Nov 04 County Executive’s Proposed Budget Supports Child Care and Families

(November 4, 2024)

On October 8, County Executive Innamorato released her first proposed budget to Allegheny County Council. This $1.2 billion budget includes a 3% increase over last year’s, and includes investments in programs that serve children and families.

The County Executive’s budget proposes an almost $5 million increase for the Department of Children Initiatives to expand the Allegheny County Child Care Matters program. This program helps families with children under the age of 12 afford child care by providing county subsidies for families who make more than the state’s Child Care Works income limits, but below 300% of the poverty line. The County Executive has shown her commitment to expanding this program by investing $500,000 to ACCCM as one of her first orders of business when she first took office in January. The increased investment proposed in the FY2025 budget would allow the nearly 300 children who are currently in the program to stay in the program and enroll approximately 300 additional children. This expansion would allow more families to access child care, allowing them to be active in the workforce without having to worry about how they will afford quality child care.

A big challenge to this year’s budget is the ending of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), and other Covid-era federal relief funds. In the past few years, the county has been using these dollars to supplant county dollars for programmatic funding. With these funds ending, coupled with the fact that the county has been operating in a structural deficit for a number of years, including a projected $81 million deficit for FY2024, revenues to offset the growing costs of county programs and services are just not there. This year’s budget proposes a tax increase to raise revenues to support the growing costs and the ending of federal dollars. The proposal puts forward a 2.2 millage increase for each county assessed property. For the median house, this would equate to about $15 more per month.

The proposed budget was met to mixed reactions, with some members of council calling it “dead on arrival.” County Executive Innamorato has asked those members who oppose the budget to draft alternative proposals to help address the ending of the Covid-related funds and the growing deficit. At this time, no alternatives have been proposed. October 30 was the last public hearing between the County Council and the County Executive. The final budget must be agreed upon by the County Council and the County Executive by December 6.

Allies for Children is excited to see the proposed increased investments for the Department of Children Initiatives and urges County Council to adopt the County Executive’s proposed budget so that more children and families can access quality child care and actively participate in the workforce. We will continue to follow the process and report on the progress.

Jamie Baxter, Allies for Children Executive Director