Pittsburgh Standing Committees Meeting – July 8, 2026
Pittsburgh Standing Committees Meeting – July 8, 2026
The Standing Committees of the Pittsburgh City Council met on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers. The meeting covered approval of invoices and P-cards, a deferred bill for social services programming at the Bergwin Recreation Center, and several new items including IT support, a Dell warrant, a software amendment, state lobbying services, an ALCOSAN diversion license, and a resolution related to the LA28 Olympics. Public comment featured strong advocacy for Bergwin Rec Center funding and critiques of city curfews and budget priorities.
Consent Calendar
- Invoices: A motion to suspend the rules added a $10 invoice for the Homewood Pool application. All invoices (totaling approximately $36,000) were approved unanimously.
- P-Cards: Weekly council report for June 23–29, 2026, was approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Bergwin Recreation Center: Multiple speakers (Lauren Coursey, Jayson Hill, Denise Johnson, Lula Cope, James Cole, Sandra Cole, Brianna Fisher, Leah Pugh, Pastor June Jeffries, H.P. Jackson) expressed strong support for opening the renovated Bergwin Rec Center and urged direct funding to the existing community operators (Poor Law) rather than an RFP. They argued that the community has run successful after-school and summer programs for years on minimal budgets and that an RFP process would be disrespectful. James Cole, program director of Poor Law, described six years of programming with $10,000 in funding, while doing $500,000 worth of work.
- East Carson Street Curfew: Dylan James Basescu opposed the curfew and restrictions on East Carson Street, arguing they are discriminatory and based on race, and that crime has decreased without them.
- City Budget Priorities: Unique Brown, a homeless mother, criticized the city's budget for failing to allocate funds for low-income neighborhoods despite large funds (e.g., Housing Opportunity Fund, CDBG, HOME-ARP). She contrasted demands from white residents to remove things with black residents begging for investments.
- Other: Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller spoke on historical injustices; Carleno Giampolo raised concerns about the Oakland DIY skate park; Yvonne F. Brown protested being locked out of a county council meeting; and a child speaker urged keeping rec centers open.
Discussion Items
- Bill 2026-0643 – Bergwin Recreation Center RFP (Deferred from previous): Councilmember Warwick presented a slideshow showing the programs run by Poor Law at the Bergwin Rec Center. She proposed using Stop the Violence funds (up to $200,000) for social services programming via an RFP. The agenda listed the cost as $250,000, but during discussion the amount was stated as $200,000. Multiple council members expressed support for the programming but raised questions about the RFP process vs. direct funding. Councilmember Gross noted the need for consistency in city-nonprofit agreements. Councilmember Wilson highlighted community concerns that an RFP could exclude the current operators. Councilmember Coghill said he would support finding funding. Warwick moved to hold the bill for two weeks to allow discussions with the administration. The motion carried unanimously. The bill was held for two weeks.
- Bill 2026-0687 – LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Resolution authorizing the city to enter agreements with LA28 at no cost. Approved with affirmative recommendation.
- Bill 2026-0682 – ePlus IT Support: Contract for network and IT support, not to exceed $95,440 over one year. Acting Director of Innovation & Performance explained it will bring skills in-house. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0683 – Dell Financial Services Warrant: Payment of $58,283.18 for 2,000+ devices (laptops, desktops, tablets) to cover interest that was not budgeted in a previous lease. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0684 – Julota Software Amendment: Increase of $520 for a total not to exceed $276,044.72 over four years for client relations management software. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0685 – Malady & Wooten State Lobbying: Four-year contract for state government affairs services at $264,000. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0686 – ALCOSAN Diversion Structures: License to construct two below-grade diversion structures at 2200 Spring Garden Avenue at no cost to the city. Approved.
Key Outcomes
- Invoices and P-cards approved unanimously.
- Bill 2026-0643 (Bergwin Rec Center RFP) held for two weeks; council will revisit after discussions with the administration.
- Bills 2026-0682, 0683, 0684, 0685, 0686, and 0687 all received affirmative recommendations and will move to full council.
- A public hearing on Bill 2026-0518 (East Carson Street NID) was announced for 1:30 PM the same day. A public hearing on Bill 2026-0513 (rezoning on Kelly Street) was set for July 9, 2026.
- Councilmember Coghill thanked first responders for battling a major fire on Grandview Avenue; Councilmember Salinetro noted that fire apparatus had check engine lights on, reinforcing the need for equipment upgrades.
- Meeting adjourned at approximately 12:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning and welcome to the Standing Committee's meeting for Wednesday, July 8th, 2026. All council meetings will be live streamed on the city's website, and for guest speakers at the table, please do not turn off your microphones. Our first order of business is roll call. Will the clerk please take the roll? Mr. Sharman, here. Mr. Coghill, Miss Gross, Mr. LaVelle. Here. Mr. Mosley. Ms. Alanetro? Here. Miss Warwick. Here. Mr. Wilson. Ms. 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? So move. Second. All in favor? Agenda is amended. 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 maybe before city council, and profanity will not be permitted. Please state your name and neighborhood for the record. You will have three minutes to speak. Our first registered speaker is Keisha Gomez. Thank you. I wanted to take a few moments to introduce myself and our organization because I know there are important conversations that you have on the agenda that's happening around violence prevention, community investment, and the allocation of stop the violence funds and others as well. They're starting businesses, and they're coming back to hope as employees and mentors for the next generation. That's the kind of long-term investment I believe you're looking for, and that the community needs. Because none of us can solve these challenges alone. Thank you for your time. I look forward to working together to continue creating opportunities for Pittsburgh's young people and hope that the West End is not forgotten. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller. Dr. Royal and Miller, United States, Pittsburgh PA, and Oxfield Neighborhood, USA, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Sioux Falls Center Neighborhood, which is the location of the Ark of Dreams. New Zealand Alkland, the Maori Center neighborhood, Tehana Te Marana, Maori Cultural Center. Concerns of this council include diversity and information and intelligence that has to do with the effects of slavery on the city.
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