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Checking in: How Are We Doing?

Written by Chris Maury

🏖️ City Council is on break for the next 3 weeks. Instead of our regular coverage we're doing a series of deep dives. This week: an update on InformUp! Have a request for a future deep dive? Drop it into this week’s survey.

We first wanted to say thank you so much for your time and attention each week. We know how valuable it is, and we hope we earn it each and every week (when we don’t, email me directly at chris@informup.org).

We started InformUp to make it as easy as possible for you (and everyone else) to engage directly with their elected officials. It’s still very early. We only started in earnest this past January, but we're excited by the initial response.

Our goal isn't just to report on what City Council is doing each week, but for you to tell us what you think about those issues. Every article has a survey, which we hope you take a minute to fill out. That way we can share your preferences directly with City Council. We can’t help make your voice heard unless you tell us how you feel.

Second, we wanted to share some numbers to give a better idea about how things are going:

  • We have 184 subscribers, 6 of whom donate monthly
  • Our reporting is reprinted each month in the Homepage Community Newspaper serving Hazelwood and surrounding neighborhoods.
  • Our article on the City's new program to sell homes directly to residents was the most popular with over 1,200 views
  • We've had 715 survey responses across 25 weeks of City Council meetings
  • The question that drew the widest range of opinions was around income requirements for the new direct home sales program
  • Question Is the income limit of $128,775 for a family of four appropriate for this program?
  • Responses
  • 31% said Yes, it’s appropriate for serving moderate-income residents (22)
  • 30% said No, the limit should be higher or removed (21)
  • 27% said No, the limit should be lower to better support low-income residents (19)
  • 11% were Unsure, citing a need for more local income data (8)

Lastly, InformUp is a nonprofit. No one should ever have to pay to have access to their elected officials, to have their voices heard in the halls where the decisions that impact their daily lives are made. We will never charge for our coverage. Our work is supported by our readers and partially by the Heinz Endowments. If you appreciate our work, and are able, please consider subscribing and making a monthly donation.

Oh, and it wouldn't be an InformUp article without a survey. This one is for us though, and not for City Council. Please take a moment and let us know how we are doing (It's longer than our normal survey, so feel free to skip anything you dont want to answer).

More surveys

Have your say on more of the stories we’re covering.

City Council

City, County officials outline emergency response gaps.

After the April 29 storm, a top priority is getting generators into every fire, EMS, and police station. Three council members said they weren't kept informed after the storm and had no point person to contact. One suggested naming a council member to receive and share information in emergencies. So far, the city has doubled its supply of oxygen tanks that work without power.

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After the April 2025 storm

City Council

Addressing the City’s fleet management crisis.

Properly maintaining the city's vehicles would take $10 to $15 million a year. The five-year budget outlook, however, allows for only $3 million a year. This week, council approved more oversight, including a yearly fleet report before each budget. It'll list repair costs per vehicle and flag any vehicle whose upkeep reached 30% of its purchase price.

Follow the issues:

Pittsburgh's broken-down vehicle fleet

City Council

April 29 storm debrief reveals scale of emergency assistance demands.

During the April 29 storm, overloaded cell networks left 911 effectively out of reach. On July 23, city and county officials briefed council on the storm response. A county emergency chief said the region's 911 systems got 25,000 calls in the first four hours, Pennsylvania's usual daily total. Next, council will hear about Duquesne Light's response on Sept. 18.

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After the April 2025 storm

City Council

City and Pittsburgh Public Schools partner to create afterschool programs in underserved neighborhoods.

Some lower-income neighborhoods lack a city recreation center or a strong nonprofit offering after-school programs. A bill would let city staff run programs in Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings there instead. A pilot for kindergarten through fifth grade would start in October at schools in Lincoln Place, Sheraden, and Brookline. Details are still in the works, but it won't cost the city.

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After school at city rec centers

City Council

State grants $6M to launch Urban Search and Rescue Task Force.

