*Published:* 09.30.2022 *Contact:* Maria Montano Press Secretary Mayor's Office 412-500-6669 press@pittsburghpa.gov Mayor Ed Gainey Introduces 2023 Preliminary Budget *Mayor Ed Gainey Introduces 2023 Preliminary Budget* *PITTSBURGH *— Today Mayor Ed Gainey introduced the Administration’s preliminary budget for the City of Pittsburgh. The preliminary 2023 budget prioritizes investments in safe neighborhoods, welcoming communities and thriving people and invests in vital City services and personnel. Additionally, the proposed budget expands investments in infrastructure including bridge maintenance, public safety, parks and recreation, and increased capacity to address snow events. In keeping with its commitment to transparency, the Administration expanded public engagement efforts to obtain feedback from residents. Guided by the leadership of the Office of Budget and Management, and with help from the Neighborhood Services team in the Mayor’s office and the Department of Innovation and Performance, the City hosted five virtual public meetings, utilized an online survey to capture opinions and developed a digital mapping tool to capture project ideas from the public. This historic engagement in the City’s budget process included a 500% increase in utilization of online surveys through Engage PGH, 67 neighborhoods represented, and more than 1,000 project ideas generated. “Budgets are moral documents and our budget that we introduced today is a statement about the City’s core values, our respect and acknowledgement of the contributions of our employees, and our unwavering commitment to making Pittsburgh the safest city in America where everyone who lives here and works here can thrive.” said Mayor Gainey. “This budget is just the first step to ensuring that our city remains on a course of fiscal stability and responsibility – that is what the public and our city deserve.” *Some key areas of investment include:* - Investment of $4 million to expand capacity to respond to winter weather events, including the purchase of additional snowplows; - Paid student internships for Pittsburgh Public School’s “Prepare to Prosper” initiative; - Funding to upgrade database to track and route resident service requests; - Expansion of Reach Out On The Streets (ROOTS) initiative with OCHS and OVP to bring needed services and violence intervention strategies into every public safety zone; - Establishment of dedicated bridge maintenance unit to conduct day-to-day maintenance and safety checks of City bridges; - Expansion of traffic calming and Complete Streets projects to deliver high-demand right-of-way safety improvements; - Increase of Housing Opportunity Fund to allocate critical supports for affordable housing development to ensure greater production and preservation of long-term affordable housing units and; - Technology infrastructure upgrades. In the coming weeks and days the administration will host a series of community meetings and release new tools to get resident feedback on the 20223 preliminary budget. “I look forward to working with Members of the City Council to implement this budget,” Mayor Gainey added. “Together, we will ensure that Pittsburgh becomes a City for all.” *View the Administration’s preliminary budgets online:* 2023 Preliminary Capital Budget <https://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/redtail/images/19354_2023_September_Budget_-_Compressed.pdf> 2023 Preliminary Operating Budget <https://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/redtail/images/19353_2023_Operating_Budget_-_September_vF.pdf> ### ------------------------------ . LaptopCupGreenMarker -- Click here to visit our website <https://hpccpgh.org/>