AT A PRESS CONFERENCE this past Wednesday, Pittsburgh City Councilman Reverend Ricky Burgess, whose district is Wilkinsburg’s closest city neighbor, stated his support of annexation, encouraging Wilkinsburg voters to do the same… in 2023.
"The annexation of the Borough of Wilkinsburg would be beneficial to both Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg. Pittsburgh will benefit from the increased population, land, and income while Wilkinsburg will benefit from reduced taxes, better public services, and potential new economic development," Councilman Burgess said.
"In some ways the annexation has already begun; the City already collects Wilkinsburg trash and fights Wilkinsburg fires, and Wilkinsburg parents send their middle and high school children to Pittsburgh schools.”
Together with Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith and Councilor Anthony Coghill, Councilor Burgess shared that council will take the lead on an investigation to gather additional information and facts over the next six months.
Following the investigation, we plan to, once again, work with residents to circulate petitions in Wilkinsburg, which will be presented to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas later this year. Just like last year, the court will then move to approve Wilkinsburg’s petition and order City Council to vote on the issue. We expect Wilkinsburg voters will then see the annexation referendum on their 2023 municipal primary ballots. If voted in favor by Wilkinsburg, the annexation would take effect in January 2024.
While this process slows our timeline down by a year, it will allow for greater collaboration between our two municipalities and more input from residents – something we will all benefit from. At the WCDC, we look forward to working with leaders in both Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg to continue making progress on this important local and regional issue.
Over the next couple weeks, we will be focusing on our goals for the year and ways to continue engaging the community in the annexation discussion. We will continue hosting meetings and opportunities for residents to have their questions and concerns addressed. We look forward to sharing more information, meeting dates, and a more detailed timeline for the referendum with you soon.
In the meantime, we want to THANK YOU, our friends and supporters, for sticking with us as we continue working together to ensure a better, brighter future for all in Wilkinsburg.
Stay warm!
Sincerely,
Tracey Evans and the Board and Staff of the WCDC
