already, the City and County have merged many of their purchasing functions, such as office supplies, uniforms and computers, and will begin the jointly purchasing non-professional services, such as plumbing repairs, electrical maintenance, and waste disposal.

So far, these efficient measures have saved taxpayers more than $6.2 million. Expanding the purchasing agreement to include non-professional services will result in even more savings. Through friendly, open lines of communication, the Mayor continues to reach out to nearby municipalities, looking to share services when it makes sense for taxpayers.

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