Council, mayor set goals for 2008

Valentine’s Day gave City Council and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl the perfect opportunity to spread… Valentine’s Day gave City Council and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl the perfect opportunity to spread the love around Pittsburgh.

The leaders of local government announced a list of legislative pledges and priorities on Thursday.

The list was established as a common set of goals for both the mayor and the council in hopes of taking steps toward increasing accountability and efficiency in city government.

“In a city known for its industry and innovation in business, it is crucial to see that same spirit reflected in its city government,” Councilman Patrick Dowd said at the proclamation signing that took place at the City Council building Downtown.

The pledge identifies five areas of governance that need to be improved. The areas are: reducing the debt of the city and addressing other financial issues, improving the quality and delivery of services, creating greater equity and efficiency in land-use planning, supporting green and sustainable initiatives in city government, and maintaining high ethical standards among elected officials and city employees.

Many of the pledges and priorities call for increased accountability and transparency in government, in addition to improving the amount of cooperation between the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

To improve the quality of city government, council members proposed to create joint oversight committees, publish performance standards for city departments and create a comprehensive communication plan.

Dan Gilman, spokesman for Councilman Bill Peduto, said that there is a lot of room for improvement, but it is important to “get community input so that we can provide the most efficient and cost-effective services” to the people of Pittsburgh. “There are lots of different opportunities we have [to improve city government], from purchasing to personnel,” said Selena Schmidt, spokeswoman for council president Doug Shields.

Legislative priorities create “an opportunity to increase our regular dialogue” between the various departments of city government, said Schmidt.

She added that the council is “continually finding ways to be proactive rather than reactive” in addressing the needs and concerns of Pittsburghers.

In keeping with the pledge to support green initiatives, Gilman noted that the findings of the Green Government Task Force will outline what government can do to make services more environmentally friendly.

The task force is co-chaired by Peduto, Ravenstahl and state Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, and it has researched ways to make Pittsburgh a cleaner and more sustainable city.

In terms of planning and development, “The issues of the casino and the arena impact [both] the city and the region,” Schmidt said.

“We look holistically at the city and the region,” she said.