How Pittsburgh’s I&P department will spend $18.9M in 2023

Since Pittsburgh City Council has approved the City of Pittsburgh’s $825 million budget for 2023, I&P has been allocated $18.9 million. Although the amount the department received is only a modest .8% increase from the $18.7 million it had to work with in 2022, Director Heidi Norman told Technical.ly I&P has big plans for the funding and is pleased with the outcome of the budget process that began this fall.

“We have some big plans for next year that will improve services for the public, and some of those are already underway in the very beginning stages,” Norman said.

One of I&P’s functions is serving as the IT department for the city by supporting 18 other government departments and public safety bureaus. Next year, I&P will continue modernizing the public safety bureaus’ application processes for matters such as police records, fire hazard assessments and station alerting by replacing, and in some cases updating, the previous systems with a new records management system, Norman said.

On the IT front, the department also plans to overhaul the city’s internal network to be able to better support the many requests from other departments for technical services. NetPGH, the network that provides fiber connectivity to all city buildings, is being modernized by with fiber. This is in addition to updating and wiring the network equipment in 120 facilities that the city has staff working in.

Heidi Norman. (Courtesy photo)

In the new year, I&P will also partner with the Department of Finance to improve its software application for tax services. The two departments are also focusing on improving real estate services by, similar to the work with public safety bureaus, replacing legacy systems that are no longer as useful.

Replacing and improving old systems will be an ongoing theme in 2023. Norman said I&P will work with several departments to simplify existing online permitting processes for residents seeking permission to use city parks and shelters for events.

“That’s something that’s very exciting because while we have allowed online permitting for park shelters and special events for several years now, the functionality of it has not been what we or the public would really like to see,” Norman said. “This is something that we think people who are interested in those kinds of permits are going to really appreciate.”

With regard to PGH Lab, the program that connects local startups with the city government and local authorities to test new products and services, Norman said it’s currently in the process of choosing its eighth cohort. Participation in the program is set to begin in the first quarter of 2023.

“PGH Lab has evolved over time, and it’s a really great opportunity particularly for entrepreneurs who are generally underrepresented in that marketplace to receive mentorship,” Norman said. “We hope that in the end that they are able to establish an ongoing working relationship with the city government or the entity that they were working with during the cohort.”

Notable alumni of the program include CleanRobotics, Honeycomb Credit, and Community Internet Solutions (fka Meta Mesh Wireless Communities).

Last but not least, the department is hiring. If you’re interested in public service and have skills as a web designer or even an administrative aid, Norman encourages you to swing by here.

From PGH Lab’s newest cohort to replacing what no longer serves the city and its residents, Norman says the budget will be used to keep improving life for residents and helping departments function well: “The Department of Innovation & Performance is continuing its mission to elevate the work of city government by partnering with our colleagues and other departments to employ technology and deliver improved services to our residents.”