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From YouTube: Mayor William Peduto's 2015 Budget Address
Description
Mayor William Peduto delivers the 2015 City of Pittsburgh Budget address to Pittsburgh City Council on November 10, 2014.
A
B
Thank
You
president
cross,
so
this
is
what
it
looks
like
up
here
good
morning
and
thank
you.
Council
president
bruce
Krause,
all
council
members
city
clerk
veto
Haney
for
hosting
me
today,
thanks
to
the
city's
Chiefs
directors,
workers
and
others
for
coming,
and
congratulations
to
the
new
deputy
clerk
Kim
Clark,
it
has
been
a
momentous
year
fighting
for
the
city.
We
love
with
your
help.
We
approved
an
a
k---forty,
seven
plan
that
will
finally
lead
us
out
of
decades
of
fiscal
distress
and
we
earned
a
credit
rating
upgrade.
B
As
a
result,
we
hired
a
visionary
police
chief
who
will
restore
morale
among
the
ranks
and
trust
in
the
community.
This
year
alone,
there
has
been
over
a
quarter
billion
dollars
worth
of
economic
investment
in
Pittsburgh,
and
we've
come
to
expect
national
in
international
accolades
for
our
city's
remarkable
transformation.
In
the
same
year,
we
lost
one
of
our
best
friends
Sophie
after
a
lifetime
of
public
service
to
the
city
and
lost
another
public
servant,
Public
Works
worker
Omar
Hodges
too
heartbreaking
gun
violence.
B
Such
violence
has
touched
too
many
residents
throughout
our
city
and
is
threatened,
disrupt
our
efforts
to
resurrect
some
of
our
most
underserved
neighborhoods
I'm.
Here.
To
tell
you
we
will
not
allow
that
to
happen
in
my
2015
budget.
Is
the
blueprint
for
building
upon
our
city's
accomplishments
in
delivering
them
to
all
of
our
neighborhoods.
B
It
commits
the
full
force
of
Pittsburgh
government
to
revitalizing
our
neighborhoods
through
a
strategic
alliance
of
city
authorities
and
departments
led
by
the
reorganization
of
our
building,
a
Bureau
of
Building
Inspection
in
strong
efforts
to
modernize
and
diversify
our
Police
Bureau
using
the
latest
in
technology,
improving
concepts
of
community
policing
methods,
I'm
excited
to
share
these
and
other
plans
with
you
today
when
I
last
spoke
to
council
in
May
about
the
city's
finances.
I
said:
if
we
want
to
solve
the
real
problems
in
this
city,
it
is
up
to
us
and
us
alone.
B
With
your
help,
my
administration
has
already
started
implementing
those
solutions.
The
new
operating
and
capital
budget
plans
I
am
presenting
today
will
help
us
further
transform
Pittsburgh
into
a
model
of
change,
one
that
stands
as
a
beacon
for
other
cities
seeking
to
emerge
from
decades
of
decline
in
one
that
will
make
Pittsburgh
a
model
of
a
21st
century
city.
This
budget
brings
honesty,
transparency
in
the
best
practices
to
the
city's
finances.
It
reduces
the
city's
debt
burden,
increases
payments
to
pension
funds,
maintains
the
city's
fund
balance
and
makes
critical
investment
in
our
long-ignored
infrastructure.
B
I
also
said
in
May
that
we
needed
to
protect
the
assets
that
make
Pittsburgh
unique
under
director
Sam
Ashbaugh.
Our
new
office
of
management
and
budget
has
completely
redesigned
the
city's
capital
budget
to
follow
national
best
practices.
Now
any
pittsburgher
for
the
first
time
ever
can
see
exactly
how
their
money
is
being
spent.
Reading
our
budget
is
no
longer
like
reading
Sanskrit.
Each
spending
project
includes
justifications
in
operating
budget
impacts,
and
it
has
an
unprecedented
level
of
detail
for
projects
down
to
the
exact
streets,
sidewalks
and
even
steps.
B
This
administration
continues
to
do
more
with
less
early.
This
year,
free
government
parking
passes
were
slashed
by
ninety
percent
in
take-home
vehicles
were
slashed.
