City of Pittsburgh Ballot Measure #2: Public Ownership of Water and Sewer Systems
Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter be amended and supplemented by adding a new Article 11: RIGHT TO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF POTABLE WATER SYSTEMS, WASTEWATER SYSTEM, AND STORM SEWER SYSTEMS, which restricts the lease and/or sale of the City s water and sewer system to private entities? ExplanationWhat would the proposed ordinance do?The City of Pittsburgh currently owns and operates the drinking water, sewer, and stormwater utilities that serve Pittsburgh residents. The city s Home Rule Charter, as written, allows the sale of these utilities to a private company or individual. The proposed amendment would add language to the Home Rule Charter prohibiting the sale of these utilities to a private company or individual. BackgroundPittsburgh Water (PW), formerly the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA), is a public utility that provides drinking water, and waste and stormwater management for the City of Pittsburgh. When the utility was formed in 1995, PWSA agreed to rent the water management infrastructure from the City of Pittsburgh in a kind of rent to own arrangement. The 1995 contract allows PW to purchase the infrastructure from the city for $1 in the fall of 2025. Although PW remains a public utility, it would then be legal for PW to sell the infrastructure to a private company. In 2016, Pennsylvania passed a law changing the way the value or sale price of a public utility is determined. This law made it easier for private companies to purchase utilities and has led to an increased number of sales of water utilities in Pennsylvania to private companies.PW is currently committed to remaining a public utility, and there is no company trying to buy Pittsburgh s water and sewer utilities at this time. This amendment, if passed, would prevent a private company from buying these utilities in the future. The measure to put this question on the ballot was passed unanimously by the Pittsburgh City Council and signed by the Mayor. The board of Pittsburgh Water has also stated support for the amendment.A YES vote, supports changing the City s Home Rule Charter to prohibit sale of public utilities to private companies.A NO vote, opposes changing the City s Home Rule Charter; allowing potential sale of public utilities to private companies.
