Allegheny County Council Regular Meeting – November 5, 2025

The Allegheny County Council met on November 5, 2025, with 14 members present. The meeting included the swearing-in of a member of the 2025 Allegheny County Government Review Commission, ceremonial proclamations, public testimony on a proposed jail leg-shackle ordinance, unfinished budget business, and referral of new business.

Opening & Ceremonies

• Council was called to order; the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silent prayer/reflection were observed. Roll call showed 14 members present.
• Judge Susan Ivanchik administered the oath of office to a member of the 2025 Allegheny County Government Review Commission.

Proclamations & Certificates

• 13704-25 recognized Dwight Bordoff for selection to the Veteran Fellows Program at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Bordoff thanked council and said he appears to be the only local-government official selected for the program, with a focus on linking veterans to local government opportunities.
• The following additional proclamations/certificates were read into the record: 13705-25, 2025 Shining Star Gallery Awardees; 13706-25, Veterans Day Parade, November 8, 2025; 13707-25, Andrew Niggett as 2025 Veterans Day Parade Grand Marshal; 13708-25, Cinnamon Cockroach (as transcribed) for civic engagement; 13709-25, Frank W. Dermoty for decades of service; 13710-25, Pittsburgh Equality Center’s 2025 gala; 13711-25, Three Rivers Rowing Association’s 40th anniversary; and 13712-25, declaring November 10, 2025 as U.S. Marine Corps Day in Allegheny County for the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary.

Public Comments & Testimony

Jail Leg-Shackle Ordinance — agenda-item public comment:

• Sharon Bonifolia, chair of PIN’s Allegheny County Jail Subcommittee, opposed reinstating shackles, citing the prior 70% voter mandate and arguing the real issue is jail staffing shortages and correction-officer overtime.
• John Castawitz supported the citizen initiative, contending many voters did not realize the referendum covered leg shackles on hospital runs and that county code provisions/Home Rule Charter allow correction of unforeseen consequences; he also argued the county executive’s hospital-staff-shackling proposal would not solve custody issues.
• Diana Hall opposed the proposal, stressing the 2021 initiative used 45,000 petition signatures and passed with nearly 70% support; she questioned the data on escape attempts and suggested case-by-case medical-grade restraint alternatives.
• Brad Kerensky opposed it, saying corrections-officer lobbyists benefit, the county did not challenge the referendum due to past liability, and the warden and hospital officials were not urging council to act.
• Brian Engler, president of the corrections officers’ union, supported the ordinance, saying medical staff, not officers, would decide on shackles. He described an assault on three officers during a hospital transport, cited officers’ safety concerns, and said there were 14 escape attempts from medical facilities in an 18-month period—more than the total for all 62 county jails in any single year over a 10-year period.
• Michael Mulley, a correction officer with about 200 hospital-run experiences, supported the ordinance, emphasizing unpredictability at the county jail and the risk of harm from untreated addiction/withdrawal.
• Tanisha Long opposed it, saying voters knew what they approved, and argued the ordinance would conflict with the county’s consent decree and the 2022 use-of-force policy that prohibits leg shackles.
• Corey Roma of Crafton Borough opposed it, citing past intimidation/abuse and saying the amendment would partially overturn the voters’ decision.
• Joe Shaughnessy of Mt. Lebanon opposed it and suggested looking at releasing people with nonviolent/minor drug offenses instead.
• A later speaker (possibly listed as Ivy/Weiner) opposed it, emphasizing that 168,000 people voted yes and calling leg shackles cruel, inhumane, and particularly harmful for medical transports.
• Dave Swanson, president of the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network and pastor of Pittsburgh Mennonite Church in Swissvale, opposed it, saying being sick is not a crime and shackling ill residents would be inhumane and dehumanizing.
• Kayla King of Bloomfield, a University of Pittsburgh criminal justice and law program graduate, opposed it, saying anecdotal officer accounts do not outweigh evidence, shackling creates county liability during a financial crisis, and medical staff already can restrain patients.
• Trisha Murray of Mt. Lebanon, a member of PIN and regular Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board attendee, opposed it, saying past jail mistreatment had improved under the current warden and overriding the 2021 referendum would be an insult to democracy.