Thirty
percent.
Our
workforce
has
been
cut
by
sixty
eight
positions
since
this
time
last
year
in
our
tremendous
city,
workers
are
doing
their
part
to
further
shoulder
the
city's
financial
burden
by
taking
on
a
pay
freeze
next
year.
In
addition,
non-personnel
spending
is
being
cut
in
all
departments
and
we're
doing
this
while
negotiating
contracts
with
seven
of
our
workforces.
B
Nine
unions
representing
police,
firefighters,
paramedics,
white-collar
workers
form
and
school
crossing
guards
and
recreation
center
workers.
We
will
continue
to
invest
in
our
most
important
asset,
our
workers,
but
we
will
balance
it
with
fiscal
discipline.
Overall,
the
budget
combines
the
balanced
approach
to
solving
our
financial
problems.
It
modernizes
government
preserves
essential
services
and
cut
spending
while
making
tough
revenue
choices,
including
a
revised
millage
rate
and
changes
to
parking
meter
enforcement.
B
It
allocates
12
million
dollars
to
paving
our
streets
the
most
we
have
budgeted
in
a
decade
and
it
puts
more
police
on
our
streets
than
we
have
seen
in
12
years.
But
most
importantly,
this
budget
guides
us
toward
major
improvements
in
government,
innovation
and
performance
that
will
be
felt
in
neighborhoods
citywide.
Just
our
our
budgeting
is
smarter
and
more
efficient.
Our
residents
are
getting
more
out
of
the
government
services
they
pay
for
with
their
hard-earned
tax
dollars.
B
If
public
works,
a
new
system
has
been
built
for
the
online
tracking
of
our
snow,
plows
and
salt
spreaders
that
is
being
tested
now
next
year,
we'll
have
online
permitting
for
our
Park
shelters
working
with
Councilwoman
Rudy
ACK.
We
approved
open
data
legislation
that
was
nationally
recognized
as
a
model
for
open
government,
after
winning
one
of
only
seven
grants
nationwide
the
city's
antiquated
way
of
buying
its
materials.
Everything
from
paper
clips
to
fire
trucks
will
be
revamped
next
year
through
the
know-how
of
tech
professionals
from
Code
for
America.
B
We
established
one
of
the
few
311
services
in
the
country
that
takes
requests
over
Twitter,
while
expanding
the
311
phone
hours
for
more
traditional
users,
and
we
have
even
developed
a
strategic
partnership
with
all
utility
companies
that
utilizes
a
centralized
system
to
monitor
work
in
our
streets.
Soon,
the
311
response
center
will
be
getting
new
software
that
will
take
service
requests
straight
from
your
phone
or
computer
and
transmit
it
to
city
workers
in
the
field
drastically
cutting
response
times.
B
A
mobile
application
will
be
introduced
that
will
transform
two-way
communication
with
the
city
and
provide
the
transparency
residents
deserve.
For
the
first
time,
our
building
inspectors
have
laptops,
email
and
cell
phones
to
do
real-time.
Data
entry
on
properties
inspectors
are
being
cross
trained
on
all
bureau
responsibilities.
If
you're
building
a
new
house,
you
can
have
one
inspector
who
checks
for
all
your
buildings,
energy,
structural
and
Fire-
permitting
issues
all
at
once,
rather
than
having
to
deal
with
several
different
inspectors.
No
longer
do
residents
only
have
two-hour
window
to
talk
with
inspectors.
B
Full
housing
demolition
information
is
now
available
on
the
bureau's
website.
There.
Anyone
can
see
all
the
structures
currently
in
the
demolition
process,
the
winners
of
the
demolition
contracts,
the
cost
of
the
contracts
and
when
the
work
should
be
completed,
we're
also
working
collaboratively
with
our
authorities
and
community
advocates
to
reform
and
improve
the
way
we
do
demolitions
to
become
more
strategic
in
to
leave
sites
cleaner
and
ready
for
new
development
by
utilizing
technology
and
hiring
the
people
who
are
creating
these
systems.
B
Residents
of
Pittsburgh
can
now
see
how
we
are
doing
our
jobs
and
assure
them
we
are
doing
them
effectively,
efficiently
and
equitably.
