Pittsburgh City Council Regular Meeting - April 28, 2026
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Good morning and welcome to the regular meeting of City Council on Tuesday, April twenty eighth, two thousand twenty six.
Mr.
Charland.
Here.
Mr.
Coghill.
Here.
Ms.
Gross.
Councilman.
Mr.
Mosley.
Mrs.
Salonetro.
Here.
Mr.
Strasberger.
Here.
Mrs.
Warwick.
Mr.
Wilson.
Mr.
Lavelle President.
Here.
Five members present.
Thank you.
For those who are able, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Remain standing for a moment of silence.
To the flag of the United States of America.
And to the Republic for which he stands.
Thank you very much.
Our next order of business is to amend the agendas or most to amend.
So move.
Second.
All those in favor say aye.
Aye.
Our next order of business is proclamations.
We'll begin with Councilman Concue.
Thank you.
Thank you, uh, Mr.
President.
Would uh Ronnie Dunlap and Charlotte and the immediate family come up, please.
And uh we're gonna have the rest of you join us up here for pictures later.
You too, Judge Motznick.
Come on, Chief.
Your dress blues on.
Look good, buddy.
Does he get to keep the uniforms?
Does he?
Okay, good.
Good deal, good deal, good deal.
Um like the come on, come on, kids.
Come on up here.
Yeah, right.
You can get it, you can get in, you can't get out, right?
Yeah, yeah.
So we're here today to honor Ronnie Dunlap.
Ronnie and I go way back, and his wife Charlotte, uh, who's from Beachview with me.
But uh Ronnie has a distinguished service with the firefighters.
How many years?
33.
33 years, and then we're gonna hear from Judge Motzick and some others after we're done reading the proclamation.
But just let me tell you it's a great honor.
Uh, I really appreciate what you and the firefighters do always.
Um saved many of people with my family's lives, and Ronnie's a lifelong Brookliner, so both hail from the district, and uh it is my honor to give you this proclamation today, Ronnie.
So put my glasses on.
No, no, good.
Whereas Ronnie R.
D.
Dunlap first started in the Fire Academy on April 26th, 1993.
He graduated from the academy on August 21st, 1993, and officially became a city of Pittsburgh fireman.
Ronnie's wife Charlotte, newborn daughter Alyssa, and family watched as he got his badge pinned on.
And whereas Ronnie was stationed at number 13 in Hazelwood, where he stayed for 10 years under the watchful eye of his mentor, Walter Halaja.
Okay.
Um during this during his time at Station 13, Ronnie became a driver.
And whereas Ronnie was promoted to lieutenant on April 19, 2004, and moved firehouses.
On June 15, 2017, Ron got to welcome another family member to the City of Pittsburgh Fire Department, his brother-in-law, Patrick Fields, whom he got to pin his badge on.
And Ronnie continued to climb the ranks and was promoted to captain in 2012 and battalion chief in 2016.
His three children, Alyssa, Lisa, and Ronnie, grew up proud of their their firefighter father.
Since then, Ronnie has welcomed two grandchildren, JT and Charlotte, who love to visit him at the firehouse.
And whereas during Ronnie's free time, he is not only a member of the Fire and Iron Station 6 Motorcycle Club, Fire and Iron is made up of a city Pittsburgh firefighters, volunteers from the surrounding areas and their families.
Ronnie is also their president.
The club has donated over $236,000 in the past 16 years and is still going strong each year.
All money raised is split between Mercy Hospital Burn Unit and West Penn Hospital Summer Camp for Burn injured children.
Great causes.
Now, therefore be it resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend Ronnie Dunlap for his years of service to the residents of the City of Pittsburgh and all his efforts helping burn children in the Pittsburgh area.
And be it further resolved that the Council of City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Tuesday, April 28th, 2026 to be Ronnie R.
D.
Dunlap in the City of Pittsburgh.
Maybe we have a motion to approve.
Second.
Come on up here.
As I stated earlier, we are going to miss Chief Dunlap.
I want to publicly thank his family for allowing him to serve us for the last 33 years.
I was just talking to his wife, and I was telling her, I said, I guess you were pushing the buttons that it was time for him to get out of there.
And she said, Oh, yes, my turn now.
And I have to agree with that.
Chief, it's been an honor and a pleasure.
We've had some good times.
We've been in some tight spots.
And I've always been able to depend on you.
Your skills, your leadership is second to none.
Thank you very much.
Our next speaker is no stranger to Chambers here.
As a matter of fact, he's kind of running a show since he's been here.
I think he still belongs here and he knows how the how the ropes.
I'm proud to call him a friend.
Jimmy Motznick serves as our judge now on the 19th ward, but he served the city well for 12, 10 years.
12 years on City Council, going back 16 years ago.
So it's an he swore me in at my first election.
So I'm forever grateful for that, and I really appreciate our friendship.
And with that, Judge Motznick.
Yeah.
And uh the city clerk.
Where's she at?
She's one of the best.
Where is she?
Behind me.
She's been here forever.
She's one of the best.
I want to I want to recognize my good friend uh Ronnie Dunlap.
Um Charlotte wanted me to call him Ron, but we call him Ronnie.
There's we've been together forever since we were kids.
He's dedicated 33 years to the city of Pittsburgh to the fire department.
He's he's a wonderful person.
He has this motorcycle gang that they're they're they're sweethearts if one you get to know them and they raise money for burned kids.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars just because they want to.
They're great people.
And this is our story.
He stayed in the neighborhood we grew up, and so did I, and Anthony's still in Beachview.
It's it's a Pittsburgh story.
Um, and it's it's wonderful to see that people stay here and realize there's no better place to go.
Uh, I want to congratulate him on his on his uh retirement.
There's there's no truth to the rumors that he used to carry the barrels of beer in the woods behind Moore Park.
I wasn't there, I just heard the stories.
But I want to say congratulations.
Join me in congratulating you.
And he loves, he's a great speaker, he loves crowds and to talk.
Ronnie Dunlap.
Thank you.
Uh that last part wasn't true.
Uh but I'd like to thank Jimmy, Chief Jones, uh, earlier the mayor, uh, council members.
Uh this is an honor.
It has been a long time.
Uh like I said, it's been in my identity for 33 years.
It's gonna be a tough transition, but uh, I got a great support system that's gonna help me into that.
And uh it was an honor to work for is the best damn fire department and uh great uh leaders uh and I just appreciate this today.
Thank you.
Uh would everybody who came here to for Ronnie's proclamation please come up and we get you in a picture, okay?
I think uh yeah, the office come on.
Matt Bryan.
Yes, I am Joe, come on.
All right, Ronnie.
Here's the deal, you've got to hold that like that.
New folders, no more falling.
Did you notice that?
Thank you for coming down.
Thank you for the Councilman Shaw.
Come on up.
All right.
So I have the uh the Pittsburgh United Musicians Alliance, okay.
Uh also known as Puma, um, here today for a will of counsel.
Um if I can read this here like a proclamation.
So whereas the City of Pittsburgh has taken steps to support local musicians through conducting research on the music industry, passing venue support proposals, and providing relief for artists during COVID nineteen, and whereas the current streaming ser streaming service structure has allowed for only the top tier percentage of streaming musicians to reap financial success, and whereas the inability to paid musicians adequately has had an adverse impact on regional economies, resulting in musicians not being able to afford to tour or resulting in musicians not being able to afford to tour, which has negatively impacted the touring industry professionals and independent venues who cannot sustain premium guarantees to larger acts, recording studios, and recording industry professionals.
