Advocacy Resources for Allegheny County Budget Discussions

Where We Are:

Allegheny County Council must pass a budget by December 6^th. Right now, our Councilors are debating the budget proposed by County Executive Innamorato. They’ve held hearings and are accepting public comment. They may propose amendments to the County Executive’s budget, which can adjust funding levels and impact what services and programs the County invests in next year. Once all amendments are finalized, County Council votes on the budget. A simple majority is required for most items, but for certain decisions—like the tax rate adjustment proposed this year—the budget requires a two-thirds majority, i.e., 10 votes, to pass.

Check out the new social media toolkit to spread the word on this critical issue!

A Quick Overview:

Watch this video to learn more about the process.

The County hasn’t increased its property tax rate for over a decade – and now it has a structural deficit in its operating budget. There’s been no change in the County property tax rate since 2011, even though operating costs have increased. Allegheny County has been running on a structural deficit since 2021. Until now, this deficit was offset by $600M in pandemic relief funding that is ending.

County Executive Innamorato has proposed to save our county services by increasing the property tax rate by 2.2 mills in 2025. This rate change will ensure the County can continue delivering critical services that residents depend on while impacting the median Allegheny County home by just $15 per month (for owner-occupied residences).

As of November 27th, the County Council has proposed a 1.35 millage increase in response. That would mean an increase of $135 — about $11.25 more a month — on a house assessed at the county’s median value of $110,400. The council is proposing to cut $21 million in spending on the department. The county would spend $4 million less than budgeted under Innamorato’s proposal but would also fail to qualify for a $17 million match in state funds.

Human services for our most vulnerable residents, our human services workforce, and our network of human services providers are all at stake. Human Services are primarily supported through state and federal funds which the County is required to “match”, so every $1 in reduced County funding requires an approximate $5 overall cut to the Human Services budget. For example, a 1 millage tax increase would require a reduction in County funding for Human Services of $27M and an overall cut to the Human Services budget of $137M.

Learn more about human services at risk.

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