City Council Takes Action On Series Of Amendments

Pittsburgh City Council today approved a handful of amendments to the 2010 budget that, among other things, replaces funding that would have come from the city's proposed 1% student tuition tax. The amendments that replace the revenue from the proposed tuition tax come from multiple sources throughout the city. They include money taken from the city's debt service fund, anticipated savings as a result of a new financial reporting system and better collection of fee's and fines citywide. Council approved the measure by a vote of 6 to 1 with Councilman Patrick Dowd voting no. Dowd says he voted no because he wants more information on how the Mayor was able to calculate anticipated savings and because he does not want to use money designated for debt service to pay for budget gaps. The move allows for council to discuss and debate the budget on Wednesday and still gives them the ability to make any changes they feel necessary before taking a final vote. Council still have to vote two more times before the budget can be finalized.