Allegheny County executive says administration won't ignore pension fund crisis

Allegheny County's pension fund is facing a $1.4 billion gap, as massive infusions of cash are necessary to prevent it from being depleted.

The members of the current retirement board said they've inherited a mess. But Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato says they won't continue to kick the can down the road. 

"We're here now," she said. "This is what this board inherited. So, what do we need to do?"

County officials need to find a way to come up with $100 million annually for the next two decades. The options, as they appear right now, aren't very attractive. An independent report sizing up the debt says the surest way to raise that kind of money is by creating or raising one of four broad-based taxes, each of which would hit county taxpayers, workers and residents in the wallet. 

"A sales tax, a property tax, an income tax, a payroll tax," Allegheny County Treasurer Erica Rocchi Brusselars said. 

KDKA-TV's Andy Sheehan asked Innamorato, "At least a good part of this is going to come from the taxpayer?" 

"It's public money, and this is money that was not paid into it that should have been paid into it," she said. 

Innamorato says she's meeting with state representatives and Josh Shapiro's administration about potential help from Harrisburg. And her administration is exploring any options. One option not under consideration is ignoring the problem. 

"It's going to take collaboration," Innamorato said. "But the end of the day it's about the people who make county services run and who made county services run over the many decades get what they deserve."

Over the next year, the county and the retirement board will be looking for potential solutions. But at this point, there appear to be no good ones, and at least a good portion of that money will be coming from the taxpayer.