Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committees Meeting – February 18, 2026
Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committees Meeting – February 18, 2026
The City of Pittsburgh Standing Committees met on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers to consider a range of legislative items including zoning amendments, financial resolutions, and grant authorizations. Key topics included a proposed waste transfer station setback ordinance, a fleet vehicle fund, and a $56 million bond issuance for capital projects. Public testimony focused heavily on environmental justice concerns in the Hazelwood neighborhood.
Consent Calendar
- Invoices for departmental expenses totaling various amounts were approved unanimously without discussion.
- P-Cards (procurement card approvals) for the period of February 3–9, 2026, were approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
Multiple residents and stakeholders spoke in favor of Bill 2025-2385, which would add a definition and 500-foot setback requirement for waste transfer stations. Speakers included:
- Brina Ratangee (University of Pittsburgh medical student, social medicine fellow): Supported the bill, citing health impacts such as asthma, noise, and sleep disruption.
- Sebastian Hymson (medical student, social medicine fellow): Emphasized Hazelwood's historical industrial pollution burden and called the setback a preventative health measure.
- Palak Shah (medical student): Described waste transfer stations as sources of air pollution, noise, and pests; urged passage.
- Mary Ann Majcher (Lincoln Place resident): Supported the bill, stating Hazelwood has suffered enough from industrial waste.
- Diane Schenck (owner of Delamato's Market, Hazelwood): Described living 350 feet from an existing recycling center, experiencing rats, noise, and truck traffic; supported the 500-foot buffer.
- Lori Kolczynski (general manager, BFI Waste Services, a subsidiary of Republic Services): Opposed the bill, noting the city's need for a transfer station and that Republic Services owns the permitted recycling center in Hazelwood. She argued the bill targets her facility.
- Sonya Tillman (executive director, Hazelwood Initiative): Supported the bill, arguing that public infrastructure decisions must prioritize health and environmental equity.
- Mary Bridget Bartol (Hazelwood resident): Described poor air quality, traffic, and senior health concerns; opposed a waste transfer station.
- Katherine Burk (Hazelwood resident): Cited poor air quality, congestion on Second Avenue, rat problems, and urged not to force the station on Hazelwood.
- Yvonne F. Brown (Hazelwood resident): Shared personal experience with dust from a demolition causing asthma; urged council to protect residents.
- Special Agent Sunshine (self-identified missing child): Addressed unrelated issues of identity theft and conservatorship; not directly related to agenda items.
- Sandra Cole (Hazelwood resident): Questioned why the community should bear additional pollution; urged council to consider if they would allow it in their own neighborhoods.
Discussion Items
- Termination of Comprehensive Plan Contracts (2026-0006 & 2026-0007): Sponsored by Council Members Coghill, Gross, and Warwick. Council discussed holding for four more weeks to allow Chief Gilman to secure external funds to avoid using taxpayer money. Motion to hold carried.
- Fleet Vehicle Fund (2026-0016): Ordinance to create a fund with $20 million annual contributions starting 2027. Council Member Warwick emphasized the need for a sustainable fleet investment. Council discussed holding for four weeks for administration review. Motion carried.
- General Obligation Bonds (2026-0111): Resolution to issue up to $56,020,000 in bonds for the 2026 capital budget. Finance Director Jen Gula and advisors explained the competitive sale process. Council Member Gross asked about total debt service (currently ~$78 million annually, dropping to ~$46 million in 2027 after this issuance). Council Member Coghill praised the improved debt profile. Approved unanimously.
- Waste Transfer Station Zoning Amendment (2025-2385): Ordinance to add definitions and a 500-foot buffer for waste transfer stations. Sponsor Council Member Warwick presented slides showing proximity to homes, noted that 20+ stakeholder letters supported the bill, and moved an amendment by substitution (to clarify the definition excludes recycling centers). The amendment passed, and the bill as amended was approved unanimously.
- Right-of-Way Accessibility Needs Inventory (2026-0113): Ordinance to create a data inventory of pedestrian infrastructure after a severe snowstorm. Council Member Warwick explained the need for data to prioritize snow clearance. Held for two weeks.
- Housing Data Dashboard (2026-0041): Ordinance to create a housing data dashboard. Council Member Charland requested a one-week hold for minor edits from the Planning Department. Carried.
