Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committees Meeting - May 18, 2026
Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committees Meeting – May 18, 2026
The Pittsburgh City Council held a Standing Committees meeting on May 18, 2026, to consider a range of legislative items including grants, warrants, ordinances, and public hearings. The meeting began with roll call (8 members present, 1 absent) and public comment. Committees reviewed and voted on numerous resolutions and ordinances across Finance and Law, Public Safety, Public Works, Human Resources, Land Use, Recreation, and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller (Pittsburgh, PA) spoke about the need for voter verification to ensure votes are not misapplied or misplaced, expressing concern that the current process lacks transparency and that citizens cannot prove their vote was counted as cast.
- Yvonne F. Brown (715 Mercer Street) addressed issues with the bus system in her neighborhood, emphasizing the need for security and better transit. She also voiced support for County Council President Patrick, praising his responsiveness.
Discussion Items
- Records Management Ordinances (2026-0489 & 2026-0490): City Archivist Nick presented a proposal to formally adopt records retention schedules. He noted the city has collected over 10,000 cubic feet of records, digitized over one million pages including city council records dating back to 1816 (first 50 years handwritten). Council members Charland and Gross praised the progress, highlighting the importance of preserving records for accountability (e.g., lead service line crisis). The ordinance repeals the old Records Management Advisory Commission and creates a formal process for departmental retention schedules.
- Serpentine Drive Petition (2026-0487): A petition from Squirrel Hill Historical Society and residents requested a public hearing on reopening Serpentine Drive in Schenley Park to vehicular traffic. The petition argues the road was intended for cars and is critical for traffic flow. Councilmember Warwick noted a separate petition against reopening; both were held for a combined cablecast public hearing.
- POGOH Expansion Phase 3 (2026-0482 & 2026-0483): Two resolutions related to bike share expansion: a reimbursement agreement with PennDOT (up to $4,000,000, 80% reimbursable, with Bike Share Pittsburgh providing $800,000 at no cost to the City) and a cooperation agreement for local match using CMAQ funds. Councilmember Wilson asked about station locations; staff stated plans for 40 additional stations and over 400 new bikes, with a list available.
- Emergency Snow Removal Warrant (2026-0300): Held for one week pending confirmation from Public Works Director John McClory.
- Railroad Crossing Agreement (2026-0414): Held for two weeks at the discretion of council members.
- Woods Village Properties (2026-0412): Pittsburgh Land Bank acquisition of nine publicly-owned lots in the 12th Ward held for four weeks.
- Passport Academy Charter School (2026-0481): Conditional use application for a school at 1835 Forbes Avenue held for cablecast public hearing scheduled for June 15, 2026.
- Other items including paving Elwell Street, Hazelwood Trail repaving (cooperation agreement with Friends of the Riverfront, $125,000), right-of-way licenses for balconies and footings, a Mellon Foundation grant ($630,000) for the US 250th Anniversary celebration, and various agreements (PA Municipal League dues $52,962.24, RAISE grant with Pittsburgh Water up to $50,000) were affirmatively recommended.
Key Outcomes
- Affirmatively Recommended (passed out of committee): Bills 2026-0478, 0479, 0489, 0490, 0471, 0459, 0475, 0476, 0477, 0482, 0470, 0480, 0385, 0473, 0474, 0483. These will proceed to full council for a vote.
- Held in Committee:
- Bill 2026-0300 (Emergency snow removal warrant) – held one week, due back 5/27/2026.
- Bill 2026-0414 (Railroad crossing access) – held two weeks, due back 6/3/2026.
- Bill 2026-0412 (Woods Village land bank) – held four weeks, due back 6/17/2026.
- Scheduled for Public Hearing:
- Bill 2026-0487 (Serpentine Drive reopening) – held for cablecast public hearing (date to be determined, combined with a second petition).
- Bill 2026-0481 (Passport Academy Charter School) – public hearing set for June 15, 2026.
- Approved Unanimously: Invoices and P-card reports.
Administrative Notes
- Meeting announcements: Cablecast post-agenda on flash crowd disturbances scheduled for May 20, 2026; next regular meeting on May 27, 2026 due to Memorial Day.
- Council members encouraged voting in the primary election the next day.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, and welcome to the standing committee's meeting for Monday, eighteenth, 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. Charlotte. Mr. Copio. Miss Gross. Mr. LaVelle. Here. Miss Warway. Mr. Wilson. Miss Strasberger Chair. Here. Five members present. Thank you. Our next order of business is to amend the agenda. Can I have a motion to amend the agenda? So move. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. 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 or may be before city council and profanity will not be permitted. Please state your name and neighborhood neighborhood for the record. You will have three minutes to speak. Our first registered speaker is Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Um nexus of individuals and institutions, uh, which are committed who are committed to the use of optimal information and intelligence in the formation of law at every level, is an extension of the Center for Global Studies International Interdisciplinary, which I founded in 1999. What I did was to make connections with and inclusion in 21 primary disciplines, which include physics, astronomy, chemistry, history, geology, and so on. I do have a very firm commitment to the insinuation of science and scientific methodology and to everything that we do. In other words, what is the evidence for something? One of the most important of the initiatives which I have sponsored and continue to sponsor is the initiative concerning the vote. And we heard people talk this morning about the importance of it. We hear people in the media generally talking about it. But KDKA, WPXI, and others that do not really focus on the core problem. The core problem, as far as I'm concerned, is that our voters, our people, our citizens, are not able to check to make sure that their vote is not been misapplied or misplaced. When we have asked now thousands of people across the United States, do you want your vote to be lost? We have yet to find anybody who says yes. Do you want your vote to be applied to somebody that you don't think you voted for? When we put it in a crude sense, uh you think you voted for Trump and uh in 2020 uh four, and what happened was that your vote was transferred to or applied to Biden. Uh there is almost hysteria when it comes to this. Now, our people who trust you as as counselors to do something about that, to affirm the vote, are not, in my view, at all, coming to terms with this core problem. I have put it to you many ways on many occasions, but as far as I can tell, not one of you, and not Mr.
openpublica.com