OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania/City Council
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Special Regular City Council Meeting - December 21, 2025

City Council — Sunday, December 21, 2025
BodyPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SessionCity Council
DateSunday, December 21, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 30:23

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:33

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

0:40

Would a clerk please take the roll?

0:42

Here.

0:43

Mr.

0:43

Coghill.

0:44

Ms.

0:45

Gross here.

0:46

Mr.

0:46

Mosley.

0:47

Here.

0:47

Mrs.

0:48

Kill Smith.

0:49

Here.

0:49

Mrs.

0:50

Strasberger.

0:52

Mrs.

0:53

Warwick.

0:54

Here.

0:54

Mr.

0:54

Wilson.

0:55

Here.

0:55

Mr.

0:56

Lavell President.

0:57

Here.

0:57

Eight members.

0:58

Eight members present.

0:59

Thank you.

1:00

Our next order of business is to amend the agenda.

1:01

Is there a motion to amend?

1:02

So all favor say aye.

1:05

The agenda is amended.

1:06

Our next order of business is public comment.

1:08

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.

1:16

Profanity will not be permitted.

1:17

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

1:20

You'll be given three minutes to speak.

1:22

Our first registered speaker is Dr.

1:23

Ronald Lynn Miller.

1:35

Dr.

1:35

Ronald Miller.

1:37

Bill Silver.

1:38

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

1:50

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

1:58

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

2:05

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

2:13

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

2:23

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

2:29

All five of these West neighborhood places.

2:47

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.

3:06

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

3:10

And go uh around the Allegheny County election division.

3:18

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

3:27

And uh only hundreds of thousands into Pittsburgh West.

3:31

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

3:36

I do.

3:38

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

3:47

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.

4:11

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.

4:27

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

4:32

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

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget█████████████████████████████████████████████54%
Procedural███████████████████23%
Public Safety█████████11%
Homelessness████5%
Youth Programs███4%
Public Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Special Regular City Council Meeting - December 21, 2025

The City Council convened on Sunday, December 21, 2025, for a special regular meeting to conclude the fiscal year 2026 budget process, which the President described as "trying" and requiring long hours on a weekend. After amending the agenda, the council addressed public testimony, reviewed committee reports, and voted on a series of ordinances and resolutions pertaining to the 2026 operating and capital budgets.

Consent Calendar

  • The agenda was amended to allow for the separate handling of specific bills regarding the 2026 budget.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller: Dr. Miller expressed strong opposition to current funding inequities between Pittsburgh's East and West neighborhoods. He argued that while "tens of millions of dollars pour" into East-side institutions like CMU and Pitt, "only hundreds of thousands" go into the West. He proposed the creation of a "5B neighborhood" (Beachview, Bell Shoover, Bon Air, Brookline, Banksville) public council and a new university at the intersection of Route 51 to provide "pollen" for economic and educational self-sufficiency in the West.
  • Dr. Tysana Jones: Dr. Jones expressed full support for the funding of the Stop the Violence Fund and the Office of Community Service and Violence Prevention. She highlighted that the proposed $10 million investment is necessary to support community-based organizations addressing the needs of youth and families. Drawing on personal trauma from the 1990s and noting that "half of those programs that helped me... no longer exist," she argued the city cannot afford to lose more talent to the "plague" of Pittsburgh.
  • Unregistered Speakers: No additional speakers were present in the chambers.

Discussion Items

  • Budget and Tax Adjustments (Bill 2463 and Ordinance 2632): Councilwoman Kill Smith stated her opposition to Bill 2463 and Ordinance 2632, noting she was "not okay" with increasing taxes. She argued that residents are paying park taxes yet facing increased charges, and she suggested a discount on park rentals for residents.
  • Budget Outcomes: Council President Lavell acknowledged the difficulty of the process, thanking the budget office, clerk's office, and members for their service. Councilman Mosley shared that while the week was professionally difficult, it was personally challenging due to family health issues, expressing deep gratitude for the council's empathy.
  • Final Budget Discussion: Councilman Gross expressed that while they saved the Housing Opportunity Fund, the budget was "much harder" than anticipated and acknowledged a sense of collective dissatisfaction with the outcome. He emphasized that the current situation places the "onus" on the next administration to revitalize the economy of Pittsburgh.

Key Outcomes

  • Bill 2632 (Tax Ordinance): Passed by a vote of 6 ayes to 2 noes (Councilwoman Kill Smith and Councilman Wilson opposed).
  • Bill 2454 (Budget Appropriations): Passed unanimously (8 ayes, 0 noes) after an amendment to reflect final budget amounts.
  • Bill 2460 (Account Strings): Passed unanimously (8 ayes, 0 noes) after an amendment to correct a JDE account number.
  • Bill 2455 (Capital Budget): Passed with 7 ayes and 1 no (Councilwoman Kill Smith opposed).
  • Bill 2463 (Fee Schedule/Tax Interest): Passed with 7 ayes and 1 no (Councilwoman Kill Smith opposed).
  • Remaining Budget Bills: All other bills (2461, 2451, 2452, 2462, 2459, 2458, 2457) related to the 2026 operating and capital budgets, cooperative purchasing, and the Stop the Violence Fund were passed unanimously (8 ayes, 0 noes).
  • Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned following motions to approve minutes.

Meeting Transcript

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.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com