Allegheny County Intervenes in $1.4 Billion Pension Lawsuit + Blocks Data Centers

Allegheny County faces a $1.4 billion pension shortfall with a court-ordered deadline to fix it — while the County Council also moved to ban large-scale data centers from county property. - The pension crisis: A judge ruled Allegheny County's public employee pension fund holds about $1 billion but needs $2.4 billion to meet current and future obligations — a $1.4 billion shortfall the court attributes to insufficient contributions from both employees and the county (taxpayers) since 2004. The county has until September 2027 to produce a funding fix, which could cost $1.4-1.5 billion. - Who's involved: The lawsuit was brought by the district attorney on behalf of a pension beneficiary alleging mismanagement. County officials say they've fully complied with matching-contribution requirements and never missed a retiree payment. The judge suggested a bond issuance (repaid by taxpayers with interest) or intervention from the Pennsylvania General Assembly and governor may ultimately be needed. - Council intervenes: The Allegheny County Council voted to formally intervene in the lawsuit, with the council president saying it wants a seat at the table on any funding decisions — which could include new "purpose-specific" revenue streams (effectively taxes or fees) or higher employee contributions. - Data center ban: Separately, the council passed a measure prohibiting large-scale (25MW+) data centers and related infrastructure on county-owned property, amended to exclude essential county systems like 911 services. The measure doesn't apply to private land within municipal boroughs. - Also from Pittsburgh: City Council advanced $200,000 for street resurfacing, funding for professional/IT services, $16,400 in property damage reimbursements, and $500,000 toward a $180,000 pavilion project and Pittsburgh EMS from a county gaming fund. The Center Square's Pennsylvania coverage continues at TheCenterSquare.com. #AlleghenyCounty #Pittsburgh #PensionCrisis #DataCenters #CenterSquare #TheStates