(The Center Square)- Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey more than tripled the number of budgeted full-time employees in his office, according to the city’s most recent financial analysis.
The Office of the Mayor, which has six different divisions, had 11 full-time jobs budgeted in 2022, which increased to 45 in 2023, according to the city’s 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, released earlier this month.
The increase of budgeted full-time jobs in the mayor’s office was part of an overall growth of government in 2023 that saw the number of budgeted city employees climb to the largest number since 2005.
However, the city has not always immediately filled budgeted positions. The 2023 report showed the city was 284 short of the 3,540 full-time jobs it had budgeted as of January 2024.
The city reported spending $689.75 million in salaries for all employees in 2023, up from $629.84 million in 2022 – a 10% increase.
The mayor’s office added six jobs in 2023 in the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and the Office of Business Diversity that were not on the books in 2022, according to city documents.
The Mayor’s Executive Office added a job of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Manager that wasn’t funded in 2022.
The Office of Neighborhood Services also saw an increase in jobs, going from two in 2022 to 18 in 2023. The mayor’s office did not respond to an email seeking comment.
There were more than twice as many budgeted jobs added to the mayor’s office last year than the police department: 32 full time positions added to the mayor’s office and 15 added to the police department.
Overall, last year’s operating budget shows salaries in the mayor’s office increasing from $872,381 in 2022 to $3.07 million in 2023.
The increase in budgeted positions for the entire city went from 3,390 in 2022 to 3,540 in 2023. The 3,540 budgeted jobs is the most since the 3,634 reported in 2005. The city spent $490 million on salaries in 2014, and the total reported in 2023 was $690 million, a 10% salary increase when adjusted for inflation.
“Today, my office released Pittsburgh’s 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.” City Controller Rachael Heisler said May 1 on X. “We’re in good financial health right now. This isn’t a crisis right now. But we have serious challenges ahead and we need to plan for them now.”
