City Council
City outreach workers could soon get a wheelchair van to help residents with disabilities. Council moved forward with the request on July 1. Meanwhile, unexpected repairs to the city's aging fleet are on track to cost almost $5.3 million this year, against $3.9 million budgeted. The acting fleet manager said new vehicles should help bring those costs down.
City Council
Council is weighing whether the Stop the Violence fund should pay for youth programs at Glen Hazel's Burgwin Recreation Center. Until recently, volunteers ran afterschool and summer programs there, but that's no longer sustainable. Some council members were uneasy using the fund without following its guidelines. For now, council has held the request for two weeks.
City Council
City income from permits, licenses, and investment interest is already falling short this year. The acting budget director said the 2026 deficit could top $24 million. If so, the city would have one more year to turn things around before falling under state financial control. Still, she said the city will have a better picture in about a month.
City Council
Pittsburgh is spending the last of its American Rescue Plan Act aid, which the controller said masked the city's spending problems. On June 24, she reported a $44.6 million operating deficit for 2025, the first year since 2020 without that aid. The city pulled $33.8 million from rainy-day savings to cover it. Still, state law limits how the city can raise revenue.
City Council
Learn and Earn, the city's youth jobs program, has run only in summers. A $1 million Richard King Mellon Foundation grant will fund a year-round pilot starting this fall. Younger teens would get work exposure, and 18- to 23-year-olds would get hands-on job training. On June 24, council advanced using the Stop the Violence fund for the required $1 million match.
County Council
Allegheny County has about $7.5 million in unassigned interest from its capital bonds. On June 4, the budget director asked council to put $5 million of it toward buying the medical examiner's Strip District building. The county has rented that building for 20 years. Council approved the purchase on June 9, and the county manager said owning it will save money each year.
County Council
Allegheny County Council members pay into the pension fund but can't draw one. On June 9, a council committee voted to move forward with two charter amendments for the November ballot. One would add pensions, health and life insurance, and staffed district offices, while the other would lift council's budget cap. A final vote is set for council's June 23 meeting.
City Council
ROOTS, a city outreach team, connects homeless residents with shelters and medical and mental health care. On June 17, council advanced an $800,000, one-year county contract to expand it. Currently, it runs weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with 16 staff. The money would add 10 staff and extend hours to 11 p.m. on weeknights, plus some weekend daytime coverage.
City Council
The Fern Hollow Bridge had been federally listed in poor condition since 2011 before it collapsed in January 2022. Now, nine people who sued the city over the collapse may share $445,000 in settlements. Resolutions to approve the payments, from $40,000 to $90,000 each, were introduced in council June 16. A preliminary vote is scheduled for next week's committee meeting.
City Council
After paying nearly $770,000 to have its streets photographed and measured, the city still relies on the company to host the data. On June 17, council agreed to move forward with a three-year, $46,590 extension to keep access. The mobility director said the data lets some projects be done in-house. Still, a council member questioned paying for continued access.
City Council
Five years ago, the city supported only four gardens, and in 2025 it was about 60, a council member said. A proposed program would let residents and community groups garden and farm on underused city land like parks and greenways. Participants could sell up to $25,000 a year of unprocessed food or flowers off-site. Still, the package has to pass council first.
City Council
Neglected hillside lots could become permanently protected open space under a $25,000 grant to buy tax-delinquent land. However, a council member asked how the city would prevent dumping, which is common at some sites. A city planner said departments are looking to build a long-term maintenance plan. For now, council has held the related bills for one week.
City Council
Adopt a Lot, which leases vacant city lots to residents, started with gardening. A proposed bill would expand it to uses like public art, which a planning official said residents had asked for. The bill also calls the program temporary, since lots are meant to be sold. Still, the council president asked how that squares with gardens serving the community.
City Council
Neighborhood employment centers offer residents job placement help, educational referrals, and employment counseling. On June 3, council gave preliminary approval to $210,000 for the city's Neighborhood Employment Program. Six centers were selected, and they'll also work as a network for job fairs and other opportunities. The money can go toward needs such as staff salaries, computers, and software.
City Council
Offices make up about 66% of Downtown real estate, an Urban Redevelopment Authority official said. On June 3, the authority asked council to approve a 40-year Downtown investment district. Future real estate taxes would repay loans for projects like turning vacant offices into housing. Still, only the city would pay the interest, and council held the plan a week.
City Council
Route 65, built in the 1960s, divides Manchester and Chateau and gutted the commercial core along Beaver Avenue. On June 3, council advanced $750,000 more for study and early design work on the avenue. Part of the Esplanade development's effort to reconnect the neighborhoods, the redesign would make the road two-way. The full $1 million is reimbursable with federal funds.
School Board
Twelve Pittsburgh Public Schools are set to close as the district reorganizes grade levels. On May 27, the board approved the plan 6-2, with one abstention. Before the vote, most of the 91 people who signed up to speak opposed it, and many cited a lack of communication. The board president said nothing will change until after the 2026-27 school year.
School Board
Up to 1,600 preschoolers get therapy, hearing and vision services, and developmental support through Pittsburgh Public Schools' Early Intervention program. Now, directors unanimously accepted over $8 million in state grants for it, without discussion. That's about 1% of the district's $731 million budget, which carries a $6 million deficit. The flat-funded grants will be distributed during the 2026-27 school year.
County Council
After calls to leave the post over a campaign mailer, Pat Catena stepped down as Allegheny County Council president on May 22. On May 26, council unanimously elected Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis of Plum as the first woman president in its 26-year history. She named a balanced budget, property reassessment, and housing among the challenges ahead. Catena will remain a member of council.
County Council
For 26 years, Allegheny County's executive has had sole authority over county contracts that don't involve property. On May 26, a council member introduced legislation to put a question about changing that on the Nov. 3 ballot. Voters would decide whether council must approve contracts over $30,000, except in emergencies. For now, council has referred the proposal to its government reform committee.