In the 2022 Fern Hollow Bridge collapse, rescue dogs had to come from eastern Pennsylvania. Now, the state has given the city $6 million for a task force specializing in collapses, floods, and other disasters. An assistant fire chief tied the need to that collapse and said two puppies are already in training. They'll be the only live-find dogs west of Harrisburg.

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Fire and EMS stretched thinFern Hollow Bridge collapse aftermath

City Council

Council frustrated by unused funds.

Each year, the city sweeps idle money out of dormant projects, and some of it can be lost for good. A $234,149 balance from an expired federal bike share grant, for example, no longer exists. Council members said they got no timely warning and no say in where leftover money goes. Now, the package is on hold for a week so council can weigh in.

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Use it or lose it: unspent public money

City Council

Regulating short-term rentals.

Right now, Pittsburgh has no rules for short-term rentals like Airbnb. A council member introduced legislation that would require investors who buy property to rent this way to get a yearly license. Violations would cost $500 per unit per month, but homeowners who occasionally rent their own homes would be exempt. Next, council will discuss the bills at a future meeting.

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Regulating short-term rentals

City Council

Final Food Justice Fund recipients chosen.

Free meals, community gardens, and food-system job training are among the uses of the city's Food Justice Fund. Council has now affirmed grants for the fund's last $1.5 million. In all, 101 applications asked for more than $4 million. District 9 got the largest share of any council district.

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Use it or lose it: unspent public money

City Council

$40,000 for person-to-person police recruitment.

The police academy hasn't had a full class of 40 recruits since before the pandemic. A $40,000 request would pay for sales-style training for police recruiters. A city official said applications have risen to about 100 a month, crediting the bureau's full-time recruiters. Grant money the city already received would cover the cost.

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Rebuilding Pittsburgh's police force

City Council

Continuing white-tailed deer management.

The city says its deer herd has outgrown its food supply, and car-deer crashes are up. This year, targeted culling expands from last year's pilot in Frick and Riverview Parks to all Allegheny Regional Asset District parks. Those parks close at night for the sharpshooters. Council advanced about $99,500 for one year of the program.

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Trees and wildlife in the city

City Council

Additional protections for LGBTQIA+ residents.

Council voted in favor of adding LGBTQIA+ people as a protected class in the city code. The bill also makes it a low priority to enforce state and federal laws that criminalize parts of LGBTQIA+ identities. That includes laws on drag performance, Pride flags, and restroom use. It's a response to growing threats to LGBTQIA+ civil rights at UPMC, in some states, and federally.

Follow the issues:

Updating Pittsburgh's civil rights protections

City Council

At This Week’s Standing Committee Meeting.

Council's committee meeting this week ran 8 hours, and almost 70 people gave public comment. The largest group, 59 speakers, favored strengthening the Stop the Violence Fund. Speakers also weighed in on protections for trans healthcare and sex workers, and 11 opposed a public safety training campus. Top agenda items included reducing the minimum penalty for sex work.

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Where the Stop the Violence money goesThe public safety training campusLowering penalties for sex work

City Council

Reducing the minimum penalty for engaging in sex work.

A bill would make the minimum penalty for sex work a $100 fine, like a traffic ticket. Currently, it's a misdemeanor, with up to a year in jail for a first offense. The bill doesn't decriminalize sex work, though. Council unanimously advanced it, and a final vote is set for July 8.

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Lowering penalties for sex work

City Council

Planning for a Public Safety training campus.

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.

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The public safety training campus

City Council

Strengthening the Stop the Violence Trust Fund.

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.

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Where the Stop the Violence money goes

City Council

Council issues a statement and introduces legislation to protect gender-affirming care.

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.

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Updating Pittsburgh's civil rights protections

City Council

Council makes the most of Department of Public Works Director's presence during Park discussion.

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.

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Fixing up city parks

City Council

Councilmember Kail-Smith expresses frustration with City Planning and community input.

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.

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Who gets a say in neighborhood developmentReorganizing and modernizing City Hall

City Council

New rule proposed to help speed up building permit process.

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.

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Unsticking the permit process