And whereas in the year twenty twenty-five, there's been legislation reintroduced and received in the House of Representatives by Representative Rashida Talib called the Living Wage for Musicians Act, which ensures that musicians receive one cent per stream instead of point zero zero three cents or one three hundred and thirty-third of a cent per stream.
Second.
We are an advocacy group for musicians here in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Now, these days you can enjoy any song in recorded history at your fingertips for just 10 to 12 dollars a month.
But what most people don't realize is the musicians we all love to stream are barely paid for their exposure on these streaming platforms.
Historically, the music industry was one in which financial reward was commensurate with exposure.
You made a song, got it played, then you would sell your physical media as a result of that exposure.
In the early 2000s, however, the entire music industry was switched over to a digital system, leaving musicians with little to no physical product to sell.
The streaming pay rate for musicians was negotiated behind closed doors between record label execs and big tech execs, and without the consent of musicians, present, future, or past.
They came up with an arbitrary pay rate of 0.003 cents per stream, which is one 333rd of one cent, which means presently 25,000 streams results in a whopping 47 to 60 dollars net for the artist.
As you can see, exposure no longer results in meaningful financial benefit for working musicians.
But the streaming services are booming.
Billion dollar industry.
The entire middle to lower class of musicians in the music industry are facing an economic and cultural crisis.
Without physical product or fair streaming pay, musicians cannot generate a living wage.
Regionally, less and less, Pittsburgh musicians are able to break out and tour as cultural ambassadors for our region, as my band Rusted Root once did, as Mac Miller once did.
We're asking Pittsburgh City Council to support fair streaming pay for musicians and to support any federal legislation to this end, and we're grateful for you to listen to us today and to support this federal legislation.
Thank you.
This was kind of her final project.
She's been in our office for two semesters and will be leaving us, unfortunately.
We will miss you, but thank you for uh for your work here.
Thank you.
And next we have Councilman Mosley.
Thank you, Council President.
I'd like to ask uh those who came with Randy Frankel and Squirrel Hill Baseball to come up and join us.
So as everybody uh comes up, uh this is a true joy to do this proclamation.
I must have spent uh a mini early morning and a mini late night with Randy, uh coach of young people, and what I still believe is is the greatest game humans have ever been in, which is the game of baseball, no disrespect to basketball.
I w I won a state championship and basketball is a prairie commodore for basketball, and we saw um how popular football is over over the last week, but I still you know contend that uh that baseball is still the greatest game humans have ever invented, and Pittsburgh has a rich history, you know, uh you know, when it comes to baseball, like it's you know, one minute take a moment of privilege.
One thing I think you know we need to do is really teach the history about baseball here in Pittsburgh.
You know, we have a true rich history.
Many people know about the great the great black baseball tradition, you know, and Pittsburgh is truly you know the mecca of black baseball o over the decades.
Uh you know, you know, starting with uh giants like Cumberland Posey, who is the only man in the baseball hall of fame and the basketball hall of fame.
Um but you know, we know about Josh Gibson and the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the homestead grace, but what a lot of people don't know also about the rich Jewish baseball history we have um in the city of Pittsburgh, that's why for me it was so special to be a part of Squirrel Hill Baseball.
Few people know about Barney Dreyfus, who was the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who bought the Pittsburgh Pirates, I believe, in in 1899 and moved a team from Louisville to Pittsburgh and stole a Holmes Wagner from Louisville and brought him back home, and uh he was very uh active with Road F.
Shalom Temple, and he invented the World Series.
It was his idea.
He was uh a Jewish German brother who moved uh to America and fell in love with the game and invented modern baseball by creating the World Series, came up with the idea and he built the first modern stadium in the world, which was Forest Field, which Finway Park and Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field all stole that idea.
So um, you know, rich rich baseball tradition that we have here, so it's truly an honor to honor my friend Randy Frankel today.
Um so whereas Randy Frankel has served as the dedicated director and heart of the Squirrel Hill Baseball Association for 38 remarkable years, fostering a love for the game and thousands of young athletes, and whereas his leadership has turned Stan Letterman Field into a cornerstone of the community, where the sounds of the game echoed for nearly four decades under his stewardship.
And whereas Randy's inclusive spirit ensures children of all walks of life, including the sons of Pittsburgh Steelers, future mayors, and local artists found a mentor in him and a home on the diamond.
I can attest to that, because it was only a few summers ago when Mayor Corey O'Connor coached my son, uh, who was the star shortstop and they won the championship, and I always joke that the most popular uh Mosley for Corey O'Connor is my son Thaddeus, because he was the star shortstop uh on that team.
And whereas his unwavering commitment to teaching sportsmanship, resilience, and the joy of the game has left an undelible mark on the Squirrel Hill neighborhood and the city of Pittsburgh.
And whereas, after 38 seasons of dedication, Randy Franco has announced his retirement, leaving behind a legacy of community service that will inspire future generations of players and coaches alike.
Now, therefore it be a resolve that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize and commend Randy Frankel for his extraordinary 38-year career with the Squirrel Hill Baseball Association, and be a further resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh has hereby declare today, Tuesday, April 28th, 2026, to be Randy Frankel Day in the City of Pittsburgh.
We have a motion to approve.
All those in favor say aye.
Congratulations, Randy.
Uh, Councilman Mosley, City Council members, thank you so much for this honor.
I want to thank my family for being here.
My friends, some of them are here, some of them in that first row.
Thank you all so much.
You made it the most meaningful 38 years.
Really appreciate it.
Thank you.
I'd like to ask my colleagues to come up and take a group photo.
I don't know how fast we're really five times.
Now, if all those here for Take Your Father to School Day would please come forward.
Is that Sean?
Ice we are seeing there.
A lot of us.
Uh, wherever you would like.
Yeah, why don't you come over here?
So I will present the proclamation, then I'll turn it over to Mr.
Brentley for whatever may follow, but what I want to first do is just say thank you.
Um the fact that you've continued this over, I believe it's twenty-eight years now.
Yes, sir.
Um is a testament to your commitment to our children, to our schools, and I also want to thank PPS.
Uh we have a number of board directors here for their commitment to continue to embrace this.
Um this long honored tradition.
Whereas Friday, May 15th, 2026 has been designated as the twenty eighth annual Take a Father to School Day in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Whereas this event involves every branch of school district and consistently draws the participation of thousands of fathers and male guardians annually with attendance exceeding seven thousand participants.
Whereas the goal of a Take a Father to School Day under the guidance of founder Mark Brentley Sr.
and the committee is to bring men into the school building to establish better communication with schools, understand that they are welcome in schools, and explore opportunities for volunteering and becoming more involved in their child's education.
Whereas this year's partners are the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Cayman Science Center, as well as a variety of other organizations that have continued to support the success of Take a Father to School Day initiative over the years.
And it's not always easy, but we have to be consistent.
So what you see here is consistency.
We have a couple of folks who want to say a few words, but I want to also take a second to apologize.
Uh, because early on, many of you know that we had a date posted months ago, and we did not reach out to everybody to let them know that we changed that it was been changed.
And so to those who are watching, I do apologize, and uh, we're still here, still going strong.
