Pittsburgh City Council Regular Meeting - February 24, 2026

The Pittsburgh City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers. The meeting included proclamations, public testimony on multiple issues, introduction of new legislation, and final passage of numerous resolutions and ordinances. All legislative items from standing committees passed unanimously (9-0) except one appointment that had one member out of the room.

Proclamations

• Two proclamations were adopted: declaring February 28, 2026 as "Lieutenant Commander Barry Budd Day" (recognizing his law enforcement career) and "Ronald Carter Jr. Day" (honoring his athletic and public service achievements).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ajmail Matin (Pilot Park neighborhood, startup founder) presented findings from an independent financial diagnostic of Pittsburgh's economic development ecosystem. He argued the city suffers from a "structural capital allocation failure" and urged council to draft three ordinances: (1) use zoning authority to mandate fair-share compliance checks for institutional master plans; (2) impose a moratorium on tax-increment financing for foundation-owned real estate until 10% of endowments are allocated to regional startups; (3) pass an efficiency rider limiting administrative overhead on municipal contracts to 15%.
• Ryan Leverett-Ptak (Juneau resident, bike commuter) requested that the city use funds from UPMC to purchase dedicated bike lane plows, noting that protected bike lanes were not cleared during a recent snowstorm, forcing cyclists into traffic.
• Dr. Ronald Miller (Brookline resident, founder of Pittsburgh City Ally Network) raised concerns about the inclusion of religious references in government ceremonies, proclamations, and oaths, questioning the meaning of "God" and citing historical genocides and abuse.
• Rev. Dale Snyder (Hill District, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church) urged council to return land taken from the church via eminent domain by the URA in the past. He noted the church had a memorandum of understanding with a developer for 125 affordable housing units and a tax credit application due in October, and asked the city to convey the land directly as previously agreed with the Penguins.
• Bethany Cameron (Overbrook, representing InformUp.org) presented results from a survey of 2,073 residents across all nine council districts. Key findings: 41% said snow and ice significantly affected their mobility; 1 in 5 could not leave home. For infrastructure spending from the proposed $56 million bond, sidewalks and pedestrian infrastructure ranked as the top priority, followed by bridge maintenance and potholes.
• Honey Rosenblum (downtown worker) urged council not to renew the ShotSpotter contract, arguing it is ineffective, expensive (Pittsburgh has spent $8.3 million), expands surveillance, and has led to wrongful deaths and incarcerations in other cities. She advocated for community-based violence prevention investments.
• Bobbie Fan (former director of Data Justice Project, PRT board member) also opposed ShotSpotter renewal, citing a City Controller report showing ShotSpotter alerts are not more effective than 911 calls, that response times differ, and that the company has reclassified alerts on police request, leading to wrongful charges.
• Courtney Meadows (Hill District resident, pastor of Central Baptist Church) spoke in support of equity in housing, economic opportunity, and public safety, and offered partnership on workforce development and violence prevention.
• Ikhana-hal-makina (Chief of Grand Incidents Confederacy) opposed ShotSpotter and also criticized recent parking fine increases (from $25 to $40 to $60 downtown) and urged a travel advisory for U.S. citizens in Mexico due to cartel violence.
• Carlino Giampolo (Panther Hollow) gave his 18th testimony on the illegal skate park in Panther Hollow, requesting it be shut down and asking council members Warwick and Charland to identify any long-term residents who support the skate park.
• Unique Brown (domestic violence survivor) criticized the Women’s Center and Shelter for not providing adequate help and for allegedly misrepresenting her to the directors action line; she called for accountability.
• Special Agent Sunshine (transcript only; name from minutes) delivered a prayer and accused council members of identity theft, fraud, and voodoo, calling for divine intervention and referencing biblical verses.

Presentation of Papers (New Legislation Introduced)

Several new resolutions were introduced and referred to committees, including:

• A warrant for cybersecurity training costs ($9,077.40 to Levy Convention Centers).
• An amendment increasing the Equipment Leasing Authority cooperation agreement by $1,000,000 (to $28,188,019).
• An agreement with Pittsburgh Water to maintain stormwater tanks in South Side Park.
• A stewardship lease for Island Marina with Three Rivers Waterkeeper ($1/year for 5 years, with 5-year renewal option).
• A supplemental agreement for the Sylvan Avenue Multimodal Path Project ($1,732,504.13, increase of $86,733.76).
• An extension of the Planning Commission deadline for Council Bill #2025-2250 (passed 8-0, with Council Member Gross out of room).
• Appointment of Chelsea Arthur-Succop to the Public Art Committee (approved).
• Informational appointments: Anthony Coghill to Sports and Exhibition Authority; Jacob Williamson and Tom Joyce to Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (received and filed).
• A communication from the Grants Office (received and filed).

Unfinished Business

• Appointment of Eric Sloan as Director of Parks and Recreation: Approved unanimously.

Reports of Committee - Final Action

All bills reported from standing committees received final passage with 9-0 votes:

• Finance and Law: Warrants for Clio Consulting (Beechview historic survey, $5,000), settlement of Benjamin Mayhew litigation ($60,000), professional services agreements with Fisher Phillips ($60,000 for 6 months and amendment to $485,400 over 2 years), and issuance of $56,020,000 in General Obligation Bonds.
• Public Safety and Wellness: Grant agreements for trauma bags ($20,000) and EMS training ($9,336) from the Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner.
• Public Works and Infrastructure: Amended reimbursement agreement for Smithfield Street Reconstruction ($9,890,000, increase of $620,000), supplemental agreement with CDR Maguire for project design management ($4,064,876.91, increase of $1,266,407.21), and amendment for Landforce urban forestry programming (new total $465,500 over 4 years).
• Land Use and Economic Development: Zoning text amendment adding definition and standards for Waste Transfer Stations.
• Innovation, Performance, Asset Management, and Technology: Extension of agreement with OPEX Corporation for document scanning equipment and software ($28,015, new total $164,686).
• Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs: Grant agreements for Assistance to Firefighters ($958,712.72 federal plus $95,871.28 city match), Port Security Grant ($96,931 federal plus $32,310 city match), and sewage facilities plan revisions for 7872-7874 Susquehanna Street and 179 Steuben Street.

Key Outcomes

• Two proclamations adopted (Barry Budd Day and Ronald Carter Day).
• Eric Sloan appointed Director of Parks and Recreation.
• All 14 resolutions from standing committees passed unanimously (9-0).
• Planning Commission deadline extension granted (8-0).
• Chelsea Arthur-Succop appointed to the Public Art Committee.
• Informational appointments and communication received and filed.
• The council announced a special post-agenda discussion on ShotSpotter at 2:30 PM on the same day.