The Pittsburgh City Council’s Committee on Finance & Law held a special meeting on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 1:30 PM in Council Chambers to review and discuss the administration’s proposed amendments to the 2026 operating budget. The meeting served as an information session, with all bills left open for future action. Four resolutions were considered relating to ARPA funding reallocation, personnel changes in EMS, Parks Trust Fund spending, and general appropriations. Acting Director of OMB Rhea Price, Assistant Director Elizabeth Starcom, and Chief of Staff Dan Gilman presented a comprehensive overview of the budget amendments, highlighting financial challenges including health care insolvency, revenue adjustments, and expenditure needs.
Good afternoon, and welcome to a special standing committees meeting for Tuesday, March 31, 2026. All council meetings will be live streamed on the city's website. And for guest speakers, please leave your microphones on. Our first order of business is roll call. Will the clerk please take the roll? Mr. Charlin. Mr. Coghill. Miss Gross. Here. Mr. Laval. Mr. Mosley. Miss Salonetra. Here. Miss Warwick. Mr. Wilson. Here. Miss Strasberger Chair. Here. Five members present. Thank you. So our next order of business will be public comment. I do want to just note since this is a special standing committees meeting for uh purposes of level setting. Here's how it's going to go. We will have public comment. This is a standing committee meeting. Members of the public will also have the opportunity to provide public comment tomorrow at our right at our normally uh scheduled standing committee meeting and at the public hearing, which is scheduled for April 14th at 130 p.m. Um the clerk will read all the bills in the entirety, so we will be discussing all of the all of the bill, all of the amendments. And the administration is going to present their amendments to the 2026 operating budget and discuss some of the top line expenditures and why some of the revenues have changed. So today is an information session. We will leave the bills open. So with that, um we are going to open it up to public comment. Council concerns include local government and of course the budget and LI sister cities. All those flags out there should be taken out because you don't contact us about anything that has to do with them. The Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter. And in connection with that, the Pittsburgh City budget. And to compel the attendance of the mayor at a council meeting. And why did Council not compel Mayor Claymond O'Connor to appear here to attend this meeting? 31 March 2026 that has to do with bringing more order to the Pittsburgh City budget. That door should be open all the time. It is in more than 1,500 council council offerings across the United States. The mayor is in the meeting, and the mayor often has a vote. Why is this door not open? And why is O'Connor not here? Why did you not compel him to be here? Thank you very much.