State oversight board to meet Thursday - PittsburghLIVE.com

Told ya.... The I.C.A. (overlords) is going to meet for the first time this YEAR in MID-MARCH. They are good for nothings who are choosing to fumble their duties and the opportunity to fix Pittsburgh.

Fumble!

State oversight board to meet Thursday - PittsburghLIVE.com State oversight board to meet Thursday

By Jeremy Boren, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, March 13, 2006

Pittsburgh's state oversight board is planning to meet for the first time this year to scrutinize changes Mayor Bob O'Connor will make to former Mayor Tom Murphy's 2006 budget.

The board, known as the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, has scheduled a public meeting for 12:30 p.m. Thursday on the 23rd floor of the Regional Enterprise Tower, 425 Sixth Ave., Downtown.

Designed as a five-member board, the state-run group is still missing two members after resignations in January 2006 and September 2005. State Democrats and Republicans have stalled on naming new members. State law requires that replacements be named within 30 days.

The authority must approve O'Connor's budget changes. It rejected two versions of Murphy's $418 million budget last year.


O'Connor is expected to increase the size of the $418 million 2006 budget, primarily by bolstering the Fire Bureau's allotment so it can handle anticipated overtime costs this year as the under-manned bureau struggles to meet national staffing standards. City Council members have said they expect to see their spending money cut. The most recent budget proposal would have allotted them $88,000 each for administrative assistants, supplies and other office operations.

The move could anger council members, who could get a peek at O'Connor's changes as early as tomorrow and could vote on them next week.

I've said on many instances that we should force them to meet. They need to get to work. They need a 'wake up call.'

Next, I've said that they should NOT be paid for the work they are doing now -- until after the city exits the oversight status. Let's pay them AFTER the work is done -- now while it is NOT being done. Cut off their payments. Follow the money.

The longer that they do nothing, the longer they'll get paid.

The OVERLORDS of the I.C.A. and Act 47 -- we've got two -- should merge. We can't merge the selling of dog licenses between city and county. It too 12 years to merge 911 services. Now we need to merge the Overlords. We've got two bodies that are both doing little. Let's be a good example and get them down to one entity.