title
An Ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending and supplementing the Allegheny County Code of Ordinances, Division 2, entitled “County Government Operations,” Chapter 205, entitled “Allegheny County Jail,” through the creation of a new Article III, entitled “Incarcerated Individuals Welfare Fund” in order to establish County budgetary procedures for revenues derived from individuals incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail.
body
WHEREAS, pursuant to Article IV, §2(b) of the Home Rule Charter of Allegheny County, County Council is expressly vested with the power and duty to “[m]ake appropriations, levy taxes, fees and service charges, and incur indebtedness as permitted by law or by this Charter.”; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to this Charter-granted authority, the Council exercises authority over fees established by Allegheny County and enacts annual budgets providing, inter alia, for the fashion in which revenues derived from those fees are spent; and
WHEREAS, also pursuant to its Charter-granted budgetary authority, the Council enacts annual grants and special accounts budgets, see, e.g., resolution 08-22-RE; and
WHEREAS, as part of the annual grants and special accounts budget, Council enacts appropriations specific to the Incarcerated Individuals Welfare Fund, see, e.g., resolution 08-22-RE Appendix B and Bill No. 12827-23 Appendix B; and
WHEREAS, the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) charges incarcerated individuals fees for certain goods and services, such as items purchased from the commissary and telephone service; these goods and services are often provided by third party contractors; and
WHEREAS, for several years, the Allegheny County Jail has adopted an inconsistent practice of depositing revenues derived from some of the fees paid by incarcerated individuals (most notably those charged for commissary purchases) into the Incarcerated Individuals Welfare Fund, but depositing other fee revenues into the Coun...
Click here for full text