Governing Body
City Council · Pittsburgh, PA
City Council
The city isn't subject to fines for code violations on property it owns. On Sept. 15, council took up a controller's audit that found 4,330 code investigations of city-owned properties from 2021 through 2023. An audit official said there's no cohesive process for dealing with them. He said that sends taxpayer money toward notices that just end up in a bin.
City Council
Since 2023, the city has paid $50,000 a year for a Vibrant Pittsburgh membership. On Sept. 16, three council members questioned the cost and asked how well it works. A city finance official said she didn't have that information, and council held the renewal for one week. One member suggested the administration list all city memberships and training services.
City Council
As Pittsburgh readies more red light cameras, council wants to know more about their surveillance abilities. The city's transportation director said the cameras capture only license plates. He said the city owns the data and destroys it within 30 days after a case ends. On Sept. 9, council also advanced a bill letting drivers pay tickets online and request hearings by phone or internet.
City Council
Neighborhood groups can again get paid back for projects that fight blight or create art. On Sept. 9, council advanced $20,000 for 17 groups through Love Your Block, which is back after a two-year pause. Still, two council districts got no money, one because no groups applied. A city official said his office is helping groups prepare for next year.
City Council
Many no parking signs go up with no construction in sight. On Aug. 31, a city transportation official told council a 2025 permit process replaced a one-size-fits-all approach to no parking. She also said aging pipes can break from paving vibrations, so newly repaved streets sometimes get dug up again. Still, she said better coordinating street closures would take more staff.
City Council
A South Side council member said his district looks like a jungle this year, largely because crews lack trailers. On Sept. 2, council agreed to move forward with buying 12 new landscaping trailers for nearly $60,000. Crews have only two now to haul lawn and snow equipment. The acting fleet manager said a dozen is the minimum to work efficiently.
City Council
Pittsburgh's finances slipped further in the second quarter. On Sept. 1, a budget official told council the projected year-end deficit has grown to $30.2 million from $24.4 million. Finance staff said the NFL Draft likely cost the city at least $1 million. Still, the budget official was more hesitant than in June to say the outlook would improve.
City Council
With a tap on their phones, city park superintendents may soon run ballfield lights. On July 29, council agreed to move forward with a $73,050 payment for the remote-control software. The system can time lights to a field permit and adjust their brightness. Residents can still switch on lights by hand at spots like basketball courts that aren't under a permit.
City Council
City rules let drivers park in bike lanes and other banned spots if it protects people and the vehicle. On July 29, council agreed to move forward with a bill dropping vehicle safety as an exception. That could also take away a justification drivers use to park on sidewalks. However, council remained conflicted about sidewalk parking.
City Council
Violence prevention money could pay for programs at another rec center. Council advanced a request for $200,000 from the Stop the Violence fund for McKinley Recreation Center in Beltzhoover. On July 28, a similar request for Glen Hazel's rec center won final approval. The council president has backed these requests, but he said rec centers don't attract the youth most at risk of gun violence.
City Council
Pittsburgh ran a $44.7 million deficit in 2025 and expects another this year. Three years of deficits would put city finances under state control. This week, the controller emailed council arguing against the proposed Downtown TRID, citing that financial strain. She warned the city could owe over $3 million in 2027 without money set aside for early debt payments.
City Council
Forty people addressed council about the Downtown TRID, and nearly all were opposed. Critics objected to 80% of the money going to developers and to vague plans for public infrastructure. Many also called the process rushed and opaque. In their own discussion, council members later turned to one speaker, a cleaner recently laid off after nearly 40 years.
City Council
Custodians, security officers, and maintenance workers in Downtown buildings could gain job protections under the proposed TRID. Changes made after a June 3 committee meeting require a prevailing wage and union contracts. However, those contracts must bar strikes and picketing until financial recovery is complete. Council voted 6-3 to move the TRID forward, and a final vote is set for next week.
City Council
Downtown property values have fallen $813 million since 2024, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said. On July 22, it pitched council on the Downtown TRID to turn that around. Under the plan, 80% of the money would go to developers and 20% to unspecified public infrastructure. Still, transit got little attention, and one council member called any public benefit murky.
City Council
EMS crews from nearby municipalities helped cover April's NFL Draft, and those towns billed Pittsburgh about $27,000. Now, council has approved those bills along with six other invoices. The budget director assumed a $2 million VisitPittsburgh grant would cover them but couldn't confirm it. For now, the controller is preparing a report on the draft's impact, a council member said.
City Council
The intersection of Larimer Avenue and Meadow Street sees heavy traffic. On July 15, council advanced an agreement letting a community group install a street mural there. Such murals are meant to calm traffic, and a 2022 study found intersections with art saw 50% fewer crashes involving pedestrians.
City Council
Right now, Saundra and James Cole run children's activities at Glen Hazel's Burgwin Recreation Center, but that's no longer sustainable. On July 8, 16 residents, including six children, came to council to back funding programs there. The area's council member argued the Stop the Violence fund should pay. Council held the bill two weeks to give the mayor time to work toward a solution.
City Council
The city's IT department is working to run Pittsburgh's computer network in-house. Now, council has agreed to move forward with a $95,440 one-year contract with an outside firm to help with that shift. Council also advanced a $58,283 interest payment the budget missed on a Dell lease-to-own deal. That would finish buying over 2,000 Dell devices.
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
Student ambassadors in six Pittsburgh public high schools work to interrupt violence, but the program's state grant has ended. On July 1, council agreed to move forward with a $250,000 deal to keep it going this fall. The council president said that should cover about six months. Still, the school district hasn't authorized money to continue it.