We
are
also
doing
more
for
our
youngest
residents
and
those
most
in
need.
This
year
we
doubled
participation
in
the
Summer
Youth
Employment
Program
and
provided
over
200,000
meals
to
children
through
the
summer
lunch
program,
but
we
need
to
do
more.
Plans
will
be
issued
soon
detailing
efforts
to
create
our
summer
of
earning
and
learning
for
all
eligible
young
people
who
apply
working
with
Councilwoman
kale
Smith.
B
We
secured
two
hundred
and
thirty
thousand
dollars
in
grants
to
enroll
every
single
child
in
Pittsburgh
in
affordable
healthcare
and
fifty
thousand
dollars
from
the
National
League
of
Cities
to
expand
after
school
opportunities
and
increase
the
nutritional
summer
lunches
through
new
partnerships
with
Google
and
with
the
help
of
councilman
Gilman.
We
help
furnish
city
school
teachers
with
much
needed
supplies
and
assisted
small
businesses
with
the
critical
tool
of
getting
online
in
all
Pittsburgh
has
received
over
35
million
dollars
in
new
grants
this
year.
B
So
far,
the
bulk
of
it
in
a
30
million
dollar
choice,
neighborhoods
grant
that
will
help
transfer
larimer
into
the
most
sustainable
in
forward-thinking
neighborhood,
not
just
in
this
city
of
Pittsburgh,
but
in
the
entire
country.
Other
grants
included
two
hundred
thousand
dollars
to
fund
veteran
homeownership,
five
million
dollars
in
state
and
federal
funding
for
the
East
Liberty
Transit
Center,
250
thousand
dollars
in
support
of
bike
infrastructure
in
four
hundred
and
seventy
thousand
dollars
to
make
our
parking
garages
more
energy-efficient.
B
And
we
established
a
centralized
grants
office
equipped
with
modern
tracking
software
to
help
us
attract
and
retain
even
more
dollars
to
put
into
our
neighborhoods.
But
much
of
our
work
has
been
focusing
on
ending
disputes,
protecting
city
assets
and
getting
long-stalled
projects
moving
through
the
efforts
of
my
chief
of
staff,
kevin
aiklen
and
others.
We
reached
historic
agreement
agreements
to
save
the
strip
district
produce
terminal
and
the
august
wilson
center
working
with
councilman
lavelle.
B
We
fulfilled
our
promise
to
use
the
28
acres
in
the
lower
hill
to
redevelop
the
entire
Hill
District,
where
we
will
create
the
largest
hips
district
in
the
city's
history,
providing
the
highest
levels
of
affordable
housing
and
the
highest
levels
of
contracting
for
minority
and
women-owned
businesses
and
in
hazelwood
working
with
councilman
O'connor.
We
are
turning
the
Al
monocyte
into
a
model
for
21st
century
development,
which
will
not
only
revitalize
a
former
industrial
site
but
tie
it
back
into
the
greater
community
and
make
it
a
model
for
the
world
to
follow
our
proudest
moments.
B
This
year
may
have
been
in
promoting
government
transparency
and
proving
our
ability
to
listen.
Along
with
my
top
staff.
I
have
participated
in
eight
mayor's
night
in
and
mayor's
night
out
events
were
several
hundred
residents
were
able
to
directly
address
leaders
with
their
issues
and
concerns.
For
the
first
time
in
Pittsburgh
history,
we
also
held
mayor's
night
online
with
all
of
my
administrators,
taking
questions
all
at
once
on
the
web,
which
is
the
first
of
its
kind
in
the
world
to
further
connect
the
administration
to
city
neighborhoods.
B
We
are
also
forming
new
public-private
alliances
that
are
making
Pittsburgh
and
our
government
better.
This
city
has
long
benefited
from
our
from
the
private
foundation.
Community
foundations
have
a
stake
in
this
city's
future
and
have
partnered
with
us
to
bring
reform
to
City
Hall
in
resources
to
restructured
city
government.
