Council in favor of spending $250,000 on bicentennial

Private contributions paid for much of Pittsburgh’s 200th birthday celebrations last year — but not everything.

With a preliminary vote Wednesday, City Council backed spending $250,000 to cover lingering expenses from the bicentennial attractions. That’s the remainder after private contributors such as foundations and nonprofit groups donated $1.5 million, according to Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration.

The administration asked council to authorize the payout. Councilman Corey O’Connor called the city’s expense minimal and worthwhile, praising the bicentennial events as “good [public relations] for the city as a whole.”

“I think it really brought a lot of people out to learn more about Pittsburgh,” Mr. O’Connor said. Features spread throughout the year included a parade, cultural events and a National League of Cities conference. The November conference alone drew more than 3,000 attendees, many of them elected leaders.

Combined turnouts for bicentennial happenings likely reached well into the tens of

thousands, according to city officials.

Still, Councilwoman Darlene Harris voted against the $250,000 expenditure. She questioned its timing.

“How do you spend the money before you got the approval for the money? That’s not the way it should work,” she said in an interview.

Mrs. Harris, a former mayoral candidate, has not confirmed whether she will challenge Mr. Peduto as he seeks re-election this year.

His administration chose not to bring a specific funding request to council until it was necessary, said Debbie Lestitian, the chief administration officer under Mr. Peduto. She said officials worried that approaching council earlier could have stifled private donations.

“We tried our best to raise as much of the money as we could,” Mrs. Lestitian said.

Much of the city’s $250,000 would go toward local transportation expenses accumulated during the NLC convention, along with some costs related to bicentennial fireworks and entertainment, said Sam Ashbaugh, the chief financial officer. City Council President Bruce Kraus called it an investment that helped generate significant revenue and goodwill.

“Small investment for a big dividend,” Mr. Kraus said.