Allegheny County Council Regular Meeting – July 7, 2026

The Allegheny County Council held its regular meeting at 5 p.m. on July 7, 2026, with all 15 members present. No agenda or minutes were included with the source transcript, so this summary is drawn solely from the transcript. The council handled proclamations, appointment confirmations, liaison reports, referrals of new legislation, and public comment before adjourning.

Proclamations

• Proclamation 1400-26, recognizing McCandless Franklin Park Ambulance Authority (MFPAA) as the 2026 Pennsylvania Emergency Medical Services Agency of the Year, sponsored by Councilmember Filiagi, was held until MFPAA representatives arrived and then read and presented. The proclamation noted that MFPAA originated in 1977, operates from three stations with a fleet of six ambulances and 41 clinical staff, responds to nearly 10,000 EMS calls per year in Bradford Woods, Franklin Park, Marshall, McCandless, and Pine, earned Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services accreditation in 2024, and holds American Heart Association gold status for cardiac and stroke care. In 2025, MFPAA personnel completed 2,962 hours of training and performed 22 successful CPR resuscitations. A representative of MFPAA thanked council, said the award belongs to about 45 employees, volunteers, and board members, called the recognition a stepping stone, and, as treasurer of the Allegheny County EMS Council, thanked council for its prior opioid relief funding vote and said the fight continues at the state level on behalf of 32 municipally responding EMS agencies in Allegheny County.
• Proclamation 14001-26, commending Mira Owens as runner-up in the inaugural Allegheny County Council Civic Engagement Competition, sponsored by Councilmember Rose, was delayed by traffic; after a brief recess it was read and presented. The proclamation recognized her essay, volunteer trash cleanups, community garden work, and efforts to increase awareness about a proposed fracking pad near Emerald Link Park.
• Four additional proclamations were read into the record: 14002-26 congratulating Elizabeth Township Historical Society on its 50th anniversary; 1403-26 recognizing the Juneteenth Stop the Violence Unity Gathering in the Park; 1404-26 recognizing Martyr's Day; and 1405-26 honoring Shirley Davis on her retirement from Verona Methodist Church after 37 years of work.

Routine Approvals and Appointments

• Minutes of the May 26, 2026, regular meeting were approved by voice vote.
• 13975-26: Appointment of Kendra Whitlock Ingram to the Allegheny County Airport Authority for a term through December 31, 2030, received an affirmative recommendation and was approved by voice vote.
• 13976-26: Appointment of Senator Devlin Robinson to the Allegheny County Airport Authority for a term through December 31, 2030, received an affirmative recommendation and was approved on a roll-call vote. The chair announced 12 in favor and 3 opposed; as transcribed, the individual roll-call votes appear to show 11 yes and 4 no, with Councilmembers Fatullis, Hallam, Rose, and Geiger Schulman voting no.
• A further appointment item, transcribed as 1397-26 and sponsored by Councilmember Madonna Emmerling, was approved by voice vote after an affirmative recommendation; the transcript refers to Mr. Spencer but does not clearly state the position.

Liaison Reports

• Councilmember Hallam reported that Allegheny County Jail warden Warden Wingard is leaving at the end of the month for a job in North Carolina. She praised his work over the past 18 months, said she will offer a proclamation next month, and expressed concern about the interim and permanent search. She noted that the interim choice is ultimately up to the county executive, while the permanent search is expected to involve a county executive committee and final confirmation by the Jail Oversight Board.
• Another council member reported on the Area Agency on Aging's required quarterly presentation: its protective services unit moved contract jobs in-house, posted more than 50 county full-time salaried positions, and all of those positions are now filled, with the final training cohort in progress.

New Legislation and Referrals

• 1407-26: Ordinance renaming a trail in Boyce Park (transcribed as Voice Park) from the Outer Trail to the Rainforest Trail, sponsored by Councilmember Nacaretti Chat; referred to the Committee on Parks.
• 1408-26: Ordinance authorizing acceptance of 32 acres of land contiguous to the county's Settlers Cabin Park, sponsored by the Chief Executive; referred to the Committee on Parks.
• 1409-26: Ordinance authorizing acceptance of 26 parcels of land from Allegheny Land Trust adjacent to North Park, sponsored by the Chief Executive; referred to the Committee on Parks.
• 14010-26: Resolution amending the grants and special accounts budget for 2026, submission 05-26, sponsored by the Chief Executive; referred to the Committee on Budget and Finance.
• There were no motions under new business and no contract notifications.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Carlino Giampolo, of Panther Hollow, opposed the Oakland Do-It-Yourself skate park, calling it an ongoing injustice and an illegal skate park. He said he has testified more than 25 times at Pittsburgh City Council and asked each council member to seek a full understanding of the issue and, as private citizens, recommend that Mayor Corey O'Connor shut the skate park down. He cited vulgar graffiti encouraging underage drinking and drug use, lack of consent by longtime residents and homeowners, noise from skateboards, multiple municipal code violations, and potential liability for co-owners including the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Pittsburgh Public Schools.
• A Lawrenceville resident and Allegheny General Hospital nurse, called as Yvonne Brown, spoke in favor of paid parental leave. She said she is 17 weeks and 3 days into a high-risk pregnancy, recently returned from six months of medical leave, and will not qualify for FMLA or short-term disability; her union offers unpaid leave and job protection, but as the primary breadwinner she expects only a few weeks of leave. She described a previous pregnancy that ended at seven weeks and postpartum mental health complications, and urged employers to take care of families the way workers take care of theirs.
• Rachel Nunes, of the Hill District, expressed support for paid parental leave while asking that pregnancy loss and abortion aftercare be made explicit in any final policy. She described the stillbirth of her daughter in 2016 and her later work as a union president adding paid leave language after pregnancy loss. She urged explicit policy text, employer education and training, and recognition that collective bargaining agreements are living documents.
• Several additional public commenters were listed, including Jacob Poole, but their remarks are not included in the transcript.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the May 26, 2026, meeting minutes and confirmed two Allegheny County Airport Authority appointments; the Robinson appointment passed by a 12-3 vote as announced by the chair.
• Referred three new ordinances to the Committee on Parks and one budget resolution to the Committee on Budget and Finance.
• Received public testimony on the Oakland skate park and on paid parental leave; no legislative action was taken on either topic.
• Adjourned by voice vote after the final proclamations were presented.