Pittsburgh Pension Bill Passed...Vetoed...Veto Overridden

Pittsburgh Pension Bill Passed.
Pittsburgh Pension Bill Vetoed.
Pittsburgh Pension Bill Veto Overridden.

Gots to go now...
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Pittsburgh Pension Problem: Almost There

Those of you listening to 80's pop on the City Channel for a couple of hours today probably were wondering what the holdup was. We understood that Pittsburgh City Council was to hold a Legislative Session at 1:30 today to overturn Mayor Ravenstal's "cooperative" veto to attempt to stave off state control of the city's pension. The meeting actually started around 2:00 and almost immediately was recessed until after 3:00 PM.

Here's why:



(Click to enlarge)

Council did overturn the Mayor's veto today (8 to 1; Rev. Burgess being the only dissenting vote), thus putting the new Council/Controller plan into place which dedicates the asset of future parking taxes to the city pension fund to bring that up to 50% funded.

The hold up -- the reason why Council must meet again tomorrow -- is that upon further reflection by everyone (PERC, ACT 47, ICA) it was decided that the City must dedicate $735,680,000 over 31 years instead of $414.7 million (the difference between a 5% and 8% discount rate).

New legislation is being drawn up to amend the Pittsburgh Code, Title Two - Fiscal, Article XI (I believe).

The Mayor will need to "cooperatively" veto this new legislation quickly so that Council may then override that veto. Council did note that the Mayor and his Administration have been very forthcoming in providing whatever Council has needed these last 24 hours or so. And in an email exchange between Council President Harris and Yarone Zober, Zober indicated that the Mayor will quickly veto this latest round so that Council may overturn the veto in time to meet the Midnight December 31st deadline.

Council will hold a Legislation Session tomorrow at 1:00PM (followed right after with a Standing Committee Meeting) and another 11:00PM Legislative Session -- yes, 11:00 PM on New Year's Eve -- followed by another Standing Committee Meeting.

Um, Happy New Year, City Council?
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Good Lord

I am watching a mic aimed at a speaker phone on my teevee for several minutes now.

I also have spent part of my morning listening to our mayor explain his plan to do a "non obstructionist" veto.

My brain hurts.

Good thing I will need to turn away from the City Channel soon.

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Confidential Letter to Pittsburgh City Council

(NOTE: This letter is meant only for the members of Pittsburgh City Council. I would ask everyone else -- this means you, Yarone Zober -- to please read no further and I thank you in advance for your cooperation.)


Dear Pittsburgh City Council,

In times past, I've written some confidential advice to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and it looks like you're now overdue for some of the same.

In watching your hearings this past week, it's become apparent that you have some issues getting the attention of our Mayor. You say he won't take your calls, he won't answer your questions, he won't take your meetings, and he won't sign your legislation.

I see that you have even felt it necessary to compel him to meet with you. I propose that with just a little bit of ingenuity on your part, you can get Mayor Ravenstahl to rush to your side without the need for any extreme legal measures:

Have Councilor Rudiak don a long blonde wig and some mismatched clothes -- tell Luke she's the new Sienna Miller.

Put Councilor Lavelle in some sweats, shades and bling and tell Luke that TMZ has proclaimed him a hot new rapper who's destined to be "bigger than Snoop."

Hold your meetings on a golf course.

Hold your meetings at Seven Springs.

Two words: Tiger Woods. Compel him to attend a meeting -- Luke is sure to follow.

If all else fails, pool your resources (CBG monies?) and hire a private jet stocked with lingerie models. Tell Lukey if he inks your deal, he'll get a night in NYC that he'll never forget so good he won't be able to remember.

Sincerely,
Your Friend at 2pj

Pittsburgh City Council Compels Mayor Ravenstahl To Show Up Today

§ 11.3-310. Powers of Council.
Council shall have the following additional powers:
. . .
f. to call a meeting at any time between council and the mayor jointly to discuss legislation or the business of the City in general, and to compel the attendance of the mayor at a council hearing;

Frustrated members of Pittsburgh City Council voted yesterday to compel Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to show up to today's Council meeting at 10:00 AM to try to help avert a state takeover of the the city's pension plan. As surely everyone reading this must know by now, a majority of Council soundly rejected the Mayor's plan to privatize the city's parking assets. That was back in October and the Mayor has basically rejected any alternative plan by City Council.

You can read about Council's contentious meetings with Finance Director Scott Kunka (in lieu of the Mayor) in the City Paper, two articles and an editorial in the Post-Gazette, and even a piece at Bloomberg.com.

Perhaps most distressing is the Tribune-Review's article which contains the following quote:

"It's too late," said James McAneny, executive director of the Pennsylvania Public Employee Retirement Commission. "Even if they got $500 million next year, it wouldn't change the takeover, unless the General Assembly changes the law."

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Last Plan Standing?

