OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Pittsburgh City Council Regular Meeting – April 7, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, April 7, 2026
BodyPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, April 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:34:38

Transcript — Verbatim
19:04

Good morning and welcome to the regular meeting of City Council on Tuesday, April seventh, two thousand twenty six.

19:11

Mr.

19:11

Sherland.

19:12

Mr.

19:13

Cockhill.

19:14

Miss Gross.

19:16

Mr.

19:17

Mosley.

19:19

Mrs.

19:20

Alanetra.

19:21

Yeah.

19:22

Mrs.

19:22

Strasberger.

19:23

Here.

19:24

Mrs.

19:24

Warwick.

19:25

Here.

19:26

Mr.

19:26

Wilson.

19:28

Mr.

19:29

Laval President.

19:30

Five members present.

19:32

Thank you.

19:33

Those who were able to please rouse for the Pledge of Allegiance for me.

20:01

Is there a motion to amend?

20:02

So move.

20:03

Second.

20:03

All those in favor say aye.

20:04

Aye.

20:05

Any opposed.

20:06

The agenda has been amended.

20:07

Our next order business is proclamations, and I have one to present.

20:11

If all those who are here for the National Community Development Week, could please come forward.

21:04

Critical to this council.

21:06

And we just want to take a moment to acknowledge the team that does critical and superior work with the uses of these dollars.

21:15

What I will say it's unfortunate that while we do recognize this, our the amount of C D B G dollars that we have gotten over the years has slowly dwindled.

21:25

Um it's still significant, but it's not nearly less probably less than half than when I first came to the city council.

21:31

And so I thank you all for doing a whole lot more with even less.

21:35

Um with that, whereas the week of April 6th through 10th, 2026 has been designated as National Community Development Week to celebrate the community development block grant program and other federal community planning and development funds.

21:48

Whereas the C D BG program provides annual funding and flexibility to local communities to provide decent, safe and affordable housing, a suitable living environment, and economic opportunities to low and moderate income people, and whereas the emergency solutions grant program provides support for city and county efforts to combat and end homelessness.

22:31

And now therefore be it resolved that the city of Pittsburgh designates the week of April 6th through 10th, 2026 as National Community Community Development Week in support of this valuable program and has been tremendous contributions to the viability of the housing stock infrastructure, public services, and economic well-being of our city.

22:48

And be further resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh urges the United States Congress and the Trump administration to recognize the outstanding work being done locally and nationally with CD with C D BG by supporting increased funding for the program of fiscal year 2027.

23:04

Maybe have a motion to approve.

23:07

So move.

23:08

Second.

23:08

All in favor say aye.

23:10

Aye.

23:10

Aye.

23:10

Congratulations.

23:12

Thank you.

23:28

And maybe each one of you could introduce yourself.

23:31

Sure.

23:32

I'm Lauren Galena.

23:33

I'm the senior development director at Family Links.

23:35

And at Family Links, we have a whole range of human services, but we are fortunate enough to receive the city funds for our docs program, which is our downtown outreach center and shelter, and that is for young adults who are experiencing homelessness.

23:49

And at that site, we're located on Fifth Avenue in Uptown.

23:53

We serve about 150 individuals annually.

23:57

And during that time, it's more than just a safe place and a warm place for them to rest their heads.

24:02

So beyond the meeting their immediate physical needs, we're also working with them to meet any physical health needs, emotional health needs.

24:11

We are really training them to live independently.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety████████████████████████24%
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Technology and Innovation█████████████13%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%
Homelessness██████6%
Miscellaneous█████5%
Housing█████5%
Racial Equity███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Pittsburgh City Council Regular Meeting – April 7, 2026

The Pittsburgh City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers. All nine members were present for most votes. The meeting included proclamations, extensive public comment, introduction of new legislation, and final passage of several key ordinances and resolutions, including a non-intervention ordinance regarding immigration enforcement and a resolution to report on surveillance technologies.

Proclamations

  • National Community Development Week (2026-0313): Designated the week of April 6–10, 2026, as National Community Development Week and urged Congress and the Trump administration to increase CDBG funding for FY 2027. Passed unanimously.
  • Stephanie Fox Day (2026-0333): Declared Thursday, April 9, 2026, as “Stephanie Fox Day” in Pittsburgh. Passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

15 speakers registered, plus several unscheduled speakers. Key topics:

  • Immigration Enforcement Non-Cooperation (Bill 2026-0286): Multiple speakers expressed strong support. Ilyas Khan (Point Breeze) urged passage to protect Pittsburgh’s immigrant fabric. Rosana Elena Guernica (District 1) argued that surveillance and ICE cooperation are linked. Bethani Cameron (Overbrook), representing InformOp.org, reported that 82% of 109 survey respondents felt the non-cooperation policy made them feel safer. Nicole Norman (CEO of Las Erenitas Immigrant Resource Fund) shared a story of family members terrified by police presence. Others, including Mayon Harris and Brendan, supported the ordinance and criticized current ICE activities.
  • Surveillance Technology Report (2026-0287): Bethani Cameron noted 81% of survey respondents cited civil rights/data privacy as top concern. Rosana Elena Guernica and others urged transparency, noting disproportionate placement in communities of color.
  • Youth Safety: Junique Brown (mother) raised concerns about unsupervised middle school children gathering downtown with bus passes, leading to fights and fear. Urged city to provide liaisons.
  • Fire Stopping: Ian McDonnell requested adding fire stop special inspections to PLI requirements for life safety.
  • Other: Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller spoke on information intelligence; Ikhana-hal-makina criticized youth investment and parking fees during NFL Draft; Jacob Poole and Special Agent Sunshine raised personal trauma and claims of human trafficking.

