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.
Written by Amy Whipple
- The City will complete the expansion of its white-tailed deer management program this year according to Chief Operating Officer Lisa Frank.
- Last year, the City piloted a targeted harvesting program in Frick and Riverview Parks.
- This closes parks at night for sharpshooters.
- This year, targeted harvesting will now happen in all Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) parks.
- Archers will continue to be used in all parks.
- According to the City’s website, the deer population has grown beyond their available food source. There has also been an increase in car-deer collisions.
- The deer population doubles every 2-3 years.
- Deer are the primary hosts of Lyme-disease-carry ticks.
- The Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab recorded approximately two and a half times more ticks this May compared to the same time last year.
- The program is in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture. Council affirmatively recommended the Department of Public Safety’s request for $99,494.05 for one year of funding.
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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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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.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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City to end underused benefits program for employees.
The City won't renew a contract for employee wellness programs, which an official said weren't as well used as hoped. It requested $80,540 to pay the rest of the contract, which began in 2018. However, the vaccine program will stay. Details of a new wellness program are coming later this year.
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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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Pilot program for buying houses directly from the City.
Buying a City house can take up to two years under the existing program. With a new pilot, the City would clear titles first, cutting closing to about six months. Council has advanced the first five sales, all in the West End. Buyers would have to meet income limits and live in the home for at least five years.
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$40,484 reallocated for Bedford Park planning.
Plans to remake Bedford Dwellings in the Hill District include a new public park, Bedford Park. Council has advanced moving $40,484 left over from finished projects, like Bloomfield Pool upgrades, toward it. That covers the City's $37,500 match for a $250,000 State grant Public Works will seek.
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$150,500 match for Fort Pitt Playground Project.
A community-led master plan calls for renovating the 3.8-acre playground at Fort Pitt Park in Garfield. To help pay for it, council has advanced a $150,500 City match. It goes with Public Works' application for a $250,000 State grant. Citywide, 38 of 176 parks have improvement projects underway or recently completed.
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A City Department of Public Health.
The City's own health department closed in 1957, when the Allegheny County Health Department was created. On June 10, a council member introduced a bill to bring it back. It would sit under Public Safety, led by the chief of building inspection, who could appoint a certified public health deputy. Next, a committee will discuss it at a future meeting.
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DHS to receive $3.8 million to support job training.
People receiving cash assistance or food benefits must meet work requirements, and education and job training count toward them. The Department of Human Services will now have access to $3.8 million in State grants for those services. In the 2023-24 program year, with the same grant amount, 436 people in Allegheny County took part.
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Lot sale sparks tense discussion about Council’s rights.
A City building in the Strip District has sat unused for 10 to 20 years, the council budget director estimated. Council has affirmed selling it to the URA for $1. Unlike the City, the URA can weigh a buyer's plans along with price. However, the one member who voted no said State law required public hearings for similar sales.
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Additional paid sick days for City-based employees.
A 2015 city law gives people working in Pittsburgh paid sick time. Council has now affirmed changes so workers earn it faster, with higher yearly caps starting Jan. 1, 2026. At businesses with 15 or more employees, the cap rises from 40 to 72 hours. To help small businesses, the council president said council will seek grants and loans.
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Urban Farm at Risk of Closing due to Esplanade Development.
A Manchester urban farm that has grown 12,000 pounds of food for residents since 2020 could lose its lot. Ebony Lunsford-Evans wants to buy the lot, and her City lease expires in July. It's in a zone earmarked for affordable housing near the Esplanade development. On May 19, 23 people spoke for her, but Council took no action because it wasn't on the agenda.
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Controller Calls for Transparency for the Housing Authority.
Tenants and council members have repeatedly raised concerns about transparency at the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh. Last week, a City Controller report called the authority's data reporting unnecessarily complicated and vague. It recommends regular public reports to council, clear demographic data, and tenant surveys. Council received and filed the report without discussion.