We
invited
the
foundation
community
led
by
the
Pittsburgh
foundation
into
the
halls
of
city
government
on
a
scale
never
before
seen
in
the
nation,
to
help
us
higher
top
administrators
from
the
directors
and
the
assistant
directors.
B
The
department
also
held
six
round
tables
with
a
cross-section
of
city
tech
leaders
to
help
establish
an
innovation
roadmap
to
work
together
on
supporting
these
businesses
that
are
our
city's
future.
We
are
also
using
new
ways
to
help
neighborhoods.
This
year,
I
NP
helped
launch
the
community
platform
next
door,
which
is
a
social
media
site
for
neighborhoods
in
the
site,
engaged
Pittsburgh
to
collect
feedback
from
residents
on
important
issues
such
as
the
job
qualifications
for
the
city's
police
chief
inside
the
government.
B
I
MP
is
working
with
other
City
departments
to
bring
smart,
environmentally
sustainable
changes
to
government
services.
They
are
updating
our
facilities
and
fleet
installing
energy-efficient
LED
lights,
promoting
green
infrastructure
in
incorporating
sustainable
practices
into
not
only
city
planning
for
open
spaces,
eco
districts
and
bus,
rapid
transit
plans,
but
everything
we
do.
The
benefits
of
these
moves
will
be
felt
for
decades
and
in
turn,
will
save
payers
millions.
B
Just
as
we
work
with
foundations
in
the
private
sector,
we
are
lucky
to
enjoy
the
cooperation
and
leadership
of
others
around
western
Pennsylvania.
The
city's
success
depends
on
a
strong
working
relationship
with
senators
Bob
Casey
than
Pat
Toomey
Congressman
Mike,
Doyle
senators,
Jay
Costa,
Wayne
Fontana
and
Randy
vola
kovitch,
our
State
House
delegation.
In
the
historic
partnership
we
now
have
with
Allegheny
County
Executive,
rich
Fitzgerald.
B
For
the
first
time
in
a
decade
we
have
begun
work
with
the
county
to
merge
services
in
five
different
areas:
911
printing
services,
city,
county
building,
maintenance
and
security,
Park
Rangers
in
open
data.
We
have
weekly
communication
with
the
white
house
and
have
established
new
relationships
with
Washington,
DC
and
Harrisburg,
which
will
only
be
strengthened
under
the
administration
of
governor-elect
Tom
wolf.
For
too
long
we
have
been
forgotten
or
worse
by
Washington
and
Harrisburg
I'm,
proud
to
say
we
are
back
on
the
map.
A
modernized
government
rooted
in
collaboration
is
better
government.
B
Today,
I
am
announcing
a
major
new
initiative
that
will
provide
clear
pathways
for
economic
development
across
the
city,
from
small
residential
projects
to
skyscraper
construction.
It
will
create
interagency
cooperation
among
the
Department
of
City
Planning
zoning,
the
URA,
the
housing
authority
in
what
used
to
be
called
the
Bureau
of
Building
Inspection
BB
I
will
be
turned
into
a
new
department
of
permits,
licenses
and
inspections
and
be
tasked
with
streamlining
the
city's
building,
permitting
process
proactively
enforcing
property
maintenance
codes
in
ensuring
the
highest
levels
of
building
safety
and
performance.
B
They
will
work
together
to
form
the
neighborhood
reinvestment
alliance
and
provide
the
needed
capacity
for
a
city
that
no
longer
is
managing
decline,
but
one
that
is
growing.
The
city's
planning,
zoning,
historic
review,
art,
commission
and
demolition
applications
will
be
revamped
to
become
more
customer
friendly
permits
and
applications
will
be
able
to
be
filed,
paid
for
and
tracked
online.
Eventually,
the
department
will
start
absorbing
other
city
permitting
functions
from
block
party
permits
to
applications
for
sidewalk
cafes,
making
these
processes
easier
for
residents,
businesses
and
community
leaders.
B
Key
to
this
neighborhood
revitalization
work
will
also
be
our
new
land
bank
board,
created
with
the
help
of
Councilwoman
gross
to
address
blighted
property
citywide
and
provide
a
new
tool
to
make
revitalization
reinvestment
and
renewal
a
reality
through
all
this
interrelated
work
in
by
simplifying
our
rules
in
creating
a
clear
approval
process
for
projects
will
be
better
able
to
spur
redevelopment
of
our
housing
stock.
