Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg residents offered differing visions of what the city’s proposed annexation of the Borough of Wilkinsburg could mean for both groups during a public meeting on Thursday.
The event at a senior center on the South Side was one of multiple public hearings over the last four months intended to give Pittsburgh city councilors more information about the public’s thoughts on the proposed merger.
The latest attempt at annexation was brought forward by the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation in January. City council voted it down just weeks later after councilors said theydid not have enough information to properly consider the proposal. They also wanted more time to hear from Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg residents.
Councilor Ricky Burgess, who ran the meeting, said that Wilkinsburg is facing “structural economic challenges,” including a declining tax base that he said has been a deterrent to private investment in the area.
“If Wilkinsburg becomes part of the city of Pittsburgh, it will jumpstart development tenfold,” Burgess claimed. “The property rates, the property taxes simply make development almost impossible.”
District 9, which Burgess represents, borders Wilkinsburg. If Pittsburgh does annex Wilkinsburg, it would likely become a part of his district.
Kate Luxemburg, a longtime Wilkinsburg resident, disagreed with Burgess’s assessment.
“Our tax base, our total taxable assessment has risen since year 2014,” Luxemburg said, adding that a small number of houses in Regent Square, which includes parts of Wilkinsburg, sell for “huge prices,” and are assessed based on their sale price.
“We are not interested in running Wilkinsburg to make life better for the people who buy these expensive houses. That’s not what we are all about. That is a very small part of Wilkinsburg,” she said.
But some in favor of annexation said dismissing the tax burden on Wilkinsburg residents would be a mistake.
“I’m actually for the annexation to bring down the tax rate,” said Wilkinsburg resident Celeste Banks. “That’s all I do is pay taxes and bills. There’s no fun in life, but I’m stuck in a house that I can’t even sell.”
Renee Dolney, a Wilkinsburg resident who opposes annexation, said reports of Wilkinsburg’s financial status, including figures from the WCDC, do not accurately represent the borough’s finances.
She said although it makes sense for Wilkinsburg to share some services like garbage collection and public schools with Pittsburgh, annexation could result in residents “losing [their] political autonomy.”
“Nobody in Wilkinsburg wants to lose their political autonomy,” she said.
Dolney estimates that 85% of Wilkinsburg residents are against the annexation.
Of the seven people who spoke at the meeting, four spoke in favor of annexation and three spoke against.
For the annexation to move forward, city council members would have to vote in favor of the plan. Then, Wilkinsburg voters would consider a referendum on the matter.
Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg officials plan to hold two additional meetings in Wilkinsburg.