- Smithfield Street Reconstruction (2026-0102): Amended reimbursement agreement with PennDOT, increased by $620,000 to $9.89 million (80% reimbursable). Approved.
- CDR Maguire Supplemental Agreement (2026-0103): Increased by $1,266,407.21 for project design management. Approved.
- Landforce Urban Forestry Programming (2026-0104): Amended agreement to increase funding from $50,000 to $465,500 over four years. Approved.
- Clio Consulting Warrant (2026-0105): $5,000 for historic survey of Beechview District. Approved.
- Benjamin Mayhew Litigation Settlement (2026-0106): $60,000 settlement. Approved.
- Fisher Phillips Professional Services (2026-0107): $60,000 for labor dispute services. Approved.
- Fisher Phillips Amendment (2026-0108): Increased by $275,400 to total $485,400. Approved.
- Fire Company & EMS Grants (2026-0095 & 2026-0096): $20,000 for trauma bags and $9,336 for training. Approved.
- Assistance to Firefighters Grant (2026-0098): $958,712.72 federal grant with $95,871.28 city match for fire apparatus training. Approved.
- Port Security Grant (2026-0099): $96,931 federal grant with $32,310 city match for protective vehicle barriers. Approved.
- Sewage Facilities Plan Revisions (2026-0100 & 2026-0101): Two no-cost revisions for properties on Susquehanna Street and Steuben Street. Approved.
- OPEX Corporation Contract Amendment (2026-0097): $28,015 increase for document scanning station maintenance. Approved.
Key Outcomes
- Held Items: 2026-0006, 2026-0007, 2026-0016 (held 4 weeks); 2026-0113 (held 2 weeks); 2026-0041 (held 1 week).
- Approved Items: All other listed resolutions and ordinances were unanimously recommended for approval by their respective committees, including invoices and P-cards. Specific votes were not recorded beyond voice votes showing unanimity.
- Amendment: Bill 2025-2385 was amended by substitute to clarify that waste transfer stations exclude recycling centers, then adopted.
- Next Meetings: Regular Council meeting on February 24, 2026, and Standing Committees meeting on February 25, 2026, both at 10 AM.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning and welcome to the standing committee's meeting for Wednesday, February eighteenth, twenty twenty-six. All council meetings will be live streamed on the city's website. And for guest speakers joining us at the table, please do not turn off your microphones. Our first order of business is rule call. Will the clerk please take the rule? Mr. Sharlin. Mr. Coghill. Miss Gross. Mr. Lavell. Mr. Rose. Mr. Mosley. Miss Salonetro. Here. Ms. Warwick. Mr. Wilson. Miss Strasberger Chair. Here. Six members present. Thank you. Our next order of business is public comment. I would like to remind all speakers that the rules of council state that comments are limited to matters of concern, official action, or deliberation, which are or may be before city council. Profanity will not be permitted. Please state your name and neighborhood for the record. You will have three minutes to speak, and our first registered speaker is Chief Pomay Chakmamia Halahi. Those that are able to be deconstructed and the environmental protections aligned with STG Eco-Side Prevention and our Stop the Eco Side campaign as a public health and environmental justice necessity across Pennsylvania. More than one million residents were recently warned to limit outdoor activity due to elevated fine particle pollution. Not seeing them with us, we will move on to Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller. Seeing Dr. Miller with us, we will move on to Brina Ritangi. Ratagi. I'm sorry. Can I be heard? Yes. Thank you. Thank you, uh Council members and everyone here today. My name is Brina Ratangi. I'm a first year medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, as well as a social medicine fellow that works in Greater Hazelwood, and I'm a resident of Oakland. I'm here speaking in favor of the bill that proposes setting a minimum 500 foot distance between a waste transfer station from schools, homes, parks, and commercial zoning districts. There's a lot of concerns with having a waste transport station located on less than that distance, closer to where people live and work and play and spend times with their families. There's the concerns of odor, of poor air quality, toxins, noise pollution, and really that affects us in our homes. It affects our sleep quality and in school, it affects the noise and our ability to concentrate. And even in our lived environment, like the walkability of spaces, able to play in parks, and that can really disincentivize wanting to go out and get the recommended exercise per day that that really is the standard for preventing the incidence of these chronic illnesses that have really grown in prevalence across the country, such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, obesity.
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