Good afternoon and welcome to the special regular meeting of City Council on Sunday, December 21, 2025.

Would a clerk please take the roll?

Here.

Mr.

Coghill.

Ms.

Gross here.

Mr.

Mosley.

Here.

Mrs.

Kill Smith.

Here.

Mrs.

Strasberger.

Mrs.

Warwick.

Here.

Mr.

Wilson.

Here.

Mr.

Lavell President.

Here.

Eight members.

Eight members present.

Thank you.

Our next order of business is to amend the agenda.

Is there a motion to amend?

So all favor say aye.

The agenda is amended.

Our next order of business is public comment.

I would like to remind everyone the rules of council of state that comments are limited to matters of concern, official action, or deliberate deliberation, which may be before a city council.

Profanity will not be permitted.

After your calls, please restate your name, provide your neighborhood for the record.

You'll be given three minutes to speak.

Our first registered speaker is Dr.

Ronald Lynn Miller.

Dr.

Ronald Miller.

Bill Silver.

I've been educated at the University of Oxford and the University of Pittsburgh.

It has a huge endowment and an investment program from BASF in Germany.

From Mitsubishi in uh Nihon, Japan, from OpenAI and Apple.

A beehive of neighborhoods exists within the Pittsburgh City Neighborhood Network in West Pittsburgh.

Beachview, Bell Sever, Bonair, Brookline, Share Borders, but Banksville is furthest west.

All the bees in this beehive need pollen to make honey.

All five of these West neighborhood places.

Each 5B neighborhood needs a neighborhood council elected by the people inside of the neighborhood so that they can control what goes on in their neighborhoods, and so they can implement what we refer to as vote-by-voter verification for whom.

So that the individuals there can record and check their votes.

And go uh around the Allegheny County election division.

Um yearly, tens of millions of dollars pour into the CMU and Pitt dominated East.

And uh only hundreds of thousands into Pittsburgh West.

Uh who cares about this, what I consider to be gross inequity.

I do.

Um, the five Pittsburgh West neighborhood bees um need pollen of a kind, again, in economic and educational and investment.

Um there's a golden quadrangle where um Beachview, Bell Shoover, Bon Air, and Brookline meet at the intersection of Route 51 in West Liberty, and I think on the bedrock geologically can be built a new university, a university to compete with what goes on in Oakland.

Um a 5B neighborhood public school system as well, uh Beehive 5 uh public transit, and a Guyana-based um neighborhood system that allows for self-sufficiency.

You see, I want um plastics that are biodegradable to be made there.

Um virology that it doesn't use gain of function.

Up and not down for the west of Pittsburgh.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Icahana Hal Malkina.

Oh, she's not on.

Oh, okay.

Our next speaker is Matthew Chirilla.

Not on.

Is Matthew here?

If not, our next speaker is Alex Payton.

Who is also not on?

It's Alex Payton here.

And then our last registered speaker is Dr.

Tysana Jones.

Who I do see.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Dr.

Tysana Jones, and I'm here to support the full funding as in 10 million dollar funding for the stock and violence fund.

Yes, indeed, we do need the Office of Community and Health and Safety, the Office of Community Service and Violence Prevention, Department of Clarkson Right, and eviction prevention.

But this city desperately needs to invest and provide resources to organizations that are active doing the work.

Community-based organizations that are meeting the real needs of young adults, youth, and their families.

And the pipeline, this supports the pipeline for our future leadership.

In fact, it relies upon it.

As we speak right now, our children are not okay.

I grew up in Pittsburgh in 1990s, and even after spending 25 years away from here, I'm still working on working three, excuse me.

The came in trauma I experienced during those formative years.

My mother even worked for Mayor Sophie Maslow during community doing community engagement, game prevention, and violent prevention work.

At the very same time, my childhood friends and classmates were being actively pulled into gangs and drug activity.

The year 1992 stands out clearly in my memory.

Three core experiences from my sophomore year sealed my decision to leave Pittsburgh permanently.

First, having a gun pulled in my face while walking home from a trap meet just two blocks away from my house.

I was wearing a baseball cap, oversized clothes, and the person slightly older than me thought I was a boy.

