CONTROLLER WAGNER FINDS AUTHORITIES IN VIOLATION OF TRANSPARENCY LAW; CALLS FOR REFORM

Today, Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner alerted all independent authorities created by Allegheny County that some stand in violation of a County law mandating transparency and all can do more to be more open to the public. Chapter 5, Part 2, Article 203, Section 9 of the County’s Administrative Code sets forth that specific administrative and financial documents be made available to the public on each authority’s website.
 
“For too long, authorities have operated in the dark. These rules – in place to provide some sunlight – represent the bare minimum for transparency and accountability over authorities who spend millions of dollars a year,” Wagner said. “The lack of compliance with these basic standards is unacceptable and must be remedied immediately.”

Additionally, in letters to the authorities, Wagner called for greater sunlight in board meetings and authority activities. She proposed the following reforms for the authorities:
 
–Conduct public meetings at the County Courthouse or another accessible, central public space;
–Schedule public meetings after work hours to encourage maximum participation from the public;
–Utilize existing county infrastructure to stream and store videos of public meetings online;
–Curtail the use of “executive sessions” to allow for open, transparent dialogue on all legally eligible public matters and provide immediate notice enumerating the subject and/or justification for the executive session;
–Review current Open Data policies and offerings to include all data legally allowed to be shared with the public and make all this data easily accessible and found on public websites.

According to the transparency provision of Section 9, the following information must be available to the public on each authority’s website:

–A description of all service programming for the current fiscal year;
–The authority’s goals for the current fiscal year;
–All personnel costs, and operating and capital budget line items and their amounts for the current and previous three fiscal years;
–Copies of all financial statements for the previous three fiscal years.

While all authorities were in compliance with posting their service programs and goals, only the Port Authority and Airport Authority complied with all the requirements of the ordinance. Wagner sent letters to each authority requesting their compliance with the code within 30 days. She also urged authorities, even if they were in compliance, to increase the quantity and quality of their available data by making it more accessible to the public and in usable formats for modern data analysis.

“There has never been a time when it was easier for government to be transparent. Every authority has room to improve,” Wagner said. “It is time for our authorities to not only follow the code, but to increase their transparency initiatives above and beyond these minimum expectations.”

The chart below summarizes the findings of the Controller’s investigation of authority website in regards to the Section 9 requirements of the County Administrative Code.

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 Budgetary Information is not currently available on the following Authorities’ websites, violating 5-203.09 of the Allegheny Code of Ordinances.
 
 
Sports and Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
·         Operating Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Capital Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Personnel Costs (3 yrs)

Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County
·         Operating Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Capital Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Personnel Costs (3 yrs)
·         Financial Statements (3 yrs)

Allegheny County Industrial Development Authority
·         Operating Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Capital Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Personnel Costs (3 yrs)
·         Financial Statements (3 yrs)

Allegheny County Residential Finance Authority
·         Operating Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Capital Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Personnel Costs (3 yrs)
·         Financial Statements (3 yrs)

Authority for Improvements in Municipalities
·         Operating Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Capital Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Personnel Costs (3 yrs)
·         Financial Statements (3 yrs)

Authority for Hospital Development Authority
·         Operating Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Capital Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Personnel Costs (3 yrs)
·         Financial Statements (3 yrs)

Allegheny County Higher Education Building Authority
·         Operating Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Capital Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Personnel Costs (3 yrs)
·         Financial Statements (3 yrs)

Allegheny County Housing Authority
·         Operating Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Capital Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Personnel Costs (3 yrs)
·         Financial Statements (3 yrs)
 
Allegheny County Sanitary Authority
·         Operating Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Capital Budget Line Items & Amount (3 yrs)
·         Personnel Costs (3 yrs)
·         Financial Statements (3 yrs)
 
*Other Authorities provide budgetary information on each of their websites, but do not make it easy for Allegheny County taxpayers to access the information. Much of the vital budgetary information is listed under random sections, such as the Sports and Exhibition Authority lists the organization’s financial statements under a section titled “Info Center,” the Allegheny County Airport Authority lists the organization’s budget and financial statements under “Newsroom” and the Port Authority lists its financial statements under “Internal and Independent Audits,” which can be found under the Company Info & Projects section. If any of the Authorities’ list the required budgetary information, many only meet the bare minimum required by ordinance 5-203.09, as well as make it difficult for taxpayers to access the information.