Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committees Meeting - July 29, 2026
Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committees Meeting - July 29, 2026
The Pittsburgh City Council held a Standing Committees meeting on July 29, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers. The meeting covered a wide range of agenda items across multiple committees, including budget transfers, capital project amendments, property sales, legal settlements, grants, land use ordinances, and public programming funding. The meeting also included public comments on parking laws, the South Side weekend lockdown, and community concerns.
Consent Calendar
- Bill 2026-0776: Transfer of $270 within the 2026 Operating Budget from City Clerk Administrative Fees to the Department of Mobility & Infrastructure for operational services. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0782: Increased authorized spend for Global Wordsmiths by $19,000 for language access services (new total $136,000 over five years). Approved.
- Bills 2026-0783 through 2026-0791: Series of resolutions amending various capital budgets (2012-2026) to remove unencumbered funds from pending project closures per Chapter 218 of the City Code. All approved.
- Bill 2026-0039 (deferred): Ordinance for a referendum on budget approval rules. Held in committee, due back by 9/2/2026.
- Bill 2026-0654: Reallocation of $60,000 from PLAY AREA IMPROVEMENTS to PUBLIC SAFETY EQUIPMENT for cameras on Grandview Avenue. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0756: Rescinding property sales from a previous resolution. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0757: Sale of 15 tax-acquired properties (Items A through O) across multiple council districts. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0758: Quitclaim deed for 7217 Monticello Street to Marvin Miller for $3,000 to settle litigation. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0759: Warrant of $515,000 to Brian and Donna Albert for settlement of litigation (case GD 23-000081 and 22-013852). Approved.
- Bill 2026-0770: Transfer of $55,000 from DISTRICT 1 NEIGHBORHOOD NEEDS to PARK RECONSTRUCTION. Approved.
- Invoices: Approval of departmental invoices not under contract, including payments for event coverage (Noah Kahan, NFL draft, Morgan Wallen, etc.), supplies, and services. Approved.
- Intradepartmental Transfer: Transfer of $350.32 within Public Safety for computer monitors. Approved.
- P-Card Approvals: Weekly P-card report for 7/14-7/20/26. Approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Seth Bush (neighborhood not specified): Spoke in favor of closing a loophole in parking regulations that allows drivers to claim they are “protecting the safety of a vehicle” to park illegally (e.g., on sidewalks, bike lanes, fire hydrants). Argued the loophole endangers pedestrians, especially those with disabilities, and undermines enforcement. Urged council to remove the phrase “or vehicle” from the law. (Referenced Bill 2026-0771)
- Dylan James Basecu (South Side): Expressed strong opposition to the weekend lockdown on the South Side. Described harassment and pat-downs by security personnel affecting women and young people. Called for an immediate end to the lockdown, stating it hurts local businesses like Dolce Takeria and Finn McCool’s. Criticized the policy as “disgusting” and urged council to act.
- Yvonne F. Brown (Hill District): Praised the city clerk and Dr. Miller for responsiveness. Criticized council members for not listening or responding to citizens during meetings. Shared personal story about her son’s death and expressed growing fatigue. Thanked city workers who encouraged her to keep speaking.
- Special Agent Sunshine (missing child advocate): Alleged gang stalking, blocked communication, and fraud by the city related to a homeless case. Claimed two houses were stolen and sold. Called for removal of wickedness from government and urged council to allocate money to get people off the streets. Invoked religious scripture.
Discussion Items
- Bill 2026-0518 (East Carson Street Improvement District): Council Member Charland moved to amend the bill to attach the final plan. The plan establishes a Neighborhood Improvement District in South Side. Charland emphasized it is an assessment (not a tax) controlled by the district, and that a second public hearing is required by state statute before a vote by property owners. Council Member Coghill asked about the voting process (property owners only). The bill was amended and then held for a cablecast public hearing (scheduled for after recess, likely September 2).
- Bill 2026-0773 (Stop the Violence Funding for McKinley Recreation Center): Council Member Charland proposed transferring $200,000 from the Stop the Violence Trust Fund to CitiParks for out-of-school time programming at McKinley Rec Center in Glen Hazel. Council members debated the appropriate use of the fund: some (Warwick, Coghill, Wilson) supported it as a good investment in high-need communities; others (President Lavelle, Gross) cautioned that the fund is intended for violence prevention targeting high-risk individuals, not general rec programming. Lavelle noted that rec centers may not serve the target population. Charland and others argued the funding fills a critical gap. The bill was approved.
- Bill 2025-1545 (Inclusionary Zoning and Off-Street Parking Removal): This large zoning amendment—removing minimum off-street parking requirements and adding inclusionary zoning—was sent to the Planning Commission and returned with conditions and amendments by the planning staff (which expanded the affordable housing bonus to multiple zoning districts, added 60 feet of height, etc.). Council members expressed confusion and concern about the substantive changes from the original bill. Council Member Gross argued the Planning Commission effectively rejected council’s bill and sent a counterproposal, bypassing council’s ability to override. Council Member Strassburger explained the changes bring the bill into conformity with existing bonus programs. After extensive debate, the bill was held for a cablecast public hearing to allow time for council members to review and discuss with constituents.
