@Steve Salvatore thanks a lot for posting this on BP, I didn't think of that myself when i had several emails including the ACRE email about it.
To any Pittsburgh property owners out there, if you have any property in Pittsburgh or are thinking of it and can in any way make this meeting, please do so. I'm not one to protest and actually don't enjoy attending this kind of thing, but that is what they are relying on. In fact, if accurate, one of the emails quoted the mayor as basing whether or not to move forward with the plan based on how vocal the opposition is! That is likely the reason for the hastiness in setting up this response meeting, the fewer the people that know about this the fewer that attend, the lower the "vocal opposition". This is another shot across the bow of "the evil rich landlords" out there to make up for the lack of funding that the city hasn't properly managed. It's an easier sell to voters to have landlords pay more (because there isn't a large enough landlord voting base to make a difference at the polls) than to increase property taxes across the board. Additionally, under this policy we would be FORCED to have a management company if you live outside of Allegheny County. These types of targeted policies at landlords makes me think of the kind of anti-entrepreneurial thinking that led to the downfall of Detroit. It's a slippery slope and if implemented, may seriously make me consider another market.
