Allegheny County Council has approved outgoing executive Rich Fitzgerald’s 2024 spending plan, but tacked on two amendments to redirect $1.5 million to the County Jail.
$1 million of taxpayer money will be used to pay inmates $10 a day for work performed in the jail.
Another $500,000 will buy new uniforms for inmates. It works out to just under $300 per prisoner to change the color of their garments from red to a neutral color.
With spending philosophy like this, and a progressive executive-elect taking office, how could a property owner not be concerned that tax increases are inevitable?
Bethany Hallam is one of two at-large council members, representing the county’s 1.2 million residents. But she seemingly spends an inordinate amount of time focusing on the incarcerated who make up a tiny fraction of less than 1%.
Hallam thinks inmates are victims and champions their cause.
We say taxpayers are the victims, not only of people who break laws and wind up behind bars, but also a council member whose incarceration policies are anything but mainstream.
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