Pittsburgh To Spend $134 Million To Retain, Restore City Jobs

PITTSBURGH, PA — The city will use spend more than one-third of the $335 million it is receiving in federal coronavirus relief money and some funds of its own on shoring up its workforce.

Mayor Bill Peduto's office on Monday announced that $112 million will be spent on avoiding all of the layoffs originally proposed in the city's original 2021 budget. Another $22 million will go toward restoring critical positions that already have been eliminated.

The city also is allocating $5 million to undo its wage freeze.

The spending plan, which will be introduced to to city council on Tuesday, "addresses the needs of communities, addresses city revenue shortfalls,resumes projects halted during the pandemic and benefits residents,businesses and employees," a release from Peduto's office.

A breakdown of the proposed allocations:

Investment in People ($66 million)

• $21 million for OwnPGH to promote affordable home ownership in Pittsburgh.
• $5 million to create a fund at the Urban Redevelopment Authority to protect existing affordable housing.
• $6 million to expand the city's lot maintenance program through a workforce development initiative.
• $10 million to expand our Office of Community Health & Safety - Allegheny Health Network co-responder model to all six zones 24-7.
• $2 million for a new fund to support local artists who experienced financial hardship during COVID-19 and to bring music and art into public events and facilities across Pittsburgh.
• $2.5 million to fund a Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot.
• $19 million to fund improvements at CitiParks Recreation Centers across Pittsburgh to include Rec2Tech build out, HVAC improvements and sustainability upgrades.
• $2 million for community public safety facilities to respond to rise in violent crime.
• Creation of a new grant program to support youth sports organizations in the city.
  

Investment in Planet ($37.5 million)

• $10 million to create a new program at the Urban Redevelopment Authority to help low to moderate income homeowners make improvements to their homes to weatherize, lower utility bills and promote renewable energy uses.
• $20 million for removal of lead from city water and paint.
• $7.5 million for the purchase of electric vehicles and electric vehicle infrastructure for the city fleet.
  

Investment in Place ($58 million)

• $7 million of funding for the Mayor’s 7 Avenues of Hope ($1 million each).
• $10 million to launch the reconstructed Land Bank at the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
• $5 million to create a fund at the Urban Redevelopment Authority to support community land trusts.
• $2 million to close the funding gap on affordable housing development at Gladstone School in Hazelwood.
• $1 million to the redevelopment of 1600 Broadway Avenue in Beechview.
• $2 million for the redevelopment of Lexington Technology Park - Homewood Avenue.
• $1 million for the Jasmine Nyree Campus in Sheraden.
• $3.5 million to forgive small business loans from the Urban Redevelopment Authority during the pandemic.
• $1 million to help make businesses make their “streeteries” permanent.
• $12 million to fund the addition of 8,000 new LED streetlights that were found to be missing during the light equity analysis.
• $2 million to complete the funding for new Davis Avenue Bridge in Brighton Heights for bikes & pedestrians.
• $2.5 million to complete the funding for the North Avenue Streetscape Rehabilitation.
• $1 million to complete the funding for new sidewalks on Irvine Street in Hazelwood.
• $3 Million to complete design and engineering on public step projects to make shovel ready for the infrastructure bill.
• $2.2 million to complete design and engineering on Hill District Corridor Improvements to make shovel ready for the infrastructure bill.
• $2.8 million to complete funding for the final segment for the conversion of Penn Circle back to two-way.

Investment in Performance ($172 million)

• $22 million to restore critical positions cut from the city's budget.
• $112 million to avoid all of the potential layoffs outlined in the original 2021 City of Pittsburgh budget.
• $17 million to restore critical budget items such as the City Cuts program for seniors and the city Facility Improvement Fund.
• $6 million to invest in the city's fleet to respond to the extra wear and tear vehicles received during the pandemic.
• $5 million to undo the city's wage freeze.
• Addresses the lost revenue of the Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh.