Pittsburgh City Council Regular Meeting – July 14, 2026
Pittsburgh City Council Regular Meeting – July 14, 2026
The Pittsburgh City Council held its regular meeting on July 14, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers. President R. Daniel Lavelle presided with eight members present (Council Member Deborah L. Gross absent). The meeting included proclamations, public comments, introduction of legislation, and final passage of multiple committee reports.
Consent Calendar
- Proclamations: Four resolutions were adopted unanimously: declaring July 15, 2026, as "Dream Shots Media Day" (2026-0721), August 23, 2026, as "Karla Boos Day" (2026-0736), July 18, 2026, as "Serbian National Federation Day" (2026-0737), and July 19, 2026, as "Chuck 'Z-boy' Zdobinski Day" (2026-0738).
- Unanimous final passage of six bills from committee reports (see Key Outcomes).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller spoke about intersectionality and racial justice, urging council to consult his organization.
- Bethani Cameron (InformUp.org) presented survey results from 44 readers: 34% favored using the Stop the Violence fund for after-school programs, 40% supported a mix of funding; 43% preferred building in-house IT staff over contracting.
- Carlino Giampolo criticized Council Members Warwick and Charland for supporting a skate park with graffiti encouraging underage drinking and drug use, alleging violations of the Pittsburgh Code of Conduct. He reported that the Ethics Hearing Board found no conflict and called for expanded ethics rules.
- Patrick Robinson addressed the death of his son Patrick Robinson Jr. at UPMC, alleging a breach of contract and discrimination. He said he has sued UPMC and contacted the Department of Justice, and asked for council's help.
- David Fisher (East Hills) advocated for solar energy garden parks at Penn and Negley in East Liberty, proposing partnerships with universities and schools.
- Yvonne F. Brown (Hill District) accused council of not caring, referencing the skate park issue and lack of action on promises.
- Unique Brown (homeless shelter resident) criticized council for giving themselves a 22% raise while she struggles on $1,200/month. She detailed city spending on items like chicken tenders and questioned priorities.
- William Satterwhite (Lincoln-Lemington) complained about missing city steps and overgrown stop signs, urging council to "just do your job."
- Special Agent Sunshine spoke about oppression, missing child Ceres Taylor, and alleged monitoring and tracking, citing biblical verses.
- Ralph Williams (radio host) criticized the Housing Authority of Pittsburgh (Caster Binion), called for his firing, and proposed a plan for dealing with team takeovers. He also mentioned lack of air conditioning at Ebenezer Towers and lack of youth program funding.
Discussion Items
- Donations from Health Systems and University: Councilman Coghill presented resolutions to accept $20 million from Highmark Health over five years for fire vehicles (2026-0722) and $25 million from UPMC over five years for EMS vehicles (2026-0723). Councilman Mosley presented a $3 million donation from Carnegie Mellon University over five years for education and infrastructure (2026-0729). All were referred to committees.
- Land and Property Transactions: Several resolutions were introduced for land sales and property assemblage (2026-0725 to 0728), including sales to the Pittsburgh Land Bank and Hill Top Villas LLC, and amendments to previous URA property acquisition resolutions. All referred to the Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs Committee.
- CNG Fueling Station Contract Extension: Councilwoman Strassburger presented a resolution (2026-0730) to extend the contract with Compass Natural Gas for a mobile CNG fueling station, increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $126,000 to $882,000. A motion to waive Rule 8 was approved so the bill could appear on the next day's standing committee agenda.
- Litigation Settlement: A warrant for James Hieber's settlement of $100,000 (2026-0731) was referred to Finance and Law, with an executive session scheduled for later that day.
- Historic Designation: Councilman Wilson presented a resolution (2026-0732) to designate the Allegheny Arsenal Officers Quarters and Wall Segments in Lower Lawrenceville as a historic site. The owner supports the nomination, and it was held for a public hearing.
- Budget Transfer: Council President Lavelle presented a resolution (2026-0735) transferring $20,793.73 within the 2026 operating budget from City Council Districts Supplies to Finance for postage costs. Referred to Finance and Law.
Key Outcomes
- Final Passage of Committee Reports (all 8-0 votes, Council Member Gross absent):
- 2026-0687: Authorization to enter into agreement with LA28 for Olympic/Paralympic Games coordination (no cost to city).
- 2026-0682: Agreement with ePlus Technology, Inc. for IT support ($95,440 over one year).
- 2026-0683: Warrant for Dell Financial Services ($58,283.18 for electronic devices).
- 2026-0684: Amendment to Julota software contract (increase of $520, new total $276,044.72 over four years).
- 2026-0685: Professional services agreement with Malady & Wooten, Inc. for state government affairs ($264,000 over four years).
- 2026-0686: License to ALCOSAN for two diversion structures at 2200 Spring Garden Avenue (no cost to city).
- Executive Session: Scheduled for 1:00 PM on July 14, 2026, regarding Bill 2026-0731 (litigation settlement).
- Next Meeting: Standing committee meeting on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM. Speaker registration deadline.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning and welcome to the regular meeting of the city council on Tuesday, July fourteenth, two thousand twenty six. Mr. Charlotte. Mr. Cod Hill. Gross, Mr. Mosley. Here. Mrs. Salonetro. Mrs. Strasberger. Here. Mrs. Warwick. Here. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Lavelle President. Here. Six members present. Thank you. For those who were able, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Remain standing for a moment of silence. Thank you. Our next order of business is to amend the agendas or a motion to amend. So move. Second. Second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Our next order of business is proclamations. We'll begin with Council Mosley. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Council President. I would like to invite uh all the folks who came with uh Jonathan and uh Dream Shots to come and join us up front. Come all the way up here. Join me up here. Thank you. Thank you so much for uh joining us today. It's always nice to see large representation. Really honored um to do this proclamation and learn more about the incredible work that Jonathan does highlighting uh you know the incredible achievements of young people. I think it's really important. Um, you know, uh we always talk about you know uh you know giving flowers, you know, particularly uh to folks who have uh some experience and have grown long in the tooth, but I think it's very much important and maybe even more important to give flowers to our young people and make sure that they know um that they're being recognized for their achievements. So with no further ado, is it Mollette or Mollet? Mollette and whereas Jonathan Millett is the founder and creative mind behind Dream Shots Media and has made a major impact on the community. He has hosted youth football leagues and organized youth all-star games, bringing together top athletes from different neighborhoods and backgrounds throughout our region. And whereas Jonathan was born in Pittsburgh in 1997 and raised in District Nines Homewood, he discovered his passion for graphic design in 2012 and spent his high school years teaching himself and growing his creative skills.
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