Secondly, the men that you see in these shirts, the gold church, and and committee, just throw your hands up, just throw your hands up.
Uh, those are these are the men we meet four to six times a year.
We're all volunteers, and we simply sit there with our pen and pad and scratch our heads and we say, what can we do this year to make it better and to make it being cool to be an active father and being involved with your children?
So to the committee members who are here in the gold church, we say thank you.
And we, of course, we're still at colors, you know, we're trying to get down like that too.
And so we're excited.
But the ex the most important thing to remember is the success of this program is only because we have a school district who has been outstanding with stepping up and really getting involved.
And uh we always acknowledge that, and we first want to start this proclamation off with the chief of staff uh Blackwell, if you can share some words, please.
Good morning.
On behalf of Pittsburgh Public Schools, it is truly an honor to stand with you as we proclaim the 28th annual Take a Father to School Day.
My name is Lamar Blackwell, and I proudly serve as the chief of staff for Pittsburgh Public Schools.
I would like to first acknowledge our superintendent, Dr.
Wayne N.
Walters for his unapologetic commitment to student success and community partnership.
He could not be here with us today as he is celebrating with our seniors who are preparing to graduate.
I also would like to acknowledge our PPS board members in attendance, board President Gene Walker, board director Dwayne Barker, and board director Devin Talaferro, and to the visionary behind this movement, Mr.
Mark Brentley Sr.
Sir.
Sir, we thank you for reminding us that when fathers show up, schools are stronger and students truly thrive.
We understand that students don't care how much you know until they truly know how much you care, and this very event perpetuates the fact that there are men who care and are deeply invested in building the leaders of tomorrow.
And to the women who helped carry this work forward behind the scenes, Miss Erica Gandhi and Director Mercedes Williams, your leadership, coordination, and dedication, ensure that this initiative continues to grow and impact lives across our district.
Let's give them a round of applause.
This year's theme, NFL needs for learning, fathers scoring big for student success is more than just simply a slogan.
It's a continued call to action to the men stepping up to be present, to continue to lead and to engage.
Because when fathers and father figures are in the game, our students win academically, socially, and emotionally.
So with that, let today's proclamation not just mark the beginning, but ignite a movement across our 54 schools.
And on behalf of Pittsburgh Public Schools, I declare that Take a Father to School Day will live on forever.
We'll see you all on May 15th, ready to show up and make a difference.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chief of Staff Black.
Well, we really appreciate the words, and I'm glad you mentioned one thing, and I also want to take a moment to say something else about the women and the mothers in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
And I say it each and every opportunity that I get.
This particular day is not to outshine.
It is not anti-women, anti, it is nothing.
It is simply a call to order call to work.
Get up, men.
For many, many years.
Our mothers and our wives have been taking care of this school district.
Our PTOs, PTAs, PSCCs, all are run by our mothers.
Then they have to go home and do have a full-time job or a part-time job.
Then they have to be mothers and they have to take care of the home.
And we just simply have to step up.
Okay.
So that's what this day is about.
So we once again want to acknowledge the work that was already put in.
We're just catching up.
Okay.
Next, I'd like to have Director Barker, who's going to help identify some of the individuals that we have here, followed by Director Barker, will be the Litany of Commitment, which is a commitment that we do every year.
And for those who are in the viewing audience, we publicly have to say our commitment to children.
We just was able to do it last week for the Steelers, right?
And we stood down there without lawn chairs or folding chairs, and we did it and stood for them.
Now it's time to stand for our children.
So please get ready behind him.
We will have, of course, leading it off will be the reverend.
Good morning, everyone.
I'm going to try to go as quick as possible because we understand time is money.
Let me first start off by echoing what uh Brother Mark Senior said.
Uh, can we really just give a round of applause?
A strong round of applause for these amazing women that have been the 12 blazers.
Also, I want to really quickly thank um President Lavell as well as every single councilman and councilwoman uh for really uh opening the doors and embracing uh this movement.
Without further ado, I'm gonna just shout out a couple people and as well as a couple organizations.
So uh we want to shout out reach, we want to shout out reading this fundamental, Father Collaborative Council, 100 Black Men of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Big Brothers Big Sisters, BAM Youth Guidance, One Nation North Mentoring, the National Center of Urban Solutions and Power House, Move Vision Sports, Omega Sapphire Fraternity, Steel City Squaw Center, Tim Stevens with BPEP, George Flemings with the uh Fathers Touch, Keith Murphy, Healthy Village Project, Pastor Courtney Meadows, Central Baptist Church.
Also want to shout out again our partners, Carnegie Library of uh Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Parish, Pittsburgh Stellars, and Cayman Sass Center.
And of course, we want to most definitely give a huge shout out to the Pittsburgh Public and Early Childhood Students, families, and staff, as well as Chief Blackwell, for that amazing speech.
Uh, PPS, uh, President, Director Walker, uh, Director Tallaferro, um, as well as uh Dr.
Walters, our um superintendent, and all of the board directors uh that most definitely put the work in for the uh families of Pittsburgh Public Schools.
And we also would like to give a shout out to former state representative uh Martel Covington.
Thank you all.
Thank you, Director Barker.
Uh and those of you who have copies of the litany, you know how this respond, uh how we work.
Uh they'll say uh the few words.
It will be uh brother Tim and Brother Uh Mike will speak, and then there's a response, and then we all speak uh agree at the end.
So if you can, gentlemen.
Good morning, everybody.
Good morning.
Want to hear it nice and loud.
Wake up.
We dedicate the 2026 Take Your Father to School Day, involvement of fathers and father figures in the education of their children, and to the collaborative support of educators of our stakeholders.
We rejoice that fathers and father figures, students, educators, and supporters are assembled under the banner of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, take a father to school day.
And we ask for Gods as we grow in our development concerning the importance and impact of fathers and father figures, and in our needs to embrace relationships and resources for the benefit of our children.
To the honor of our community, and to all of those who share a responsibility in raising our youth.
To the administrators, teachers, parents, and community leaders who are responsible for the equality of education for our children.
We dedicate two dollars in Pittsburgh of the School Day on the school day.
For us to visualize, actualize, internalize, conceptualize, and realize that we are a critical piece in a child's physical, social, and emotional, autistic, and cognitive development.
We raise our collective voices with a sense of urgency, believe, show to all we are here, we are proud, and we are committed.
To the call for a new and extended independent initiative in education, where fathers and father figures can be regularly seen here and represented throughout the educational experience.
As we understand that something that we must do for our health.
We have been leaders to bring us to this point for our studies.
We dedicate ourselves for our children and usually serving as positive representation of our figures and honor for our lives and presence in our children and blessed physically in the life of God.
Thank you, gentlemen.
What we'd like to do is just we're going to get ready to close out.
We're going to do our father's cheer, but I want to remind folks as usual.
We will have t-shirts downstairs.
We will also have some lunches and men or asked to stick around and fellowship if you like.
And then we have a couple things we're just going to raffle off.
So we're just going to enjoy ourselves, and once again, this is a kickoff to prepare for the 15th.
And to those of you who are not familiar with it, the 15th is the actual day.
You can go to any one of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, and there's a set of activities designed to attract and invite men into that building.
And we're asking men and fathers to participate.
We want to put out a special thank you to all of our teachers because they are super creative with some of the activities with donuts for dads.
Perry High School is going to have a basketball game.
I think Dads Against Fathers, Dwayne.
