Press Releases

Secret bank accounts at the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police enabled the misuse of taxpayer funds and led to the indictment of the Police Chief. While Allegheny County “off-book accounts” are not a mystery and are included in the County Controller’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, they do not utilize the County’s financial management system and/or bank […]

Amidst a changing administration at Allegheny County’s Shuman Juvenile Detention Center, County Controller has unveiled her investigation of certain internal controls and safeguards against waste and mismanagement. The report, released today, shows flaws in the administration and internal controls of payroll processing, timekeeping, off-book accounts, and the safeguarding of residents’ belongings. “While these flaws are […]

Wagner Expresses Full Confidence in New Jail Administration to Rectify Deficiencies DOWNLOAD THE REPORT PDF PITTSBURGH — In a report released today, County Controller Chelsa Wagner revealed inadequate internal controls over to prisoner fund accounts at the Allegheny County Jail. Of particular concern, the Controller’s Audit Team could not locate three missing pieces of technology […]

Urges Lawmakers to Enact a 2013 State Budget that Invests in Pennsylvania, Strengthens Social Programs, Helps Schools and Families, and to Postpone Corporate Tax Cuts at the Expense of All Pennsylvanians    Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner traveled to Harrisburg to speak on the proposed 2013-2014 state budget, urging lawmakers to explore alternatives to the […]

Audit Team Uncovers Inadequate Management Practices that Cause Late Payments to Contractors, Failure to Seek Timely Reimbursements from State and Federal Funds, and Subpar Inspection Services Allegheny County ControllerChelsa Wagner announced that her Audit Team completed an Operational Analysis of the County Department of Public Works.  Calling the work of the Audit Team, “extremely important […]

Challenges for Allegheny County’s long-term fiscal health loom on the horizon, even as the overall County economy weathered the storm of the Great Recession, according to County Controller Chelsa Wagner.   “While the economic data shows real reasons for optimism in terms of jobs and growth, Allegheny County, and the wider region, still face chronic […]

Controller speaks out, UPMC not like other charities……http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sectionfront/opinion/upmc-is-different-from-other-charities-683756/

Auditors uncover $193,138 in improperly assessed charges due back to airport tenants Controller Chelsa Wagner today released the findings of a contract compliance review of Browning-Ferris Industries of PA, LLC (d/b/a Allied Waste Service of Pittsburgh), the entity that provides waste disposal services at the Pittsburgh International Airport.  The Airport Authority contracts with Allied Waste […]

I commend Mayor Ravenstahl and the City of Pittsburgh for taking real action today to examine the validity of UPMC’s status as a purely public charity under the Pennsylvania constitution. By taking this step, the City and Mayor Ravenstahl have taken a major stride to institute fairness and accountability for our taxpayers. This is about […]

Disappointed by the lack of information available to taxpayers, Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner unveiled her property tax “Windfall Watch” in an effort to promote greater transparency in this process. Wagner’s “Windfall Watch” can be found at http://windfallwatch.alleghenycontroller.com . Citing no central place for taxpayers to access information to determine whether their taxes are fair, […]