Press Releases

Allegheny County government continues to have fiscal concerns, and greater challenges loom on the horizon, even as the County economy recovers from the Great Recession, according to County Controller Chelsa Wagner. “County government can no longer exist in a constant state of financial instability with little flexibility and inadequate resources to invest in the future,” […]

Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner, a member of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Board of Directors, will participate in the FedEx Ground Pittsburgh Marathon Relay on Sunday, May 6, 2012. Controller Wagner’s leg of the Relay will take her through neighborhoods of the North Side, West End and South Shore that she represented for […]

Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner today called on Gov. Tom Corbett to restore funding to critical County programs that was cut in the Governor’s proposed 2012-13 budget. “Your budget does not include any money for either the Law Enforcement Grant or Pittsburgh Municipal Court Grant, previously funded at .5 million and million respectively,” Wagner said […]

Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner and City of Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb will jointly review Pittsburgh Allegheny County Thermal Ltd. to determine whether continuing to buy steam from the member-owned cooperative is a good deal for taxpayers. “Our objective is to find the best deal for City and County taxpayers,” Lamb said. “People know energy […]

Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner will challenge the Voter ID law signed by Gov. Tom Corbett in March, arguing that it patently violates the Pennsylvania Constitution and federal laws guaranteeing free and equal access to the polls, while placing an unfunded mandate on County taxpayers. Wagner applauded the efforts of Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald […]

With Allegheny County government losing almost million in revenue a year to property-tax exemptions, Controller Chelsa Wagner today called for County government to require organizations seeking tax breaks to show annually that they meet the requirements for them under Pennsylvania law. “While some exemptions are fair, like those for churches and soup kitchens, others are […]

Noting her goal of making Allegheny County finances and operations “crystal clear” to the public, County Controller Chelsa Wagner today unveiled her 2011 annual report to County taxpayers, “An Eye Toward the Future.” “Allegheny County faces real challenges resulting from years of poor planning and severe cuts from the state and federal governments, many to […]

Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner today applauded the County Office of Property Assessments for its quick action to repair reassessment appeal status information. In a letter to Michael J. Suley, manager of the Office of Property Assessments, Wagner said, “It is important that the information that we provide to property owners be accessible and understandable. […]

On the heels of the landmark agreement to save transit in Allegheny County, County Controller Chelsa Wagner released her report (.pdf download) detailing immediate action steps for growing the region’s largest transit system.  Controller Wagner’s “Taxpayer Alert” details how the Port Authority can generate million a year in additional revenue by getting up to speed […]

Over the past four months, Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner and the Controller’s Auditing Division have engaged in a detailed review of the most recent property reassessment in Allegheny County. The goals of Controller Wagner’s engagement were two-fold. First, the Controller wanted to evaluate whether or not the County’s reassessment contractor, Tyler Technologies, complied the […]