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Ordinance supplementing the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title Two--Fiscal, Article V-Special Funds, to add a new Chapter, Chapter 237 - “STOP THE VIOLENCE FUND”, to prioritize the prevention of violence and crime within communities and to create a budgetary obligation for the Fund.
(Cablecast Public Hearing held 7/15/20 & Cablecast Post Agenda held 7/16/20)
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WHEREAS, in 2018, American Public Health Association stated that law enforcement violence is a public health issue; and,
WHEREAS, racial profiling by some police officers and the supporting system of structured racism results in disproportionate harm to the health of individuals and communities of color; and,
WHEREAS, the bias in the criminal justice system is staggering. African-Americans are nearly twice as likely to be pulled over than White Americans. African-Americans are more likely to be charged for drug crimes than White people even though White people use and sell drugs at similar rates; and,
WHEREAS, thirteen percent (13%) of the U.S. population is African-American, but 27% of those who are arrested are African-American. African-Americans are more likely to be detained before trial than White people, and nearly six times more likely to be incarcerated. African-Americans are more than three times more likely to be shot by the police than an unarmed White Americans; and,
WHEREAS, there are various evidence-based crime and violence prevention and intervention practices that are community-based; and,
WHEREAS, funding social services for mental health, domestic violence and homelessness, reduce crime and violence; and,
WHEREAS, the U.S. spends more than $100 billion dollars per year policing its cities and states. For many major cities, police department budgets make up a disproportionate amount of overall spending, even as other departments face steep cuts amid the coronavirus; and,
WHEREAS, on December 23, 2019, the Honorable William M. Peduto, Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, signed into law Resolution Number 843 of 2019, declaring racism a “public health crisis” in the City of Pittsburgh, a Home Rule municipality and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and,
WHEREAS, funding for public safety services including salaries, operations and pension, are the single greatest expense for the City of Pittsburgh; and,
WHEREAS, in Pittsburgh various specialized police-community programs including the Maryland Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) and the Group Violence Intervention program (GVI) have contributed to reduced crime and violence; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH HEREBY ENACTS AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: The Pittsburgh Code, Title Two--Fiscal, Article V--Special Funds, is hereby amended by adding a new Chapter, Chapter 237 - “STOP THE VIOLENCE FUND”.
§ 237.01 Definitions.
a. Social service program - As defined by this subsection, a non-governmental agency which provides intervention, mediation, violence prevention or necessary supportive services which aid in reducing criminal activity by at-risk populations in the City, and when appropriate, surrounding communities;
b. City Council finds that financially supporting non-governmental programs and social service programs that prevent violence and criminal activity in the City of Pittsburgh is an express public purpose, one which more than justifies the use of the City’s public moneys;
§ 237.02 Establishment of the STOP THE VIOLENCE Fund
(a) The STOP THE VIOLENCE FUND (“Fund”) shall be created by the Office of Management and Budget as a separate fund for the purpose of supporting non-governmental services and programs that prevent violence and criminal activities. The City may appropriate revenue and the Fund may receive monies from other sources as deemed appropriate by the Office of Equity or other Department as designated by the Mayor, consistent with the purposes set forth in this Chapter.
(b) It is the intent of the City Council that a fully capitalized Fund have allocated to it an amount matching a certain percentage of the total annual City budget allocation of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, as set forth in the following schedule:
Budget Year 2021: Five Percent (5%);
Budget Year 2022: Six Percent (6%);
Budget Year 2023: Seven Percent (7%);
Budget Year 2024: Eight Percent (8%);
Budget Year 2025: Nine Percent (9%);
Budget Year 2026 (and thereafter): Ten Percent (10%)
(c) For purposes of this section, the total annual City budget allocation of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police shall not include local, state, or federal grants awarded and allocated to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
(d) It is the intention of the City Council that the Fund be used exclusively for the purposes set forth in this Chapter. Therefore, any assets remaining in the Fund at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried into the next fiscal year, including all interest and income earned, as well as any repayments or forfeitures of expenditures and/or grants.
(e) The Stop The Violence Steering Committee shall advise in the selection and distribution of funding to community violence prevention programs.
(f) The dedication of any revenue must be consistent with applicable law and fiscal planning including the City's annual five-year plan. Unless Council approves a dedicated source of annual funding, the actual amount of funds appropriated pursuant to this Chapter shall be contingent upon annual appropriation of Council.
§ 237.03 Effective Date. This Chapter shall become effective upon enactment.
Section 2. The City Controller is authorized and directed to create a special trust fund to be entitled the “STOP THE VIOLENCE TRUST FUND” for the purpose of accepting and depositing funds from internal and external sources and the expenditure of those funds for related expenses including, but not limited to, salaries, supplies, materials, professional services, equipment and other services in connection with the City of Pittsburgh’s Group Violence Prevention Initiative.
Section 3. The Office of Management and Budget, or other such departments as designated by the Mayor, are hereby authorized to provide for the payment of expenses for the purposes outlined herein.