Pittsburgh mayor raises questions over ICA's use of tax...

PITTSBURGH — A new layer of the dispute between the city and the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority was revealed Monday when Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto raised questions about the ICA’s use of tax dollars to pay for an office he says never appears to be in use.

According to Peduto, the ICA’s office on the 10th floor of the One Oxford Centre was dark Friday when the city finance director tried to deliver 35,000 documents to the authority.

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The city and ICA have been in a dispute with one another ever since Peduto accused the state oversight committee of illegally withholding millions of dollars in gaming funds from the city.

“Every time that we have gone to that office – every time - there's never been anyone there,” Peduto said.

A spokesman for the ICA defended the expenditure of up to $7,000 per year to rent the space. He said the ICA doesn’t have the entire office, but rather just 250 square feet, which is used only by the executive director when he’s in town.

“The ICA staff utilizes the office on a regular basis. But as the ICA has only one staff person, it would be impossible to have it open at all hours. Certainly any time the administration wants to meet, we would be happy to arrange to sit down with them in the ICA office,” the spokesman said.

However, Peduto still questioned why the office appeared to be empty.

“The director doesn't live in Pittsburgh, so he works out of Philadelphia. I guess it’s a space when he comes in a couple days a month, that he uses, but there doesn't appear to be any phones and desks - anything even in there,” he said.

The mayor said he tried to get more information about how the ICA is spending tax dollars, but said they refuse to release that information to the city.

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