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Allegheny County Council budget and benefits could reach the November ballot while the county buys its $4.3 million medical examiner's office

County Council

November ballot questions could expand county lawmakers’ budget and benefits.

Allegheny County Council members pay into the pension fund but can't draw one. On June 9, a council committee voted to move forward with two charter amendments for the November ballot. One would add pensions, health and life insurance, and staffed district offices, while the other would lift council's budget cap. A final vote is set for council's June 23 meeting.

Written by Amy Whipple

Allegheny County Council members are looking to ask voters to allow them to draw county pensions and add offices and staff in each of the 15 council districts.

At its June 9 meeting, the committee voted to move forward with putting two referendums on the Nov. ballot that would amend the county’s Home Rule Charter.

After a 2023 referendum shifted council members from a per-meeting stipend to a yearly salary, council members, like other county employees, had to make mandatory contributions to the pension fund. However, council members do not have access to a pension.

The proposed amendment would allow members to receive a pension as well as health and life insurance. It would also provide for offices in each of the council’s 15 districts and county-funded staff for each of those offices.

The other referendum is how the county would pay for the changes.

The current charter restricts council’s annual operating budget to 0.4% of the county’s locally levied tax revenues. Council, however, is not guaranteed the maximum allotment. The proposed amendment would lift the cap entirely, but it would not automatically increase future appropriations nor guarantee a minimum percentage.

Council received $1,177,195 in the 2026 budget. Of that, $172,950 accounts for council members’ salaries, who are all considered part-time employees.

A final vote for both proposed referendums is scheduled for council’s general meeting on June 23.

County Council

$5 million in unspent bond interest will help buy a long-leased medical examiner’s building.

Allegheny County has about $7.5 million in unassigned interest from its capital bonds. On June 4, the budget director asked council to put $5 million of it toward buying the medical examiner's Strip District building. The county has rented that building for 20 years. Council approved the purchase on June 9, and the county manager said owning it will save money each year.

Written by Amy Whipple

After 20 years of renting the medical examiner’s office, Allegheny County is ready to purchase the Strip District building.

County council approved the $4.3 million purchase during its June 9 meeting.

County Manager John Fournier said during the June 4 economic development committee meeting that, under the lease, the county has been responsible for utility payments as well as capital and maintenance costs. “We have all the obligations of ownership, except we pay rent,” he said.

The lease came with a purchase option that became available this year. Fournier said the $4.3 million price tag was “substantially lower” than the building’s appraised value. Owning the building will save $410,000 annually.

To facilitate the purchase of the building, the Department of Management and Budget requested money from the $160 million in bonds that covered the 2024 and 2025 capital budgets.

Director Tim Cox said during the June 4 budget and finance committee meeting that investing cash from the bonds has yielded “significant interest” and the county now has approximately $7.5 million in unappropriated funds. “This is a good problem that we have,” he said.

He asked council to authorize $5 million of that balance to be spent on the purchase of the building. The $700,000 difference between the purchase price and the funding request will cover closing costs and some capital improvements.