Press Releases
MEDIA CONTACT
Lou Takacs, Communications Director
Phone :412-350-4157
Mail to : Louis.Takacs@AlleghenyCounty
CONTROLLER WAGNER WILL NOT APPEAL JUDGE’S DECISION ON AUTHORITY AUDITS, CALLS ON BOARDS TO VOLUNTARILY ALLOW OVERSIGHT
(Pittsburgh) Nov. 30, 2015 Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner today announced thatshe will not appeal a recent Court decision which found that the ability to audit County-related authoritiesis reserved by law to state officials. “The judge’s decision reinforces that state law governing these authorities is severely deficient when it comes tooversight of the large amounts […]
COUNTY CONTROLLER CHELSA WAGNER UNCOVERS $790,000 IN UNPAID HOTEL TAXES; ADVOCATES FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY IN USE OF TAX DOLLARS
(Pittsburgh) Nov. 24, 2015 Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner has identified $790,053 inunpaid taxes, penalties and interest this year stemming from the County’s Hotel/Motel tax. In 2012, the Controller and Treasurer agreed to have the Controller perform certain hotel and rental car audits in orderto achieve greatest efficiency. These included hotel tax compliance audits referred […]
CONTROLLER CITES QUESTIONABLE PROCUREMENT, MONITORING ON COUNTY ROOFING PROJECTS
(Pittsburgh) Nov. 12, 2015 –Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner today issued an audit reportidentifying questionable procurement, contracting and management practices on roofing projects underthe Allegheny County Department of Facilities Management that overran budgets by more than $89,000,and which resulted in taxpayer dollars being paid to middleman firms in Arkansas and Texas,and work on one project […]
WAGNER PLANS NEW EFFORTS TO SHED LIGHT ON AUTHORITIES
(Pittsburgh) Nov. 9, 2015 In a press conference this morning, Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner saidthat her office plans new steps toward increasing the transparency of local public authorities that spend morethan $1 billion each year without meaningful oversight. In a ruling released last week, Allegheny County Common Pleas Senior Judge Joseph M. James ruled […]
CONTROLLER WAGNER ISSUES STATEMENT ON COURT RULING AFFIRMING ABILITY TO CONDUCT PERFORMANCE AUDITS, WILL HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE MONDAY
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner issued the following statement regardingCommon Pleas Senior Judge Joseph M. James’ ruling affirming the ability of her office toconduct performance audits of County departments: “Today is a good day for Allegheny County taxpayers. Judge James’ decision allows us to bring County auditinginto the 21st century. My auditing team is excited […]
$2.5 MILLION IN RENTAL TAXES FOUND IN CONTROLLER’S AUDITS SECURED IN SETTLEMENT
(Pittsburgh) Oct. 28, 2015A legal settlement has been reached in which Hertz Corporation has agreed topay more than $2.5 million identified by the office of Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner as being owedto the County in connection with vehicle rentals at Pittsburgh International Airport. “These millions of dollars in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest would […]
RELEASE: CONTROLLER RELEASES REVIEW OF AIRMALL “STREET PRICING”
(Pittsburgh) Oct. 5, 2015 The Office of Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner today released results of its annual review of “street pricing” by businesses within Pittsburgh International Airport’s AIRMALL. “County leaders insisted on street pricing when the Airport was built because of the significant commitment of taxpayer dollars to that facility, and this requirement […]
CONTROLLER WAGNER’S TAXPAYER ALERT FINDS TAX ENFORCEMENT ON SECTION 8 PROPERTIES LACKING
(Pittsburgh) Sept. 14, 2015 Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner today issued the attached Taxpayer Alert, “Poor Enforcement of Section 8 Properties Costing County.” Taxpayer Alerts are periodic special reports on current fiscal issues affecting County government and taxpayers, and are compiled by professional Controller’s office staff using County government data and other publicly available sources. […]
RELEASE: AUDIT FINDS INACTION ON CLEAN AIR PERMITS, CONTROLLER WAGNER PLANS FURTHER REVIEW
(Pittsburgh) Sept. 8, 2015 An audit by the office of Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner has found that nearly 15 years after being empowered to certify the compliance of major air pollution sources with Title V of the federal Clean Air Act, the Allegheny County Health […]
ALLEGHENY COUNTY CONTROLLER CHELSA WAGNER ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL $1.8M OWED BY HERTZ FOR UNPAID RENTAL CAR TAXES AT THE AIRPORT, ANTICIPATES TOTAL RECOVERY OF $2.5M
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner today announced an additional $1.8 million in transit funds owed to the County by the Hertz Corporation, in addition to the three-quarters-of-a-million dollars identified by her auditors last December. In total, Wagner estimates a $2.5 million total recovery, as a result of her recent audit that discovered Hertz’ underpayment of […]
