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Preamble

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hereas, Article 6, Community Advisory Boards was effectively rendered null and void on December 31, 2000, when City Council officially dissolved the Community Advisory Boards citywide; and

Whereas, the citizens of the City of Pittsburgh need and desire increased access to public records; to publicly available information concerning the City and their neighborhoods; and to information about what their government is planning to do, before it does it; and

Whereas, the people deserve a better opportunity to join and participate proactively in the decision making process of their community; to provide information and express their concerns to their public officials; and to more fully explain to their government what they want it to do; and

Whereas, the City has an obligation to provide those who may be affected by its actions with ample opportunity to have a say; the City needs a government structured to better ensure it works with and for all people and not just an elite few; and the City can benefit from having a dedicated body for citizen involvement which can provide an enhanced conduit for communication between the people and their government; and

Whereas, in the time since the City Charter was first drafted and enacted in 1974, technological advances now enable opportunities for enhanced public access to records and information; for more meaningful and effective involvement in monitoring and reviewing government actions; and for more productively providing comment and information to the government, in ways unimagined four decades ago; now

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herefore, Article 6, Community Advisory Boards is repealed in its entirety and is replaced with Article 6, Open Government, moving Section 810 of the Charter to become Section 601 and adding Sections 602-621; and

Further, Article 1, Home Rule Powers - Definitions is amended to add definitions applicable to the amended Article 6; and Article 3, Legislative Branch, Sections 318 and 320 are amended to provide corrections and clarifications relevant to Article 6, as amended: