Good morning and welcome to the standing committee's meeting for Wednesday, March 18th, 2026.

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 roll call.

Would the clerk please take the roll?

Mr.

Charland.

Mr.

Cogheel.

Miss Gross.

Mr.

Lavell.

Mr.

Mosley.

Here.

Miss Salonetra.

Here.

Miss Warwick.

Here.

Mr.

Wilson.

Miss Strasberger Chair.

Here.

Five 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.

Provanity will not be permitted.

Please state your name and neighborhood for the record, and you will have three minutes to speak.

No, it's kind of Jim Craig South.

It's terrible.

We have a rape problem here in this city and beyond.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sherry Winston.

Sherry Winston with us.

Okay, we will move on to those in the audience wishing to speak.

Carlino Giampolo, Panther Hollow.

Council members Barbara Warwick and Bob Charling will be held personally accountable to the fullest extent of both civil and criminal law for any harm to longtime residents or homeowners of Panther Hollow by any skateboarder or their supporters relating to the illegal skate park in our neighborhood.

I had already experienced 11 harassment incidents brought about by their illegal activities, yet these elected officials continue to choose to do nothing to prevent further occurrences.

This past Friday, I experienced a 12th harassment incident.

The serious question becomes what higher level of tragedy are these elected officials waiting to occur before they end their complicit conduct in this criminal activity.

Their complicity by their inaction and silence absolutely undermines the heroic efforts of the director of public safety, Sheldon Williams, police chief Jason Landos, and Zone 4 acting commander Eugenio Peary to make Pittsburgh a safer place to live.

Council members Warwick and Charlotte are responsible not only for their own actions but also for the consequences thereof in facilitating the harassment.

They have emboldened skateboarders to do whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want, and to totally disregard longtime residents and homeowners' quality of life as if we are meaningless and don't matter.

With the support of these two elected officials, skateboarders now have an extremely dangerous attitude of entitlement that this skate park is theirs and will continue to conduct criminal activities to keep it.

I invite everyone to visit or revisit the website, Pantherhollow Playground.com to gain a deeper understanding of this issue.

The focus of the approximately 7,000 words has been to awaken dignity, heal our community, and move on to the path of dignity to make positive change with harm to none.

These two council members and those who support them for any reason are choosing to disregard those approximately 7,000 words and continue to be on the path of tragedy.

On the other hand, I feel confident that the people I have met in Mayor Corey O'Connor's administration are on the path of dignity and will shut down the skate park.

Further criminal activity by skateboarders and their supporters are a likely possibility.

Councilmember Warwick and Charlin need to make a choice now.

Either take appropriate action to end their horrific, shameful, complicit support for the illegal activity, or be held both civilly and criminally accountable.

Should any harm come to longtime residents or homeowners?

Thank you very much.

Next speaker, please.

That's the high rise at the top of Bedford Avenue.

I'm setting today to have to send my condolences to uh Kim Hid Clerk, her uncle Robert Davis passed.

He lived in the building where I did.

He was my neighbor and he was my friend.

I used to joke with him because he was a dark-complexed man.

He had this sort of swagger about him.

Especially it seemed to be around the women.

So the older women would be sitting right in the front door.

And then one day I seen him, and it looked like he was really pimping to the side.

So when I seen him, I said, I seen you in front of them women, the way you were pimping.

I said, which one are you looking at?

And he said, Yvonne, I just had a back operation.

He couldn't help the way he was walking.

But um we talked and also him, and he talked if I mentioned Tim Stevens.

See, a lot of people don't really understand why I say things about Tim.

Well, in the first place, when I met him, and I mentioned about Tim Stevens working with the police review board, he said, Tim.

Tim was the like the um the union man for the Volkswagen.

Remember, it was here in Pennsylvania, Volkswagen Company.

He was the union man and he's swarping down that Tim sold him out.

He's swarping down.

Now it's the same way when Tim took the people up in my church, Bethel Emming Church, about the police review.

Whereas we must write down our questions.

And he chooses what questions can be asked.

And I'm saying, Tim, Tim, Tim, no, you wrong.

Now you want high high from OMI was there.

And she said, I will answer every question I can as fully as I can.

One man asked the question that had been written down.

But as she finished, he asked another one.

So when he did that, she started answering.

I put my hand up, and Tim runs up to me screaming hollering.

No, no, no.

And I said to Tim, what's up, Tim?

And all the river, all the people in the church looked at him and he slid on back.

Do you understand?

He gets money from city council members to have this meeting.

And we cannot ask the questions we want.

He chooses.

I told Tim, Tim, every question should be read and let the people make a decision.

He's not an official.

He's just a citizen just like me.

But you give him $600 just to stand up and say what questions you can't answer.

Think about it.

Think.

I want you to think about this.

And another thing about them with them children out there.

Did they have a line of policemen saying stop?

They don't know what they were doing.

You better look into it.

They said that the mirror is looking to it.

Looking to it.

Thank you, Miss Brown.

Good morning.

The missing child, Cerese Taylor, Special Agent Sunshine.

Lord, thank you for divine intervention in the fraud in our government that all of these people are a part of.

They know who I am.

My real identity.

They stole it.

Along with my house, property, assets, everything connected to my real name.

They stole by changing my name on paper.

I'm dead twice on paper.

Hallelujah.

Thank you to my real mother.

Wherever you are, whoever you are, come out, come out.

Because baby, I'm not dead.

And you're angry, whoever you are.

You're angry.

Because you can't tell me what to do.

I'm a grown woman now.

And your plan to kill me didn't work.

But you got the insurance money.

I hope it worked out for you.

The wisdom for today comes from Proverbs 10 9.

The man of integrity walks securely.

But he who takes crooked paths will be found out mostly.

The roots organization that you own is stealing my mail.

And you know about it.

You sit there with that bow tie, like everything is so good and it is not.

Who's my real father?

Is it you?

Go ahead, Smirk, go ahead.

Please, lightning is so real.

It's so real.

A hundred trillion bolts, Lord, bring it, please.

For these fake people up in here.

Psalm 5117.

It says, My sacrifice, oh God, is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart.

You, God, will not despise.

Yes, my heart is broken.

Because these people want me dead so they can keep what they stole from me so that I can remain homeless and on the street.

Well, I like clean, fresh air.

And I've slept in the snow and the rain, and we'll see if you like it when it's your turn.

In Jesus' name.

It's amazing how they can sit here and act like everything is so okay.

If you want to know how God feels about anything, check the weather.

Little chilly, huh?

A little cold outside.

A lot of people out there in it.

Y'all ain't helping none of them.

Why hasn't nobody come in here, Laval and said, Jesus, thank you, Laval.

Thank LaVale estates for finding me a room, a place to live.

Me and 20 of my friends got us off the street.

That building real savvy, too, right there on the hill.

Why was power out on the hill?

Because God's angry.

I promise you.

Thank you, Lord, for using me as a vessel to still be here standing on your promises to do your will, not mine.

Here's a face step for everybody.

Pray about a way you were broken.

Take it to the master carpenter, who is Jesus.

Listen and allow Jesus to make the necessary repairs in your life in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Sorry.

My name is Janique Brown.

Good morning, children.

I say that respectfully and continuously until an adults in this room can actually answer some of the questions that I have.

Or even look into the pain that keeps being brought to you.

I'll stop calling you that when somebody up there shows me what leadership actually looks like.

Because right now it feels like we're talking and no one is listening.

I'm from this city.

I was born in my house on White Sap Road.

This is my city.

And my mother has been fighting this city through different council members, different presidents for over 20 years.

First at the school board, then at this council, showing up, speaking out, believing in the system, and for years she told us that they don't really listen.

They don't really help.

And I didn't want to believe her.

I wanted to believe that if something ever happened to me, if I ever needed help, somebody would be there to listen.

But it took me to go through it, took me standing in places I never thought I'd be.

Took me needing help and not getting it to finally realize she was right.

She was out there fighting for the city because the people elected to do it do not.

So imagine having to ask the system for help that's supposed to protect you.

And instead of being protected, you're lied on by someone in power, by the CEO herself, by someone you told your most vulnerable memories and stories, and they choose to misuse their power.

Imagine that.

Really just a flat out lie, and I can't even challenge her.

So who can answer that question?

Y'all are not just there just to sit.

Somebody can look into a shelter that's in this city of Pittsburgh.

Not just the council member.

I mean, not just county council either.

City council needs to look into this.

I need to know what's going on.

I'm going to take it above our heads to the domestic violence coalition.

I'm going to do all the steps I'm supposed to do, but y'all have to do something other than make speed box that mess up people's cars, except for in certain communities, or just smile for proclamations and nobody even offered my mom one.

And y'all smile and say how she fights hard on it.

So please, somebody just answer a question or look into that.

Tell me why she can do that.

She's a CEO.

Tell me why she why she can do that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Are there any further speakers?

Seeing no further speakers, we will move on to our standing committee's agenda.

Our first committee is the Finance and Law Committee.

We have deferred papers.

Bill.

We have bills that could be read together.

I will defer to Council Member Coghill for a minute if he wishes to take all three together or one by one.

I think all three together would be fine.

I'm counting on Chief Gilman to be here.

I hope maybe he's on his way.

Okay, yeah, sure.

Bills 6, 2026.

6, 7, and 16.

Madam Clerk.

Bill.

I'm sorry.

Just bills and seven.

My apologies.

Yeah.

Bill 6, resolution authorizing and directing the mayor, solicitor, director of planning, and director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Bill Six resolution authorizing and directing the mayor, solicitor, director of planning, and director of the Office of Management and Budget pursuant to 204K of the Home Rule Charter to provide appropriate notice and terminate contract with Sasaki and Common Cost Consultants per Article 3.2, termination of the agreement, and Bill No.

7 resolution authorizing the authorizing and directing the mayor, solicitor, director of planning, and director of the Office of Management and Budget pursuant to 204K of the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter to provide appropriate notice and terminate a contract with HRNA advisors in urban AC LLC per Article 3.2, termination of the agreement.

Motion to approve brief discussion.

Second, okay, I'd like to uh call Chief Gilman and Director Um Yvette, I'm sorry I don't know your last name.

Yeah.

Mongala Winston.

Nice.

All right.

You know the route.

You know, introduce yourself, right?

Dan Gilman, Chief of the Mayor.

You've got Mongala Winston, Director of City Planning.

Okay, thank you both for being here.

I uh made a promise to this council that we would try to wrap up the you know the comprehensive plan and the saga that's been going on with it for many many months.

And I'm pretty sure and confident and I hope the council will agree that we will do that today.

So I'd like to just take uh minute just to explain the conversations that we've had, director and and and us chief, and then you could chime in accordingly.

Okay.

So I think uh originally, you know, when we when we purchased us or when we decided to dedicate the funding for this plan, um, you know, we were expecting something different.

I think I I don't want to speak for all council members, but I think we all feel like we overpaid for the entire plan, right?

As you know, I put in uh to rescind that I I want to say 1.7 million is probably the most accurate figure we have left from the funds that were available.

Um however, I believe that this body, and I know the administration would wants to finish the comprehensive plan.

We're already too far in.

So, you know, there were some complications as to, you know, we're already two-thirds of the way in as far as money being spent with this comprehensive plan.

And uh, you know, the problem is we still needed a lot of money to finish this plan, right?

So there were still some technical things that we really can't do in-house.

So to finish the plan, I mean, had we grabbed it earlier and said we wanted to draw back money, possibly we could have drawn back more money or money from the original plan.

But as it was in your lap, when it became in your lap, it was you know only certain 1.7 million left.

And of course, we need funding, and that's still undetermined how much, but uh it's in order to to complete it and make it a good plan that's suitable for the city of Pittsburgh and all council members.

And I know we're gonna do a whole different engagement process and everything like that, but in the meantime, you know, holding this up was kind of uh holding back the money that you need to proceed, and you wish to proceed and you hope to finish this summer at some point.

Right.

So um it was hard to draw back money.

I I wanted to take it all back and hopefully finish it in-house, but that's wasn't real feasible.

Um so uh in speaking with Chief Gilman, he had stressed that he was gonna go out and try to find alternative funding from some of our foundations.

So I want to be clear as to the companies that we're under contract with.

This was never a knock against them.

In fact, most people, including Chief Gilman speaks very highly of their work and the good works that they do.

So it was never ever meant to, you know, denigrate the good work that they do.

So I want to thank the Heinz Foundation.

I think most of us have seen uh your success, Chief Gilman, as to securing that monies.

Um $750,000 coming from the Heinz Foundation that will go towards completing the plan, which allows us to take that $750,000 out of the monies that are there and put that back into our operating budget at some point, which is beautiful, right?

I mean, it took us 12 weeks probably to get to this point, but if it's saving a million dollars, it was well worth it.

So we got 750 coming from the Heinz Foundation.

Thank you to them and the Pittsburgh uh Pittsburgh Foundation to coordinate with them.

Um we also are gonna live up to at the time Dr.

Bay under the old administration, Ganey administration, said that they could complete this and they were willing to give back two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

So we're gonna honor that, which puts us at a cool even million dollars that we will save taxpayers dollars uh for and that will go back into our operating budget as we all know um we desperately need uh with the recent findings as far as our debt goes.

Um it's a drop in a bucket, but it's a big drop.

You know, it's uh one say 39th if we're 40 million projected.

So, you know, it's a start.

I'm confident that we're gonna find other ways and other avenues to whether cut shift, do things we need to do to keep afloat.

So I want to thank you director for for your time and your willingness and explaining how we're gonna complete this plan and and uh I look forward to engaging with you and my district as to what it means for my district, because we know this plan will help lead our newly minted um uh you know um planning commission.

Yeah.

So so that's important to all of us, of course.

Uh Chief Gilman, great job.

You know, as I said, there wasn't a whole lot of money that we could have drawn back and finished this plan in a good proper way.

So, really the only way we were going to get money back is if Chief Gilman went out there and hustled and found a uh willing participant in the Heinz Foundation, and um great work on your part.

So this ensures that we are gonna have at least one million dollars of savings that goes back into our operating budget, which is so desperately needed.

Um I believe if my math is right, Director, this leaves you with about one and a half million dollars to complete the plan.

Yes, that's right.

And we're confident that you can do it with that.

In fact, we're confident you can do it for less than that.

So we're hoping on top of the million, you know, it's uh million two hundred, million three hundred thousand, whatever you can do to trim costs, yes, and you know, keep keep that budget uh intact and hopefully come in under the one point, I want to say one point four or five million.

But uh, you know, it's somewhere in that ballpark.

None of these numbers are exact.

So um, so that's what that's the that's the uh point we're at, and I wanted to let I I know I talked to some members, I didn't get a chance to talk to all members, but basically we're saving a million dollars thanks to Chief Gilman's good work and securing that 750, getting the 245 back, and um I my my intent is to table my legislation today so that um our director can proceed with you know finishing the plan because right now it's all all being held up because of because of this bill.

So this way she can start drawing on money, um engaging with the contractors and proceeding and hopefully finish in a timely manner this summer, and we get a great plan that's good for everybody.

We save the taxpayers at least a million dollars.

And um, you know, I think it was well worth it.

It was it's taken some time and you know a lot of deliberation, but uh a million dollars is a million dollars, and uh I'm happy to have it.

And again, thanks to the Heinz Foundation that that they came through for you, Chief Gilman.

And and let me just be clear you don't have any other people out there that you know you're talking to that we may even get more back.

And because it's not too late, and we could proceed and we still you know open a my phone is always on for anyone looking to support.

My good deal.

Well, if all you get was a 750, you did a good job, and I'm happy and I'm proud of you.

And and if we can say again what it means is a million dollars to the taxpayer doll taxpayers, and um it was well worth it for them.

So with that, I will see to uh whether your comments or questions from council.

So uh thank you would you like them to talk at all?

Thank you, madam chair.

I'm gonna ask for a seat change next.

So that's all.

I just want to summon it.

Uh very quickly, and I you councilman uh said everything.

So, first of all, uh I'd like this my second time at the table since coming back, and both times I'm coming with outside money.

So if we can just keep this going, this is the best way to come to the council table.

It's always bringing money.

Always welcome for that.

No, but in seriousness, I think this is a testament to when council and the mayor's office work together and when we have the positive relationship with our philanthropic community, our corporate community, our nonprofits.

This is what we can do.

Uh cities should have strong comprehensive plans, and I commend counsel in the previous administration for recognizing that.

Uh we also believe that it could have been done for less money.

Uh I will say, as you noted, I have been immensely impressed with our consultants on this project.

They are very talented, they are national leaders, and I think we are going to end with a plan that council and the community can be very excited about to do it.

This will continue all of that work.

Uh I will take it one step further, and I appreciate your your conservative nature.

I'm very confident we'll save over a million dollars.

Uh, the way this will be structured to your point, thanks to the Heinz endowments, they will be making a $750,000, or they've appropriated.

I want to be very clear, $750,000.

That will uh be not come through the city.

That'll go directly uh to the uh consultants uh at the end of the project when it's closed, we will close out the contract that are the subject of the bills today, and we'll be able to close it out with over a million dollars left in them that will then go back into the general fund to address our financial needs of the city with a completed plan.

The director and I met this morning, there will be at least one meeting per council district during the drafting process so that everyone has a chance.

There will then also be meetings uh more regional once there is a draft for final review.

Obviously, city planners and in our office of community affairs is out and about in your communities at meetings and can address individual concerns you have as a member that your community has, but we'll continue that public engagement and the technical work uh over the coming months with the hope of a beautiful completed plan by roughly end of summer time frame.

Well, we're finalizing that, but certainly this year, and we'll be able to close out that contract this year with over a million dollars of savings for taxpayers.

Thank you.

Councilmember Warwick.

Um yeah, thanks.

So yeah, this is exciting and very appreciative to the Heinz Foundation and so Chief Gilman for getting that set up.

Uh I did want to ask, so for for for the Heinz endowments, was there anything in particular that they want to see like you know, going forward, so that now that they are invested in this, if if you could speak to that?

Yeah, I think that they actually I think we're very impressed with the general path we were already on uh and wanting to be able to see us to do that without cutting too much, though we are cutting uh more than the 250 that had previously been discussed by the previous director.

We found further areas that we thought we could cut, but the general pathway of community engagement, they also believed in the technical expertise we had on board uh and the steps that we need to take through a uh almost final draft review process and then a final draft review process, as well as expanding who was at the table.

I think there was a belief from our administration that was shared more broadly uh that more broader engagement is positive, and that in particular there were some core constituencies who hadn't been at the table for whatever reasons that if this is plan is going to be successful and have broad buy-in, we need to reach out to.

So we've already beyond that process of bringing some constituent groups uh who had not been as engaged as we thought they should be to the table, and Heinz was happy to support that work.

Okay, great.

Yeah, I mean, I know so so.

Did you say that there will be one meeting per district?

Is that the I would say at least one.

Um I I don't want to say that it'll be two per, but I do think just because of geographic, some districts are obviously very large.

There may be some council districts that have two, some have one, but every district will have at least one.

Okay, okay.

I mean, I will say just just for the record, you know, in in my district, the two constituencies that I felt were not engaged in the plan.

And by the way, the the meetings were great.

And I mean I've said this before, like the citywide meetings were great.

Uh I participated in one of them.

The only concern I had was that I kind of recognized too many of the faces, right?

Like I just kind of knew every as it was like, okay, these are the people who are always engaged.

So obviously for my district, there is the Hazelwood community, specifically Glen Hazel, they of course have their own neighborhood plan, which you know is and uh then the 31st ward, which is not really engaged in much, and I would love to see them involved in this plan.

So if, you know, and and I would also love like a coming together of all the communities in my district, right?

So that they can also get to know each other, bring the neighborhoods together.

So anyway, I can speak a little bit.

Yeah, go ahead.

A little bit more detail about the engagement process.

Um, because as we've been refining the numbers simultaneously defining an engagement approach moving forward so that we're very um intentional and specific about how many meetings across the city, what type, what we're engaging around, and learning from what you know, learning from what we heard at the end of last year.

So I have a recommended approach which we'll be following up with.

You know, we wanted to get through today and make sure we are all on the same page, but um, based on population density, based on my one-on-ones with council, you know, things that we have understood and heard from their districts.

So there's a little bit of flexibility within where we are right now, but once uh we're gonna stick to the numbers, and so working within that context.

And we um, you know, once we do have um the ability to proceed, we'll um share uh a simple outline of the engagement strategy.

So I and I just want to reiterate.

I think there's two things, and I think I've heard council say this uh in the past and in the press.

There are large community meetings that are facilitated, have the expertise, have our consultants engagement, and then there are of course all the community meetings you're at every night.

Yes.

We have city planning staff and OCA who can come.

So if there are communities that may not have a large meeting, but we need to have that extra focused, the impact on neighborhood X, that absolutely can be done in-house by our teams working in coordination with your offices.

So the only engagement is not the 10, 11, 12, 13 meetings.

It has to be a much more ongoing engagement with our neighborhood organizations.

Yeah, I should I should uh clarify that this my whole like our proposed engagement approach assumes ongoing communication with council every month about the plan as you know, much or as little input that you want to be involved in.

And um as uh uh Dan was saying attending meetings and doing updates along the way.

So it's not that you know, my intention is that by the time we go to planning commission in hopefully September, that um as many people will be plugged in and um bought in and see themselves in the vision for Pittsburgh.

So that hopefully this is a very implementable and adoptable plan.

Thank you.

Yeah, council person Charlotte.

Yes, uh, thank you for being here.

Thanks for the great news here.

I I do want to ask, so you know, we kind of budgeted or understand that a comprehensive plan for a city of our size should cost somewhere in the range of like 1.52 million dollars.

Uh the reason an industry standard comprehensive plan should capture 5% of the population.

Ours is going to capture, we were told the reason why ours is going to cost six million is because it'll capture 10% of the population.

That additional 15,000 residents is what the you know additional 4 million dollars is for.

Are we still planning on capturing responses and engagement from that additional 15,000?

Is is the plan still to have 30,000 engagements in this comprehensive plan?

Um I mean I I assume that that is still our intention and you know, to exceed that wherever possible.

I would like to add that also part of why this costs more is because it includes an implementation um matrix that will help city departments work together to implement some of these things and identify potential funding sources and help make decisions about the budget.

Hopefully, we'll support um the city and making some of those decisions.

So it is not just your standard comp plan.

And if all goes well, hopefully this will be um a leading national example also, which is um as Chief Gilman was saying, why we have the consultants on board.

My understanding is there are some additional, you know, bells and whistles, let's call it, that is going to be more practical for everybody's use.

And so, yes, yes, and I guess, you know.

That's uh yeah, I I wanted to get the understanding of the 30,000 number first.

Yeah, I'm assuming that that is still the intention.

So I'm assuming yes.

Like, I will say I I don't think I'm prepared to answer your question, but I'll get you and an answer on that.

I hadn't heard that number, so I don't want it, but I will say from the areas that I have identified with others that we think we can cut, I would call that cuts of redundant engagement.

Yes.

Rather than new opportunities of engagement.

So there's nothing that I've seen cut that I think would reduce that increased engagement, but to get you an honest answer on that number, I I'd want to follow up and get back to you.

Yeah, so you know, I think that that is important.

I think we can probably all name people that have probably been surveyed multiple times now that are community leaders um that we know come out to kind of everything, and we see their faces once a week, you know, and and those are the people that I'm less concerned about in the conference of plan because they're they're going to, you know, their their voice will be heard.

The additional the additional four million dollars was you know, it was sold to us as that is what will get us that additional 15,000 uh interactions there.

I also wanted to talk about something that you you already got to, which was the additional fees that will be at the end of the comprehensive plan.

So we were also told when this comprehensive plan, the six million dollars was for the plan, not for the implementation that we were gonna have to go back out for additional consultants for the zoning changes that would come from the comprehensive plan, the implementation that would those would all be additional consulting fees.

Have we started thinking about what that's gonna cost and where that money is gonna go?

Clarify what I know at least uh and again, I wasn't here, so I don't know what you were told, so I'll just say that.

Sure.

But this the remaining budget does include an implementation matrix.

So I don't know what you were told before, but it does include that piece, and so we will be working with city departments on that piece to make sure it's useful.

Um, in terms of if there's and a digital dashboard.

So we'll be identifying metrics of how do we know we're making progress on these things, and then that will be put into a digital dashboard.

So that was part of the price tag that is included in this right now.

What we will have done by August or whatever.

So in terms of the zoning piece, it will make some initial recommendations that then will inform our full zoning code update.

And that is the only project as far as I know that then is an additional fee to revise our zoning code.

So that will be an additional.

Yes.

Will there be any other additional prices?

I am aware of at this time.

I can double triple check, but not that I'm aware of.

Because that's one of my big fears in this whole process.

I mean, it is my intention that we are delivering a proposed land use plan, a proposed zoning recommendations, like you know, low-level um the implementation matrix, and um I feel like there's one other thing.

And the um the dashboard.

So if you were uh how so with that additional consulting fee for the you know, to take your recommendations from the zoning code and turn them into how how much how much are we talking there in terms of uh a consultant?

How much is that going to be an additional million?

I can't speak to the costs on that, which we can get back to you on, but I know that the new zoning administrator Carolyn is already laying the groundwork for that.

Um we've talked about about how long it takes and so forth, but we have not discussed numbers, so we can um look into that.

Okay.

Yeah, I mean I mean it's my hope that there's minimal minimal costs in addition to to this, you know, although very fortunate that we're able to save some cost here.

But I will clarify though that while the comp plan is going to identify the areas to improve in the zoning code, rewriting the whole code is a huge undertaking.

So I just want to make sure that there's common understanding there that um it will be another major endeavor that takes a couple of years.

So fully understand.

All right.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Councilman Mosley.

Good morning.

Good to see you.

Good morning.

And um before I uh begin my question, I both want to you know, thank you for your you know sincere messages of condolences.

You both you know reached out to me personally.

I truly appreciate that on behalf of Mosley family.

Um I want to say congratulations, you know.

I think um, you know, you really figured out a way to thread the needle, you know, to balance, you know, you know, the various concerns around this table and around the city I know in District 9, uh the comp plan, and and the process was was very popular.

Um I got you know numerous you know calls and emails, you know, throughout this process, um, you know, asking me to you maintain support um through the process through the many valid concerns that were shared uh by my colleagues around the table.

So uh, you know, I'm very encouraged by the fact that you know we will continue to do the type of engagement and hopefully see um the type of engagement that at least apparently happened in district nine happened in some of the other districts that uh my fellow members didn't feel that same kind of engagement happen because one of you know my my concerns was a lot of times when these plans are implemented, you know, uh around the country, you know, we know that you know, in if you kind of just leave engagement processes up to themselves, the folks that show up tend to be more educated, wealthier, less diverse, you know, um so to be able to do that while also you know saving um taxpayer dollars, I think is is is is you know is really is really incredible while also you know continuing to maintain you know positive working relationship, you know, with the consultants.

So my first question would just be could you talk about kind of the nature of the conversations that you know that you had, you know, with the consultants and and how do you feel about the path of hand and where and where are they at as best you can um speak to you know how they feel about the process.

I know there was concerns, you know, I had outreach from the consultants at a certain point in this process, so it'll be good to hear from you about how you feel that where they're at and how we move forward.

Yeah, I I think that consultants are really optimistic uh about where it goes.

I had the chance to first engage with them during the transition period, actually in New York uh with them in December.

Um no need in rehashing it, but I think there there were things that happened that they didn't find helpful in it in moving things forward in the right way, and so we have taken their input into this.

This is not just you know how Mayor O'Connor sees it or the director sees it.

We've you know worked with uh our engagement consultant, which is of course the local partner on this who have have many subs as well as the two technical consultants to frame what are the key things to complete uh a plan.

And I think more importantly, and I've councilman Charlene talked about this, and this I would say was my big thing in the conversations is I don't want a really good plan that's award-winning that doesn't do anything.

Sure.

It is only a valuable plan if it's implementable.

And that also means that the community leaders and members who have engaged are then further engaged in supporting the implementation of it.

There has to be a level of ownership once your voice is heard that you back the plan, and that's been my big concern.

Uh, and I think that was shared by the consultants that there wasn't necessarily enough thought yet into where does it go after the document is released at a press conference, then what?

And so I think we've tried to factor that into this with their support.

Absolutely.

And I can add a little bit to um that some of them may be even tuning in right now because I've spent the last eight weeks collaborating with them to put together a budget that's realistic, that's based on their um expertise and recognizing what went well, what didn't go well last year.

And so they are fully um on board with the way forward.

And uh I think all of you that know me know that I am I am big on making sure that action comes out of this plan.

And so um I am being clear with them about ensuring that we're thinking about that along the way now.

Now that we're heading into what are the recommendations for how Pittsburgh grows, that we are recommending things that you know the city can truly implement that people are at the table that are gonna make that happen.

So they're excited to get started.

I'm also really passionate about youth and other constituencies being involved because the reality is like they're the ones that are gonna be here 25 years from now.

So they're excited to um to uh share the engagement process moving forward and how we're gonna try to get as much you know, broad based buy-in as possible.

And and if you could speak to the implementation matrix outside of the zoning code stuff, like what other at a at high level, you know, what other things, you know, beyond um overhauling the zoning code, do you see the implementation matrix informing?

Um I would say like things around making it easier to move through city processes around certain issues, collaboration between departments, um always I think building on Pittsburgh's like character of mixed-use neighborhoods and like having more amenities close to housing and so forth, like a lot of these um I think forward-looking things that will build a more vi, you know, more vibrant city will really uh have this be a place where people are like choosing to relocate to, but you can also stay and your kids will grow up here and build their wealth here.

I think like we're looking to make some of those high-level pivot on how planning is done, perhaps to build a great city.

I I appreciate that.

And beyond the support that you know, the comp plan had in my district.

One of the other reasons why you know I was in such a support of it was uh my good friend and now new planning commissioner Bob Repee on a Friday night at D6 Packs, and I hope it wasn't you know the refreshments and the good food that we're having at Friday night, is what was swayed me.

I think it was his expertise, you know, an insight to sway me about the importance of uh of having a comp plan of all the things that that we talked about, you know, one of the things he also mentioned was you know, given his experience as city planning and then worth he does a CMU as far as positioning the city better for federal funding and things like that.

You talk a little bit about now that you've had your opportunity to wrap your heads you know around the plan and think about um in the new administration moving forward, you know, what are some of your thoughts about you know how the comp plan, when completed, positions us for federal funding, particularly in a world where you know we have a friendlier what friendlier Washington understanding that you know the current you know federal government is hopefully not the default federal government we have moving forward into future administrations.

Yeah, I I think is if if this plan goes the way I think it should and can, we will have guidelines and vision that has community buy-in and council support around things like greenways, around landslides and landslide prevention, around flood prevention and flood mitigation work, uh around transit-oriented development and in you know zoning and planning processes to support TOD around job growth sectors, not the type of job necessarily, but the the groundwork of the community of these areas can support more industrial job growth.

These areas can support uh more dense commercial development.

That allows us to then go to the state and to your point, DC, hopefully in the future, or you know, where there's more money available to go after those types of dollars to say we don't need a planning study.

We've got the study.

We need the implementation money.

With this, we will be able to see, you know, the councilwoman's not here, but things like we announced yesterday in Ferrywood, you know, as a growth sector, to go because that is a prime place where we can do that type of investment in the city, or this is a chance, you know, in the sawmill run corridor to do this work to address flood mitigation because we now have it all mapped out.

Thank you.

I thought it was awesome.

My question is, but congratulations, and thank you for threatening Edo and looking forward to working with you over the next few months uh to bring this over to finish line.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman.

Councilwoman Gross.

Thank you.

Um I appreciate you all being here.

It's always welcome to get outside money into the city budget.

Um as you know, I voted no on the comp plan in 2024 and again in 2025.

Um, you know, you've probably uh my colleagues have heard me read these numbers multiple times, is because my staff did research.

I fact this is dated 2023.

So do I have my years wrong?

Yeah.

So we did the initial research, I think, in um December, maybe maybe we're document was earlier, but we typically look at our benchmark cities, the ones that you know we've been tracking for Pittsburgh quarterly for 25, 30 years, something like that.

So some of them used to be the same size as Pittsburgh and really aren't anymore, like Austin or Seattle, right?

When we started benchmarking them, we were about the same size and population.

Um my objection was I want to make sure it's clear, it's the total cost, but it's the total cost to consultants, right?

Some of these departments did some of these benchmark cities did their entire comp plans in-house, right?

So it's just part of payroll with their in-house planners.

And we have a large planning department.

I've actually probably lost counts.

Um, because I advocated for years to increase the planning staff, councilman, when uh when the chief of staff was councilman saw me try to increase the capacity in our planning department because the city was undergoing so much change.

My district was a little bit of the canary in the coal mine that we saw change before other parts of the city.

Um do we know how many people are on payroll and planning now?

Uh 56.

56, yeah.

I wasn't sure that was over 50.

That's a big planning department, honestly, right?

And so I think there is capacity in-house.

Um there should there should be for that much payroll.

Um, and so it was that we were paying 20 per capita.

This is how we kind of broke it down, right?

It's like, oh, Austin paid, you know, a million dollars for their um comp plan in 2020.

Um, but it that's only three dollars per capita, right?

And so if Pittsburgh had paid that in consulting fees, we would have only paid $900,000 total, uh, not six million to consultants, et cetera, et cetera.

And most of the cities, when they paid consultants, they only paid um a dollar or two.

Cincinnati um paid five hundred thousand dollars to consultants, but it's a city of our size, 300,000 people.

So that's only a dollar sixty-two to consultants.

So we should have, you know, if we'd paid $500,000 to consultants, I might have voted yes, right?

So um we're paying, you know, six million dollars, that's twenty dollars per capita.

And we just couldn't not find a city anywhere that was even remotely close to that price tag.

The highest, the highest price tag we found was about five dollars per capita, but that place, which I'm not finding in my tiny chart on my tiny phone, um, and I've forgotten what it is, was entirely foundation funded.

So that wasn't that was zero, that was not a penny out of their operating budget for the consultants.

Um, and so I heard you say, Chief Gilman, that you agree that the price tag was too high.

And again, we've we're all familiar with the the consultant company that got the bulk of the money that's like about 3.6 million, I think, is the technical contract to HRNA.

Most of us have seen HRNA to amazing work in other cities, right?

Fascinating work on other topics, not just comp plans, right?

Like white pay, I saw them present on white papers on public banking.

I love that.

I still have that white paper.

You know, I mean, they do they're really interesting and smart people.

Um but I'm gonna ask you, Chief Gilman, because I I think you just went down the best bullet list I've had in over two years of talking about this about why are we doing a comp plan.

I gave as I've asked it off the record when we were having briefings before we ever knew what the price tag was going to be, and I've asked it at the table repeatedly.

Like we're not required under the state statute to have a comp plan.

I've heard people say that, you know, the Pittsburgh's required under state law.

We're not required under state law.

I've read it myself, you can go read it.

Um why are we doing a count plan?

So I'll I'll answer in two parts.

I'll go backwards as if I were sitting at the table three years ago.

Uh I'll first say at this point we're doing it, because I believe once we've invested what's six minus one point seven, so 4.3 million dollars of taxpayer money to flush that down the toilet is criminal.

And so to be able uh to complete it now and save a million dollars, we believe is the right thing to do.

If I were sitting here three years ago, four years ago and answering your question, I believe a comp plan that is done right that has community buy-in joined with all level of government support that prepares us for a growth strategy that is thoughtful, strategic, and widely supported, will allow us to grow in a responsible way.

You know, you commented on your canary in the coal mine, you know, when I I sat here as a colleague.

Had there been more of this work done before some of that happened in Lawrenceville and Polish Shell and parts of your district that saw rapid growth.

I think some of the actions we've all taken to to address it after could have been done ahead of time and avoided some of the challenges we've seen with rapid growth.

At the same time, areas that have seen little to no growth might have seen growth in investment in the right way.

But instead, we we never had that process in buy-in that was shared at this table in the mayor's office, in the controller's office, you know, and in our communities.

And I think that opportunity is here for us to take.

And I just want to add one more thing.

For me, the functionality of this comp plan will document how you want in the end, you know, for you as city council, how you envision your district looking in 25 years.

It'll provide predictability, which should expedite, you know, things happening, development and so forth, about how the city is going to look 25 years from now.

So where residential is happening, where there are job centers, is residential density staying the same.

Are you getting more dense in some areas?

And this will codify that so that if somebody comes into your district and they're like, I want to build a roller coaster where you called for residential.

It can more easily get through the process, you know, if it's aligned with what's in the comp plan.

So I am hoping this plan is going to help all of us grow the city the way we want it to and not be in response mode all the time.

And I'll just add, because I think it's you and I shared this area uh over the years, and far from perfect, but I always look at bomb center as one of the greater successes.

And that was a ton of work done by a bunch of neighborhoods coming together, friendship, Bloomfield, Oakland, Shady Side, East Liberty, working together.

Did I forget anyone?

I don't think so.

Working together, creating an overlay district, and really seeing a transitioning corridor transition the way the community envisioned it most of the time.

Not perfect.

If we had done that process citywide, I think about what could have been.

And my hope is that's what this allows us to do.

So as I've said earlier, like I do believe in plans and planning, right?

So I also am lucky to have neighborhoods who just funded it themselves and did it themselves before I was ever elected, right?

So there was a Central Lawrenceville plan, separate from the Lower Lawrenceville plan, separate from the Upper Lawrenceville plan, and those were fundraised for and you know, high done by professional firms with robust community input.

And um maybe now there's there's some certainly there's lots of thoughts and feelings about kind of how Lawrenceville has changed over the last 20 years, but I think most of the people who were engaged in those plans agree that it did inform the attraction of investment.

Again, there are people who maybe have mixed emotions about that now and reveal some of it for sure.

Um it's not a complete, you know, um unanimous consensus or anything, but um we do see that putting a plan in place does make it easier for people to understand kind of how they can fit plug in, right?

If you let's just use the opposite of big developers, right?

If you can see that there is a plan for rich small floor plate, dense commercial district, right, that's maybe on mass transit and is close to housing and the kind of trolley car neighborhoods my district was mostly built on, most of my district was built on, um, then you may attract more small businesses because they know there's gonna be other small businesses moving in there, and maybe you can attract that state kind of mean street development, facade improvement grants, all the kind of stuff that we know are tools that we've used over the decades.

Um I also heard you mention Greenways landslides, and that's a really hot topic for my district for sure.

We've experienced quite a few of those.

I think we have the city's longest retaining wall now over landslide that people knew was happening for about 20 years.

Again, well before I was ever elected.

I quite certain I talked to you about that as a councilperson and as uh in the mayor's office, right?

And so we have a retaining wall there now, the land is not sliding anymore.

Um but we might have a avoided it, right?

Again, long before I was elected, if if the previous four or five mayors ago and DPWs ago when and the city had not been in austerity and all those things had aligned, that that could have been probably avoided, at least being so big.

So what I'm hearing is um, and certainly Councilman Bill Peduto sponsored the, I think it was the Hillside Commission.

Yeah, the Hillside Preservation Act.

That was and so that was kind of the beginning, if I'm understanding our history correctly, the beginning of the greenways.

No?

Did it not be just the greenways?

I mean, I would have assumed like saying this land is undevelopable.

I think was the beginning of the green race, right?

Because the steep slope and the landslide risks and all those kinds of things.

So again, we're going back to the 1990s or 2000s, early 2000s.

Um we're also saying there can't be development someplaces.

Yes.

Yes.

Absolutely.

Yes, that's part of the infrastructure recommendations is what should be protected as or avoided as floodplain and uh landslide prone.

Right.

And so, and uh and when this is important because not all cities are have the same soil or topography or geological features and all that kind of stuff.

And so we have areas that um if if we do screw up and build something that falls down, it costs millions, right?

We've seen millions because a sewer line shifted.

And so an entire neighborhood in the South Hills is you know, needs a new sewer line because twenty feet underground, the the ground moved.

Um and so that can bankrupt us.

I mean, honestly, right?

Like we need to be smart about the infrastructure.

So I think for many years at the table, I certainly know I've said, and I think others have said that like if we're going to plan where housing is, we also need to make sure that like the sewer, the water, God knows the electric, uh cable, all those things are working, right?

Instead of like building the housing and then having to tear it all up to replace the hundred-year-old gas line or something like that.

So um, because we are we're living, we're all living through that.

Most of us around the city.

We're replacing the hundred plus year old water lines that should have been replaced by the 1980s or the 1990s, because they should have been replaced at 70 years old.

Um, and we're also seeing a lot of gas lines be replaced again, because you you know you can't have a gas line get old.

Um that's not okay.

So that makes a lot more sense to me.

Like I think every you know, what when we've asked this question before, the answers just weren't strong enough to justify the six million dollar expenditure for sure.

And I still say that price tag is too high.

Um I I wanted to give you the opportunity to kind of talk about why why why even do this and what what benefit we're gonna get.

You're gonna have to like swallow and meet this bitter pill of having expended over four million, and it sounds like by the time we're done, we will have expended five.

Probably not quite five, but we will expend more.

But I think we will stay south of five.

Good.

Um, you know, if we can even share the size.

So uh grateful to Councilman Coghill for doing most of the negotiating here and to the to uh the administration for for getting the outside funding.

Um I am a co-sponsor on these bills, so I um again I'm glad that we were able to at least put the brakes on a little bit on not expending the full six million dollars.

So um if any other thoughts about again, what can the citizens look forward to that we've spent this money instead of fixing another pool or opening another rec center?

Like we spent this money instead.

We shouldn't have.

So it's hard to answer your question.

I mean, I I I'm in full agreement with you that that was not the right amount of money to spend.

Um it's hard for me to answer your question that way.

Uh with that that being said, it has been spent, and it is now our duty and obligation to deliver to the taxpayers something that helps their neighborhood be a stronger neighborhood in the future uh that provides guidance on where we invest their tax dollars, especially in I have a feeling I'll be back at the table in the coming weeks talking about that.

Uh you know, if we as we have to make tough decisions, let them be informed decisions uh rather than blind decisions so that their tax dollars are stretched to the the most impactful inefficient way possible uh into actual capital priorities, code changes, future, you know, to the point of I think Councilman Charlotte's question about you know the zoning code changes that will need to come eventually uh as we think about that, that it's done with eyes wide open.

And I can just add a few on the what to expect here in the next couple months to just bring clarity to we're gonna be we're gonna be doing engagement around recommendations for four core things.

So housing, how housing is either um where housing is going, where it's growing, what's happening with current housing, you know, is really just filling in the gaps in neighborhoods, what that should look like.

So housing, economy we're calling it like so that's job centers, like where is the synergy happening, like um to what Chief Gilman was saying earlier is getting alignment on these employments areas and what types of employment, jobs, so forth.

So economy, then mobility around key connections to either um you know, make sure that there's improvements or where there are missing connections, so there's a mobility section, and then finally infrastructure which goes to your where are we investing in parks, greenways, you know, what are we not building on?

What are we protecting?

So we are designing our engagement process to be specific about those things in each of the districts.

So I think that's um that's most of my thoughts.

One one final thought, which you don't need to respond to, is that you know, before again, before we were faced with this legislation and the price tag in one of our briefings, I said, but you know, this plan does it apply to PWC?

And the answer was no.

There's no jurisdiction.

You know, and what about the transit system?

PRT?

No, there's no jurisdiction.

What about the schools?

No, there's no jurisdiction.

Um and so that's a bummer.

Can we say though that they are?

Like, how do you plan?

Um, I mean showing up to a charrette on I understand enforcement as a separate thing, but we are intending to collaborate with them to make sure the recommendations are reflecting some general.

Well, I suggested that we did a co-op before we expended the money, but that would have been a better thing to do, probably to get a kind of at least a memo of understanding, which I don't think is in place.

So it's hard to plan a city when you don't have control over most of the a lot of the kind of fundamentals like you would in like a sim city, right?

So we're unfortunately we don't have that power.

Um I don't know if you want to respond.

I think bummer summed it up very well.

Yeah, all right.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

The motion on the table is a motion to approve and a second.

Is there an additional motion?

Yes, madam chair.

I would like to make a motion to table bills 000 6 and 000 seven.

Second discussion on the motion.

Seeing none, all those in favor in favor of tabling bill six and seven, please say aye.

Aye.

We'll do thank you.

Yes, roll call.

Mr.

Charlotte.

Aye.

Mr.

Coghu.

Aye.

Ms.

Groos.

Hi.

Mr.

LaBelle.

Mr.

Mosley.

Aye.

Ms.

Salonetro?

Aye.

Ms.

Warwick.

Aye.

Mr.

Wilson.

Aye.

Ms.

Strasberger Chair.

Aye.

Eyes nine.

No zero.

Bills are tabled.

Thank you very much.

Bills are tabled.

Thank you, Council.

Thank you.

That moves us to Bill 16.

Bill 16, Ordnance Supplementing the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title II, Fiscal Article 5, Special Funds, to add a new chapter 239, fleet vehicle fund to create a fleet vehicle fund to fully fund the city of Pittsburgh's fleet needs and establish the purpose for which monies in the fund may be used.

Motion to approve.

Second discussion.

Councilmember Warwick.

Yeah.

So thank you.

So this bill, the purpose of this bill is to dedicate funding to our fleet.

Um, you know, two months ago we had a um a very severe snowstorm, and about 40 trucks broke down on day one of that storm.

Um over the past year we've seen ambulances breaking down.

Uh residents have seen uh their garbage pick up late, their recycle pickup missed, uh, all because of of broken down vehicles.

Um forestry does not have the equipment that it needs to, you know, effectively maintain our tree canopy, as we're seeing with these giant windstorms and trees coming down everywhere, you know, old trees coming down.

Um just in the past weeks, we've seen fire stations with engines down.

Uh and you know, I I do want to remind folks that um, you know, very recently we had the Jefferson apartment fire, which we you know, there were 27 vehicles that were needed to deal with that fire.

So, you know, having having engines um having stations without the vehicles that they need is the problem, right?

So so as a city, we are in crisis when it comes to the state of our fleet.

Um we have heard from our public safety director, you know, over the past year, two years, we've heard from our public safety director, our public works director, the equipment leasing authority, the Office of Management and Budget, um, that uh 20 million dollars a year is the absolute bare minimum that we should be investing in our fleet every year to kind of just to keep us above water.

Um Controller Heitzler released um a report this past fall that also highlighted the amount of money that we are wasting on repairing old vehicles, oftentimes spending more money to repair a vehicle than the original than the than the vehicle cost originally, right?

So really just you know, and this is something that you know you can do at home.

I do that myself.

I'll run a van into a ground into the ground, but you know, that's on me if I break down on the side of the road.

If if if you know uh a vehicle that we need for city services breakdown, that that impacts our residents.

Um and in controller Heitzler's report, uh, she noted that to get our fleet up to like a hundred percent where we're where all the vehicles are kind of where they should be in terms of age uh would cost um close to 207 million dollars over five years.

So that's more like 40 million dollars a year, right?

So that's what this bill is about.

Um I'll I'll have a little bit more to say, but I just wanted to so um um Chief Oltsinger.

If you I I guess I just wanted to have you at the table, and I know that that Furman uh uh Maurice was not able to be here today from from who manages um fleet for the ELA.

Um, but I just wanted to ask you about this 20 million dollar number, which is the number we've been hearing for a long time.

And um, and I know that there was initially when the bill was first introduced some question about that number sort of being that bare minimum.

So I'll let you speak to that.

Um yes, Jennifer Olzinger, chief procurement officer for the city of Pittsburgh.

Um also I handle fleet, uh that falls under my purview.

Um yes, the 20 million, I would agree that that is the bare minimum to get us going.

And at that point it will take us about 10 years to get our fleet within its actual useful life cycle.

Um everybody knows that if we order a fire truck today, we're likely to not get it for four years.

You know, that's also you know a big consideration.

Um the lead times since COVID have just skyrocketed on a lot of things.

Uh cost has uh increased uh with COVID, with tariffs, with you know, everything, you know, everything is just getting look at fuel now.

You know, um, you know, I know that um the administration plans to reopen the budget, and um you know, right now we're spending about on average over 400,000 a month in repairs.

That's a lot of money.

It's a lot of downtime.

Uh parts are getting harder and harder to find.

Uh sometimes they have to be custom made because they're so in in that vehicle has to sit and break your gun down because just because we the availability of the parts because the vehicles are so old.

So um, yeah, I mean it's it's it's an issue for sure.

And um I'm thankful that council and the new administration are really taking a serious look at this and and finally taking you know the problem seriously um with just the money that that Mayor Connor and Chief Gilman brought in from a couple of the nonprofits is huge.

Um and I think that you know council's dedicated, this new administration is dedicated, um, and however we solve the problem, I feel like um it's gonna get the attention it deserves and it's gonna be addressed one way or another.