General Public Comment:

• Janine Rowland of Mount Washington gave personal testimony about family court standing, blended families, and child abuse, calling on the community and county not to look away.
• Nicholas Bartel, Clean Air Campaign Manager with PennFuture, supported the proposed air permit fee update, citing a University of Pittsburgh 2024 Quality of Life Report finding that 82% of respondents viewed air quality as a problem, and survey support for requiring polluters to pay.
• Josh Thieler of the Hill District said he had voted for the shackle ban and knew exactly what he was voting for.
• Len Young of Monroeville, a self-described 'honest loser' and recent school board candidate, alleged, without direct evidence, that Allegheny County Democratic Party/Elections Department mail-in ballot efforts were the reason all Democrats won in his area; he said he had no direct evidence but 'if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s a duck.'

Discussion Items

• Approval of minutes (13713-25): The October 7, 2025 regular meeting minutes were approved by voice vote.
• Appointments: Appointments of Councilman Paul Klein to the Carnegie Library Board, Damon Young to the Carnegie Library Board, and Brandon Markozick to the Allegheny County Housing Authority Board, each through December 31, 2028, were referred to the Committee on Appointment Review.
• Budget and Finance unfinished business: Councilman Palmasina moved approval of 13670-25 (year-end transfers) and 13671-25 (grants/special accounts budget amendment, submission 01-25); both had affirmative Budget and Finance Committee recommendations and passed 14-0.
• Public Safety unfinished business — 13669-25, leg-shackle ordinance: Council debated an ordinance amending Section 205 of the Allegheny County Code to allow leg shackles on hospital runs. Councilman Bkowski supported it, citing that one in four hospital emergency-room staff are assaulted. Councilman Walton supported it, arguing detained people must still receive medical care and the public must be kept safe. Councilman Klein opposed it, saying ballot initiatives are often unclear, but he cited 77% support for the original referendum—a number different from the 70% cited by public speakers and Councilman Grisbeck. Councilman Grisbeck opposed it, noting hospital runs already use handcuffs plus two correction officers, hospital staff have soft/hard restraint tools, and the medical-approval language is ambiguous. Councilman Ambrasia (also referred to as Embrezia) opposed it, noting the warden had not asked for leg shackles and predicting a county executive veto; Councilwoman Filiagi agreed. Councilman Palmasina said he was concerned about faulty language and being forced to vote before ready. Councilwoman Hallam, the council’s jail oversight representative, opposed it, reading Pennsylvania Department of Corrections data showing zero escape attempts reported since the referendum was enacted and calling the measure a 'solution in search of a problem.' President Katina said a path forward should be worked out with the county executive. The motion to approve the ordinance failed 2-12, with Councilmen Bkowski and Walton voting yes.
• New Business — 13714-25: A resolution urging Congress to end the federal shutdown and fast-track LIHEAP funding was introduced and referred to Health and Human Services. A motion to waive the second reading and vote that night failed 8-6.
• Air quality regulations: President Katina and the solicitor stated a vote could not occur that night because the item was not on the public agenda and a vote would violate the Sunshine Act. Councilman Klein said the Health and Human Services Committee would meet the following week and aim to place the matter on the November 18 agenda.

Key Outcomes

• 14 members present; roll-call votes were recorded on major items.
• Minutes of October 7, 2025 approved.
• 13670-25 and 13671-25 passed 14-0.
• 13669-25 leg-shackle ordinance failed 2-12.
• 13714-25 referred to Health and Human Services; waiver motion failed 8-6.
• Appointments referred to Committee on Appointment Review.
• Air quality permit fee vote deferred; committee to meet next week with a target of the November 18, 2025 council agenda.