Discussion Items

  • ICE Non-Intervention Ordinance (2026-0286): Councilmember Barbara Warwick presented amendments: most changes were numbering/formatting, added enforcement language aligning with collective bargaining, and removed a deed restriction requirement for property sales. After amendment, the bill passed finally (9-0).
  • Surveillance Technologies Report (2026-0287): Councilmember Deborah Gross introduced the resolution, noting rapid technological change and privacy risks. She announced a post-agenda meeting on privacy and surveillance.
  • NFL Draft Parking Ordinance (2026-0312): Amended parking meter and residential permit rules for temporary enforcement during the NFL Draft. Passed finally (9-0).
  • Budget Reallocations: Multiple resolutions shifted funds between capital budget line items (e.g., $144,100 from litter can upgrades to play area improvements; $400,000 from recreation/senior centers to condemned building remediation; $144,100 from play area improvements to Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank). All introduced and referred to committees.
  • Property Sales: A batch of 24 tax-sale properties (items A–X) and two properties for the Pilot Program 2.0 (1518 Fallowfield Ave and 136 Bodkin St) were introduced and referred. One sale was rescinded (2046 Ley St).
  • Easements: Authorization for Duquesne Light easement on Mifflin Rd (District 5) and for Police Firing Range stormwater/noise control improvements – both introduced.
  • Acting Director Extensions: Extended Acting Director of OMB (Rea Price) through July 11, 2026, and Acting Director of Innovation and Performance (Sylvia Harris) through July 4, 2026. Both passed 9-0.
  • Other: Grant status update and Affordable Housing Bond 2025 Annual Performance Report were received and filed.

Key Outcomes

  • Passed Finally (all 9-0 except where noted):
    • ICE Non-Intervention Ordinance (2026-0286)
    • Surveillance Technologies Report Resolution (2026-0287)
    • NFL Draft Parking Ordinance (2026-0312)
    • Warrant for Justin Hickox ($10,000, employment matter) (2026-0281)
    • Dedication of two city parcels (2026-0203)
    • Pashek + MTR geotechnical remediation contract amendment (+$26,257.50) (2026-0276)
    • Police Firing Range easements (2026-0277)
    • Acting Director extensions for OMB and Innovation & Performance (2026-0323, 2026-0331)
  • Passed with 8-0 (Mosley out of room):
    • Planning Commission extension for Bill 2026-0009 (2026-0334)
  • Introduced and Referred to Committees:
    • URA ARPA reallocation (2026-0314) – Intergovernmental & Educational Affairs
    • Duquesne Light easement (2026-0315) – Public Works & Infrastructure
    • Litter can/play area swap (2026-0316) – Finance & Law
    • Pilot Program 2.0 property conveyances (2026-0317) – Finance & Law
    • Rescission of property sale (2026-0318) – Finance & Law
    • Tax sale batch (2026-0319) – Finance & Law
    • Budget reallocations for recreation/senior centers and food bank (2026-0320, 2026-0322) – Land Use & Economic Development
    • Urban Design Ventures contract amendment (2026-0321) – Land Use & Economic Development
  • Received and Filed:
    • Grants Office status update (2026-0324)
    • Affordable Housing Bond 2025 Annual Report (2026-0325)
  • Post-Agenda Scheduled: Councilmember Gross motioned for a post-agenda meeting on privacy and surveillance technologies, which was approved.

Next Steps

  • Standing committee meetings will be held Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at 10:00 AM, with speaker registration closing at 9:00 AM.
  • A line-item vote on the amended 2026 operating budget is scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, at 1:30 PM.

The meeting adjourned after approval of minutes.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning and welcome to the regular meeting of City Council on Tuesday, April seventh, two thousand twenty six. Mr. Sherland. Mr. Cockhill. Miss Gross. Mr. Mosley. Mrs. Alanetra. Yeah. Mrs. Strasberger. Here. Mrs. Warwick. Here. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Laval President. Five members present. Thank you. Those who were able to please rouse for the Pledge of Allegiance for me. Is there a motion to amend? So move. Second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed. The agenda has been amended. Our next order business is proclamations, and I have one to present. If all those who are here for the National Community Development Week, could please come forward. Critical to this council. And we just want to take a moment to acknowledge the team that does critical and superior work with the uses of these dollars. What I will say it's unfortunate that while we do recognize this, our the amount of C D B G dollars that we have gotten over the years has slowly dwindled. Um it's still significant, but it's not nearly less probably less than half than when I first came to the city council. And so I thank you all for doing a whole lot more with even less. Um with that, whereas the week of April 6th through 10th, 2026 has been designated as National Community Development Week to celebrate the community development block grant program and other federal community planning and development funds. Whereas the C D BG program provides annual funding and flexibility to local communities to provide decent, safe and affordable housing, a suitable living environment, and economic opportunities to low and moderate income people, and whereas the emergency solutions grant program provides support for city and county efforts to combat and end homelessness. And now therefore be it resolved that the city of Pittsburgh designates the week of April 6th through 10th, 2026 as National Community Community Development Week in support of this valuable program and has been tremendous contributions to the viability of the housing stock infrastructure, public services, and economic well-being of our city. And be further resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh urges the United States Congress and the Trump administration to recognize the outstanding work being done locally and nationally with CD with C D BG by supporting increased funding for the program of fiscal year 2027. Maybe have a motion to approve. So move. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Congratulations. Thank you.

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