So we won award in 2012, and we're pretty excited about that.
What I'd like to do before we do our cheer, I believe our president is here, and if the honorable president of the Pittsburgh School Board, Mr.
Gene Walker, if you would give us some comments, we appreciate it.
Thank you, Mr.
Brentley.
Thank you, President Lavelle, thank you, Pittsburgh City Council.
On behalf of the Board of Directors for Pittsburgh Public Schools, it is our honor to reaffirm our commitment to take your father to school day.
Uh and hope that one day it becomes every day that fathers are engaging uh at a high level with their young people as they go through school, uh, both visibly and behind the scenes, like so many of us are.
Uh and so with that we continue uh with our commitment to making sure that our schools are open, safe, and welcoming for all of our friends and families to come with our students.
So thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Well, and in closing, remember it's the hardest thing sometimes for fathers to get up and get out.
You gotta take off if you're working, you gotta set things aside, you have to make sure that you go and you also try to take another father with you.
So we are determined, we just simply put our fist in the ear.
Gentlemen, on your right arm, right hand, and we just do the Pittsburgh chair.
When I say Pittsburgh, you say fathers, and we do it three times each time we go louder.
Pittsburgh!
Pittsburgh!
Pittsburgh!
Thank you, members of council.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
I've been fine, I'm not here.
I see that.
Yeah.
I'll be dead in the show himself.
I'm good, how are you?
And I believe we have one proclamation to be read into the record.
Councilmember Coghill presents.
Be it further resolved that the council of the city of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Saturday, May 2nd, 2026, to be Richard Steigerwald Day in the City of Pittsburgh.
Maybe we have a motion to approve.
So move.
Second.
All favor say aye.
Aye.
Proclamation has been approved.
Our next order of business is public comment.
I would like to remind everyone that the rules of council of state that comments are limited to Master Cassidy, official action or deliberation, which may be before City Council, profanity would not be permitted.
After you recall, please restate your name, provide your neighborhood for the record.
You'll be given three minutes to speak.
Our first registered speaker, Dr.
Ronald and Miller.
Dr.
Miller.
United States, Pittsburgh, Homewood North neighborhood.
The space upstairs.
Mr.
Mosley, you've been there.
Algeria, Algiers, Kazbah neighborhood.
Rye, Jazz.
Is in the Pittsburgh City Ally Network that I have created.
And the Casboh neighborhood in the PCN Pittsburgh City Neighborhood Network, which I've also created 2025.
That is an Arabic Islamic reference.
Concern of this council is to offer fact over fiction to us through the offices of Council and Mayor of OSCM through intelligence information.
And it is clearly a concern of mine.
Dad stood up when Mendoza was chosen number one.
Fact or false.
It's false.
His dad did not stand up, but this got a lot of play in the city and across the country.
But we did have a lot of obscene beefcake images.
We had man muscle analytics, but there were no measures for the skull, no measures for interior cortical uh cushion.
I find this very, very troubling.
Um but I think we can turn, we ought to turn from this brain body blast to uh African uh Bhutto and Algerian Jazz uh Rye.
Uh Khaled Ibrahim is one of the most outstanding uh performers in Algerian jazz.
Jazz is not just uh a black thing, or apologies for people who are dark-skinned of African descent.
Uh Wolfgang Mozart was known for improvisation.
If improvisation is the core of jazz, which I think it is, um what he would do in a lot of public performances, he would say, give me three notes.
Three notes, and he would create something right on the spot.
Uh Miles Davis was famous for a lot of things, and one of them was what do you do?
And he said, I play what isn't there.
Exactly.
Thank you.
Our next register speaker is Bethany Cameron.
Good morning, Council members.
My name is Bethany Cameron.
I live in Overbrook, and I'm here again representing InformUp.org, a local news nonprofit which reports weekly on public meetings, asks readers to weigh in on what matters to them, and delivers that feedback to elected officials.
Our community survey ran from April 24th through 2028, and 104 readers responded.
Eight of nine districts were represented.
I'll cover three issues today.
Large event outcomes, the Pitt grant, and youth athletic fields.
Number one, regarding priorities for large city events.
We asked when the city hosts large events like the NFL draft, which outcome matters most to you.
Forty-three percent of respondents prioritized boosting Pittsburgh's national reputation.
22 percent prioritized minimizing disruption to residents, 15 percent focused on recovering the full cost of city services, and 14 percent uh wanted to see generating immediate neighborhood revenue.
Number two, regarding the University of Pittsburgh grant spending.
We told readers the city has flexibility in how it spends the University of Pittsburgh grant.
Which of the following should be the top priority?
Twenty-one percent prioritize parks repairs, thirteen percent selected small business support through Main Street programs, ten percent wanted to see public safety facility upgrades, nine percent selected improvements near Pitts Campus, and forty percent of respondents favored spreading the funds equally across all categories.
A resident from Bloomfield said, I am wary of the acceptance of Pitt's five million dollar donation spread across five years.
This is only one million dollars per year, which is certainly lower uh than what they would contribute to the city in taxes.
Lastly, regarding youth athletic field funding, we asked readers do you think this city should dedicate a portion of its annual budget specifically to maintaining youth athletic fields?
76% of respondents somewhat or strongly supported dedicated funding for youth athletic fields, 10% somewhat are strongly opposed.
A resident from Squirrel Hill said, as someone whose child played baseball in the city proper, it was painfully obvious how poor the options for fields were.
As always, we will send the full report to you later today.
Thank you for considering this feedback.
Thank you.
Our last registered speaker is Jennifer Wirtz.
Is Jennifer Wirtz with us?
If not, that exhaust our list of registered speakers.
If there's anyone in chambers wishing to speak, please come forward at this time, provide your name and your neighborhood for the record.
Good morning.
The missing child, Cherise Taylor, Special Agent Sunshine.
Lord, thank you for everybody who plays a part in this identity theft fraud slash Rico case.
I forgive them all for this injustice, but whatever your wrath slash judgment is for them, bring it like a force of nature in Jesus' name.
The title of my message today is The Will of God.
Lord, whatever your will is for my life, your will be done in Jesus' name, amen.
First Thessalonians 5, 16 and 7 through 18 says, be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
I give thanks in song music.
I'm a female vocalist, and I can't praise God in this chamber.
That's gonna change, I promise you, like a force of nature, Laval.
The wisdom for today comes from Proverbs 1129.
He who brings trouble on his family will inherent only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.
Mosley.
Jeremiah 4936 says, I will bring against Elon the four winds for the four quarters from the four quarters of heaven.
I will scan them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elon's exiles do not go.
I must be an exile.
There will be no nations.
I will not go.
Hallelujah.
Ecclesiastes 7, 27 through 28 says, look, says the teacher.
This is what I discovered.
Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things.
While I was still searching but not finding finding, I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all.
City clerk.
It's amazing how they just come out like that.
Philippians 2.4 says, each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Like some of us would like to perform at some of these venues that you have.
But because of who I am, I'm being blocked on every level in every way.
But you will never block the will of God from my life, ever.
Says, care about them as much as you care about yourselves.
Really?
One person gave me a gift, but it was to me, you know, I was kind of like, really, y'all stole a million from me, but you give me a hundred dollars.
Okay, billions you've taken from me.
Thank you for the gift.
In Jesus' name, I will continue to pray for your health and strength.
