Pittsburgh City Council has awarded a city-based company a nearly $7 million contract to provide security at the City-County Building and other sites for the next five years.

In addition to the City-County Building on Grant Street, St. Moritz Security Services will provide guards at other city-owned locations such as the 200 Ross Street building and the 412 Boulevard of the Allies building when it opens.

The contract also includes security for city events such as Pittsburgh’s annual Fourth of July celebration.

The contract is slightly larger than the existing one, according to Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt. He attributed that to wage increases negotiated by the union that represents the guards.

Guards are set to make about $18 per hour, Schmidt said.

Councilman Ricky Burgess said last week that security guards employed to do similar work at other county-owned buildings nearby are paid much more, up to about $30 or $33 per hour. Those guards, Burgess said, are in a different union that also represents correctional officers at Allegheny County Jail.

Burgess said he felt the disparity was unfair to the guards covered by the city.

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