Hearing to be held on proposed annexation of Wilkinsburg by Pittsburgh
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Pittsburgh City Council is holding a public hearing Saturday to gather input on a proposal to annex neighboring Wilkinsburg and make it the city’s 91st neighborhood.
The proposal has drawn mixed reactions in Wilkinsburg so far.
The Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp. has led the effort to consider merging with Pittsburgh “as a pathway to reduce real estate taxes, stabilize the community and improve service quality,” the community group wrote on a website supporting the annexation.
While the group collected petition signatures from more than 642 residents to formally launch the process, exceeding the minimum number required, Wilkinsburg’s elected officials have voiced opposition to the proposal. Wilkinsburg Borough Council in February voted to oppose any merger efforts.
“A merger would destroy Wilkinsburg,” Denise Edwards, president pro-tem of borough council, previously told the Tribune-Review. “As an elected official, how can you possibly destroy your own community? It doesn’t make sense.”
Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb has voiced his support for annexing Wilkinsburg, noting that issues like crime and stormwater don’t recognize a boundary between the two. A merger, he said, would keep Pittsburgh’s population above 300,000 as the city has experienced recent population loss, and it could streamline services for both Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg.
Pittsburgh is home to nearly 303,000 people, while Wilkinsburg has a population of more than 14,000, according to the 2020 Census.
Pittsburgh’s fire department already services Wilkinsburg, and the borough already shares other services with Pittsburgh.
Saturday’s public hearing, scheduled to start at noon in City Council chambers and be streamed online, will the first held by Pittsburgh City Council on the issue.
Councilman Ricky Burgess, whose district sits adjacent to Wilkinsburg, previously told the Tribune-Review he was “open to the conversation of a merger,” but declined to comment on Friday.
By Friday morning, over 20 people had registered to speak at the hearing, according to the City Clerk’s office.
The proposed annexation requires approval from Pittsburgh City Council. If council approves it, the measure would be scrutinized by a judge. If approved by a judge, it would then be placed on the ballot as a referendum in Wilkinsburg.
It is unclear when City Council may put the measure on its agenda for a vote, but a post-agenda meeting addressing the measure is slated for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Members of the public who would like to speak during Saturday’s public hearing can register online or by calling the City Clerk’s office at 412-255-2138. Speakers must register by 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Written statements may also be submitted to the City Clerk’s office via email.