Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committees Meeting - May 13, 2026
Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committees Meeting - May 13, 2026
The Pittsburgh City Council met on May 13, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers to consider a range of legislative items across six standing committees. The meeting included public comment, approval of routine invoices and P-cards, and votes on resolutions related to capital budget amendments, library HVAC grants, city steps projects, data sharing agreements, and software contracts. Several items were held for further review.
Public Comments
- Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller (neighborhood not stated) discussed quantum computing, topological information, and referenced indigenous American cultures, as well as the Three Rivers Native American Council Center.
- Chief ikhana hal-makina (self-identified as part of the Urban Confederacy of Aboriginal American People) spoke about cultural discipline, violence in youth, and the disruption of traditional child-rearing practices by social services. She expressed support for traditional discipline methods.
- Yvonne F. Brown (resident of 750 Mercer Street) spoke in support of Allegheny County Council President Casina, arguing he should not step down. She contrasted his responsiveness with another council member who refused to write a letter for her community.
- Unique Brown (neighborhood not stated) spoke about the exhaustion of Black mothers, systemic neglect, and a personal experience where a therapy group told her not to discuss racial discrimination. She criticized the city for waiting until people are drowning to help.
- Special Agent Sunshine (self-identified) alleged judicial misconduct by a judge (named Amanda Green/Greenhouse/Hawkins), claiming the judge paid for an attempted murder, lied under oath, and knew about a "gang stalking program." She also mentioned stolen inheritance and corruption.
Consent Calendar
- Approved invoices for various departments totaling over $30,000 (see agenda for full list).
- Approved P-card expenditures for the period April 28 - May 4, 2026, after waiving council rules to allow an overage of approximately $5,000 for PLI code fees (quarter one 2026 payment to the state).
- Approved intra-departmental transfers (none were listed).
Discussion Items
- Finance and Law Committee:
- Bill 2026-0448: Amended a resolution to accept a $400,000 Keystone Recreation, Park & Conservation Fund grant for HVAC and roofing replacement at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill Branch. Approved unanimously.
- Bill 2026-0449: Amended the 2023 Capital Budget to reallocate $143,966.12 from Park Reconstruction and $82,175.66 from Facility Improvements - Recreation and Senior Centers, increasing Facility Improvements - Sports Facilities by $226,141.78. The funds will be used to refinish tennis and basketball courts and convert some to pickleball courts at Banksville Park in Council District 2. Councilmember Warwick asked for clarification; Dan Gilman, Chief of Staff, explained the funds came from completed capital projects. Approved unanimously.
- Public Works and Infrastructure Committee:
- Bill 2026-0445: Supplemental agreement with Toole Design, LLC for Phase 2 of the West Pittsburgh REACH Neighborhood Mobility Plan, increasing total cost by $100,000 to $204,274. Approved unanimously.
- Bill 2026-0446: Amended reimbursement agreement with PennDOT for the City Steps Project, increasing total project cost by $7,220,000 to $9,870,000 (80% reimbursable) and municipal share by $20,000 to $46,000. Approved unanimously.
- Land Use and Economic Development Committee:
- Bill 2026-0451: Authorized agreement with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for a $25,000 grant to conduct a City of Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Context Statement. Discussion focused on community engagement, particularly involving the LGBTQIA+ Commission. Councilmember Gross expressed disappointment that the commission had not been consulted on the scope before the grant application. Sharon Spooner from City Planning confirmed a letter of support from the commission and that robust community engagement would follow. Councilmember Warwick suggested including the commission in the consultant selection process. Approved unanimously.
- Innovation, Performance, Asset Management, and Technology Committee:
- Bill 2026-0472 (Supplemental): Data sharing agreement with Johns Hopkins University for the Data Science for Social Good program, at no cost to the city over three years. The program will involve de-identified data analysis to improve the permitting process, focusing on equity and small businesses. Extensive discussion on data privacy, de-identification (removing names and masking permit numbers), and the potential to analyze demographic and neighborhood disparities. Councilmember Gross highlighted the need for a gendered lens. Councilmember Warwick raised concerns about contractors causing delays. The project is expected to produce analysis by August 2026. Approved unanimously.
- Bill 2026-0440: Amendment to contract with Euna Solutions, Inc. for budgeting and performance management software (Questica), extending term by three years and increasing cost by $286,739.58 to a total of $785,864.58 over nine years. Councilmember Charlin asked about the software's purpose and potential integration with the new ERP system. Approved unanimously.
