City Council
$250,000 allotted for violence prevention in six high schools this fall.
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.
Written by Amy Whipple
Violence prevention and intervention services will continue at six Pittsburgh Public high schools this fall.
Pittsburgh City Council voted during its July 1 committee meeting to move forward with a one-year, $250,000 agreement with Operation Better Block.
The Homewood-based nonprofit runs the Safe Passages Youth Violence Prevention Program, which began in 2021 with a $3 million state grant. It uses a violence-as-disease public health model to holistically address youth violence.
Operation Better Block trains student ambassadors in peer-based violence interruption techniques to use in and out of school. They receive a $200-per-month stipend from the organization.
Cornell Jones, assistant director for community affairs, said 64 students participated in the program last year. “We’re actually tapping into their genius,” he said. “[They’re] able to give us information that helps us to be able to be more effective in what we’re doing community-wise.”
The school district has not yet authorized funding to continue the program now that the state grant is complete.
“We do need Pittsburgh Public Schools to participate,” said Council President R. Daniel Lavelle of the Upper Hill District. “It’s not sustainable if the city has to pick up that entire tab to maintain the program moving forward.”
Council Member Khari Mosley of Point Breeze North said that youth violence isn’t limited to just school or the city. “I think this is a step of us understanding the importance of our role in ensuring public safety,” he said.
Lavelle said the money from the city should cover the program for about six months.
Connections to this story
- Elected officials:
- R. Daniel LavelleKhari Mosley
- Local issues:
- Stopping violence before it starts
- Governments:
- City Council
- Public meetings:
- City Council · June 30, 2026
More surveys
Have your say on more of the stories we’re covering.
City Council
Macedonia FACE will provide senior meals and programs to Ammon Recreation Center.
Seniors in the Hill District don't have a senior center nearby, a city parks official said. On July 1, council gave preliminary approval for Macedonia FACE to run meals and programs at the Ammon Recreation Center rent-free. The nonprofit previously offered senior services at the Thelma Lovette YMCA. A council member also said residents without a nearby city senior center miss out.
Follow the issues:
Services for older residentsCity Council
Vehicle repair bills on track to reach $5.3 million this year.
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.
Follow the issues:
Pittsburgh's broken-down vehicle fleetA deficit with State control on the horizonCity Council
After running Glen Hazel’s youth programs for free, volunteers say they can’t continue.
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.
Follow the issues:
After school at city rec centersWhere the Stop the Violence money goesCity Council
A projected $24 million shortfall in 2026 could leave one year before state financial control.
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.
Follow the issues:
A deficit with State control on the horizonThe bills Pittsburgh didn't payCity Council
With ARPA aid gone, 2025 closed with a $44.6 million deficit.
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.
Follow the issues:
A deficit with State control on the horizonCity Council
A $1 million Mellon grant could turn Learn and Earn into a year-round program.
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.
Follow the issues:
Youth jobs and job trainingBig donors, public billsWhere the Stop the Violence money goesCounty Council
$5 million in unspent bond interest will help buy a long-leased medical examiner’s building.
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.
Follow the issues:
A permanent home for the medical examinerCounty Council
November ballot questions could expand county lawmakers’ budget and benefits.
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.
Follow the issues:
How the county government operatesCity Council
Street outreach program looks at an $800,000 boost to reach more homeless residents.
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.
Follow the issues:
Shelter and outreach for unhoused residentsCrisis response without policeCity Council
Nine people hurt in the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse may share $445,000.
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.
Follow the issues:
Fern Hollow Bridge collapse aftermathCity Council
Road scans save money on projects, but using the data costs $1,300 a month.
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.
Follow the issues:
Fixing streets, steps, and wallsCity Council
City Farms Garden Program would let residents grow food in parks and greenways.
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.
Follow the issues:
Caring for vacant lots and greenwaysCity Council
Neglected hillsides may become permanently protected open spaces.
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.
Follow the issues:
Caring for vacant lots and greenwaysCity Council
The Department of City Planning (DCP) wants residents to dig into caring for Pittsburgh’s green spaces.
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.
Follow the issues:
Caring for vacant lots and greenwaysCity Council
Six neighborhood organizations selected to receive $210,000 in job placement support.
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.
Follow the issues:
Youth jobs and job trainingCity Council
Downtown’s Golden Triangle could see $50 million redevelopment investment by the end of the year.
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.
Follow the issues:
Downtown's special tax district, the TRIDCity Council
$750,000 approved to redesign Beaver Avenue for the Esplanade project.
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.
Follow the issues:
The North Side EsplanadeSchool Board
PPS approves closures of 12 schools.
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.
Follow the issues:
PPS school closuresPaying for Pittsburgh Public SchoolsSchool Board
Directors accept over $8 million in Early-Intervention grant funding.
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.
Follow the issues:
Paying for Pittsburgh Public SchoolsCounty Council
Allegheny County Council gets its first woman president.
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.