Senator Fontana attended the presentation of the Leadership Pittsburgh Project: PhotoVoice

On November 24th, Senator Fontana attended the presentation of the Leadership Pittsburgh Project: PhotoVoice, which was presented at the Father Ryan Arts Center. The project gave high school students the opportunity to “voice” their opinions through song, dance, film and written testimonials to ensure community elected officials and leaders engage them in conversation and the direction their schools and communities are taking. (Photo: Christopher Rolinson)
 

Pittsburgh LIHEAP Office Relocates

The Allegheny County LIHEAP Office has relocated. Effective Tuesday, Dec. 29, individuals and families in need of heating assistance should visit the Allegheny County Assistance Office located in the Warner Center at 332 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor, in downtown Pittsburgh. Clients and their families will be able to access LIHEAP information and services in the Warner Center location from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
 

Energy Efficient Home Improvements Assistance

Do you own a home in the City of Pittsburgh that could benefit from energy efficient improvements? The Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) Pittsburgh Home Rehabilitation Program (PHRP) has been expanded to encourage homeowners to make improvements that will save them money on their utility bills. The program provides 0% interest loans and grants for improvements to eligible City of Pittsburgh homeowners. Income limits apply for participation - qualifying households must earn less than 80% of the area media income (a household of one cannot earn more than $35,000; a household of two cannot earn more than $40,000).

The PHRP Plus program features a $2,500 grant to be used to pay for an energy audit, insulation, air sealing and duct sealing. Participants in the program are provided a Construction Advisor, who along with an Energy Auditor, will meet with the homeowner to select improvements and finalize a work write-up. Interested applicants should contact Jenny Kohnfelder at 412-255-6639 or visit the URA’s website at www.ura.org.
 

Non-Profit Essential Services Fee Legislation Introduced

Last week, I introduced legislation that would allow for the imposition of an “essential services fee” on tax-exempt organizations that own property within a municipality. Senate Bill 1175 (SB 1175) will likely be amended considerably before passage, but the legislation is a good starting point for a dialogue at the state level about the impact of tax-exempt real property on the fiscal health of municipalities.

Communities across the state continue to struggle with this issue. While we do not want to harm the non-profits, we also need to ensure that their growing property ownership doesn’t harm the municipality or its taxpayers. Municipalities could continue to rely on existing voluntary agreements, or under the Fontana bill, would have the option of imposing a fee based on total square footage of properties, and/or establishing a limited real estate tax for properties owned by charitable institutions that are purchased after a date certain.

The state Senate Democratic Policy Committee has scheduled a hearing on the legislation for Tuesday, January 12 at 10:30 a.m. in the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers’ Hall on the South Side. The committee expects to hear from municipalities, including the City of Pittsburgh, the City of Washington, Allegheny County, Washington County, non-profit organizations, institutions of higher learning and other large non-profits. Rep. Tim Solobay, who has introduced the identical bill in the House (House Bill 2191) will also be participating in the hearing.
 

Port Authority Service Changes to Begin in March

As part of its ongoing review of service in the region, the Port Authority of Allegheny County will begin making service changes to routes beginning in March. Although all service changes will take approximately two years for total completion, a handful of routes will be altered and/or combined. The information on the March service changes can be found on the Port Authority’s website.