Pittsburgh voters casting ballots in the May primary will be asked whether the city should change its requirement that notice for public hearings be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation.
That includes notice for hearings pertaining to the budget and zoning changes.
City Council President R. Daniel Lavelle, D-Hill District, sponsored a measure — which his colleagues unanimously approved Tuesday — that would place the question on the ballot.
If voters approve the measure, the city would be permitted to publish its notices “via successor media that reasonably ensures public access,” like the city’s website and digital news publications.
Lavelle introduced the measure after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced it will close in May. The city’s law department had previously determined that paper — which traces its roots to 1786 — was the appropriate newspaper of general circulation where such notices had been published.
No budget referendum
Lavelle on Tuesday told council members he no longer wished to move ahead with placing a second referendum on the ballot, opting to instead address a problem it aimed to solve through a new city ordinance.
That referendum would’ve asked voters to clarify budget deadlines.
Council late last year added a tax increase and rewrote portions of the budget proposed by then-Mayor Ed Gainey.
They were working against a tight deadline, because existing rules demanded they give the mayor a 10-day window before the end of the year to sign or veto the budget. If the mayor does neither — as Gainey chose to do in December — the budget becomes law after those 10 days expire.
Lavelle is looking to get rid of that 10-day period and create a new rule that says council’s budget becomes law if the mayor doesn’t act on it before the end of the year, regardless of how many days he has to consider his decision.
Lavelle said he plans to take the issue up at Wednesday’s standing committee meeting through legislation, rather than a referendum.