As we blogged last night, a new Pittsburgh City Council/City Controller plan was unveiled today to address our city's pension crisis. It too incorporates the assets of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority.

The difference between the new plan and the Mayor's plan and the old Council/Controller plan is thus:

It does not provide a windfall for Wall Street.

It does not create debt -- interest payments -- for the city.

Instead, it solves the problem of needing to bring the pension fund (currently 29.3% funded) to the needed 50% funded by dedicating 30 years of Parking Authority revenues to the pension (guaranteed backed by the city's general fund). The pension fund must be 50% funded by December 31 to avoid a takeover by the state. It uses the current value of these assets to cover the $220 million needed.

The huge question remaining is where Mayor Luke Ravenstahl stands in all this and if any action is needed on the part of his administration. If today's appearance in Council's Chambers by Finance Director Scott Kunka is any indication, he won't be with it...And according to Jon Delano he isn't.

Council's now back in session, but I'll be off to work soon. Who knows if anything will be resolved by the time I get back...
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"Potential Resolution of Pension Funding Possible"

(Click to enlarge)

The press conference:

· tomorrow morning, December 28, 2010

· 9 a.m.

· Outside City Council Chambers

· 5th Floor City-County Building, 414 Grant Street

Bad Boys, Bad Boys (Local Edition)

Just in time to get a lump of coal from Santa:

CasablancaPA has the goods on PA Rep. and Majority Leader Mike Turzai's double dipping when it comes to per diems here.

Father Duquesne (formerly The Parkway Left) has a post up on Allegheny County Councilman Matt Drozd titled "Portrait of an ignorant bigot."

Infinonymous blogs on LeRoy S. Zimmerman (longtime friend and close political ally of PA Gov.-elect Tom Corbett) who oversees the Hershey Trust and who is under investigation by Corbett's office for using $12 million in "funds intended to educate impoverished children" to purchase a money-losing golf course and then spending another $5 million to bling the course out. (Full story in the P-G here.)

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a story on Michael Jasper. Jasper is a PNC vice president and finance manager who was a Pittsburgh Parking Authority board member. "Was" as in he was the only board member who voted to study a pension bailout plan opposed by Lil Mayor Luke and "was" as in he's no longer a board member because his employer asked him to resign from that body. You figure out who the bad boy is in this case (Hint: it ain't Jasper.)

Guess whose parking meters made it into Matt Taibbi’s new book, Griftopia?

You only get one guess.

(Answer here.)
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There's Going to be a Showdown

The City Council post agenda with the Mayor has just started. You can view it live on the city channel. UPDATE: Live streaming here as well.

Some Background Reading:

- Ravenstahl wants parking, pensions summit, P-G, 10/23/10

- Ravenstahl grapples with parking defeat, P-G, 10/24/10

- Mayor Invites Councilors To Meeting That Should Be Very Informational (Or Exceptionally Brief), Infinonymous, 10/22/10

- Parking-pension posts @ 2pj

- Bram live blogging at The Pittsburgh Comet.

- Several posts on Councilman Bill Peduto's thoughts on this issue @ Reform Pittsburgh Now

- Controller-Council plan available here.

- Parking Assets Poll here.
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Council Votes Down Mayor's Parking-Pension Plan In Preliminary Vote

(Any and all questions regarding this graphicshould be directed to Rev. Burgess.)
In a preliminary vote today, Pittsburgh City Council voted down Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's 50-year giveaway parking privatization plan for the city's pension problem.

Bill 956:

Resolution authorizing the City of Pittsburgh to enter into concession arrangements with LAZ Parking and J. P. Morgan IFF Acquisitions LLC, operating as Pittsburgh Parking Partners, LLC with respect to on street metered parking and the garages and lots owned by the City and the Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh (the "Authority") pursuant to the Pittsburgh Metered Parking System Concession and Services Agreement and the Pittsburgh Public Parking Facilities System Concession and Lease Agreement, and to authorize certain actions and ancillary agreements contemplated by the Metered System Concession Agreement and the Facilities Concession Agreement including the conveyance of Mellon Square garage and five (5) surface parking lots to the Authority as required by the Facilities Concession Agreement and the conveyance of parking meters and other items of equipment to the Concessionaire as required by the Metered System Concession Agreement. (Parking Assets Lease)

Here's how the vote came down:

Yes:
Ricky Burgess

No:
Patrick Dowd
Darlene Harris
Bruce Kraus
William Peduto
Natalia Rudiak
Doug Shields

Abstain:
Theresa Kail-Smith
Daniel Lavelle

RIP to Parking Privatization in Pittsburgh

Parking lease plan 'dead' in Pittsburgh City Council, Post-Gazette

Two more pension ideas offered, Post-Gazette

Councilman declares parking privatization 'dead' in Pittsburgh, Tribune-Review
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One question, Post-Gazette...

Why the question mark in the headline?
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