Title
A Resolution of the County of Allegheny amending the Operating Budget for 2008.
Body
Whereas, the County Council adopted an annual operating budget for the County for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2008 and ending December 31, 2008; and
Whereas, Article VII, Section 7 of the County's Home Rule Charter allows for the amendment of the County's annual operating budget; and
Whereas, the very existence of the Port Authority of Allegheny County is currently threatened by a combination of factors, including the expiration of the Authority's collective bargaining agreement with its represented employees and the lack of County matching revenues occasioned by the imposition of Executive Order 2007-1; and
Whereas, the County will, according to the budget estimates provided by the County Manager only a few weeks ago, collect nearly $44 million in drink and car rental taxes this year, with those taxes having been authorized specifically and solely to aid in obtaining financial assistance for transit systems within the County; and
Whereas, County Council, as part of the County's 2008 operating budget, appropriated drink and car rental taxes specifically for the purpose of providing local matching funds to the Port Authority, in accordance with the terms of Act 44 of 2007; and
Whereas, the Chief Executive and Council, in discussing these new taxes, repeatedly indicated that they were to be imposed for the purpose of salvaging the Port Authority, yet to date not a penny of the revenues derived from these taxes have been expended for that purpose; and
Whereas, the continued existence of the Port Authority in the face of the total lack of County funding is a condition that must be explained to Council, and this explanation must be made immediately, as some published estimates assert that the Authority could possibly be defunct next month, without any of the new tax revenues having been expended; and
Whereas, it is accordingly the judgment of Council that an amendment of the County's 2008 operating budget to hold the Port Authority's appropriations pending further investigation into and disclosures regarding the Authority's finances, the County's withholding of its appropriated matching funds, and any and all other relevant factors; and
Whereas, County Council desires to amend the 2008 Operating Budget;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby resolves as follows:
Section 1. Decrease in Appropriation and Revenue Portions of 2008 Annual Operating Budget.
A. Allegheny County 2008 Operating Budget is amended in part to decrease the expenditures appropriation portion of the previously adopted Operating Budget by $27,453,060 from $745,112,820 to $717,659,760 by decreasing the following specific expenditures: Miscellaneous Agencies - Port Authority from $24,358,500 to $0.00; and Non-Departmental - Contingency - from $3,094,560 to $0.00;
B. Allegheny County 2008 Operating Budget is amended in part to decrease the revenues portion of the previously adopted Operating Budget by $27,453,060 from $745,112,820 to $717,659,760 by decreasing the following specific revenues: Drink Tax - from $28,000,000 to $2,000,000; and Car Rental Tax - from $4,000,000 to $2,546,940.
Section 2. Changes in Character Level of Appropriations.
A. The character level detail of the appropriations previously approved by Council shall be amended in part to decrease the following specific expenditures: Miscellaneous Agencies - Port Authority from $24,358,500 to $0.00; and Non-Departmental - Contingency - from $3,094,560 to $0.00.
B. The character level detail of the appropriations previously approved by Council shall be amended in part to decrease the following specific revenues: Drink Tax - from $28,000,000 to $2,000,000; and Car Rental Tax - from $4,000,000 to $2,546,940.