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An ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, directing that a referendum question regarding the repeal of Article III, §7(f) of the Home Rule Charter of Allegheny County, which limits the annual operating budget of the Office of County Council, be placed on the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot; and further amending Article III, §7, contingent upon the passage of the referendum question.
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Whereas, Article III, §7(f) of the Home Rule Charter of Allegheny County applies only to the Office of Allegheny County Council; and
Whereas, the provisions of Article III, §7(f) prohibit the annual operating budget for the Office of County Council from exceeding four tenths of one percent of the County’s annual locally levied tax revenues, as detailed in the County’s most recent audited financial report; and
Whereas, this restriction in practices places Council, which was intended to function as an effective check and balance upon the Chief Executive, at a prohibitive disadvantage in terms of overall resources, which limits the ability of Council to attract and retain staff, the ability to hire advisory, consulting, or legal services, and the like; and
Whereas, it is the judgment of Council that budgetary restriction contained in §7(f) ultimately restricts both the Council’s ability to function independently and its capacity to function as an effective check or balance; and
Whereas, it is further the judgment of Council that the restrictions contained in §7(f) serve to limit the very point of having a home rule government, as expressed in the Charter preamble: "[a] home rule government that separates the legislative and executive functions previously vested solely in the Board of County Commissioners will provide checks and balances on the powers of government and protect the rights, privileges and powers reserved or guaranteed to the people by the Constitutions of the United States of American and the Commonwealth of Penn...
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