When he realized I was a girl, he lowered the gun and apologized.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

Second, one of my elementary school classmates was murdered.

As we left the wake, members from the shooters gang drove by, deliberately making their presence known.

What hurt just as much as losing Maddie was the realization that so many of us had grown up together in the same classrooms, walked the same halls, and shared the same beginnings.

The third lesson was learning how to hide in plain sight.

I chose leadership and silence, masking the fear I felt in my own community by staying busy everywhere else, distancing myself from the very place that had once nurtured me.

My war dreams shifted from tomboy to colorful.

My activities stretched across the city.

I found safety and belonging in programs like investing now, Pittsburgh Promise, Project 9100 Black Men, and a church choir at my era.

Today, many of my peers who left for college, unlike me, never came back and impacted and are currently impacting their adopted homes in every industry in the cities across the world, avoiding Pittsburgh like the plague, because they too have experienced harm here, acting hopelessness and the limited opportunities.

How can we afford to lose any more talent?

Half of those programs that helped me and gave me home provided care and access to nurturing no longer exist.

So where do our children go now?

The ones that don't have healthy homes, and those who do for either homework health, tutoring, nurturing, workforce development, entrepreneurship, training, therapy, or even recreation.

Thank you very much.

That exhausts our list of registered speakers.

If there's anyone in chambers wishing to speak, please come forward at this time, provide your name and neighborhood for the record.

You'll be given three minutes to speak.

Is there anyone in chambers wishing to speak?

Seeing no one in chambers, we will now turn to our reports of committee for final action, beginning with Councilperson Erica Strassberger presenting the committee of finance and law.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

And if if you're okay, Councilwoman, I want to take three bills separately.

First, I want to take the tax bill, which is bills is it 62?

26.

32.

Long day, I apologize.

So we could first rebuild 2632.

Ordinance amending the Pittsburgh Code of Title II, fiscal Article 9, property taxes, Chapter 263.

Oh, you have heard the reading in the title of the bill.

Is there any discussion?

I'm used to saying the other thing in the seat, sorry.

No.

Seeing none, the bill's not ready for final action.

All in favor to pass through the bill with aye to her name is called.

Those opposed will vote no.

We're clerk, please take the role.

Mr.

Sharland.

Aye.

Mr.

Coghill.

Ms.

Gross.

Aye.

Mr.

Mosley.

Aye.

Mrs.

Killsmith.

Aye.

No.

Mrs.

2632.

Mrs.

Strasberger.

The tax bill.

Aye.

No, it's rate.

Mrs.

Warwick.

Aye.

Mr.

Wilson.

No.

Mr.

Lavell, President.

Aye.

Six ayes, two no's.

Thank you.

The bill having received the legal legally required number of the votes is passed finally.

Next, I would like to take and read Bill 2454.

Bill 2454.

Resolution making appropriations to pay the expenses of conducting the public business of the city of Pittsburgh.

And for meeting the debt charges thereof for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2026.

You've heard the reading and title of the bill.

Is there any discussion on the bill?

Councilman Wilson.

I thought you moved your 2463.

2454.

I'm going a little out of order.

I apologize.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

We have two bills that have to be amended.

So I'm taking those bills first, and then we'll read the remainder of the bills.

So I apologize if I've confused anyone.

Okay.

What's the amendment?

So the amendment is before council and is simply to reflect the final budget amount.

Given all the amendments we passed at our standing committee meeting, we had to then run the final numbers to come up with our final actual dollar amount.

So if someone would be willing to offer up the motion to amend.

Second.

Thank you.

Any discussion?

Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Is there any further discussion on the bill as amended?

If not, the bill is not ready for final action.

All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote aye to her name is called.

Those opposed will vote no.

Would the clerk please take the roll?

Mr.

Sharland.

Aye.

Mr.

Coghill, Ms.

Gross.

Aye.

Mr.

Mosley.

Aye.

Mrs.

Killsmith.

Aye.

Mrs.

Strasberger.

Aye.

Mrs.

Warwick.

Aye.

Mr.

Wilson.

Aye.

Mr.

Lavell, President.

Aye.

Eight ayes, zero no's.

The bill having received the legal legally required number of the votes.

Is passed finally.

