OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Special Committee on Finance & Law Meeting: 2026 Budget Reopener – March 31, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, March 31, 2026
BodyPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 31, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:34:14

Transcript — Verbatim
1:13

Good afternoon, and welcome to a special standing committees meeting for Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

1:19

All council meetings will be live streamed on the city's website.

1:22

And for guest speakers, please leave your microphones on.

1:25

Our first order of business is roll call.

1:27

Will the clerk please take the roll?

1:29

Mr.

1:29

Charlin.

1:30

Mr.

1:31

Coghill.

1:32

Miss Gross.

1:33

Here.

1:33

Mr.

1:34

Laval.

1:35

Mr.

1:35

Mosley.

1:36

Miss Salonetra.

1:37

Here.

1:38

Miss Warwick.

1:39

Mr.

1:40

Wilson.

1:40

Here.

1:41

Miss Strasberger Chair.

1:42

Here.

1:43

Five members present.

1:44

Thank you.

1:45

So our next order of business will be public comment.

1:47

I do want to just note since this is a special standing committees meeting for uh purposes of level setting.

1:54

Here's how it's going to go.

1:55

We will have public comment.

1:56

This is a standing committee meeting.

2:00

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.

2:15

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.

2:22

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.

3:08

So today is an information session.

3:10

We will leave the bills open.

3:15

So with that, um we are going to open it up to public comment.

5:00

Council concerns include local government and of course the budget and LI sister cities.

5:05

All those flags out there should be taken out because you don't contact us about anything that has to do with them.

5:19

The Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter.

5:23

And in connection with that, the Pittsburgh City budget.

5:48

And to compel the attendance of the mayor at a council meeting.

6:07

And why did Council not compel Mayor Claymond O'Connor to appear here to attend this meeting?

6:16

31 March 2026 that has to do with bringing more order to the Pittsburgh City budget.

6:25

That door should be open all the time.

6:28

It is in more than 1,500 council council offerings across the United States.

6:35

The mayor is in the meeting, and the mayor often has a vote.

6:38

Why is this door not open?

6:40

And why is O'Connor not here?

6:44

Why did you not compel him to be here?

6:48

Thank you very much.

6:49

Are there any further speakers?

6:54

Any further speakers?

6:56

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

7:01

So we will have a um an overview and a policy discussion for the reopening of the 2026 budget.

7:07

I'll ask all of our invited guests to introduce themselves and then those presenting to present.

7:14

Oh, please read the bills first.

7:16

Thank you.

7:17

Bill 278, resolution amending resolution 933 of 2024, which reappropriated Federal American Rescue Plan funding by updating the approved projects as outlined in Exhibit A version 10, Bill 279, resolution amending resolution 838 of 2025, which fixed the number of officers and employees of the City of Pittsburgh for the 2026 fiscal year and the rate of compensation thereof and set maximum levels for designated positions by eliminating one district chief and adding one assistant chief in the Department of Public Safety Bureau of Medical Services.

7:52

Bill 280, resolution amending resolution 841 of 2025, which authorized appropriations, salaries, and capital expenditures of the Parks Trust Fund for the 2026 fiscal year, beginning January 1, 2026 by increasing the spend amount by 500,000, and Bill 285.

8:13

Resolution amending resolution 835 of 2025, which made appropriations to pay the expenses of conducting the public business of the city of Pittsburgh and for meeting the debt charges there out for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2026.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget█████████████████████████████████████████████69%
Fiscal Sustainability██████████15%
Procedural█████7%
Parks and Recreation███4%
Transparency and Accountability█2%
Youth Programs█2%
Vehicle Procurement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Special Committee on Finance & Law Meeting: 2026 Budget Reopener – March 31, 2026

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.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller spoke about the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter and the city budget. He questioned why Council had not compelled Mayor O’Connor to attend the meeting, stating that in over 1,500 council offerings across the U.S., the mayor is often present and has a vote. He urged that the door should always be open for the mayor’s attendance.

