Tribune-Review
A masked patron waits to board a Port Authority bus along Freeport Road April 20 in Harmar.
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Concrete steps must be taken to reduce the Port Authority’s costs but also to find a better dedicated funding stream for the mass-transit agency, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy.
“Whatever the Legislature comes up with, the egregiously high costs at the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAAC) must be taken into consideration,” says Jake Haulk, president-emeritus of the Pittsburgh think tank.
Another year, another toll increase on the Pennsylvania Turnpike – a trend drivers will likely withstand for another three decades amid bleak traffic and revenue projections, according to a new report.
Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) yet again used fund reserves to balance its 2021 general fund budget, a practice it has employed since 2016. But the school district has a long way to go to address its high expenditures, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “PPS’ trends
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The enrollment and financial woes of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) are well known. And fixing the mess will be a monumental challenge, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy.
The 14-school system’s enrollment has plunged by 21% from its 2010 peak of 119,513 students. But while the student census has, on net, fallen precipitously, commensurate reductions in faculty, other staffing and stand-alone institutions that kept costs unacceptably high were not considered.
Until recently, that is.
The terrible financial picture at PASSHE reflects two major causes, notes Jake Haulk, president-emeritus of the Pittsburgh think tank.
Nate Smallwood | Tribune-Review
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The coronavirus pandemic should be teaching us many things about inappropriate government action. But it also should be teaching us about equally arbitrary and capricious government inaction, concludes a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy.
As the Pittsburgh think tank reminds, the Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review heard 7,941 appeals of assessed values in 2019. Most were for residential properties and most were brought by governing bodies, particularly school districts.
“There is an anticipation that there may be an uptick in appeals due to the economic effects of the coronavirus,” says Eric Montarti, research director at the Allegheny Institute. “It’s yet another reason to have predictable reassessment cycles.”