City of Pittsburgh

@MichaelLambPA released a performance audit of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC). Among the areas the audit reviewed were the PPC’s relationship and communication processes with the City of Pittsburgh and its various departments. The audit also examined the various agreements, contracts and leases between the City of Pittsburgh and the PPC going back to 1998. While many of the contracts and agreements reviewed for this audit do not have city funds involved, all contra...cts and agreements between the City and another entity must be sent to the Controller’s office for placement in our contract database, said Lamb. This provides transparency and a central storage location. Contracts between the City and the Parks Conservancy are now available to the public via OpenBook Pittsburgh our contracts database. Link to full report: https://buff.ly/2Xwiug8 @PGHController

City of Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb released a performance audit of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police’s Secondary Employment program. Police secondary employment occurs outside of an officer’s normal working hours. Officers are hired to work secondary employment details at private establishments such as bars and grocery stores, but also at events at Heinz Field, PNC Park and PPG Paints Arena. Link to full report: https://buff.ly/3dw1LyR Overall our audit found that the Police Bureau has greatly improved its oversight of police secondary employment, said City Controller Michael Lamb. Since our last audit, the Bureau and Pittsburgh City Council, adopted our recommendations and created comprehensive secondary employment policies and procedures.

City of Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb released a performance audit of the City’s Department of Public Works (DPW) Snow and Ice Control and Street Pothole Maintenance Programs. Link to full Audit: https://buff.ly/3hXyVdU Controller’s office auditors reviewed the following: DPW’s snow and ice removal fleet and equipment, DPW’s snow plow route optimization contract and work performed by the vendor, cost of salt and pothole patching materials, and reviewed DPW’s overall pothole patching program.

@CityChannelPGH recorded yesterday's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAAFR) Press Conference with City Controller Michael Lamb. Watch our coverage now!

Today, City Controller Michael Lamb released Pittsburgh’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the year ending December 31, 2019. Link to the full CAFR: https://buff.ly/3aXtFCE Pittsburgh ended 2019 with a $20.7 million general fund surplus. The City’s total unassigned fund balance at the end of 2019 was $133 million, an increase of $19 million from 2018. The unassigned fund balance is available for city government to spend. The City’s total debt at the end of... 2019 was $427.5 million, an increase from 2018. The increase is due to the City’s borrowing for capital projects. Controller Lamb also addressed the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on City finances. While we do not yet know the full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will have on City revenues, the city recognizes that the budgetary impact will be significant, said Lamb. We do remain optimistic that steps can be taken to manage city finances going forward. At the end of March, in most tax categories, City revenue collections were running behind of where they were at the same point in 2019.