Discussion Items

  • ARPA Funding Reallocation (2026-0278): The resolution amends previous ARPA allocations (version 10). Chief Gilman explained that funds originally designated for the Cali Rec Center demolition were moved because the project could not be completed within ARPA deadlines; the demo would be funded from other sources. The Administration stated their commitment to the project.
  • EMS Personnel Reclassification (2026-0279): Eliminates one District Chief and adds one Assistant Chief in the Bureau of EMS.
  • Parks Trust Fund Increase (2026-0280): Increases spend authority by $500,000 for 2026.
  • 2026 Appropriations Amendments (2026-0285): The core of the meeting. Acting Director Price presented a revised five-year financial forecast showing a $6.5 million use of fund balance in 2026, an $8 million upward adjustment in payroll preparation tax revenue (due to delayed 2025 bookings), and a $1.9 million reduction in charges for services (red-light enforcement). Total expenditure amendments for 2026 exceed $28 million.
  • Health Care Costs: The VIBA (Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association) trust fund for active employees was insolvent as of Jan 1, 2026. The budget restores $8.5 million to VIBA (including $3.5M annually in 2026 and 2027 to rebuild the buffer). The OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) trust fund for retirees—originally intended to be drawn upon around 2030—has been tapped with a $5M transfer in 2025 and a proposed $12M transfer in 2026, now reduced to $6M. Council members expressed concern about transparency and governance of these trust funds; the board includes the council president, city controller, solicitor, HR director, and finance director.
  • Collective Bargaining & Civil Service: Amendments update salaries for ASME and Teamsters, add premium pay for CHR and DOME, and include longevity bonuses for ASME 2719 employees.
  • Snow Events & Fleet Maintenance: $2.3 million is requested for snow overtime and contracted snow removal (total cost was $4.4M). Fleet non-target repairs need an additional $2 million; even with that, fuel spending may reach only $3.7M vs last year’s $3.9M.
  • Parks and Youth Initiatives: Creation of an Office of Youth and Families includes a deputy director for parks ($112,000/year). Offsetting reductions include $500,000 from the miscellaneous line item in 2026. Removal of a program coordinator and recreation leader from parks; some of these positions were part of an after-school pilot with Pittsburgh Public Schools, prompting concern from council.
  • Vehicles: EMS operating budget had nearly $2M/year for vehicles, which appeared to be duplicated with liquid fuels trust fund. The administration proposes reallocating $2M in 2028-2030 to pay-go for vehicles from that source. Councilmember Warwick insisted that vehicle funds not be moved to general pot without clear commitment.
  • Revenue Trends: Acting Director Price noted that earned income tax is projected to surpass property tax as the city’s largest revenue source possibly by 2035. In 2015, budgeted real estate tax was $133M vs earned income $87M; in 2026, earned income is $141M vs real estate $145M. Council discussed the impact of a potential countywide reassessment.
  • Debt Restructuring: The administration stated that current interest rates are unfavorable for refinancing and some restructuring proposals may violate debt policy or cost more long-term.
  • NFL Draft Overtime Reimbursement: The city received $2 million from Visit Pittsburgh to cover overtime and other costs, but full reimbursement is not guaranteed.
  • Chalk Tax Repayment: Approximately $8 million is budgeted for potential repayment of the chalk tax, under judgments.

Key Outcomes

  • No votes were taken. All bills (2026-0278, 0279, 0280, 0285) were left open for discussion at the regularly scheduled standing committee meeting on April 1, 2026, and a public hearing on April 14, 2026.
  • Council members raised numerous concerns about transparency of trust funds, reallocation of vehicle funding, after-school program positions, and the need for accurate revenue/expenditure forecasting. The administration committed to follow up on several questions (e.g., OPEB board details, historical vehicle spending, and the impact of a reassessment).
  • The meeting concluded with a motion to approve the minutes and adjourn, which passed unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

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.

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