Fitzgerald asks court to rule on county council's minimum wage increase
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is taking county council to court over the vote to raise the minimum wage for county employees.
Fitzgerald says the council overstepped its authority under the Home Rule Charter when it voted to raise wages to $20 an hour by 2026. He vetoed the bill then council overrode it.
Fitzgerald says he's asking the court for a judgment to answer the question up for debate: can council set wages?
He called it an important legal question that "requires immediate review and determination by the court, especially since my administration is in the process of preparing the 2024 budget."
Council president Pat Catena responded to the lawsuit, calling it "typical" of the chief executive. He says Fitzgerald "can't win an argument based on the issues, so he's running to the courts."