Yeah, and and I do I'm very hopeful for the first time in my 10 years here.

I'm very hopeful.

And I do want to add to um so you know, UPMC has committed five million dollars for this year, five million for next year, PNC committed two million, just you know, two million, which I we're we get this year.

But the real folks who have committed to our fleet are the taxpayers because we raised this council raised taxes in large part, it's something that I introduced, right?

In large part because of this fleet issue, right?

Uh you know, we raised taxes, it was to cover, you know, utility costs, um, overtime costs, but also fleet.

So, and then after that that tax increase passed, uh this council and the taxpayers of the city put in 10 million dollars.

So that's double what UPMC put in for this year, right?

So the taxpayers put in 10 million additional dollars into fleet, and it was that 10 million uh from the taxpayers that brought us up to the 20 million that we needed for for this year, right?

And so then the UPMC five was on top of that and the PNC2.

Um so I did want to ask you though, because um in initial conversations that we've had uh or that I've had with um with with the administration, there was some concern about maybe maybe it wasn't 20 million, maybe it was a little less, maybe the numbers weren't so I guess I want to ask you just is is there maybe a discrepancy between like the cost of buying one vehicle versus the cost of buying say 20 vehicles, right?

Do you get a discount rate, like a bulk rate or something like that with vehicles?

It's not something I'm familiar with, so to be honest, that's a good it's a question that I don't have an answer to because we've never had the money to to buy that money before.

I mean, but for example, we used to buy about say 20 police interceptors a year.

If I'm buying five, if I'm buying 20, that price from Ford really isn't changing much.

Okay.

Okay, so so in the past, buying more has not really impacted the price significantly.

Not significantly.

Okay.

Now, can we negotiate?

Can we do RFPs if I if I know that I'll have um you know, and that's probably been the problem with the EL in the past, we just never know what we're gonna have.

So we can't make longer term commitments.

Um, you know, if I know that I'm going to have that UPMC money this year and next year, you know, we were able to negotiate with the the ambulance contract um, you know, to add more to that order this year and get a get a price for next year that is only slightly higher because we knew we had that money.

So when you do when you have solid funding, you can negotiate longer term things and you know, with fire trucks or you know, if we're you know, there's definitely a possibility to lock lock in some prices ahead of time.

Got it.

So for long-term planning, in other words, when you have dedicated funding, right?

And we see you know, you see this in government for all sorts of things, right?

When you have dedicated funding, when you know how much money you are going to have year over year, it allows you to plan more easily over time, and um, and then you know, potentially uh there's cost benefit to that as well.

We can also look into leasing too, um, which we did several years ago with um some fire trucks.

Um I think we're finally wrapping up the first fire lease.

I think this might be the last year, so that you know, but we legislated that and we dedicated that money ahead of time for you know seven years or whatever we put that million dollar um fire lease payment, but we legislated that and we planned for it, and it was put in the budget.

When you're able to do things like that, um you know you can spread you can spread the money out also over a period of years.

Okay.

Um so um so one thing that I do want to stress, right?

Is um that this is this is a problem that has been a decade plus 15 years, maybe even 20 years, right?

So this is one right.

Like this is not this has been administration after administration after administration, has been under investing in the fleet, right?

Has just been doing again, like I do every year with my car, like, oh, it's good, we're gonna get another year out of it.

We're gonna get another year out of these vehicles.

We can keep driving them, right?

Drive them until the wheels fall off.

Um but we have now reached this crisis point because we have been doing that for so long.

So this is not like a blame game.

This is, you know, Mayor O'Connor is new, right?

So this has fallen in his lap.

However, he is the mayor, and it is this administration's job to solve this problem, right?

And it is also our job as council, because it is a problem that we are acutely aware of.

Um so uh, you know, the administration, you know, we've had long conversations about this, and um, and you know, I've been given many assurances that this administration is committed to uh funding the fleet.

I appreciate that commitment.

I um I get and they and they also there is a distaste for trust funds, right?

Like just sort of across the board, right?

Uh which I understand that too.

Administer, you know, trust funds just for the public to understand.

A trust fund is money that is locked in for a given purpose, right?

Um that creates inflexibility when you are crafting a budget, right?

A yearly budget.

Um, you know, being able to move the money around the way that you'd like to is an easier way to do a budget.

Um, the trust fund is the only real option that council has to ensure that we are investing in whatever thing we as a body think that we should be investing in, right?

So I do want to underscore that while yes, council has the authority to take the mayor's draft budget and just like toss it in the garbage and rewrite the budget and spend money on whatever we think we should, that is not a best practice, right?

That is not a smart way to run a city, right?

You want your budget professionals to have you know all the information up front and be able to craft a budget based on so that council then doesn't actually need to make a lot of changes.

That's that is that is the best practice.

Um all of this said, um, I do believe that everybody here is operating in good faith.

I do think that there's a commitment from the O'Connor administration toward fleet.

And you know, as we heard recently, uh there is an intention to reopen this year's budget, right?

Now we know that we have enough money for fleet in this year's budget, or enough, right?

We've got we've got we've got more than we've ever had in a very long time, thanks to the taxpayers and UPS.

Big problem to have.

Right.

So taxpayers, UPMC, every, you know, we've so we have money for this year, but the question is so every budget, this is just for the public, has funds dedicated.

There's like a plan, there's a five-year plan and a budget.

And the current budget that we have, right, from from the one that we approved for 2026, has like a minuscule amount of money for fleet.

I think it's like two million, three million a year for the next five years.

So I mean, that's not even, I think that just covers our leases, right?

Um a million of it right now, I believe right off the top would be the fire lease.

Right.

That those are those are almost over.

Yeah.

Um, but I I can't I couldn't quote how many years we have left, maybe two.

Right.

Um so yeah, that's that's um Yeah.

And so and and what we're seeing too is just again for the public, is that you know, the way that the 2026 and and why the budget is being reopened, I think, in large part, is the way that the 2026 budget was written was done in such a way that in order to make it balanced, the estimates for the outer years were just drastically reduced, right?

To very unrealistic, right?

That's my understanding I'm not the budget person, but that's that's my understanding, yes.

So um, so the budget is being reopened.

The administration has you know made it clear that they are committed to funding the fleet.

Uh we already have money, you know, there's gonna be money.

So we know UPMC is committing five million for next year, so there's already five million in there for next year for fleet.

Um so what I would like to do again, um I would like to hold this legislation for six weeks or so.

I want to let this budget opening process play out.

We can take a look and see see what's happening there.

But I don't want to throw this legislation away.

Because as much as I believe that Mayor O'Connor and the O'Connor and the administration is operating in good faith, we all know where we are with these vehicles, right?

We all know where we are.

But you know, we have a mandate.

We have a mandate from the ELA, we have a mandate from our directors, from OMB, from the controller, uh, from our workers, right, who are on the ground, like driving these vehicles.

Um we have a mandate for in a meaningful and you know, I do I so the mixed weeks want us all to keep having this conversation and cure that uh that we to a place that it needs to be, right?

Because it's every single piece of our operations, every single piece.

Uh public safety, public works, parks, you know, even finance and IT, right?

Our our inspectors, PLI, everybody.

There's not a single department that does not rely on fleet.

Um and so we need these vehicles working so that we can do our jobs at the city.

So I guess I'll put that on the table.

I know there's other go ahead.

Was that a motion or would you like to discuss and then motion?

It's up to to members.

I mean, uh well, I'll I'll make a motion to to hold for six weeks.

Second.

And a second, and then I saw um we'll we'll have discussion.

I saw Councilman Cockhill's hand.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um first I I want to thank you for your persistence and you know, um seeing that our fleet is right sized.

Uh, you know, you've made a lot of um uh advances, I think, whether it was your legislation or you know, holding this bill today.

Um I would I guess I want to say this.

Uh by the way, welcome to the ELA board.

I mean, that is official, right?

Is that official?

I I know Mr.

President, uh, you know, he pointed you.

So that's that's good because you'll you'll be on the front line with us.

And I will tell you, as Jennifer has been saying, you know, there's kind of a renewed energy in our uh equipment leasing and authority board, knowing that we have, you know, uh over the next two years at least 12 million dollars extra that we can put towards um the vehicles that we so desperately need.

Um I would say, you know, uh and and Jennifer, I remember talking to you my first month in office.

This is over eight years ago, and you bringing this to my attention.

So thank you for always letting me know, at least on this side that boy, we desperately needed to fund our fleet.

Here we are eight, nine years later.

Not much progress has been made, but more recently in the past, since the O'Connor administration, I feel again a renewed energy and renewed finances there.

So I think it's gonna be critical.

The mayor uh campaigned on, you know, uh talking about having our nonprofits fund our whether it be ambulances, fire engines, whatever the the vehicles may be, and it's made good on that so far.

And I have a lot of confidence that the administration is gonna continue to do that.

And you know, whether it be the same product money or same same nonprofit or other nonprofits joining in, I think that makes sense.

I think it's the best way that we can write something.

We don't have 20 million dollars a year to put in to vehicle.

Obviously, that's what we should have been doing.

But when we do get to that point, and hopefully we do, in my tenure here, uh, you know, where we have a stable fleet, I think the savings will really come in the way of you mentioned before repairs.

I mean, we're spending how much how many millions are we spending?

400,000 a month.

So we'll say 40, it's almost over.

I don't want to, I don't even know what the figure is, but it'll too much money we're spending on repairs.

And um, you know, eventually once we get our fleet right sized, I think we'll see significant savings there in the way of millions of dollars a year.

So and that will hopefully go back into you know our uh fleet management fund.

So I I did want to express this because any chance I get, and I was count talking to Councilwoman Warwick uh last night, and I hope and I know she'll help lobby for fire.

I think they are our next logical step as to make sure that they have the proper vehicles moving forward.

And I know it's a you know it's uh it's a wait, as you mentioned, you know, anywhere between two to four years.

So I just want to publicly know.