And now again, we're still going a little out of order.

I'm gonna ask the clerk to read bill 2460, which is the final bill that we have to amend.

And this bill correctly identifies the current JDE, JDE account number.

Bill 2460, resolution authorizing the city controller to accept updated financial system account strings and pay invoices for those contracts whose funding sources shifted from the office of the mayor into the office of equal protection in the 2026 operating budget and five-year plan.

Uh you have heard you have heard the reading and the title of the bill.

Is there any discussion?

Councilwoman Warwick.

Uh yes, a motion to amend to correct the JDE account number.

Excellent.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The bill has been amended.

Is there any further discussion on the bill as amended?

If not, the bill is now ready for final action.

All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote aye.

Rename is called.

Those opposed will vote no.

Will the clerk please take the roll?

Mr.

Sharland.

Aye.

Mr.

Coghill.

Ms.

Gross.

Aye.

Mr.

Mosley.

Aye.

Mrs.

Kill Smith.

Aye.

Mrs.

Strasburger.

Aye.

Mrs.

Warwick.

Aye.

Mr.

Wilson.

Aye.

Mr.

Lavell, President.

Aye.

Eight ayes, zero no's.

Thank you.

The bill having received a legal requirement votes is passed finally.

And now if the clerk will please read the remaining bills.

Bill 2463.

Resolution authorizing the fee schedule for 2026 pursuant to Chapter 170 of the City Code.

Bill 2464.

Section 24603.

Declaration and payment of tax at subsection D, so as to fix the rate of interest on delinquent home rule tax for the year 2026.

Bill 2465 Ordnance Amending the Pittsburgh Code at Title II Fiscal.

Article 9, Property Taxes, Chapter 263.

Section 26302, payment options, discount and delinquency penalty.

So is to set the payment discount and delinquent dates for the 2026 fiscal year.

Bill 2461 Ordnance Amending the Pittsburgh Code, Title II Fiscal Article 7, Business Related Taxes, Chapter 245, Earned Income Tax, Section 24503, Declaration and Payment of Tax at subsection D, so as to fix the rate of interest on delinquent earned income tax for the year 2026.

Bill 2455.

Bill 2453.

Resolution adopting and approving the 2026 capital budget, the proposed 2026 community development program, and the 2026 through 2031 capital improvement program.

Bill 2456.

Resolution authorizing City Council to approve intra-departmental transfers throughout the 2026 fiscal year.

Bill 2451.

Resolution authorizing the City of Pittsburgh to participate in applicable cooperative purchasing agreements for goods, materials, equipment, supply services, or construction, as authorized by the Commonwealth Procurement Code and the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Law for the 2026 fiscal year.

Bill 2452.

Resolution providing for the letting of contracts and for the use of existing contracts for the purchase of materials, supplies, and equipment for city departments and the maintenance, repair, rental, and or leasing rehabilitation, renovation, inspection, or servicing of city buildings and facilities, and for any miscellaneous services in and for any city departments and providing for the payment of the cost thereof for the 2026 fiscal year.

Bill 2462 resolution authorizing all city departments in conjunction with the Department of Finance to enter on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh into a facilities usage agreement or agreements during the 2026 calendar year for the purpose of permitting groups, groups to rent city-owned facilities for recreational and community-focused activities, individual amounts not to exceed 10,000 dollars, Bill 2459, resolution authorizing the mayor and the director of the Office of Management and Budget to enter into an agreement or agreements with the URA of Pittsburgh for the administration of certain 2026 PAGO funded projects and programs and providing for the payment of the cost thereof at a cost not to exceed $1,675,000.

Bill 2458.

Resolution authorizing appropriations, salaries and capital expenditures of the Parks Trust Fund for the 2026 fiscal year beginning January 1, 2026, and Bill 2457, resolution authorizing appropriations and salaries of the stop the violence fund for the 2026 fiscal year beginning January 1, 2026.

You've heard the reading and title of the bill.

Is there any discussion?

Did we read um bill twenty-four fifty-five?

Did you read was that included in this?

Yes, but I would okay.

I just wanted to make sure.

And then um, so I'm gonna vote no on that, and then I also want to vote no on the fee schedule.

