PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - Voters in the city of Pittsburgh will decide Tuesday if property taxes will rise by half a million dollars to help fund improvements to city parks.
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy pushed for the ballot question, saying there is a $400 million backlog of needed repairs and $13 million in routine maintenance every year.
The increase equals $50 on every $100,000 of assessed valuation. "Three quarters of property owners will pay less than $66 a year," Conservancy President and CEO Jayne Miller told KDKA radio's Lynne Hayes-Freeland.
There are 165 parks in Pittsburgh. Only the five regional parks, Emerald View, Frick, Highland, Riverview, and Schenley get funding from the Regional Asset District. The rest are funded through the city budget every year.
Miller said there's not enough money to keep them maintained.
"Research has documented how (parks) improve health, improve the city economy, create community," said Miller.
But opponents fear a never ending pool of money beyond the purvue of elected officials.
"These are taxpayer dollars going basically to a private company," City Councilman Anthony Coghill told Lynne Hayes-Freeland on KDKA Radio on Friday.
There's also the matter of residents voting to raise their own taxes.
"A lot of folks in my district are not well off. They're struggling and struggling to pay their bills as it is," said Coghill.
Elected officials are divided on the question. Mayor Bill Peduto supports it. Several on council and the city controller and county controller are opposed.
If it passes, a board composed of city and Conservancy officials and members of the public would decide how the money is to be spent.
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