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Stories by Amy Whipple
City Council
Half of the city's electricity comes from renewable sources, and it costs less than the national average, officials said. Now council has advanced a six-year contract with Enel X, which advises the city on when to buy energy. The request says it comes at no added cost to the city. The current contract runs out March 31.
City Council
Some North Shore light poles are coming down to make room for NFL Draft crowds, the city's technology director said. One holds a crowd monitoring camera that the city wants atop a garage by the stadium during the event. On March 11, council gave preliminary approval to that and two no-cost space deals, including a warehouse for police training.
City Council
Street vendors and peddlers may soon pay one $135 city license fee, plus extra to get the same spot every day. The new schedule combines fees from three city departments. The finance director said it's revenue neutral and will make permits easier to get before the NFL Draft. Council has given preliminary approval and is scheduled to vote next week.
City Council
Fifth Avenue and Dithridge Street in Oakland saw 10 crashes, including one death, from 2020 to 2025. The city's transportation department now wants council to accept an $806,000 state grant to replace the traffic light there. The intersection sits in front of a student-heavy apartment complex, and five transit routes pass through. Council is set to discuss it March 11.
City Council
On March 4, council gave preliminary approval to use $1 million in grant money for two new ambulances. A council member also asked about two out-of-service fire vehicles. The city's senior fleet manager said the city should push hard to buy fire vehicles. But he said new ones must be modified for narrow streets and hills, so they can take years to arrive.
City Council
Group violence intervention tries to curb gun violence by focusing on the people most at risk. Now the city's public safety director wants council to approve a three-year, $300,000 deal with Homewood's Operation Better Block. The group provides technology for the program, like tracking outreach work and potential hot spots. Council is set to take it up March 11.
County Council
Seventy people signed up to speak at Allegheny County Council's Feb. 24 meeting. As it began, nine of 15 members voted to cut each speaker's time from three minutes to 90 seconds. Comments were overwhelmingly against county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. So far, council hasn't said whether it'll do the same on March 10.
County Council
Residents have told Allegheny County Council that county officers have been turning immigrants over to ICE. On March 2, the public safety committee voted to advance a bill limiting county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Three members opposed it, and one warned the county could lose federal funding. Next, the full council could vote as early as March 10.
City Council
ShotSpotter sensors alert Pittsburgh police to gunfire without waiting for a 911 call. Council is still weighing whether to renew the $1.2 million yearly contract. A city audit found ShotSpotter got police to possible gunfire about five minutes faster than 911 calls. Still, critics say the system leads to over-policing in marginalized areas.
City Council
Carnegie Mellon has offered to cover a $200,000 match the city lacks for a federal street safety grant. That brings the Safe Streets and Roads for All project to $400,000. Still, a council member wondered whether one large contribution from nonprofits that don't pay city taxes would be more efficient. Council voted to keep moving toward accepting the money.
County Council
In her Feb. 10 address to council, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato reported progress on snow clearing, public safety, and housing. She said homicides fell last year to the lowest level since electronic records began, crediting violence interruption teams. Her Feb. 5 executive order introduced a Housing Investment Fund. Her goal is $50 million to $100 million in public and private money for affordable housing.
County Council
Fewer people are living outdoors in Allegheny County than last year, a county council member said. Counting on Feb. 3, she saw no one on a South Side trail where she said 60 to 70 lived last year. She credited coordinated outreach and the Housing First approach. Still, winter shelters are open, she noted, so warmer months may look different.
County Council
For longtime homeowners in redeveloping areas, rising market values can mean rising tax bills. On Feb. 10, Allegheny County Council passed a program capping eligible owners' tax increases at 35%. Owners qualify after 10 years in their homes, with incomes up to $131,625 for a family of four. However, one council member argued the income limit should be higher.
City Council
With $645 million in debt already, the city wants to borrow $56 million more for bridges, roads, and buildings. On Feb. 18, council met with financial advisors about the bonds. Still, the city's yearly debt payment would drop to $46 million in 2027, since it's paying off more than it borrows. A final vote is scheduled for next week.
City Council
Last month's snowstorm left some wheelchair users stuck at home for weeks, a council member said. So she's proposing a citywide inventory of curb cuts, intersections, and transit stops to guide snow clearing. It would also have the city cite owners who don't clear sidewalks. But council held the bill for two weeks to get feedback from city planners.
City Council
About 3,000 Pittsburgh properties are available as short-term rentals, a council member said. Last month, she reintroduced bills to regulate them, including permits for out-of-town owners. Another member said a New Year's Day mass shooting at an Airbnb revived the issue. For now, the zoning bill heads to the Planning Commission, and the permit bill waits at least 12 weeks.
City Council
Three affordable senior high-rises pay the city about $150 a year each instead of property taxes. Now the finance department wants council to extend those agreements for 10 more years. Without them, the tax-exempt buildings would pay nothing, the finance director said. Council advanced the request, though one member worried it lets the department negotiate terms without council oversight.
City Council
For seven years, Pittsburgh police have paid for cell phone surveillance software. On Feb. 12, a council member flagged a $2,754 invoice for the software, called CellHawk. She said the administration told her police request data only with a search warrant. So far, the contract doesn't appear to be publicly available.
City Council
The city is adding snow removal vehicles after 37 plows broke down in one night. On Feb. 4, council gave preliminary approval to a $2 million PNC Foundation gift covering 15 of them. With other funds and retrofitted trucks, the city will have 70 snow vehicles. The mayor's chief of staff said they won't be ready this winter, though they should arrive by next winter.
City Council
The money set aside for the city's unpaid water bill has come up $1 million short. On Feb. 4, the budget director said only $6 million of the $7 million council approved last year is available. The city still owes the missing $1 million, he said. Next week, council is expected to amend the transfer amount.