I want fire to know that um we've not forgotten them.

Um obviously there's money that the mayor secured was restricted to ambulance and public works, um, but but uh that will also free up monies that we were gonna spend for fire.

So would you comment on that?

Do you agree with that?

I do agree with that.

Um, you know, I think you're all well aware that um Furman has a matrix that he uses to, you know, with the engine hours, the mileage, the age, you know, all these different factors.

Um so with I'm guessing we'll probably of the 10 million that council put back in to fleet this year, about seven of that we've you know, we've moved money from ambulances to other things, whatever, but about seven million um, you know, according to what we have we have to meet with the ELA and we have to talk to the directors and see, you know, obviously just just because it's on a list doesn't mean it makes sense to to buy, so we have to work you will have to work with the directors to see, but um I would say probably 80 percent of the of the things are next on the list are fire things that we just weren't able to get, you know uh everything else thing other things are just older and worse, which is I mean in fires in bad shape, but everything's sure, you know, in bad shape.

But the the biggest thing with fire equipment is the lead time.

Yeah, that's that's right, and that's what their main concern is.

You know, they they see us purchasing vehicles and they know their lead time is much longer than the typical uh whether it's public works or or police.

Um I think they have the longest lead time because they have to be geared and outfitted, right?

I mean, and if you talk to Chief Kakila, he'll tell you they need 15 million a year just for fire.

Right, right.

He's probably right, yeah.

I mean, uh but if if he we we want to get things in the life cycle.

Obviously, he knows he's not good at not going to happen.

But no, he's been uh staunch advocate.

And he like he going back eight years ago with me, he's on me on about that.

I remember meeting with him over at Mitchell's and painting this picture, and I'm like, wow.

So um so that's good.

Uh it'll make them feel a lot better once we can actually order and let that clock start so they can get those vehicles back.

Um we lease, we don't incur any repairs on the leased vehicles, correct?

I mean, well, we lease a vehicle, was it just like uh when uh private citizen leases a vehicle, they are responsible.

Are they responsible?

I don't know, I've never released it.

Okay, so the engine goes on a leased vehicle, we're responsible.

It's basically just a way to stretch the payment out.

Yeah, right.

But mostly at least needs to be a good thing.

You own it, but you're responsible for the gas and the oil changes and the brakes and the tires and the right.

Yeah, we're responsible obviously for the maintenance.

But most leased vehicles are newer or new where we don't have to worry about engines and transmissions and things like that.

Is that correct?

Okay.

Um so thanks for the work you do.

Uh you know, I look forward to rolling our sleeves up and you know, getting the vehicles ordered that we need to order in order to sustain our fleet.

We all know that the out years of 3.7 million, 3 million, I forget what they were, but the next five years are not sufficient.

Uh I believe this administration knows it.

I think that they will um you know, uh make the necessary, I don't know about us opening the budget in this immediate future, but by September when the new five-year outlook is I believe it will be much different because I believe this administration knows the importance of that, and whether it be foundation money or taxpayer dollars, either way it's gotta be funded.

So uh thank you.

Thanks for what you do.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Seeing none, we have a motion and a second.

Sorry, did I see in uh motion and a second for six-week hold.

All those in favor of a six-week hold, please say aye.

Aye.

Bill will be held for six weeks.

Thank you very much.

That moves us on to new papers.

Bill 227, resolution authorizing the issuance of a warrant in favor of sergeants court reporting services for legal transcript services for an amount not to exceed $5,500 and forty cent over one year.

Motion to approve.

Second.

Discussion?

Seeing none, all those in favor of Bill 227, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

That moves us to invoices.

Is there a motion on invoices?

So moved.

So second.

Discussion.

Councilwoman Gross.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair.

I do have some questions over um I think it's a license plate reader um software, and I didn't hold on, I need to find it on my list here so I can say it correctly.

It's Cyclops technologies.

It's called plate smart software.

Um as you know, I've my staff and I have been looking closely at the kinds of surveillance technologies that we probably don't want to be using.

Um and we've talked uh a great deal recently about um how technology has changed, even since you know, city council has um approached this subject before and tried to put some parameters and barriers in place.

I think those legislation I supportive, they're both good pieces of legislation.

There's one on facial technology, there was another one on cameras.

But the technology keeps changing.

And so what we understand now is that there are some of the softwares that we may be using, and there are very, very many.

I don't even know how many total we have under contract, right?

Could also be selling our citizens' data elsewhere, which is what we do not want because there's way too much, it's it's a violation of privacy.

Um and so I I asked the administration about this technology specifically.

Um again, I'm grateful for the response.

Sometimes we're catching these things kind of at the last minute.

Um this specific technology does allow um.

Basically, our police to do license plate searches, right?

And now again, because there's so much data bundling out there, it's more than just your DMV record, right?

So it used to be that you would just look up kind of like there's you know, looked up your state information.

Do you you know, do you have warrants out for your rest or something like that?

But now, because of the bundling information, there's a lot more personal information that's attached to someone's license plate.

And so the concern is that we not share that.

Um the last time I questioned um an invoice just a few weeks ago.

Um, it was that we have software that can follow you around and tell tell us where you are.

Um, and we have access to it at least.

We have it under license, but we only are using it if there's a judicial warrant, which is uh I think what the public wants to hear.

And um this one, it does say that there's a policy in place that it allows outside agencies, which is maybe too vague for the current situation that we're in historically to um submit requests, and that we'll just hand over the information to the outside agencies.

Um so I specifically followed up very last minute, thank you to the administration to say does that include federal law enforcement?

And the answer is no.

So it's consistent with the policies.

Again, I'm not going to um hold this one up.

I think what we need is a much better awareness and understanding of so many.

It seems there may be dozens of these kinds of technologies, what they're what they can do, what other cities are doing for good policy.

I do think our IMP department has been excellent at trying to stay in front of this, but that's very kind of behind the scenes.

Um and so I would love uh you know, I'm trying to bring this forward to a public conversation.

So I am working on legislation um with the administration and with IMP about kind of updating what's current what we have that's currently in the books and also um raising awareness about these kinds of technologies.

So again, thank you to my staff for catching it, and thank you to the administration for answering these questions.

Um we just want to be forthright and transparent about what we're doing.

So thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councilman.

Further discussion, Councilman Cockhill.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um I thank you for doing the research.

I didn't know you know other information was tied to license plates today and of that nature, and especially finding out that it's not gonna be shared with the federal government.

It's comforting to to everybody.

Um I would say, you know, on Brookline Boulevard, it's probably one of the longest business districts in the city of Pittsburgh, and it's very thriving, very busy.

Um we had an incident up there a few weeks ago where somebody um was targeting somebody coming out of an establishment there, and there was 28 rounds shot off.

Nobody thankfully was killed in miracle almost, but um but in talking to my commander, Commander Ripple.

Um, we do have cameras.

The city does have cameras up there, but they are not the I think what did you call it?

Cycle these cyclops.

Yeah, so they're not the license plate reading vehicles.

Had we had them up on Brookline Boulevard, we got a we got to make and model with a car and everything, but um, we're not able to get the license plate.

I hope to integrate those in onto Brookline Boulevard as long as you know, in any other busy uh business districts.

Uh it would have been simple.

We would have probably we would at least had the license plate and identified it and probably uh connected that to to the shooter or shooters or you know, um finding out exactly who was in the car and where the car was from.

So I'm a big supporter of the license plates readers.

Um thank you, Councilman Gross, for always looking after the big brother uh, you know, aspect of it.

And um, so I just wanted to put my two cents in.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Further discussion.

Seeing none, all those in favor of invoices, please say aye.

Aye.

Invoices are approved.

That moves us to P cards.

Is there a motion on P cards?

So move.

So move.

Second.

Discussion.

All in favor of P cards, please say aye.

Aye.

P cards are approved.

That moves us to public safety and wellness committee chaired by Councilman Cockhealth.

New papers, Bill 222 resolution authorizing the issuance of a warrant in favor of precision auto express repair in an amount not to exceed $6,347.85 cent for repairs to a Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Vehicle.

Motion to approve.

Second.

Discussion.

Seeing none.

All those in favor of Bill 222, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

Bill 223.

Resolution authorizing the issuance of a warrant in favor of the major city's chiefs association in an amount not to exceed 7,000, excuse me, $500 for payment of annual member dues.

Uh motion to approve brief discussion.

Second.

Second, brief discussion.

I see we have public safety here.

Does uh anyone want to come and just I have a couple questions about it?

Is anybody that's right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mr.

Cunningham, if you would just, you know, uh state your name and you know.

Sure, uh Lieutenant Anthony Cunningham.

Yeah, thank you, Lieutenant.

Uh join.

Oh, you're not joining us?

That's okay.

No.

He was here for the last one.

What a fake.

Okay, go ahead.

So, Mr.

Cunningham, I it's a simple question.

It's not a lot of money we're talking about here.

But as I see, you know, League of Cities, we have 25,000 here.

Just uh so Chiefs Association, um, you know, uh is that Pennsylvania or is that nation national?

What is that?

So this is the major city chiefs, so this is a national.

Okay.

There are about 80 uh major cities that are involved with this.

Okay, so you know, populations of say over 200 or 300,000 people.

Correct.

Uh major cities, and um, and what what do they do?

Like would would would our chief go to an annual conference?

Is it help the you know um identify best practices?

Sure.

What does it what's it do?

So in addition to online stuff, there are four conferences a year that uh they can attend to go with national strategies, try to develop uh best practices, look for um after action reviews to see what's going on and to partner for large scale events.

Right.

So you find it beneficial.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

Um that it really is my question.

You know, I I have other pots of money that were again um other members have commented that uh the League of Cities and other things like that.

We're paying 25, 22,000 a year or pop.

This is minuscule.

And if you tell me that it's beneficial and finding out bigger and what other cities are doing, and we're actually gonna attend our whether it's our chief or representative, correct, or you or whoever, and actually get this information and utilize it, then it's money well spent.

