Testimony at the City of Pittsburgh Public Hearing on “Tax, budget, and citizen participation on the Mayor’s proposed 2021 Operating and Capital budgets”

December 14, 2021

Testimony at the City of Pittsburgh Public Hearing on “Tax, budget, and citizen participation on the Mayor’s proposed 2021 Operating and Capital budgets”

Good morning:

My name is Dawn Plummer. I live in Point Breeze and serve as the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council. We convene over 100 member organizations across the city and beyond who work towards justice, equity and sustainability in our food system.

I would like to underscore the critical importance of our city’s budget as a moral document that directly reflects our priorities. Now more than ever, city spending should be laser focused on the critical needs of our residents including housing, jobs and food.

As upheld in the city’s recent FeedPGH Report, food is a basic right of all residents. However, at least 1 in 5 Pittsburghers are food insecure with this number growing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are concerned that proposed budget cuts will negatively impact critical staffing and the overall efficiency of key city food systems infrastructure, departments and services that we depend on. These city functions include the following: Meal programs for children and seniors provided via CitiParks; Farmers Markets that serve as fresh food access points for residents and critical revenue streams for farmers; Supports for community gardens and farms including the city’s vacant land access initiative (Adopt-a-Lot); City Planning Department’s efforts to support neighborhood food planning as well as sustainability efforts such as food waste prevention, recovery and compost; The Learn & Earn Program which employs young Pittsburghers to plant and steward urban farms and community gardens creating jobs, fresh produce, and vibrant community spaces City supports for Pittsburgh’s restaurants and food businesses via PLI and other city initiatives Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, which is responsible for the transportation of people and goods throughout the City, and has as an operating principle that “every household in Pgh access fresh fruits and vegetables within 20 minutes travel of home, without the requirement of a private vehicle” City support via CDBG grants that have supported the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and others to distribute emergency food

In this crisis there is an opportunity to rethink our priorities and guarantee that our city budget line items truly reflect our values and urgent community needs. We can choose community investment in affordable housing, the creation of good jobs, social services and critical food systems infrastructure that keeps our city fed instead of over-policing and criminalization.

We urge City Council to review both the recently released FeedPGH Report as well as the Greater Pittsburgh Food Action Plan and allocate city resources towards these goals and strategies.

We are also urging our elected officials at the federal level to provide much needed relief to cities and states.