Many of the municipalities in Allegheny County have been fiscally stressed in the 1980s and 1990s. Further, the degree of fiscal stress worsened for many of these during this period. Finally, disparities in conditions among communities in the county increased as the resources of the rich communities expanded while the resources of the poor communities contracted. The Allegheny County Regional Asset District provides a broader funding base for assets that used to be supported only by the City of Pittsburgh and reduced reliance on the property tax and other taxes. Economic development programs of the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County have been combined.
Efforts are underway to secure a more solid funding base for councils of governments.
The Southwest Planning Commission will be responsible for allocating federal transportation spending in the region. Reduce the disparity between rich and poor communities by turning over more functions in poor communities to COGs and by additional revenue and tax-base sharing Reduce duplication between city and county services, such as in bomb and homicide squads and in delinquent real estate tax collection Increase the geographic and demographic representativeness of the Southwest Planning Commission Increase cooperation between the City of Pittsburgh and the 38 adjacent communities. Part 2 offenses, which include drug crimes and other less serious crimes, steadily declined in the city of Pittsburgh and remained fairly stable in the rest of the region from 1993-1997. Arrest rates for serious crimes have greatly declined in the US in the 1990s while incarceration rates for all crimes have greatly increased. Incarceration rates for all crimes also greatly increased in the Pittsburgh region in the 1990s.