Amen.
Thank you.
Next speaker, please.
Council of Selective Action.
Council of Convenience, Council of Lookaway Leadership.
My name is Eunique Brown.
And I was just in Washington, D.C.
last week.
And I went to the National Museum of African American history.
And the U.S.
Holocaust Museum.
And I didn't just walk through history.
I felt it.
I saw what happens when people in power stay comfortable while others suffer.
I saw what silence cost.
I saw what delay destroys.
And then to come back here to this city.
And it feels way too familiar.
I have a simple question.
What did they fight for?
If I'm still standing here and have to fight just to be heard.
Just to get a question answered.
Because we're not going to play confused in this room.
I brought my issues to you over and over.
While they got worse.
Well, I told you how they got worse.
I was asking for help.
And before y'all even tried to understand me, before y'all tried to help me, y'all ran to the white woman that I brought here.
Not me.
Y'all asked her what she needed.
How y'all can help her?
Nobody asked me anything.
But um so no one can ever ask me why I feel white people are favored over black people.
I have the memory of what y'all did in this room.
That wasn't history.
That was y'all.
And that's the problem.
Y'all love to honor history when it's behind glass.
But when it's in front of you, speaking, breathing, hurting, you hesitate, you delay, you look for someone else to validate it.
That's not leadership, that's avoidance.
And I'm tired, tired of watching my community and me be treated like an aftersight.
Tired of the solutions moving slower than the problems.
Tired of being expected to be calm while I'm being dismissed.
I'll say this clearly.
I don't need you to be comfortable.
Y'all don't care if I'm comfortable.
I need y'all to for some accountability.
Because history doesn't just remember the people who did wrong, it remembers the people who had the power to do right, but didn't.
I live at 715 Mercer Street.
That's in KD Worry's tires.
The tall building up the top of Bedford, the real tall building.
It's a hundred and ninety apartments in that uh building.
Now I keep I come come before you and lately my daughter has been coming.
Now her she um she's a grown woman, she's speaking how she feels, and I haven't been saying anything about her situation, but today I feel that I should.
Um she's coming down and telling you the problems that she's having.
But what bothers me is my grandchildren have to get up at 5:30 in the morning to be able to get to school here in Pittsburgh.
It's hurting because their children have to stand out in the coal.
I get papers that I'm gonna be evicted.
Well, that's been straightened out.
But you just need to really think about the women when they have children.
Because the children are suffering.
And I you know how I used to be a school guard, so I know what they're going through to have to stand out there in the coal.
But that's not what I was going to talk about.
I you know, when I think about the children, I do cry because they shouldn't have to go through this.
They could have had other places to live if they had just helped my daughter.
Okay, and I was I don't want to talk about that anymore.
But I wanted to say this.
God is good.
Because the day when they had those men from take your fathers to school, I was able to go to them and say about these kids out there fighting people on the buses in downtown that we need you men to go on the buses and take and also be downtown.
If we can start maybe a list, because the mothers could do it too.
I'm willing to do it.
I'm willing to take this on because the children, we have to be there.
I believe if the children see the men there, you wouldn't have you wouldn't have the problem.
But God is good because the men said that they will talk to the children.
They're gonna be in the school.
Isn't that good?
God is good.
Thank you.
Next speaker, please.
Next speaker, please.
See no further speakers.
We'll move on to the presentation of papers beginning with Councilman Charlotte and Churchill Resources.
Morning, Mr.
President.
More Council Person Charlotte presents Bill No.
427, ordnance amending ordinance supplementing the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title 1, Administrative, Article 7, Procedures by adding a new chapter, Chapter 173A, Housing Data Dashboard, by amending the chapter number to conform to the numbering in Article 7 of the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances.
The new chapter shall be numbered 162A.
And Councilman Carkill, Chair of Public Safety and Wellness.
No new papers, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
Councilman Gross, Chair of Innovation Performance, Asset Management and Technology.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
Councilwoman Gross presents Bill No.
408, resolution amending Resolution 119 of 2025, which authorized the mayor and the director of the Department of Public Works to enter into a professional services agreement or agreements with Right Smart Technologies Inc., which provides trash and recycling, routing optimization for the purchase and implementation of navigation software that will provide turn-by-turn directions to environmental service drivers through November 30, 2027, by increasing the total amount by 113,280 for new total cost not to exceed 360,407.
And Councilman Mosley, Chair of Ingovernal Educational Affairs.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Clerk.
Councilman Mosley presents Bill No.
409.
Resolution adopting plan revision to the City of Pittsburgh's official sewage facilities plan for 217 to 239 Helkett Street at no cost to the city.
Bill 410 resolution amending resolution 571 of 2021 in order to authorize the mayor and the director of the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh to amend a cooperation agreement or agreements with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy for maintenance of plantings and other planting-related infrastructure in the public rights of way throughout the city of Pittsburgh at no cost to the city.
Bill 411 resolution amending resolution 297 of 2025 providing for a reimbursement agreement or agreements with Pittsburgh Water for costs associated with the Smithfield Street Phase 1 project where Pittsburgh Water would be responsible for paying 100% of the actual expenses involved in certain work to be described in the agreement and an amount not to exceed 123,000 and further amending resolution 924 of 2024 effective December 18, 2024, entitled Resolution Adopting and Approving the 2025 Capital Budget, the proposed 2025 Community Development Program, and the 2025 through 2030 Capital Improvement Program by increasing Smithfield Street Phase 1 TIP by 123,000.
Bill 412 Resolution authorizing the Pittsburgh Land Bank to acquire all the city's right title and interest, if any, and into the publicly owned properties in the 12th ward city of Pittsburgh, designated in the deed registry office of Allegheny County.
It's block 125A, lot 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, and 133, 0 Lincoln Avenue and Zero Mayflower Street, District 9, at no cost to the city.
And Bill 413.
Resolution authorizing the Pittsburgh Land Bank to acquire all the city's right, title, and interest, if any, and into the publicly owned properties in the 15th Ford City of Pittsburgh, designated in the deed Registry Office of Allegheny County is Block 55 P, Lots 15, 0 Chatsworth Street, District 5, Lot 16, 0 Chatsworth Street, District 5, Lot 45, 0 Monongahela Street, District 5.
Lot 57, 0 Monongahela Street, District 5.
Lot 58, 0 Monongahela Street, District 5.
Lot 60, 0 Monongahela Street, District 5.
Lot 62, Zero Monongahela Street, District 5, Lot 64, 0 Mononga Halo Street, District 5, Lot 67, 0 Mononga Hela Street, District 5, Lot 68, 0 Monagahela Street, District 5, Lot 69, 0 Mononga Hale Street, District 5, Lot 70, 0 Monongahela Street, District 5, Lot 71, 0 Mononga Hale Street, District 5, and Block 56B, Lot 37, Zero Berwick Street, District 5, at no cost to the city.
And Councilwoman Salonetra, Chair of Public Works and Infrastructure.
Thank you, Council President.
Thank you.
Councilwoman Style Nature presents Bill No.
414.
Resolution authorizing the mayor and the Director of Finance on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh to enter into an agreement or agreements or amendments thereto with various parties for the purpose of accessing city property while certain railroad crossing at Lockway East and Lockway West, Council District 7, are being upgraded or removed at no cost to the city.
