City of Pittsburgh Council Regular Meeting — September 15, 2026

The City of Pittsburgh City Council met on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers with all nine members present. The council adopted four proclamations and a will of council on Housing Choice Voucher rent policy, heard extensive public testimony about the imminent closure of the North Side Roots drop-in center, introduced and referred new legislation, and passed 22 committee-approved bills and one additional resolution unanimously.

Proclamations

• Declared September 2026 as 'Addiction Recovery Month' in Pittsburgh, honoring Daniel Garrighan, William Petrosky, and Jodie Pagano (Enactment No. 523).
• Declared September 19, 2026 as 'Walk & Roll for GBS/CIDP Day'; speakers Kristen Morgan, a CIDP patient and walk chair, and Kenya Warren described the rare-disease community's work (Enactment No. 524).
• Declared September 15, 2026 as 'Maria Cohen Day,' recognizing seven years of service to Squirrel Hill (Enactment No. 525). Councilmember Strassburger later corrected the record to add Councilmember Warwick as co-sponsor.
• Declared September 19, 2026 as 'Annie Lois Carter Day,' celebrating her 90th birthday and service to the city (Enactment No. 526).

Will of Council

• Adopted 2026-0881 (Enactment No. 527) urging the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) to reevaluate the voucher amounts for two occupied units at OHDC's Five Points property, 3917–3925 Perrysville Avenue, and to reevaluate policies that limit rent adjustments for occupied Housing Choice Voucher units. Councilman Wilson said OHDC is a nonprofit, the two long-term residents' rents are roughly half of current comparable rents, HACP's $100-per-year increase cap would take about ten years to reach market standards, and the only alternative offered was tenant turnover or eviction. He called the situation unacceptable and said it may be a citywide policy problem.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A large group of speakers opposed the impending closure of the Roots drop-in center at 519 East Ohio Street on the North Side. Seth Davis, Alexander Malfregeot, Andrew Klepeis, Jolie Feltz, Samuel Weiner, Callie Disabato, and Zackery Rodick urged council to investigate the closure, saying the mayor's office had not explained it. They noted Roots received $10 million to expand in 2022 and an $800,000 funding increase in June 2026, and warned that closing the only North Side drop-in center would cost lives, cut off mail and housing-waitlist access, concentrate services at Second Avenue Commons, overburden nearby nonprofits, and leave homeless residents without support as winter approaches. Chief Ikhana-hal-makina said the center is essential to healing the community and should remain open, but supported relocating it from East Ohio Street.
• Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller criticized council proclamations for using general area names such as 'Homewood' instead of official neighborhood designations, calling the practice incompetent and misleading.
• Unique Brown, an unhoused resident, criticized approvals of new apartments with only 10% affordable units as 'policy malpractice' and demanded deeper affordability, citing a Francis Street development where 82% of 180 units were affordable (147 units).
• Yvonne F. Brown raised concerns about a proposed cut to bus route 81A serving her building at 715 Mercer Street and said she is seeking a meeting with Mr. O'Connor.
• Special Agent Sunshine was the only speaker to support the closure, thanking God for it and citing problems at the former Smithfield Street Roots location, including no bathroom, overdose deaths, and no heat for two winters.

New Legislation Presented and Referred

• 2026-0872: Amended the Dayforce human capital management contract, increasing funding by $677,790 to a new total not-to-exceed $6,218,540 over 12 years; referred to Human Resources.
• 2026-0873: Authorized accepting a SaveStation outdoor AED cabinet and Zoll 3 AED valued at $8,399; referred to Public Safety and Wellness.
• 2026-0874: Authorized a lease with East End Cooperative Ministries for Office of Community Health and Safety space, not to exceed $23,745 over two years; referred to Public Safety and Wellness.
• 2026-0885: Granted council consent to extend the Planning Commission deadline on Council Bill #2026-0009; passed finally by a 9–0 vote.
• 2026-0875: Authorized a University of Pittsburgh Civic Engagement Internship MOU at no cost to the city; waived under Rule 8 and referred to Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs.
• 2026-0876: Authorized acceptance of up to $200,000 from Pennsylvania DCED for Farmhouse Field upgrades, new water fountains, and Allegheny Riverfront Trail Connectivity planning; referred to Public Works.
• 2026-0877: Authorized acceptance of a $3,000,000 PennDOT Multimodal Transportation Fund grant for Boulevard of the Allies renovation, with a $900,000 city match and total project cost under the grant of $3,900,000; referred to Public Works.
• 2026-0878: Authorized acceptance of a $1,533,315.69 PennDOT Green Light Go grant for intersection upgrades at Bingham/10th, Butler/Main, and East Liberty Boulevard/Larimer Avenue, with a $257,988.99 city match and $125,339.94 in pending local transfers, for a total project cost of $1,916,644.62; referred to Public Works.
• 2026-0879: Amended the Fisher Phillips labor-consulting agreement to add $150,000 over one year; referred to Finance and Law, with an executive session scheduled.
• 2026-0880: Received and filed the Grants Office status update for the week ended September 11, 2026.

