City Council Calls Meeting on City/County Financial Management

Six Pittsburgh City Council members have sponsored legislation that would direct the city to join Allegheny County's comprehensive financial management system--a move favored by state overseers, the county, the city controller—everybody except the mayor. There will be a public, televised meeting attended by all the parties tomorrow at 1:30.

Councilman Bill Peduto says work has been going on for five years to improve the city's current, antiquated system, and the mayor’s preference for a cheaper system with the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is "crazy" because nowhere in the country is a water and sewer authority in charge of the finances of a city.

The nine million dollar cost to join the county is what a modern system costs, according to Peduto, and will enable savings in such areas as the cutting of payroll checks, which now cost $1.5 million a year to outsource.

Peduto says City Council has the votes to override a mayoral veto.