Bill 415, resolution amending Resolution 866 of 2025, which authorize the mayor and the director of the Department of Public Works to enter into a professional service agreement between the City of Pittsburgh and Studio Zood for costs associated with the Homewood Park Construction Project for the construction administration schedule extension and transfer a fee from reimbursable expenses by increasing the total spend by 48,000 for new not to exceed amount of $2,137,082 and 30 cent.
Bill 416, resolution amending resolution number 201, effective May 14, 2022, entitled authorizing the mayor and the director of the Department of Public Works to enter into an agreement or agreements or use of existing agreements between the City of City of Pittsburgh and Clavon Design Associates Inc.
for the professional landscape architectural services for Sheridan Park 1 design.
The total cost not to exceed $300,000 by increasing the total allocation by amount of $10,945 for a new total of $310,945.
Bill 417.
Resolution providing for an agreement or agreements with A.
Morante Contracting Inc.
for costs associated with the construction phase of the Smithfield Street Reconstruction Project Providing for the payment costs not to exceed $6,672,202 and 56 cent.
Bill 418.
Resolution accepting.
Resolution authorizing acceptance by the City of Pittsburgh for dedication of certain right of way in and around North Avenue and Brought Brighton Road in conjunction with the bridge reconstruction thereto at no cost to the city, located in the 22nd ward, city of Pittsburgh.
And Councilman Strassberger, Chair of Finance and Law.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Councilperson Strasburg represents Bill No.
420.
Resolution authorizing the issuance of a warrant in favor of Mary Alan DeMarco Ruby for single payment in 2026 in an amount not to exceed $5,000 in full and final settlement of litigation filed in common please court of Allegheny County.
And Councilman Warwick, Chair of Recreation, Youth and Senior Services, Councilman Wilson.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Councilwoman Warwick presents Bill No.
419.
Resolution authorizing the issuance of a warrant in favor of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy located at 317 East Carson Street, West Tower, Suite 230 for the reimbursement for horticultural and forestry work completed in Allegheny Commons, August Wilson, Emerald View, Highland and Riverview Parks, any amount of 250,000.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
Councilman Wilson presents Bill No.
426.
And for myself.
Council President Lavelle presents 421 communication from Rhea Price, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, submitting to City Council the attached status update from the grant's office for the weekended April 24th, 2026.
I need a motion to re-receive and file.
So moved.
Second.
All those in favor say aye.
Aye.
Bills would be re-received and filed.
Our next order of business is reports of the committee for final action, beginning with Council Person Erica Straussberger presenting the committee of finance and law.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Councilperson Strasburger presents Bill No.
402.
Report of the Committee on Finance and Law for April 20th, 2026 with an affirmative recommendation.
Bill 361, resolution authorizing the issuance of a warrant in favor of Joseph Nitz and their legal counsel, Bordis and Bordis, PLLC for a single payment in 2026 in an amount not to exceed $85,000 in full and final settlement of litigation in the Common Please Court of Allegheny County.
Bill 362.
Resolution authorizing the issuance of a warrant in favor of Foster and Foster for payment for professional services rendered in the Act 111 interest arbitration between the City of Pittsburgh and a fraternal order of police for an amount not to exceed $17,850 over one year.
Bill 363.
Resolution authorizing the issuance of a warrant in favor of Sergeant's Court Reporting Service for Legal Transcript Services for an amount not to exceed $11,078 and 50 cent over one year.
Bill 364.
Resolution authorizing the issuance of a warrant in favor of Ronald Tallerico, Esquire for arbitration services for an amount not to exceed $17,726 over one year.
And Bill 370, resolution further amending resolution 840 of 2019, effective December 23rd, 2019, entitled Resolution Adopting and Approving the 2020 Capital Budget and a 2020 Community Development Block Grant Program in the 2020 through 2025 capital improvement program by reducing facility improvements city facilities by $50,000 and increasing lower Heath's run by $50,000.
You have heard the reading and title of the bill.
Is there any discussion?
Seeing none, the bill is now ready for final action.
All in favor to pass through the bill will vote aye.
Ron name is called.
Those opposed will vote no.
Would the clerk please take the roll?
Mr.
Sharland.
Aye.
Mr.
Coghill.
Aye.
Ms.
Gross.
Aye.
Mr.
Mosley.
Aye.
Mrs.
Salonetra.
Aye.
Mrs.
Strasburger.
Aye.
Mrs.
Warwick.
Aye.
Mr.
Wilson.
Aye.
Mr.
Lavelle, President.
Aye.
Nine ayes, zero no's.
The bill will have received the legal requirement of votes is passed.
Finally, that moves us to Councilwoman Kim Silanetro presenting the Committee of Public Works and Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
Councilwoman Salonetro presents Bill No.
403.
Report of the Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure for April 20th, 2026 with an affirmative recommendation.
Bill 335.
Chapter 174 Right of Way.
Accessibility needs inventory by updating the chapter number to 162B.
Bill 354.
Resolution authorizing pursuant to chapter 210 acceptance of gifts to the city of the city code, the mayor and the director of the Department of Public Works to accept a donation from laborers district council in the amount of $300,000 for the purchase and installation of scoreboards at fields use for youth sports in the city.
Bill 355.
Resolution authorizing the mayor, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the Director of the Department of Public Works to enter into an agreement or agreements with pirate charities for the purpose of receiving grant funds in the amount of $300,000 to provide upgrades to youth baseball and softball fields.
Bill 356.
Resolution authorizing the mayor, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and a Director of the Department of Public Works to apply for grant funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Program to provide funding for the Emerald View Park Tree Implementation Project.
The grant proposal includes an ask not to exceed $250,000 with the match not to exceed $250,000 from the City of Pittsburgh's Capital Budget for total project cost not to exceed $500,000 for this stated purpose.
Bill 357, resolution authorizing the mayor, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the Director of the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure to apply for grant funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Program to provide funding for repaving a portion of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.
The grant proposal includes an ask of $250,000 with the match not to exceed $250,000 from the City of Pittsburgh's Capital Budget for total project cost not to exceed $500,000 for this stated purpose.
Bill 358.
Resolution authorizing the mayor, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and a director of the Department of Public Works to apply for grant funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Program to provide funding for the renovation of Fort Pitt Park.
The grant proposal includes an ask not to exceed $500,000 with the match not to exceed $500,000 from the City of Pittsburgh's Capital Budget for total project cost not to exceed $1 million for this stated purpose.
Bill 359 resolution authorizing the mayor and the director of the Office of Management and Budget to enter into an agreement or agreements with the University of Pittsburgh for the purpose of receiving grant funds and any amount not to exceed $5 million to be used for parks, capital improvements, URA Main Street programs, public safety facilities, equipment, fleet, or special initiatives.
Bill 360, resolution providing for an agreement or agreements with Johnson.
Marmorin and Thompson Inc.
for costs associated with construction inspection and contract administration for the raise grant project, providing for the payment of the cost thereof not to exceed $1,116,000 $34 and 87 cent reimbursable at 80%.
Bill 369 resolution authorizing the mayor, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and a director of the Department of City Planning to apply for grant funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Program to provide funding for the Allegheny Riverfront Rail Connectivity Planning Project.
The grant proposal includes an ask of $50,000 with a match not to exceed $50,000 from the City of Pittsburgh's capital budget for a total project not to exceed $100,000 for this stated purpose.
And Bill 388.
