Municipal Consolidation & City County Merger

2004 - On June 22nd, PUMP hosted a forum to hear from municipal government practitioners about the costs and benefits of consolidating municipalities. The panel, moderated by John Delano, included the following panelists: Jim Roddey, Dr. Evan Baker (Mon-Valley), Adeline Brown (Oakmont), Dick Walker (Mt. Lebanon), and Russ Hardiman (Kilbuck). The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette covered the event in a story by Jeffrey Cohan:

On Thursday, March 18th, about 150 young people gathered to listen to an impressive array of speakers discuss the municipal consolidation issue. The forum, moderated by WDUQ reporter Katherine Fink, also attracted media attention from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review .

The event was opened up with remarks by County Executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Tom Murphy. PUMP, with the financial support of National City Bank, brought in Louisville Deputy Mayor William Summers for the event. City Councilman Sala Udin, State Representative Dan Frankel, Attorney Sara Davis Buss, and Attorney Cory Detar also spoke on the issue.

2008 - The Report of the Citizen's Advisory Committee on the Efficiency & Effectiveness of City-County Government was published. Because of PUMP's previous involvement educating and surveying young people on their opinions regarding City County merger and Municipal Consolidation, PUMP was invited to testify at a Public Hearing convened by the House Urban Affairs Committee's Sub-committee on Cities-Counties-Second Class. PUMP's Testimony took place on May 28, 2008, and focused on the opinions of young people in regards to Municipal Consolidation, City County Merger, and the Louisville Model.

PUMP's Civic Engagement Committee is planning another educational forum in the Fall of 2008 to educate young people about a proposed City County Merger.