Councilwoman Smith is a no on bill twenty-four fifty-five uh schedule one.

No, because now we're increasing the taxes, and we're still going to charge people more.

I think I'm 463 schedule.

Thank you.

And she's a no one twenty-four sixty-three.

I just would on that, I just would like to say I wish that we would consider giving our residents since we're paying a park tax and now increase tax, a discount on park rentals, um, because they shouldn't be paying the same as people that come in from the suburbs who don't pay those taxes.

That's all.

Thank you.

I put an amendment for not ahead time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Seeing none, the bills now ready for final action.

All in favor to pass to the bill vote I re name is called.

Those opposed will vote no with the clerk, please take the roll.

Mr.

Sharland.

Aye.

Mr.

Coghill, Ms.

Gross.

Aye.

Mr.

Mosley.

Aye.

Mrs.

Kill Smith.

I and all those except for the two I mentioned, the fee schedule and the um bill twenty-four fifty-five.

Mrs.

Strasberger.

Mrs.

Warwick.

Hi.

Mr.

Wilson.

Mr.

Lavell President.

Seven eyes, one no on bills 2455 and 2463.

And eight eyes, zero no's on all other bills.

Thank you.

The bill having received the legally required number of the votes is passed finally.

That takes us to motions and resolutions.

Before I turn it over to members, if they if you have anything to add to this long day, I do just first want to thank the clerk's office for all their assistance in both working around our schedules, keeping us on keeping us in track and doing all of what they do to make our lives as simple as possible.

I want to thank our budget office for being upfront, honest and forthright with regards to our budget.

I want to thank them for the educational briefing they put together.

I want to thank them for working with each member.

And so thank you all for the work that you've done.

Thank you, Sean Carter.

I know he's been bouncing in and out of all members' offices over the last couple months.

So thank you for the work that you've done.

And then lastly, thank you for members.

Thank you for being tolerant.

Thank you for your willingness to come in even on a weekend, even on a very long Sunday to be here.

Um Mr.

Curtis, I'm sorry.

I I do know that especially this budget was very trying for members, right?

And members had to take very hard votes, no matter which way those votes landed.

Um so I want to thank you each for being considerate.

I believe each one of us is always putting the health and welfare of the city first and foremost.

I think that's our guiding principle.

Um so I just want to thank you all for your work and I want to thank you for your patience and tolerate tolerance for getting us here.

We have one two more meetings tomorrow, and then you'll have about close to a two-week break.

Um week and a half, actually.

Um just thank you all for sticking through this entire process and thank you for your commitment to the city.

Um with that, I'll turn it over to members if there's anything you have.

I want to say something.

Councilman Smith.

I want to thank you.

I think you've been a really good uh president for council.

I think you are a good leader.

I think um and I appreciate uh all council's leadership, but I also want to thank Councilwoman Ward, because even though I'm so angry about this tax, I know that she's doing it for uh for what she thinks is the best for the city, and I'm hoping we see that result um in the future.

Wait, and I want to thank Councilman Gross for giving me a blanket because I think somebody didn't pay the heating bill here.

So maybe now that we increase the tax, we'll be able to pay it.

But I do want to thank all the same people that you thank, but I think that um you know Councilman Wilson's been a really good you know uh pro temp too and Councilwoman um Strasburger has been a good finance chair.

So I just want to thank you all for the these jobs are not easy, and being in leadership is really hard because you know we actually do kind of get along, believe it or not, most of the time.

But when it comes time for something like this, it's difficult because you know our constituents are all different places and and for good reasons.

I mean, you know, they you know I will say Southwest Pittsburgh watches a lot of money go across the city of Pittsburgh, so it makes it challenging for them um to see their taxes increased and not receiving all the services, although they are receiving a lot of money more than they used to, but I I I think in certain projects and things that are coming forward, but it it's challenging for them.

So I I do want to say that I understand why you all have to do some of the things you do too, but understand why we do the things we do.

But with that said, I want to thank you all for your leadership.

Thank you.

You did it, but I also meant to thank Councilwoman Strasberger.

Um, because I know she's put a lot of work into this budget um from her early letter that she sent to all of us to her meetings on the task force um overseeing our budget to just even helping me personally sort of work through and look at all the line items and figure out where we could cut and so I I also want to thank her as I thank all of you.

