The Pittsburgh Parking Authority is considering removing its residency requirement for its employees due to understaffing as early as next week.
Dave Onorato, the Executive Director, believes that while it will not solve the problem completely, it is a step in the right direction.
He stated that when fully staffed, the parking authority should have 44 enforcement officers and 53 garage attendants.
Currently, they have 22 officers and 33 attendants.
He believes that the authority is losing out on applicants because of the residency requirement.
If it is removed, the Parking Authority will join other city authorities, such as the Housing and Pittsburgh Sewer and Water Authorities, who do not have a residency requirement for applicants. The police and fire departments have done the same.
Pittsburgh City Council members are encouraging the Parking Authority to consider raising the wages first before making the final decision.
Since the parking authority doesn’t fall under the rules of the city charter, Pittsburgh City Council won’t have a say in the voting on whether to keep the requirement or not.