Resolution providing for an amended reimbursement agreement or agreements with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for costs associated with the preliminary design, final design, right-of-way, and construction phases of the Smithfield Street Reconstruction Project, and providing for the payment of the cost thereof not to exceed $10,126,000, an increase of $236,000 from the previous revolution resolution, reimbursable at 80%, and a municipal share of Commonwealth incurred costs not to exceed $45,000, a zero dollar increase from the previous resolution 72 of 2026.
You've heard the reading of the title of the bills.
Seeing none, the bill is not ready for final action.
All in favor to pass of the bill will vote aye for name is called.
Those opposed will vote no with a clerk, please take the roll.
Mr.
Sharland.
Aye.
Mr.
Coghill.
Aye.
Ms.
Gross.
Aye.
Mr.
Mosley.
Aye.
Mrs.
Salonetro.
Aye.
Mrs.
Strasberger.
Aye.
Mrs.
Warwick.
Aye.
Mr.
Wilson.
Aye.
Mr.
Lavelle, President.
Aye.
Nine ayes, zero no's.
Bill having received the legal partner of the votes is passed finally.
That moves us to Councilperson Robert Sharlin, presenting the committee of human resources.
Council Person Charlotte presents Bill No.
404.
Report of the Committee on Human Resources for April 20th, 2026 with an affirmative recommendation.
Bill 347.
Resolution providing the authorization to make all legitimate expenditures for payments and agreements or agreements with various agencies to provide job development and employment services, wages and fringe benefits for supervisor, staff, workers' compensation, unemployment compensation, vocational skills training, and on the job training, outreach, recruitment costs, and administrative expenditures necessary to implement the 2025 Pittsburgh Partnership Employment Program and providing the periodic transfer of funds to be used in the 2025 Pittsburgh Partnership Employment Program and for the payment of the Class Larev not to exceed $320,000.
Bill 348 resolution providing for the filing of applications by the Commonwealth of PA Department of Human Services for grants and connection with the Joint Jobs Initiatives Program Employment Advancement and Retention Network and providing for the authorization to earn to enter into agreements with various agencies and to pay for expenditures for cost to support implement and administer the program cost not to exceed $3,828,594.
You've heard the reading and title of the bills or any discussion on the bill.
Seeing none, the bill is now ready for final action.
All in favor to pass the bill before I name is called.
Those opposed will vote no.
Will the clerk please take the roll?
Mr.
Sharland.
Aye.
Mr.
Coghill.
Aye.
Ms.
Gross.
Aye.
Mr.
Mosley.
Mrs.
Salvanetra.
Aye.
Mrs.
Strasberger.
Aye.
Mrs.
Warwick.
Aye.
Mr.
Wilson.
Aye.
Mr.
Lavelle, President.
Aye.
Nine ayes, zero no's.
The bill haven't received the legally required number of votes is passed finally.
That moves us to Councilman Bobby Wilson, presenting the committee of land use economic development.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
Councilman Wilson presents bill number 405.
Report of the committee on land use and economic development for April 20th, 2026 with an affirmative recommendation.
Bill 320.
Resolution further amending resolution 863 of 2018.
Effective January 1, 2019, as amended and titled.
Resolution adopting and approving the 2019 Capital Budget and the 2019 Community Development Block Grant Program and the 2019 through 2024 capital improvement program by reducing facility improvements, recreation, and senior centers by 400,000, and increasing remediation of condemned buildings by 400,000.
Yes.
Councilman Gross.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
So I mentioned this last week, and just as a reminder, so these funds of 400,000 have been allocated to projects in Bloomfield for a number of years.
Um in Bloomfield and its boundary neighborhoods, so the Penn Avenue corridor with Garfield, the Baum Center Corridor with Shady Side, the Penn and Main Corridor with Lawrenceville, as well as a master plan in Bloomfield, again, which is a very large and densely populated city neighborhood that has a variety of pressures on it.
And when that was unable to be executed or wasn't executed by several mayoral administrations, the neighborhood built consensus around allocating these funds to the Bloomfield Rec and Senior Center at the Bloomfield Park, which has been closed for decades.
And from you know, really gets users and kids from many different neighborhoods because it's such a centrally located park.
And so, as a reminder, there is a second budget line that is still in existence.
That is a contract that's underway to do planning for stabilizing this structure that is the rec center at about 180,000.
Um it is very heartbreaking for Bloomfield to see these funds being moved to other districts and to demolitions in other districts.
So however, we do acknowledge that the source of the funds, these these federal funds, these are federal funds, the community development block grant funds that have a ticking timer on them that is coming to an end.
They have to be used immediately or we will lose these funds.
Um but it's our goal as a neighborhood to uh find and restore um the 400,000 dollars from other parts of the city budget.
So I will be talking more about this with the administration and my colleagues here at council.
So I cannot vote yes on this.
I do want to acknowledge that something has to these funds have to move somewhere because they can't be used for this use immediately, and they need to be used immediately.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
Any further discussion?
Seeing none, the bill is not ready for final action.
All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote aye.
When their name is called, those opposed will vote no, but the clerk please take the roll.
Mr.
Sharland.
Aye.
Mr.
Coghill, aye.
Ms.
Gross, no.
Mr.
Mosley.
Aye.
Mrs.
Salonetra.
Aye.
Mrs.
Strasberger.
Aye.
Mrs.
Warwick.
Aye.
Mr.
Wilson.
Aye.
Mr.
Lavell, President.
Aye.
Eight ayes, one no.
The bill having received the legally required number of votes is passed finally.
That moves us to Councilwoman Deborah Gross, presenting the committee of innovation performance, asset management and technology.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
Councilwoman Gross presents Bill No.
349.
Resolution authorizing the issuance of a warrant payable in favor of Insight Software LLC for one-time auditing and accounting technology services for an amount not to exceed $5,499.
You have heard the reading and title of the bill.
Is there any discussion on the bill?
Seeing none, the bill is not ready for final action.
All in favor to pass of the bill will vote aye in name is called.
Those opposed will vote no with a clerk, please take the roll.
Mr.
Charland.
Aye.
Mr.
Coghill.
Aye.
Ms.
Gross.
Aye.
Mr.
Mosley.
Aye.
Mrs.
Salonetro.
Aye.
Mrs.
Strasberger.
Aye.
Mrs.
Warwick.
Aye.
Mr.
Wilson.
Aye.
Mr.
Lavell President.
Aye.
Nine ayes, zero no's.
The bill having received the legal legally required number of votes is passed finally.
And finally, Councilman Carey Mosley, presented a committee of intergovernmental educational affairs.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Councilman Mosley presents bill number 407.
Report of the committee on intergovernmental and educational affairs for April 20th, 2026 with an affirmative recommendation.
Bill 350.
Resolution amending resolution 662 of 2024.
Entitled Resolution Authorizing the Mayor and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to enter into an NFL draft funding agreement or agreements with the Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Ain't doing business as Visit Pittsburgh for the coordination of municipal governmental and other services required for the 2026 NFL draft at a cost not to exceed 1 million dollars over three years, plus the value of various in-con city services to provide authorization for an amendment granting receipt by the city for an amount not to exceed $2 million from Visit Pittsburgh for reimbursement of certain expenses incurred by the city as a result of the 2026 NFL draft.