But uh I just want to make sure it just doesn't, you know, it's just not some membership fee that we don't capitalize on.

Yeah, we do actually attend and take part.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

I appreciate you being here.

That's it for me, ma'am.

Chair.

Thank you.

Councilman Mosley.

Uh yeah, I don't I don't have any questions, I just want to say hello.

You know, how are you?

Have an old friend at the table.

We worked so closely over the last year when you were the acting commander.

Yes.

Yeah, and I definitely appreciated all the time.

I don't know how many meetings that we sat in uh last year.

So it's just good to see you, and I just want to you know congratulate you, you know, uh on moving um into your new position.

And and I'm in, you know, I I think Councilwoman Gross can attest.

You know, uh Commander Hoyson has been great.

But I do miss you, so it's just good to see you.

I just wanted to say hello.

Thank you for the great work you do with me.

And I'm looking forward at some point for our cross the path our our you know um our paths across once again in the future.

But uh but thank you for all you do.

You're great guy.

Always good to see you.

Appreciate you too, and I appreciate all the support that I got for you while I was there.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Any further discussion on the bill?

Seeing none, all those in favor of bill two twenty-three, please say aye.

Aye, aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

That moves us to public works and infrastructure committee chaired by councilwoman Salonetro.

Deferred papers, Bill 113 ordnance supplementing the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title One Administrative, Article 7, Procedures by adding a new chapter, chapter 174.

Right of way accessibility needs inventory.

Motion to approve.

Second, second discussion.

Council Councilmember Warwick?

Yeah, so uh we we did I did have a chance to talk with uh director uh uh Mangala Winston and uh so I think that the city planning team now has a clear understanding of of the intention of of this bill, which is to kind of you know come up with a plan for how we can better address our um pedestrian infrastructure uh in the case of large uh you know large snowfalls like the one that we had where where the snow sticks around for a very long time.

Uh I I don't have too much more to add.

Um I you know I tried to keep this as flexible as possible.

It's really gonna be on on city planning to kind of you know identify all the places and all the you know how best this would work and and they'll have to work with various departments, Domi and DPW primarily, but also parking authority, also PRT, um, you know, perhaps also our local schools and and other, you know, religious institutions, whatever, looking at 311 data, all of that.

Um so I'm happy to answer any questions, but any further discussion?

Thank you, Councilmember.

Seeing none, all those in favor of Bill 113, please say aye.

I'm aye affirmative recommendation.

New papers, Bill 225.

Resolution authorizing the mayor and the director at the Department of Public Works on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh to enter into an agreement or agreements with the People's Natural Gas Company, LLC, to allow the integration of natural gas service for a city facilities architecture project in Riverview Park at no cost to the city.

Motion to approve.

Is there a second?

Second discussion.

Seeing none, all those in favor of Bill 225, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

Bill 226.

Resolution authorizing the mayor and the director of the Department of Public Works and or the Director of the Department of Finance on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh to execute an instrument for the declaration of restrictions and covenants and a perturnate documents over the vicinity of the city's Spring Hill Park Playground as a condition of a national national pollution discharge elimination system permit granted in connect conjunction with property improvements in the area at no cost to the city.

Second.

Second discussion.

I have a question about this.

Is there someone here can speak to this?

Thank you very much.

Please introduce yourselves.

Uh Chris Hortzlan with Public Works.

Thank you.

Um whenever I see MPDES, I get a little nervous.

I just would like to learn a little bit more about what the permit uh what the permit is for and whether we think this will in any way um put Spring Hill Park and Playground at risk for in any way.

No, I'm gonna point out it won't put the at risk in any way.

The permit is for um project activities at Spring Hill Park for development.

So this is um for managing storm water.

Um these types of covenants are required by um the permit process to ensure that you know we're building a stormwater management thing.

In this case, they're generally around uh bioretention natural elements that you use to control stormwater.

Um and they just want to make sure that the infrastructure that we're building is being preserved and not just demolished or paved over in the future because somebody forgot about it.

It's just perfunctory kind of process as part of a uh renovation and reconstruction.

Yes.

Okay.

Councilman Wilson.

I just want to say thanks for your work on this project.

Community is really looking forward to the completion.

Everyone's really excited to see all the uh the construction equipment out there.

Yeah, it's really exciting to see it come together.

Thank you.

All right, big project, thank you.

Thank you.

Congratulations in advance on the project.

Um any further discussion?

Seeing none.

Oh councilman Caucasian.

I'm sorry, I don't know what to suppose, but I do have a question for you.

I see activity going on at the salt dome.

With what is you know the uh they tore a building down next to it on fifty one?

Yes, sir.

Is that um are we preparing?

We're we we've not made the decision to replace that just yet, correct?

I mean we're not they're not tearing the salt dome down yet, are they?

The plan is moving forward right now.

Right, right.

It's moving forward, but they didn't start it there.

Because there's there's trailers there and because we all land next to it, and there was a building there.

Come on up here, John.

Please.

He seems another little uh training.

Yeah, come on, buddy.

So yeah, you know, I was just driving by the other day, and I'm like, are they starting the salt down?

I and uh I don't remember us approving or whatever.

But uh morning.

We know about that, sir.

You know how to introduce yourself, you know that much now.

Is that all?

Yeah, there you go.

There we go.

Yeah.

Good morning.

Yeah.

Acting director, Joanna McClurry.

Uh yes, they did start tearing down to Georgie's building.

Right, okay.

Okay, so that's what's all fenced in right now.

Is that in anticipation of the new salt done?

Or is it yes?

Okay, gotcha.

So we're just kind of clearing that.

Well, that's good.

The building was just sitting there falling to pieces at this point, so that's good that we have much more uh space there.

That's great.

Okay.

It will, yeah, I know.

Especially to the eye driver by.

I I can't stand looking at that thing.

So um okay.

No, that's that's great.

Thank you, Director.

Um, you know, it's um I was just curious about that.

So sorry if I went off subject there.

I just had to get that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion on the bill?

Seeing none, all those in favor of bill two twenty-six, please say aye.

If recommendations, thank you both to Bill 243.

Resolution authorizing the borough of Crafton to take uh eminent domain, certain permanent and temporary real estate interests and a portion of that certain parcel of real estate identified by the Allegheny County Assessment Offices block and lot 39 F 280, located within the boundaries of the City of Pittsburgh.

Second.

Discussion.

Seeing none, all those in favor of Bill 243, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

That moves us to human resources committee chair by Councilperson Charland.

New papers, Bill 221.

Resolution authorizing the mayor and the director of the Department of Human Resources and Civil Service to enter into a professional services agreement or agreements with industrial organizations solutions in for professional consulting services in connection with police officer recruit candidate examinations and selection services cost not to exceed 151,980 over three years.

Motion approve.

Second.

Discussion.

None.

All those in favor of Bill 221, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

That moves us to land use and economic development committee chaired by Councilman Wilson.

New papers, Bill 228.

Resolution authorizing the mayor, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the director of the Department of City Planning to enter into an agreement or agreements with the Trust for Public Land for the purpose of receiving grant funds any amount of $25,000 to install signage in the city's greenways.

Motion approved.

Second.

Discussion.

Council President.

What signage is being installed?

I haven't been briefed on this.

I have city planning director as our listed.

Um we don't need to hold it up.

I can reach out to her and ask.

Okay.

We're actually trying to get a sign put up in a greenway.

That's why I'm just curious.

But I'll give you that.

Okay.

Further discussion.

Seeing none.

All those in favor of Bill 228, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

Bill 229.

Resolution further amending resolution 863 of 2018.

Effective January 1, 2019, as amended entitled resolution adopting and approving the 2019 capital budget and the 2019 community development block grant program and a 2019 through 2024 capital improvement program.

So it's to reallocate 55,692.

Motion to approve discussion.

Second.

So for instance, this one is a greater community food bank.

My understanding is that they're unable to spend 55,000.

And so that was the term the new number of 30,000 was determined the number that they could reasonably spend.

So that's just a kind of quick and clean edit for them.

So motion to motion to uh amend bill two two nine.

Second.

Discussion on the amendment.

Seeing none, all those in favor of amending bill two twenty-nine with a copy in front of us, please say aye.

Aye.

Bill 229 is amended.

Any further discussion on the bill as amended.

Seeing none, all those in favor of bill two twenty-nine as amended, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

And to our final committee of the day, Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs Committee chaired by Councilman Mosley.

New papers, Bill 224.

Resolution authorizing the mayor, the director of public works, and the director of finance to enter into an easement agreement or agreements with the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority for the installation of certain monitoring boreholes on city owned parcel IDs 121 H20, 82H102, and 48H200 at no cost to the city.

Uh motion to hold for four weeks to respond to some community concerns at the border of District 9 and District 7 that to ensure that they're fully engaged in this process working closely with councilwoman from District 7 on making sure that the residents who will be impacted uh by this work are fully apprised of the project moving forward.

Second.

There's a motion and second on the on a four-week hold.

Any discussion on the motion.

Seeing none, all those in favor of Bill 224.

I'm sorry, of uh before we call on Bill 224, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Bill be held for four weeks.

That exhausts our standing committee agenda.

We do have meeting announcements this afternoon at 1 30.

Council will hold a pre-agenda, we'll hold pre-agenda interviews with nominees for Pittsburgh Water and Pittsburgh Land Bank.

Next week, council will hold their regular meeting on Tuesday, March 24th, and their standing committees meeting on Wednesday, March 25th, both at 10 a.m.

To register to speak at these meetings, please fill out the sign-up form on the council meeting webpage by the deadlines, and you may also call the clerk's office at 412-255-2138.

Is there anything for members?

Council President Landau.

Uh motion to hold an executive session on litigation and potential litigation matters.

Second.

All in favor of a motion to hold an executive session, please say aye.

Aye.

We will set that up.

Any further anything else from members?

All right.

Uh with that, I will take a motion to approve the minutes and adjourn the meeting.

Simmons.

All in favor?

Aye.

Aye.