Allegheny County Council Regular Meeting – May 21, 2025

No agenda or minutes were included with the source material; item names below follow the clerk's readings and the raw transcript. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, a moment of prayer or reflection, and roll call, then moved through proclamations, a District 13 vacancy appointment, second-reading votes, and public comment.

Consent Calendar / Routine Approvals

• The council approved the minutes of the April 22, 2025 regular meeting by voice vote.
• By separate roll-call votes, the council approved six parks committee second-reading items: Community Specialists Corporation's continued use of South Park as a respite and wellness center for health care workers and first responders; 100 Acres Manor's annual haunted house attraction in South Park; U.S. Golf Association parking at Hartwood for the U.S. Open; Rare Leo Productions LLC filming on county property; the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's 'Picklesburg' food festival on the Roberto Clemente Sixth Street Bridge from July 7-14, 2025 and the Andy Warhol Seventh Street Bridge from July 7-15, 2025; and Hershey Production LLC filming on county property. Each passed 13-0-1, with Councilmember Botta abstaining.

Proclamations

• National Police Week (May 11-17, 2025): Proclamation 13536-25 honored police officers and noted that 165 officers died in the line of duty in 2024, including two in Pennsylvania, and 25 officers in 2025 to date, including one in Pennsylvania. Police and sheriff's office representatives accepted the proclamation.
• National Emergency Medical Services Week (May 18-24, 2025): Proclamation 13537-25 honored EMS providers. Keith Morris, chief of Tri-Community South EMS and chair of the Allegheny County EMS Council, thanked the council on behalf of 33 municipally responding EMS agencies.
• Proclamations 13538-25 and 13539-25 honored North Allegheny High School teachers Joy Mannesiotis and Justin Karolski for performing CPR after a colleague collapsed on April 4, 2025. Both urged the public to learn CPR.
• Proclamation 13540-25 recognized Mount Lebanon senior Quinton Garland as an Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship recipient; Garland plans to attend North Carolina A&T State University.
• Proclamation 13541-25 declared May 23, 2025 as Teen Mental Health Awareness Day. Youth speakers from the PA Youth Advocacy Network and Boys and Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania supported mental health days, mentorship funding, and safe community spaces. The proclamation cited that 37.3% of Allegheny County students felt depressed or sad most days in 2023, that 32% of students in Pittsburgh Public Schools are chronically absent, and that the suicide rate among Black youth rose 144% from 2007 to 2024.
• The council added an unnumbered Older Americans Month proclamation for May 2025 to the agenda by voice vote. The Area Agency on Aging said it serves about 38,000 older adults, and Dr. Shanna Tharp Gilliam called for continued support for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act.
• By title, the council also read proclamations recognizing the 100th anniversary of planetariums, especially the Buell Planetarium; Castle Shannon Borough Community Day and the grand opening of Hamilton Park; the 2025 Memorial Day celebration in Clairton; and the 100th birthday of Vervain Mains.

District 13 Vacancy Appointment

• During agenda topics, Connor Dickey of ProHousing Pittsburgh and Sam Schmidt, a Penn Hills resident and former District 13 resident, publicly endorsed John Hanrahan for the District 13 vacancy, citing his work on housing reform and support for regular, fair property tax assessments.
• Councilmember Fatulis, as Democratic Caucus chair, instead nominated Jordan Botta for the interim District 13 seat. The nomination passed 11-2, with Councilmembers Hallam and Prizio voting no. Botta was sworn in by Judge Sweeney and gave remarks as a fifth-generation Pittsburgher and executive director of the Three Rivers Business Alliance. He committed to fighting for PRT funding, equitable business practices, affordable housing, infrastructure reinvestment, and local economic development, and noted that he is the first openly gay member of Allegheny County Council.

Unfinished Business: Second-Reading Votes

• 13478-25: Reappointment of Elizabeth Fishback to the Community College of Allegheny County Board of Trustees through April 22, 2031 was approved by voice vote after the Committee on Appointment Review recommended it.
• 13497-25: An amendment to improve objectivity and transparency in the property assessment appeals process by separating administration of the appeal process from staff within the Office of Property Assessments. Councilmember Walton spoke in favor, calling it the 'independence and transparency bill'; one councilmember opposed it, arguing it dismantles executive accountability. The bill passed 12-1-1.

New Business

• 13547-25 and 13548-25, two LERTA resolutions providing temporary county real property tax exemptions for improvements to industrial, commercial, or business property in deteriorated areas of the City of Pittsburgh, were introduced and referred to the Economic Development committee.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Vaughn Brown, a resident of 715 Mercer Street, advocated for better transportation options for residents of his high-rise building and complained about a representative's conduct toward him.
• John Kensowitz read narratives from correctional officers about injuries during inmate transports and urged the reinstatement of restraint chairs and leg shackles for hospital runs and other transports.
• Patrick Campbell, executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution, urged the council to schedule the Allegheny County Health Department air permit fee increase for public discussion and a vote. He said the fees are administrative, based on the cost of providing permitting and enforcement services, and are required under the federal Clean Air Act.
• Maya Fischoff asked councilmembers to publicly explain their positions on the air permit fee increase. She said a Breathe Collaborative summary showed three councilmembers openly opposed the increase, naming Walton, Macy, and Imbrazia, and four undecided, including Katina and Palmasina.
• Ari Shipan, executive director of Allegheny County Clean Air Now, supported the proposed fee increases and urged yes votes on ordinance 13228-24 and resolution 13229-24, arguing that industry, not taxpayers, should pay the costs of pollution regulation.
• Jay Ting Walker, advocacy coordinator with Clean Air Council, supported the fee increase, criticized industry front groups and U.S. Steel's exemption requests, and said air pollution is harming and killing Allegheny County residents.
• Tom Bailey of Penn Hills said his wife has extreme asthma and asked 'who do you serve?' He supported fully staffing the health department and the Title V permit fee increase, citing an EPA finding that the county was not charging enough and concerns about how air quality fund money is spent.
• Edward Wren, allowed as a late sign-up, asked questions about permit delays, asbestos concerns, and new versus renewal permits, and said he would submit written comments.

Key Outcomes

• Jordan Botta was appointed and sworn in as District 13 interim councilmember by an 11-2 vote.
• All second-reading items on the agenda passed: the assessment appeals separation bill passed 12-1-1, and six parks/film/festival authorizations each passed 13-0-1.
• The minutes were approved; the Older Americans Month proclamation was added and presented; and the two LERTA resolutions were referred to the Economic Development committee.
• No vote was taken on the air permit fee increase. After adjournment, an off-microphone exchange included a suggestion to bring the proposal out of committee for a vote at a future meeting.