Pittsburgh City Council Regular Meeting – March 3, 2026

The Pittsburgh City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers, City-County Building. All nine council members were present: R. Daniel Lavelle (President), Robert Charland, Anthony Coghill, Deborah L. Gross, Khari Mosley, Kim Salinetro, Erika Strassburger, Barbara Warwick, and Bobby Wilson. The meeting included proclamations, public comments, presentation of new legislation, final action on committee reports, and other motions.

Proclamations

• Council adopted a proclamation congratulating Tyler Walters on achieving Eagle Scout rank and declaring March 7, 2026 as “Tyler Walters Day” in Pittsburgh. (Enactment No. 81)
• Council adopted a proclamation recognizing Women in Construction Week, declaring March 1–7, 2026 as such. Sponsored by Councilmember Gross and all members. (Enactment No. 82)
• Council adopted a proclamation commending Aaron Devine and declaring March 7, 2026 [Agenda stated March 7, 2025, but the meeting took place in 2026; this appears to be a typographical error] as “Aaron Devine Day”. (Enactment No. 83)
• Council adopted a proclamation declaring March 1–8, 2026 as “Divorce with Respect Week” in Pittsburgh, presented by Councilmember Mosley. Representatives from the Collaborative Law Association of Southwestern Pennsylvania (CLASP) accepted the proclamation and highlighted free 30-minute consultations offered during the week. (Enactment No. 84)

Public Comments & Testimony

Several residents addressed council on a range of issues:

• Maddie McGrady (Highland Park, co-chair of Housing Justice Table) and Rhonda Strozier (Fine View Citizens Council/Perry Hilltop Citizens Council) urged council to oppose the appointment of David Vatts to the Planning Commission, citing concerns about his conduct and attitude toward community input.
• Bethany Cameron (InformUp.org, Overbrook) presented results from a reader survey: nearly 40% of respondents prioritized faster police/medical response when considering ShotSpotter renewal, 27% prioritized overpolicing concerns, and 27% said both equally important. On the Safe Streets for All project ($400,000 total), nearly 50% disagreed that the benefits outweigh the issue of nonprofits not paying property taxes.
• Deborah Wiley (Banksville) strongly opposed the proposed sale of the FOP Lodge 1 building to Dismas Charities for use as a halfway house for up to 100 felons, citing zoning, public safety, and transparency concerns. She requested council vote with the neighborhood against any conditional use application if it comes before council.
• Leeretta Payne (Hill District) argued that building more housing is not the solution to affordability in the Hill District; instead, she advocated for cooperative housing, public housing, and a repair program for older residents. She also urged council to examine the “SHIFT directives” framework.
• Kurt Colborn (Swisshelm Park) opposed the Vatts nomination, noting Vatts’ leadership role in YIMBY Action (a national lobbying group funded by the building industry) and concerns about conflicts of interest. He asked council to scrutinize the appointment.
• Stella Gan (international student at Pitt) shared general appreciation for Pittsburgh.
• Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller (Manchester, Tunis) advocated for greater neighborhood control via elected neighborhood councils.
• Special Agent Sunshine spoke about the missing child Cerese Taylor, making references to child abduction and alleging bribery and corruption.
• A speaker (domestic violence survivor, not named) criticized the Director’s Action Line for lacking independent oversight and authority to challenge agency responses, describing it as a loop with no corrective action.

Presentation of New Legislation

Councilmembers introduced the following bills, which were read and referred to the appropriate committees:

• Councilmember Coghill: Bills 2026-0193 (Group Violence Intervention technology services with Operation Better Block, $300,000/3 yrs), 2026-0194 (license agreement with Buncher Co. for police training warehouse space, 4 days/90 days, no cost), 2026-0195 (license for Gateway View Plaza space for 45 days, no cost). All referred to Public Safety & Wellness.
• Councilmember Mosley: Bills for membership dues: U.S. Conference of Mayors ($21,824), PA Municipal League ($52,962.24), National League of Cities ($19,626); three sewage facility plan revisions (2111 Penn Ave, 1717-1719 Cliff St, 544 Lincoln Ave); and an agreement with Stadium Authority ($1) for public safety equipment installation. Referred to Intergovernmental & Educational Affairs or Public Safety as appropriate.
• Councilmember Salinetro: Bill 2026-0196 (grant from Automated Red Light Enforcement program, $805,533, for signal replacement at Fifth & Dithridge); Bills 2026-0203/0204 (dedication of two city-owned parcels and vacation of Savoy Street paper street); Bill 2026-0205 (energy evaluation consultant services with Enel X, 6-year term, no cost). Referred to Public Works & Infrastructure.
• Councilmember Wilson: Bill 2026-0207 (Pittsburgh Land Bank acquisition of 635 Kirkpatrick St, no cost); Bill 2026-0208 (amendment to contract with Evolve Environment::Architecture for historic district design guidelines for Mexican War Streets and Manchester, $37,500). Rule 8 waived on 0208; referred to Land Use & Economic Development.
• Council President Lavelle: Appointments to Public Art & Civic Design Commission: Emily Robinson and Lewis Pell to the Public Art Committee, Joanna Obuzor to the Civic Design Committee. Approved unanimously.
• Communications: Quarterly Financial and Performance Report for Q4 2025 and Grants Office status update (week ending Feb 27, 2026) were read, received, and filed.

Reports of Committee – Final Action

The council voted on recommendations from standing committees, all passed with 9-0 votes:

• Finance and Law: Settlement claims: Alayna Griffiths ($2,650 for vehicle damage by EMS), Naeem Martinez/Max Petrunya ($62,000, litigation settlement), Network Deposition Services ($24,538.10 for transcripts), and a $2,500 budget transfer from Council Postage to Office of the City Clerk for professional services. All passed.
• Public Works and Infrastructure: Contract with Carnegie Mellon University ($200,000 plus $200,000 in-kind, total $400,000) for Safe Streets and Roads for All project; supplemental agreement with A. Liberoni Inc. for Sylvan Avenue Multimodal Path Project (not to exceed $1,732,504.13, net increase $86,733.76). Both passed.
• Land Use and Economic Development: Two amendments reallocating Public Service Grant and Neighborhood Economic Development funds: decreasing Lawrenceville United by $15,000 and $27,000 respectively, and increasing Lawrenceville Corporation by the same amounts. Both passed.
• Innovation, Performance, Asset Management, and Technology: Ordinance establishing Chapter 173A Housing Data Dashboard in city code (passed finally as amended); warrant for Levy Convention Centers ($9,077.40) for cybersecurity training. Both passed.
• Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs: Sewage facilities plan revision for 2402 North Charles Street; renewal of membership in Chartiers Valley District Flood Control Authority ($17,204 for 2026). Both passed.

Key Outcomes

• All four proclamations were adopted unanimously.
• All new bills were referred to committees as noted.
• The nine bills from committee reports were all passed finally with 9-0 votes.
• Councilmember Strassburger moved to hold a post-agenda hearing on the 2025 Quarterly Financial Report to allow more distributed budget focus throughout the year. The motion carried.
• Upcoming meetings announced: Pre-agenda interviews for Planning Commission nominees (March 3 afternoon), standing committee meeting (March 4), pre-agenda interviews for ALCOSAN and Pittsburgh Water nominees (March 4 afternoon), and a cablecast public hearing on rezoning in Hazelwood (March 6).