Yes to Wilkinsburg annexation

The first heading within the “History” section of the Borough of Wilkinsburg’s website reads: “Wilkinsburg thrives on and values its connection to the City of Pittsburgh.”

The question now facing Pittsburgh City Council — and the voters of Wilkinsburg, should city council move the process forward — is whether that connection should be made unbreakable, in the form of annexation.

We believe it should.

Both Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh stand to benefit from joining forces. The city is in the best financial shape it has been in some time and is ready to take on the obligations of Wilkinsburg’s finances and 2.25 square miles of land. The move will expand the city’s footprint and tax base, resolving some of the inefficiencies in this government-rich but cooperationpoor region.

Meanwhile, it’s precisely in taxation that the residents of Wilkinsburg stand to gain. Right now, property taxes in Wilkinsburg, including county, borough and school levies, amount to an outlandish 48.2 mills. Compare that to Pittsburgh’s 23.5 mills. That’s a savings of nearly $2,500 per year on each $100,000 of assessed property value.

Opponents of annexation argue that, because a significant percentage of Wilkinsburg residents are renters, it’s the 2% income tax hike (from the borough’s 1% to the city’s 3%) that will have more impact. But, overall, we believe the property tax relief will result in a greater overall benefit, lowering the cost of living, including renting, and making buying property — and committing to the community for the long haul — a more viable option.

No municipality (other than the hilltop island of Mount Oliver) has as close a relationship to the City of Pittsburgh as Wilkinsburg. The city collects Wilkinsburg trash and fights

Wilkinsburg fires, and Wilkinsburg parents send their middle- and highschool children to Pittsburgh schools.

But the closeness goes all the way back to 1873 when the borough was briefly annexed by Pittsburgh until residents fought in court to reverse that move.

That spirit of independence still comes through in vocal opposition to the annexation, especially from members of borough council, who have understandably felt bypassed by the process. The Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp. has spearheaded the effort and collected the required signatures.

But the law is the law — and it’s certainly fairer to Wilkinsburg than it was to the City of Allegheny, which became the North Side when it was swallowed whole, kicking and screaming, by Pittsburgh in 1907.

There are many ways the city could ensure the annexation is as fair as possible to Wilkinsburg residents and their cherished sense of community:

• All current employees of Wilkinsburg Borough should be promised a home in Pittsburgh city government.

• When new city council and school board districts are drawn in response to the merger, Wilkinsburg should be kept intact, not carved up like a side of beef.

• Community initiatives that had been organized by the borough should remain intact and active, perhaps under the authority of a city board or commission made up of Wilkinsburg residents.

With these basic courtesies, we believe many of the fears of Wilkinsburg residents can be alleviated. After all, that is who should — and, by law, will — have the final word.

It’s up to Pittsburgh City Council, though, to approve the annexation petition and to give the people of Wilkinsburg their chance to decide their own future.