- Bill 2026-0441: Amendment to contract with Policy Confluence, Inc. (Balancing Act) for online budget engagement tools, extending term by one year for an additional $13,000 (total $52,000 over four years). Discussion included the tools' effectiveness (tax receipt, budget simulations, prioritize tool), promotion efforts, and potential to replicate in-house. Councilmember Charlin and Warwick noted the tools' value but questioned reach. Office of Management and Budget staff indicated they are exploring in-house replication. Approved unanimously.
- Bill 2026-0442: Warrant for Euna Solutions, Inc. for a one-year grants management subscription at $19,980. Approved unanimously.
- Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs Committee:
- Bill 2026-0224: Easement agreement with ALCOSAN for monitoring boreholes on city-owned parcels. Held for six weeks (due back by June 24, 2026).
- Bill 2026-0385: Sewage facilities plan revision for 3634 Penn Ave. Held for one week (due back by May 18, 2026) as Councilmember Warwick requested more time to ensure developer engagement with planning.
- Bill 2026-0412: Land bank acquisition of properties in the 12th Ward (Woods Village Project). Held for one week (due back by May 18, 2026).
- Bill 2026-0443: Sewage facilities plan revision for 7606-7610 Tioga St. Approved unanimously.
- Bill 2026-0444: Sewage facilities plan revision for 2695 Winchester Drive. Approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- All new paper items from Finance, Public Safety, Public Works, and Land Use committees received affirmative recommendations and will move to the full council.
- The Innovation committee approved all four items, including the supplemental Johns Hopkins agreement.
- Two sewage plan revisions (Tioga St. and Winchester Drive) were approved.
- Three items were held: ALCOSAN easement (6 weeks), Penn Ave sewer plan (1 week), and Woods Village land acquisition (1 week).
- Invoices, P-cards, and intra-departmental transfers were approved.
- The meeting adjourned with announcements for the next regular meeting and standing committee meeting on Monday, May 18, 2026, at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM respectively, due to primary elections.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. Welcome to the standing committee's meeting for Wednesday, May thirteenth, twenty twenty six. All council meetings will be live streamed on the city's website, and for guest speakers, please do not turn off your microphones. Our first order of business is roll call. Will the clerk please take the roll? Mr. Shryland. Mr. Coghill, Ms. Gross, Mr. Lavelle, Mr. Mosley. Here. Mrs. Salinetra. Here. Mrs. Warwick. Mr. Wilson. Mrs. Strasberger, Chair. Here. Five members present. Thank you. Our next order of business is public comment. I would like to remind all speakers that the rules of council state that comments are limited to matters of concern, official action, or deliberation, which are maybe before city council. Profanity will not be permitted. Please state your name and neighborhood for the record, and you will have three minutes to speak. Our first registered speaker is Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller. Call attention to the three rivers Native American Council Center there. And that is that superposition is not retained properly between atoseconds, which is one quintillion of a second, and um microseconds, which is one millionth of a second. Um indigenous Americans in their religious cultures though have a version of um topological information, um braiding, which is necessary for uh that type of superposition to be um retained, and of individual self-control and self-correction, self-correction in the program of quantum computing uh has been inserted by Google uh Willow in particular. Uh and thirdly, of um cool. Um 273 degrees C is what is now operational the goal for 2C in our advanced systems across the United States, and including at Carnegie Mellon University. Thank you. Our next registered speaker is Chiefana Helmakina. Chief, we see the off mute. You can begin when you're ready. Okay, we if you're speaking, we can hear you, yes. Okay, greetings and good day by side of our streets at a house, you know, underground inside the Urban Confederacy of Aboriginal American people. The issue of violence is not an external issue, it's an internal moral issue that has been centering for over 20 years now. It started with a cultural misunderstanding. You see, some cultural systems, customs, and traditions were meant to stay in place. The violence that you see in our youth today is a direct result of outside influence by social service agents, institutions, and policy around child welfare. How does this relate to crime and violence? Well, I'm glad you added. When social services disrupted and interrupted our cultural way of disciplining our children with this hands-off motiving children approach, we as parents lost the brains we once had of our children. So once was a cliche taken directly from the Bible to spare the rod is to spoil the child.
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