And thank I would thank all the people that came down for public comment too.

I mean, because they really you know let their voices be heard.

And uh, you know, of course I do thank all the people that are support staff for the city council, and they they all do a good job.

And I know I sometimes give them a hard time.

I'm not done giving you a hard time.

So but I want to thank you all for all the work you do.

Thank you.

Councilman Mosley.

Uh yeah, I just want to you know echo uh the kudos that uh councilwoman Kell Smith and Council President Lavelle share to uh the the clerk's office, the budget office, um Sean Carter, not to be confused with Jay-Z, but you know, uh uh very much legendary in his own right here in the 412.

Um, you know, for for all the hard work.

Um obviously uh President Lavell and the leadership team um on on council, but also uh, you know, beyond that, because I think you, you know, said enough on that.

I do want to mention as as um all the council members knows it's been you know a really difficult week for my family, and I appreciate you know, every single one of you has reached out um you know in your own rights as I've gone through a really difficult time, um, you know, dealing with some health issues with my family and having to be there for them and being a caretaker, um, while also uh trying to uphold the oath that I've taken to represent the constituents of district now.

So I truly uh appreciate the empathy in the text message and the calls that you've given me, you know, over this past week and just the the you know the care that you've shown, you know, showed that you know you care about me beyond just being a colleague, you know, you care about me.

You know, as a person that you care about my family, you know.

Um folks you've never met, and some, you know, folks you've only met a couple times.

Um so that just means a lot to me.

So I just wanted to say that publicly because um as trying as this week has been professionally, it's been a been about ten times as trying personally, and um the only way I could get through it is having colleagues like you on this journey with me.

So I want to thank you publicly for that.

Thank you, Councilman Charlotte.

Yes, uh well, I I I in addition to all the the thanks that we're giving out today, uh one other group I want to thank is the cable bureau that's been here this whole time.

The main spending hours.

Um, I do appreciate all of the the work that they were able to put in here.

Again, I you know, I want to thank thank leadership here, especially reporters.

Well, I think we had three different sets of reporters today.

Um I've seen cameras set up and take down.

So uh, but I I do I do, you know, what really want to thank Finance Chair Strasburger for for being able to walk walk us through here.

But the most important group that I want to thank is is uh our our neighbors and our our residents of of Pittsburgh here because this is um this is a tough budget.

This is this is much harder than I think any of us thought it would be.

Uh I don't, you know, I don't feel like any of us, you know, feel great about the end of the process.

I I think you know there's things that we can be be proud of.

Um, you know, I'm very thankful that we were able to save the housing opportunity fund and uh make some investments here.

But um at the end of the day, this is is really challenging, and I think it also puts a lot of the the onus on the next administration um to make sure that we don't end up in a situation like this in the future.

We need to get get the you know uh the economy of Pittsburgh booming again, um, move things forward so that we we don't have to uh ever be in this situation again.

And uh, you know, I hope we can all remember this moment right here as we're making choices next year and in future years so that we don't end up going down this road again.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Anything else?

If not, most Councilman Wilson.

For a second time, I just want to say thank you to everyone and happy holidays.

Thank you.

Yeah, same to you.

Uh motion to yeah, Anthony I want to say most of the excuse the absolute member uh approved the minutes and adjourned a meeting.

So second.

All in favor say aye.

We are done.

Go home to the families.

So we are very happy to report that adding those stops into um the shuttle.

Uh other teams also in OCHS have uh mentioned that the stops from the shuttle on the way back, having places where they people can access food has also been a big motivator for folks to not be sleeping rough outside early in the morning.

Um so uh social services are really important and a great uh motivator for folks to to access them.

And once they access this uh at an initial point, this can lead to having more conversations to enter into the rest of the shelter and housing system.

So I think that's been a great strategy.

Obviously, we still have folks who don't want to be in congregate um areas and who um rejected any type of shelter.

So I think it's really important to highlight outreach teams.

Uh, our outreach team has been amazing in finding folks, preparing them with winter gear, with survival items, but also taking street medicine, which are great partner uh to us to make sure that folks are not suffering from frostbite or any other uh