Mayor Ed Gainey says his office will challenge the tax-exempt status of 26 properties owned by several Pittsburgh nonprofits.
Gainey made the announcement Tuesday morning, about two months after he launched an audit into Pittsburgh's purely public charities. The audit was meant to flag properties that may not qualify for tax-exempt status.
"This is just the beginning, but it's a great beginning" he said.
About one-third of Pittsburgh's properties are owned by purely public charities.
Among the 26 properties to be challenged, six are owned by UPMC. Others are owned by Highmark, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. The majority of the properties are parking lots, vacant lots, offices and housing.
"The people that don't pass the purely public charity test should pay their fair share to our beautiful, lovely city," Gainey said.
The list of properties to be challenged include:
174-S-225: 8033 Bennett Street RE LLC
23-H-245: Allegheny General Hospital
27-M-226: Carnegie Mellon University
27-M-232: Carnegie Mellon University
75-L-73: Community Options Inc.
42-L-305: Karpeles Manuscript Library
125-A-355: Private citizen
24-E-206: Private citizen
46-P-251: Private citizen
6-S-157: Private citizen
36-J-92: Private citizen
27-N-95-2: University of Pittsburgh
28-G-110-2: Presbyterian University Health System
28-G-110-3: Presbyterian University Health System
28-G-110-5: Presbyterian University Health System
28-G-110-6: Presbyterian University Health System
28-G-110-7: Presbyterian University Health System
28-G-110-8: Presbyterian University Health System
94-E-112: Private citizen
184-F-48: Mr. Property LLC
23-S-146: Private citizen
24-E-205: Private citizen
91-R-56: Private citizen
22-H-92: School Facility Development
80-K-159: NCSC USA Housing Development Corporation
84-H-60: Village of Shadyside Community Association
The list will go to the Allegheny County Office of Property Assessment for further review.
"We hope they will move expeditiously to make them pay,” Gainey said.