- Bill 2026-0763 (HOME-ARP Supportive Services with Auberle): Amended at the request of OMB. The resolution authorizes an agreement not to exceed $105,820.37 over four years for supportive services with Auberle, covering case management and referral services for qualified populations. Approved as amended.
- Bills 2026-0768 and 2026-0769 (CDBG Reallocations): Council Member Gross held these bills for three weeks to identify eligible applicants in her district and ensure proper use of unspent CDBG funds.
- Bill 2026-0771 (Remove parking exception for vehicle protection): Council Member Wilson’s bill removes the clause “or to protect the safety of any person or vehicle” from parking prohibitions. Public commenter Seth Bush also addressed this. Discussion included enforcement concerns and sidewalk parking issues. The bill was approved.
- Bill 2026-0744 (Ross and Carol Nese Foundation grant): Resolution to accept $1 million grant to hire a Head of Talent Acquisition, Public Safety. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0781 (U.S. Soccer Foundation Mini Pitch at Ormsby Recreation Center): Grant of up to $100,000 to install a mini soccer pitch. Approved.
- Bills on Bridges and Trails: Charles Anderson Bridge (supplemental agreement with Michael Baker, increase of $250,837.47, reimbursable 100%), West Carson Street Bridge (final design with Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, increase of $790,914.71, reimbursable 95%), Newton Street Project (amended agreement of sale, increase of $20,070), and Three Rivers Heritage Trail esplanade reconstruction (at no cost to city via Piatt Companies). All approved.
- Bill 2026-0745 (Musco Sports Lighting software): Warrant for $73,050 for digital control of lighting in ballfields and parks. Approved after brief discussion on remote control and adherence to night sky ordinance.
- Other bills in Intergovernmental Committee: Bills 2026-0746 (Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney federal lobbying, $302,400 over 4 years), 2026-0747 (HOME-ARP quad cooperation agreement), 2026-0748 (Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission membership dues first installment $64,373.50), 2026-0749 (sewage facilities plan revision for 2039 Broadhead Fording Road), 2026-0750 (amended reimbursement with Pittsburgh Water for RAISE grant, increase of $50,000), and 2026-0751 (sale of 604 Liberty Avenue to MK Liberty Partners LLC). All approved.
Key Outcomes
- Bill 2026-0518 (East Carson Street Improvement District): Amended and held for cablecast public hearing.
- Bill 2026-0773 (Stop the Violence – McKinley Rec): Affirmatively recommended (passed).
- Bill 2025-1545 (Inclusionary Zoning/Parking Removal): Held for cablecast public hearing on a motion by Council President Lavelle; no vote on substantive amendments at this time.
- Bill 2026-0771 (Parking loophole): Affirmatively recommended (passed).
- Bill 2026-0763 (HOME-ARP Auberle): Amended and approved.
- Bills 2026-0768/0769 (CDBG): Held for three weeks.
- All other consent and discussion items: Approved or recommended as noted.
- Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at approximately 12:30 PM.
Meeting Transcript
I'm going to come with them. I wouldn't have to talk about it. Good morning, and welcome to the standing committee's meeting for Wednesday, July twenty ninth, 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. Charland. Mr. Cockhill. Miss Giros. Mr. LeBelle. Here. Mr. Mosley. Miss Salonetra. Here. Miss Warwick. Mr. Wilson. Ms. Strasper 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 moved. 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 uh comments are minute limited to matters of concern, official action, or deliberation, which are or maybe before city council for vanity will not be permitted. Please state your name and neighborhood for the record, and you will have three minutes to speak. Yes, we can. Uh in um in order to either avoid conflict with other traffic or to protect the safety of any person or vehicle. Following this claim to its conclusion, a driver is exempt from following the law by simply claiming that they are protecting the safety of their vehicle. This means that a driver could make this claim to get away with parking in front of fire hydrants on train tracks, within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to a fire station, within an intersection on crosswalk, on bridges, in tunnels, at any place signed note parking, in bike lanes, in front of bus stops, and on sidewalks in addition to other areas. This is a dangerous loophole in the city's laws, and closing it with a simple change is common sense. There's already a provision for emergency, so the drivers won't get a ticket if the car breaks down where parking is prohibited. One of the most concerning effects of this loophole is that the police are reluctant to get tickets for sidewalk parking violations, as they can easily be overturned by the time they get to the magistrate based on this line of code. Without this enforcement, Pittsburgh drivers have come to believe it is acceptable to park on sidewalks across the city, which forces pedestrians to walk in the street where they are much more likely to be struck and severely injured or killed by a driver. Furthermore, sidewalks are not meant to hold the weight of cars and quickly degrade, leading to more dangerous obstacles for pedestrians, and especially our neighbors with disabilities who rely on safe, accessible sidewalks to get to doctor's appointments, grocery stores, and local businesses. We are asking you to make a common sense change that would close this dangerous parking loophole by searching the words or vehicle from the law. We must not put the safety of vehicles above the safety of people. Thank you. Thank you.
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