Merger-plank-Orie

==Insights==
===Orie seeks 'preconditions' before city and county merger hearings===
: By Justin Vellucci, TRIBUNE-REVIEW, June 5, 2008
State Sen. Jane Orie wants assurances that a merger of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh wouldn't saddle suburban taxpayers with the city's debts before lawmakers draft legislation to permit the consolidation, her chief counsel said Wednesday.
In a prepared statement, Orie, R- McCandless, called for public hearings and "statutory preconditions to protect the residents of both the city and the county." She was not available for further comment.
The General Assembly will need to draft enabling legislation for the county and city to consolidate, a measure County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl have backed since a task force recommended doing so in April. The move would create one governing body for the city and county, as well as other merged services.
Orie plans to introduce a resolution that encourages the two governments to seek functional consolidation before lawmakers in Harrisburg give the go-ahead to merge politically, said Lee Derr, Orie's chief counsel.
"What she's trying to do is make sure the legislative process starts out taking into account these issues," Derr said.
"The city and county could act today, without legislation, to save taxpayers money by eliminating the duplication of numerous functions," Orie said in the statement. "In fact, this type of functional cooperation has been recommended for decades by numerous panels addressing the fiscal situation of the city."
Derr said Orie questions the constitutionality of creating an urban services district, which might result in different tax rates for city residents. Consolidation proponents have challenged that claim.
Onorato and Ravenstahl have said they plan to lobby strongly for government consolidation. Neither was available for comment yesterday.
: Justin Vellucci can be reached at jvellucci@tribweb.com or 412-320-7847. 
category:Planks
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