Unanimous Final Actions

All of the following committee-approved items passed by 9–0 roll-call votes, with no noes or abstentions:

Finance and Law

• 2026-0829: Transferred $10,000 from Park Reconstruction—Parks TA to Sports Facilities in the 2022 Capital Budget.
• 2026-0830: Amended the Block & Associates legal services agreement to a new not-to-exceed $135,000 over two years.
• 2026-0831: Amended the Fisher Phillips hourly legal services agreement to a new not-to-exceed $1,010,400 over three years.

Public Safety and Wellness

• 2026-0806: Amended the Red Light Enforcement Systems chapter of the City Code.
• 2026-0816: Authorized a warrant to Bucks County Community College for EMS rescue certification and training, not to exceed $31,705.

Public Works and Infrastructure

• 2026-0822: Authorized applying for a $3,000,000 DCED Multimodal Transportation Fund grant for Boulevard of the Allies renovation.
• 2026-0823: Authorized applying for a $1,122,996 DCED Multimodal Transportation Fund grant for Sheraden Station Plaza safety improvements and the Wabash Street Community Connector.
• 2026-0824: Approved the Director of Mobility and Infrastructure's recommendation to pave the concrete portion of Fernhill Avenue from Belbrook Street to Elmbank Street with asphalt.
• 2026-0825: Amended the CSXT agreement for preliminary engineering on the Frazier Street/Swinburne Bridge Replacement, not to exceed $32,780 (an increase of $12,760), reimbursable at 95%.
• 2026-0826: Increased the CDR Maguire project design management agreement to $3,968,237.13, a net increase of $67,773.94.
• 2026-0827: Increased the CDR Maguire project design management agreement to $4,064,876.91, a net increase of $0, reimbursable at 100%.
• 2026-0828: Amended the CSXT agreement for preliminary engineering on the West Carson Street Bridge, not to exceed $28,600 (an increase of $12,320), reimbursable at 95%.
• 2026-0844: Authorized a temporary easement with North River Pittsburgh I, LLC for city vehicles along 31st and 32nd Streets to allow resurfacing at the Environmental Services Center.

Human Resources

• 2026-0838: Authorized a warrant to NeoGov for online employment application, examination, and reporting services, not to exceed $57,908.

Land Use and Economic Development

• 2026-0832: Authorized two-year reimbursement agreements for the 2026 Love Your Block program, not to exceed $20,000.
• 2026-0833: Authorized a warrant to the Building & Fire Code Academy for two-day code enforcement training for PLI staff, not to exceed $7,000.

Recreation, Youth, and Senior Services

• 2026-0805: Transferred $200,000 from the Stop the Violence Trust Fund to CitiParks for staffing and supplies for out-of-school time programming at the Dunlap Family Center.

Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs

• 2026-0817: Authorized one-year Allegheny League of Municipalities membership dues, not to exceed $9,000.
• 2026-0818 through 2026-0821: Adopted sewage facilities plan revisions for 6212 Walnut Street, 2225 Smallman Street, 132–134 Prospect Street, and 630 North Aiken Avenue, all at no cost to the city.

Key Outcomes

• Adopted Enactments Nos. 523–527 (four proclamations and one will of council).
• Passed 2026-0885 and all 22 committee final-action bills unanimously, 9–0.
• Referred new legislation to standing committees and waived Rule 8 for the University of Pittsburgh internship agreement.
• Approved Councilman Charland's motion for a post-agenda on homelessness planning for the winter.
• Announced an executive session on Bill 2026-0879 at 1:00 PM and a 1:30 PM post-agenda on the controller's audit of city code enforcement; Councilwoman Gross announced a September 21, 2026 post-agenda on privacy and surveillance technologies, to be held by Zoom.
• Councilman Mosley thanked city departments and the family of Mary Lou Williams for the honorary renaming of East Liberty Boulevard in her honor.
• The minutes were approved and the meeting adjourned.