Standing Committees Meeting - July 15, 2026
Standing Committees Meeting - July 15, 2026
The City of Pittsburgh Standing Committees convened on July 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers, chaired by Councilmember Strassburger. Seven council members were present (Wilson, Salinetro, Charland, Coghill, Warwick, Lavelle, Strassburger) and two absent (Gross, Mosley). The meeting addressed financial resolutions, invoices, transfers, land use items, and public art agreements, with public comment from four speakers.
Consent Calendar
- Resolution 2026-0730: Amended the CNG fueling station agreement with Compass Natural Gas, extending the term to September 30, 2026, and increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $126,000 to a total of $882,000. (Affirmatively recommended)
- Resolution 2026-0705: Transferred $52,854.68 from swimming pool maintenance to play area improvements in the 2018 Capital Budget. (Affirmatively recommended)
- Resolution 2026-0706: Authorized a warrant of up to $20,197.71 for Comber Miller LLC for expert legal services in federal litigation. (Affirmatively recommended)
- Resolution 2026-0707: Authorized a warrant of up to $6,200 for MedicoLegal, Inc. for expert witness services in county court litigation. (Affirmatively recommended)
- Intradepartmental Transfers: Approved two transfers: $10,000 from Fire operational supplies to machinery and equipment, and $55,000 from Police promotional and telephone accounts to operational supplies for uniforms and ballistic vests.
- P-Card Approvals: Approved the weekly P-Card report for June 30–July 6, 2026.
- Resolution 2026-0704: Authorized a License and Maintenance Agreement for limited-term public art with the Larimer Consensus Group. (Affirmatively recommended)
- Resolution 2026-0513: Approved the rezoning of parcels 125-G-13, 125-G-14, and 125-G-15 from R1D-L to Urban Industrial in the Homewood West neighborhood. (Affirmatively recommended)
- Resolution 2026-0701: Authorized the Pittsburgh Land Bank to acquire the city's interest in 0 Kelly Street (Council District 9) at no cost. (Affirmatively recommended)
- Resolution 2026-0702: Authorized the Pittsburgh Land Bank to acquire the city's interest in 0 Lincoln Avenue (Council District 9) at no cost. (Affirmatively recommended)
- Resolution 2026-0700: Authorized interdepartmental transfers of $76,601.25 from Police and $1,080 from Finance to the Department of Innovation & Performance for software maintenance and migration. (Affirmatively recommended)
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dylan James Basescu criticized the council's fear of young people and urged them to resource community centers, referencing a request from Homewood residents the previous week.
- Catleno Giampolo (Panther Hollow) spoke for the 30th time urging the council to shut down the Oakland Do It Yourself Skate Park, calling it an egregious issue that should be a no-brainer to resolve.
- Yvonne F. Brown complained about safety issues in her building, including a resident who had been banned but was still seen, and criticized the council's attention and a decision to relocate a police station to Lawrenceville, requiring two buses from the Hill District.
- Special Agent Sunshine (Cerese Taylor) gave a brief religious statement affirming that the missing child is still alive.
Discussion Items
- Invoices for Council Approval: Councilmember Warwick raised questions about NFL draft EMS costs totaling over $20,000, asking whether they were reimbursable from the $2 million state grant. Budget Director Kirsten Walmsley explained that the invoices are part of EMS's normal trust fund process and may be eligible for reimbursement. Warwick expressed interest in a full cost-benefit analysis of large events and suggested cities might collectively negotiate better terms. The invoices were approved unanimously.
- Resolution 2026-0518 (East Carson Street Improvement District): A motion to hold the bill for one week was approved, with no further discussion.
- Resolution 2026-0714 (Zoning amendment for multi-suite residential in UC-E district): A motion to hold for one week was approved.
- Resolution 2026-0703 (Land Bank acquisition of 169 Auburn Street): Councilmember Warwick noted that Councilmember Mosley was absent and the item needed a one-week hold for an amendment by substitution. The hold was approved.
Key Outcomes
- All items in the Finance and Law Committee, Public Works and Infrastructure, and Innovation, Performance, Asset Management, and Technology committees were approved without opposition.
- Two land use items (2026-0518 and 2026-0714) were held for one week, due back by July 22, 2026.
- One intergovernmental item (2026-0703) was held for one week for amendment by substitution, due back by July 22, 2026.
- The meeting adjourned after excusing absent members Gross and Mosley, and approving the minutes.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, and welcome to the standing committee's meeting for Wednesday, July fifteenth, 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. Clerk, please take the roll. Mr. Charland, Mr. Coggill, Miss Caros, Mr. Lavelle, Mr. Mosley, Miss Salonetra. Here, Miss Warwick, Mr. Wilson. Miss Strasberger cheer. Here. Sorry, Fab members. Testing us today. Second. All in favor? Aye. 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, and you will have three minutes to speak. They do not want it to be a city of all its people. They fear the stories of the evening news and their fearful minds do exactly what those stories are designed for them to do. Restrict, oppress and subjugate. And in your silence, I can only draw the adverse inference that you abide this. But like any reaction of fear, this will not make your fears abate. This is not a medicine, it is a tempting poison. The only medicine to this fear of young people in this city is to resource them to provide the community center. Folks in Homewood came here to ask for last week to provide opportunities to harness what young people of this city have to offer and are telling you they wish to offer every single day. Listen to them. Thank you. Carlino jumped low, Panther Hollow. Today marks one year in the 30th time that I have come before this council. Having spoken well over 10,000 words, asking that this council shut down the Oakland Do It Yourself Skate Park. The day will come when someone else speaks here about an issue similar to this one. Those three words, which have been my theme throughout this past year, are awaken your dignity. For some issues before this council, you have to weigh one side against the other to create a just solution. Then other issues, like the Oakland do it yourself skate park, are so egregious that deciding on a solution becomes a no-brainer. What does it mean when someone says it's a no-brainer? For me, it means that their dignity is so fully awake that they directly connect to the depth of their own spirituality. And it formed a heightened conscience that they do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. Awaken your spirituality. Awaken your conscience. Awaken your dignity. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good morning. My name is Yvonne F.
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