Invest
in
our
neighborhood
business
districts,
implement
a
robust
community
planning
process
and
repurpose
bladed
and
abandoned
properties.
B
It
will
allow
for
development
of
high-end
housing
that
will
stabilize
our
tax
base
and
the
tax
base
of
our
schools.
While
creating
new
opportunities
in
affordable
housing,
it
will
preserve
the
housing
stock.
We
already
have
and
keep
those
properties
up
to
code
in
neighborhoods
that
have
not
always
had
that
support
from
an
antiquated
city.
Government
neighborhoods
are
also
the
focus
of
our
revamped
policing
methods
through
the
leadership,
a
public
safety
director,
Steve
blue
car
and
acting
chief
chemically.
We
are
reinvesting
in
the
people,
policies
and
processes
of
our
Police
Bureau.
B
This
revamped
bureau
will
be
data-driven
and
follow
cutting-edge
methods
of
deploying
both
resources
and
officers
in
homewood.
With
the
help
of
councilman
Burgess,
the
shot
spotter
camera
system
is
being
implemented
and
tested
and
officers
citywide
will
begin
using
body-mounted
cameras
to
provide
more
safety
to
both
police
and
residents
alike.
B
Through
community
policing,
we
will
create
bonds
between
residents
and
police
that
will
reduce
fear.
We
have
brought
back,
beat
cops
to
zone
five
neighborhoods
in
the
East
End
and
will
continue
to
implement
them
in
other
police
zones
throughout
the
city,
with
the
help
of
our
latest
federal
cops
grant.
B
We
have
plans
to
use
current
officers
to
act
as
mentors
for
job
candidates,
involve
community
leaders
in
recruitment,
expand
preparation,
assistance
for
job
tests
in
increased
college
recruitment,
at
historically
african-american
universities
with
criminal
justice
programs
and
within
our
armed
services.
The
changes
will
be
implemented
starting
early
next
year,
with
the
very
next
class
of
police
recruits.
B
As
proud
as
I
am
of
this
budget,
and
our
priority
is
to
build
a
model
city
government
I
know
it
does
not
solve
everything,
we
still
need
a
long-term
financing
agreement
with
our
major
nonprofits
that
will
give
them
a
unique
role
in
supporting
the
city
we
share.
We
are
in
earnest
discussions
with
the
city's
big
for
nonprofits
that
have
gone
further
than
any
such
talks.
Since
act,
55
was
passed
in
nineteen
ninety-five,
which
limited
pilot
payments
to
cities.
B
It
is
the
first
time
in
nearly
20
years
that
we
are
in
a
real
discussion
to
address
this
essential
issue.
Together,
UPMC
I
mark
pitts
and
carnegie
mellon
make
up
over
eighty
percent
of
the
nonprofit
payroll
in
the
city.
We
are
working
on
a
long-range
plan
that
will
ensure
financial
stability
economic
opportunity
in
neighborhoods
sustainability.
B
We
can
all
share
still.
We
have
much
work
to
do
in
Harrisburg
sure
to
address
long-term
pension
and
personnel
issues
working
with
Senator,
Kosta
and
representative
Dermody.
We
are
reaching
across
the
aisle
to
Republican
leadership
and
with
the
new
administration
of
governor,
elect
Tom
Wolfe
will
look
to
create
a
legislative
agenda
agenda
benefiting
Pittsburgh
in
all
older
communities
throughout
Pennsylvania.
We
will
work
to
with
the
Pennsylvania
Municipal
League
on
further
engaging
mayor's
from
across
the
state.
B
We
increasingly
the
rest
of
the
country
and
even
the
world.
No
Pittsburgh
is
a
special
place,
a
city
that
was
faced
with
devastating
challenges
and
overcame
them
just
as
this
budget
as
a
blueprint
to
build
upon
our
successes,
invest
in
our
infrastructure
and
provide
opportunities
to
residents
and
neighborhoods
citywide.