Allegheny County Council Regular Meeting – October 22, 2024

The Allegheny County Council met in regular session on October 22, 2024, with 14 members present. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, a moment of silent prayer, a roll call, and a series of proclamations. Much of the public comment focused on proposed Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) air quality permit fee increases, while later comments opposed the county executive's reproductive health care executive order. Council also handled appointments, referrals, and new ordinances.

Proclamations & Recognitions

• Councilmembers DeMarco and Palmesina presented a proclamation honoring Deputy Jeffrey Bellback and K9 Ranger, an 8-year-old bloodhound, for locating a 65-year-old woman with dementia who wandered from a personal care facility on October 9, 2024. Ranger tracked her scent for nearly three miles, and she was found uninjured. Deputy Bellback called Ranger an invaluable asset and said no other law enforcement resource can replace a bloodhound's nose.
• Councilmembers DeMarco, Filiaggi, Katina, and Palmesina honored Mark McCalla and Senator Devlin Robinson for saving FedEx driver Adonis Whitner after he collapsed from cardiac arrest on June 13, 2024. McCalla, Robinson, and Whitner all spoke; Whitner thanked the two men and called them his guardian angels.
• The following proclamations were read into the record: 13271-24 recognizing the Allegheny County Airport Authority's 25th anniversary; 13272-24 recognizing Dr. Lola M. Thorpe; 13273-24 recognizing the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church on its 100th anniversary; and 13274-24 congratulating Jacob McKelvey on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Richard Ford urged council not to use clean-air money for general county tax needs and asked that a majority of such money go to communities affected by air pollution.
• Patrick Campbell supported the proposed ACHD fee increases, citing an anticipated $1.8 million budget shortfall and the Clean Air Act requirement that Title V fees cover program costs. He said a no vote would be a vote against public health.
• Lisa Graves Marcucci, a lifelong Mon Valley resident with the Environmental Integrity Project, supported the fee increases. She argued that polluters should pay for permit review and that underfunding risks losing the county-based air program. She referenced a 2018 U.S. EPA report recommending sufficient permit fees.
• Natisha Washington, Breathe Project communications manager, environmental justice advocate, and Wilkinsburg Councilwoman, supported the fee increases. She cited 644 to 1,373 premature deaths per year from PM2.5 pollution, 530 bad-air smell reports, top 3% cancer rates for industrial pollution, and childhood asthma rates more than two times the average.
• Phoebe Reese, an O'Hara Township resident and Climate Reality Project Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania chapter leader, supported the fee increases. She called $55,000 permit fees minor for U.S. Steel, cited $65 million in penalties and settlements since January 2020, and said air pollution causes 1.5 to 4 deaths per day in Allegheny County.
• Johnny Perryman, from Clairton and vice president of VCAN Valley for Clean Air Now, described his own health struggles and the group's distribution of more than 1,000 air purifiers. He asked council to support life-saving organizations, including through grant letters of support, and proposed a co-op and greenhouse in Clairton.
• David Levdansky, a Forward Township supervisor and lifelong Mon Valley resident, supported the fee increases. He said applicants, not taxpayers, pay permit fees and called the proposal "not a 46% property tax proposal." He recalled labor leader Lynn Williams saying the Clean Air Act complements OSHA and protects worker health.

Council Actions & Discussion

• Minutes: Council approved the minutes of the September 24, 2024 regular meeting (13275-24) by voice vote with no dissensions.
• Appointment referral: 13269-24, approving the appointment of James R. Byrne Jr. to the Accountability Conduct and Ethics Commission for a term from December 18, 2024 to December 18, 2029, was referred to the Committee on Appointment Review.
• Unfinished business: 13201-24, approving the appointment of Lorraine Burnett King to the Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council, was reported favorably by the Committee on Appointment Review and approved by voice vote.
• Bills 13228-24 and 13229-24 were referred back to the Committee on Health and Human Services for additional discussion after discussion with Councilmember Klein.
• New business: Ordinances 13276-24 and 13277-24, both sponsored by Councilmember Macy, would amend the Administrative Code regarding the Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review and the Office of Property Assessments to establish uniform communication lines and streamline the appeals process. Both were referred to the Committee on Assessment Practices.
• No additional motions or contract notifications were reported.

General Public Comments

• Yath Azuni, from Brookline, said the county needs money and supported a tax increase or reassessment. He criticized the District Attorney's office for spending taxpayer money prosecuting pro-Palestine protesters and asked that public comments be scheduled at the beginning of budget meetings.
• Chad Ringblum, from Brentwood, opposed the county executive's reproductive health care executive order, called abortion murder, and referenced roughly 7,000 victims in Allegheny County each year. He criticized Councilmember DeMarco for not speaking against the order.
• Aaron Pratt, elder of Redeemer Church of South Hills, also opposed the executive order, called abortion murder and child sacrifice, quoted scripture, and urged the council to repent.

Key Outcomes

• Voice vote approved the September 24, 2024 meeting minutes.
• Voice vote approved the appointment of Lorraine Burnett King to the Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council.
• James R. Byrne Jr.'s appointment was referred to the Committee on Appointment Review.
• Bills 13228-24 and 13229-24 were referred back to the Committee on Health and Human Services.
• Ordinances 13276-24 and 13277-24 were referred to the Committee on Assessment Practices.
• The transcript does not show a council vote on the ACHD air quality fee proposal during this session; public comment urged ratification of the fee increases. The transcript ends with a voice vote on an unspecified motion that the chair declared carried.