City Council
Firefighters' current burn site sits on a floodplain and can't be used. A $1.8 million assessment of a former VA site would be the first step toward a public safety training campus. If it isn't done by the end of May 2026, the land goes back to the federal government. For now, council has put a two-week hold on the bill.
City Council
The Stop the Violence Fund, which pays for violence prevention, hit its $10 million ceiling this year. A bill would set new rules for how that money gets spent. Instead of receiving grants, community groups would compete openly for contracts. Council gave the bill a unanimous recommendation, and the final vote is set for July 8.
City Council
Last week, UPMC said it will end gender-affirming care for patients under 19. Now, council has unanimously urged Governor Shapiro to affirm trans people's right to affordable gender-affirming care and protect providers from federal persecution. A council member also introduced an ordinance against denying medical care over gender identity or expression. Such care is currently fully protected under Pennsylvania law.
City Council
A 2017 bill let Norfolk Southern Railway use Allegheny Commons Park for equipment. Council is now weighing whether to extend it. A council member wants design standards for equipment storage and fencing so parks stay enjoyable for the public. From there, talk veered into unrelated questions for the Public Works director, like event capacity and park repairs.
City Council
The Department of City Planning wants to apply for two $250,000 State grants to plan transit-oriented development. Council held the Sheraden Bus Station bill until after a public hearing, as Councilmember Kail-Smith requested. The South Hills Junction bill advanced, with her abstaining. She voiced frustration that City departments work with community groups without involving the relevant council member.
City Council
The City won't renew a contract for employee wellness programs, which an official said weren't as well used as hoped. It requested $80,540 to pay the rest of the contract, which began in 2018. However, the vaccine program will stay. Details of a new wellness program are coming later this year.
City Council
Some building permit applications have sat incomplete for a year and a half, a city official said. Under a proposed bill, the Zoning Administrator would have 30 days to flag missing information. Otherwise, the application is marked complete, though it can still be sent back at review. Council will vote once the Planning Commission sends its recommendation.
City Council
Buying a City house can take up to two years under the existing program. With a new pilot, the City would clear titles first, cutting closing to about six months. Council has advanced the first five sales, all in the West End. Buyers would have to meet income limits and live in the home for at least five years.
City Council
Plans to remake Bedford Dwellings in the Hill District include a new public park, Bedford Park. Council has advanced moving $40,484 left over from finished projects, like Bloomfield Pool upgrades, toward it. That covers the City's $37,500 match for a $250,000 State grant Public Works will seek.
City Council
A community-led master plan calls for renovating the 3.8-acre playground at Fort Pitt Park in Garfield. To help pay for it, council has advanced a $150,500 City match. It goes with Public Works' application for a $250,000 State grant. Citywide, 38 of 176 parks have improvement projects underway or recently completed.
City Council
The City's own health department closed in 1957, when the Allegheny County Health Department was created. On June 10, a council member introduced a bill to bring it back. It would sit under Public Safety, led by the chief of building inspection, who could appoint a certified public health deputy. Next, a committee will discuss it at a future meeting.
City Council
People receiving cash assistance or food benefits must meet work requirements, and education and job training count toward them. The Department of Human Services will now have access to $3.8 million in State grants for those services. In the 2023-24 program year, with the same grant amount, 436 people in Allegheny County took part.
City Council
A City building in the Strip District has sat unused for 10 to 20 years, the council budget director estimated. Council has affirmed selling it to the URA for $1. Unlike the City, the URA can weigh a buyer's plans along with price. However, the one member who voted no said State law required public hearings for similar sales.
City Council
A 2015 city law gives people working in Pittsburgh paid sick time. Council has now affirmed changes so workers earn it faster, with higher yearly caps starting Jan. 1, 2026. At businesses with 15 or more employees, the cap rises from 40 to 72 hours. To help small businesses, the council president said council will seek grants and loans.
City Council
A Manchester urban farm that has grown 12,000 pounds of food for residents since 2020 could lose its lot. Ebony Lunsford-Evans wants to buy the lot, and her City lease expires in July. It's in a zone earmarked for affordable housing near the Esplanade development. On May 19, 23 people spoke for her, but Council took no action because it wasn't on the agenda.
City Council
Tenants and council members have repeatedly raised concerns about transparency at the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh. Last week, a City Controller report called the authority's data reporting unnecessarily complicated and vague. It recommends regular public reports to council, clear demographic data, and tenant surveys. Council received and filed the report without discussion.
City Council
The Pittsburgh Land Bank, which sells vacant and tax-delinquent properties, has relied on American Rescue Plan money. It faces a shortfall after 2026, and its acting director said it isn't self-sustaining. Now, a council member has proposed a task force to recommend long-term funding. It would start after council's final vote next week and report in time for the 2026 budget.
City Council
Since its dedicated officer retired in January, the police car theft unit has relied on two part-time officers. Now, Council has accepted State auto theft prevention funds for one dedicated detective, plus overtime, equipment, and vehicles. Still, a council member noted a previous similar grant went unused. The acting police chief said an abandoned vehicle cleanup is coming soon.
City Council
Through Safe Passage, some Pittsburgh Public Schools students train to interrupt violence in and out of school. On May 14, council heard from students and adults about its results. A public safety official reported discipline events down 27% and no homicides among 13- to 17-year-olds in 2024. Piloted at Perry High School in 2021, it's now in seven schools.
City Council
The police K9 unit's 15 dogs find missing people, narcotics, explosives, and hidden electronics. Council has voted on two bills letting police pick between breeders, with spending capped at $30,000 over three years. Usually, the force buys one or two dogs a year. A council member said it's the only time she sees kids in her district run toward police.