Bill 351 resolution authorizing the acceptance of a deed by the City of Pittsburgh for a parcel of rural property from Pittsburgh Regional Transit for the purpose of dedicating the property as public park space to be incorporated into Brooklyn Memorial Park at no cost to the city.
Bill 352 resolution authorizing the mayor and the director of the Department of Public Works to enter into an agreement or agreements with the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh for the City of Pittsburgh to access the housing authority of the City of Pittsburgh's land for tree planting entrail establishment cost not to exceed one dollar for the duration of the project and bill 353 resolution approving execution of a contract for disposition by sale of land between the URA of Pittsburgh and Gaia Space LLC or a related entity for the sub of block 50F lots 147 and 148 10th ward city of Pittsburgh Rosetta Street District 9 at no cost to the city.
You have heard the reading and time of the bill.
Is there any discussion?
Seeing none, the bill is not ready for final action.
All in favor to pass of the bill will vote either name is called.
Those opposed will vote no with a clerk, please take the roll.
Mr.
Sharland.
Aye.
Mr.
Coghill.
Aye.
Ms.
Gross.
Aye.
Mr.
Mosley.
Aye.
Mrs.
Salonetro.
Aye.
Mrs.
Strasburger.
Aye.
Mrs.
Warwick.
Aye.
Mr.
Wilson.
Aye.
Mr.
Lavell President.
Aye.
Nine ayes, zero no's.
The bill having received the legal required number of votes is passed.
Finally.
That takes us to uh motions and resolutions.
Is there anything for members?
If not, we have meeting announcements this afternoon at one o'clock.
Council will hold an executive session for Bill 420 as relates to litigation.
And tomorrow Wednesday, April 29th at 10 a.m.
Council will hold our standing committee meeting.
Speaker registration will close at nine.
To register speak at this meeting, please vote to sign a form on the council meeting webpage or call clerk's office at 412-255-2138.
With that, all were present.
Need a motion to approve the minutes and adjourn the meeting.
I moved.
Second.
All those in favor say aye.
Aye.
We are adjourned.
Pittsburgh City Council Regular Meeting - April 28, 2026
The Pittsburgh City Council held its regular meeting on April 28, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers with all nine members present. The meeting featured proclamations, a will of council supporting fair streaming pay for musicians, public comment, introduction of new legislation, and final passage of numerous resolutions and ordinances. A notable 8-1 vote occurred on a capital budget amendment.
Consent Calendar (Unanimous Approvals)
- Proclamations: Declared April 28, 2026 as "Take a Father to School Day" (agenda text erroneously referenced 2025), "Richard Steigerwald Day" (May 2, 2026), "Ronnie 'RD' Dunlap Day", and "Randy Frankel Day".
- Will of Council 2026-0423: Adopted a resolution supporting the Living Wage for Musicians Act to ensure musicians receive at least one cent per stream from digital streaming services, calling on Congress to act during the 2027 session. A representative from the Pittsburgh United Musicians Alliance spoke in favor.
- Final Passage of Multiple Resolutions (all 9-0): Included warrants for litigation settlements and professional services; acceptance of a $300,000 donation from Laborer’s District Council for youth sports scoreboards; a $300,000 grant from Pirates Charities for youth baseball/softball field upgrades; grant applications for Emerald View Park Tree Implementation ($500,000 total), Three Rivers Heritage Trail repaving ($500,000 total), Fort Pitt Park Renovation ($1,000,000 total), and Allegheny Riverfront Trail Connectivity Planning ($100,000 total); a $5 million grant agreement with the University of Pittsburgh; a construction inspection contract for the RAISE grant ($1,116,034.87); amendments for Smithfield Street reconstruction projects; the Pittsburgh Partnership Employment Program ($320,000); the EARN program ($3,828,594); a contract with InsightSoftware LLC ($5,499.90); and several land transfers and acquisitions.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Bethany Cameron (InformUp.org) presented a community survey of 104 readers: 43% prioritized boosting Pittsburgh’s national reputation for large events like the NFL Draft; 40% wanted University of Pittsburgh grant funds spread equally across categories; 76% supported dedicated annual funding for youth athletic field maintenance.
- Eunique Brown (resident of 715 Mercer Street) expressed frustration with council’s response to her concerns, alleging favoritism toward white constituents and lack of accountability. She referenced her daughter’s previous testimony and called for action.
- A senior resident (former school guard) highlighted hardships faced by her grandchildren (waking at 5:30 AM, standing in cold) and urged men to patrol school buses and downtown areas. She expressed gratitude that the "Take a Father to School" group had agreed to help.
- Dr. Ronald Miller spoke about jazz, improvisation, and concerns regarding brain-body imagery.
- One speaker (identifying with a missing child case) delivered a religious message and criticized the city for blocking her performances.
Discussion Items
- Final Passage of Bill 2026-0320 (Capital Budget Amendment): Councilwoman Deborah Gross explained her no vote. The resolution transfers $400,000 from FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS - RECREATION AND SENIOR CENTERS (previously allocated to Bloomfield’s Rec and Senior Center) to REMEDIATION OF CONDEMNED BUILDINGS. She stated the CDBG funds must be moved immediately to avoid forfeiture, but the Bloomfield center has been closed for decades and the neighborhood had built consensus around restoring it. She pledged to work with the administration to find other city funds. The bill passed 8-1.
Key Outcomes
- Bill 2026-0320 passed 8-1 (Councilwoman Gross voting no).
- All other bills on final action passed 9-0.
- New Legislation Introduced and Referred: Ordinance 2026-0427 (Housing Data Dashboard renumbering) to Committee on Innovation, Performance, Asset Management, and Technology; Resolution 2026-0408 (RouteSmart contract amendment) to same committee; Resolutions 2026-0409–2026-0413 (sewer plan, conservancy agreement, Smithfield water reimbursement, Land Bank acquisitions in Wards 12 and 15) to Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs; Resolutions 2026-0414–2026-0418 (railroad crossing, Homewood Park contract, Sheraden Park design, Smithfield construction, North Avenue right-of-way) to Public Works and Infrastructure; Resolution 2026-0420 (litigation settlement warrant) to Finance and Law; Resolution 2026-0419 (Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy reimbursement) to Recreation, Youth, and Senior Services; Ordinance 2026-0426 (real estate tax exemptions for Northside buildings) to Finance and Law with a public hearing scheduled for June 22, 2026.
- Executive Session: Scheduled for 1:00 PM on April 28, 2026, regarding Bill 2026-0420.
- Next Meeting: Standing committee meeting on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 10:00 AM.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning and welcome to the regular meeting of City Council on Tuesday, April twenty eighth, two thousand twenty six. Mr. Charland. Here. Mr. Coghill. Here. Ms. Gross. Councilman. Mr. Mosley. Mrs. Salonetro. Here. Mr. Strasberger. Here. Mrs. Warwick. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Lavelle President. Here. Five members present. Thank you. For those who are able, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Remain standing for a moment of silence. To the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which he stands. Thank you very much. Our next order of business is to amend the agendas or most to amend. So move. Second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Our next order of business is proclamations. We'll begin with Councilman Concue. Thank you. Thank you, uh, Mr. President. Would uh Ronnie Dunlap and Charlotte and the immediate family come up, please. And uh we're gonna have the rest of you join us up here for pictures later. You too, Judge Motznick. Come on, Chief. Your dress blues on. Look good, buddy. Does he get to keep the uniforms? Does he?
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