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Committee backs charter amendment to bar sale or lease of city water and sewer system
Summary
Council committees gave an affirmative recommendation to Bill 14-52, a proposed Home Rule Charter amendment that would restrict the lease or sale of the city’s water and sewer system to private entities. The measure had broad council support and was presented as a protection for public ownership amid concerns about utilities and affordability.
Pittsburgh — On Jan. 29, Pittsburgh City Council standing committees gave an affirmative recommendation to Bill 14-52, a proposed Home Rule Charter amendment that would add a new charter section to restrict the lease or sale of the city’s water and sewer system to private entities.
The measure, amended by substitution in committee, would place a charter-level barrier against future privatization of the public water system. Councilwoman Gross, the bill’s sponsor, described the proposal as a response to sustained community organizing and historical problems when private operators managed the system; she cited the city’s experience with billing and meter issues under prior private contracts and framed the amendment as a…
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