City Council
University partnership aims to take the guesswork out of the building permit process.
Permit burdens fall hardest on people without the means to get through the system, a city manager said. In low-income communities, it takes a week longer to start applications for single-family home projects. On May 13, council advanced a free, three-year data partnership with Johns Hopkins University. If approved, researchers would look for common causes of incomplete applications and review delays.
Written by Amy Whipple
The Department of Innovation and Performance (DIP) could figure out how to make the city’s permitting process more accessible to residents during a three-year partnership with Johns Hopkins University.
City council voted to move forward with a data sharing agreement with the university as part of the Data Science for Social Good program. If the measure gets final approval, researchers will focus on identifying common causes of incomplete applications and review delays. They will also look at systems to improve consistency in applicant guidance and intake determinations, and support earlier identification of required reviews and documentation.
“Equity is at the heart of this process,” said special projects manager Ben Forstate at the May 13 council committee meeting.
“Some of the burdens of this process are the hardest on people who don’t have the means to navigate the system,” he said. For instance, it takes a week longer for people in low-income communities to start the application process for single-family home projects.
Council Member Deb Gross of Highland Park asked for the project to include gender data given the number of women-owned small businesses in her district. “They very often have told me about their difficulties with PLI and felt that maybe they were being treated unfairly,” she said.
The agreement comes at no cost to the city.
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City Council
City renews tools that let residents tinker with the budget.
A city website lets residents set budget priorities and see what their taxes pay for. On May 11, council advanced a $13,000 request to extend the tool, Balancing Act, by a year. A city official said how much residents use it depends on promotion. Meanwhile, the acting budget director said the city is building its own version to save money.
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Documenting Pittsburgh's LGBTQIA+ history with a $25K state grant.
A bid last year to make Donny's Place, a Polish Hill gay bar, the city's first gay historic landmark failed. Now, council has advanced city planners' request for a $25,000 state grant to study Pittsburgh's LGBTQ+ history. A planning official said the bar's nomination lacked the kind of study historic nominations typically include. The grant requires a $7,500 city match.
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Proposed property reassessment public hearings skip Pittsburgh.
None of the hearings on a proposal to reassess property every three years are in Pittsburgh. On April 28, a county council member pointed that out and urged holding one within city limits. Another member asked for an online session, saying the evening schedule would be prohibitive for some. Still, council's chief clerk said any added hearings would need council approval.
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Council accepts $1.8M from dissolved health nonprofit to shore up mental health and social services.
A 2025 memo said Allegheny County's mental health and substance use treatment program faced a $20 million deficit for 2026. Now, county council has voted to accept $1.8 million from the dissolution of HealthChoices, Inc. The human services department will use it for mental health, intellectual disability, and social services, among other things. There's no set deadline for spending it.
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County exec uses quarterly address to highlight residents’ benefits from NFL Draft prep.
Downtown Pittsburgh now has its first playground and public restrooms, County Executive Sara Innamorato told council on April 28. In her quarterly address, she said NFL Draft prep gave the region a deadline for permanent projects. She named Arts Landing and the renovated Market Square among them. A countywide cleanup also removed 7.3 million pounds of debris, she said.
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District approves just over $1 million for Grandview elementary roof replacement.
The city halted a roofing project at Westwood Elementary because its contractor lacked proper permits. About six months later, the Pittsburgh Public Schools board approved a roof replacement of just over $1 million for Grandview PreK-5. This time, it chose an Ohio firm that picked the lowest bidder as subcontractor. Work starts this month and should wrap by 2028.
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PPS Board revises religious exemptions to include “moral beliefs.”
Since 2009, Pittsburgh Public Schools has let parents excuse children from lessons that conflict with religious beliefs. In April, the board voted 6-2 to add sincerely held moral beliefs. Requests now need a specific written reason, and families get at least three weeks' notice of possibly controversial lessons. But a director who voted no worried the notice rule could burden teachers.
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Two more bills aim to limit where immigration enforcement can operate in Pittsburgh.
Under two proposed bills, immigration agents couldn't use city property such as parks and libraries as staging areas. On May 6, council advanced the bills, which the mayor's office would enforce. Consequences could include a $2,000 fine per violation or firing from city jobs. Council is scheduled to take its final vote next week.
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New software will replace the paper binders guiding Pittsburgh’s recycling trucks since 2008.
Pittsburgh's recycling and trash crews still follow routes printed in paper binders. Now, council has agreed to move forward with software to replace them. The routes were last updated in 2008, and the longest recycling route runs about 10 hours. Still, in-vehicle navigation isn't part of the deal and needs a separate contract.
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Council pushes for quarterly crime data amid Market Square teen restrictions.
Anyone under 18 is now barred from Market Square from 3 pm to midnight, Thursday to Sunday, without someone 21 or older. In response, council advanced a bill to get quarterly violent crime data by age and location. The sponsor said that aside from two recent incidents, she found only anecdotal reports of disruptive teens. Council is scheduled to meet on the subject May 20.
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City planning to send expiring pandemic relief dollars to food banks.
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and the JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Bank could split more than $55,000 in federal pandemic money. On April 29, council gave the plan preliminary approval. The money came from groups that couldn't use it in time or had finished their projects. Any remaining grant money must be spent by June 1.
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An agreement to keep young volunteers working in city parks to last 10 years.
Tree canopy covers less than 20% of some lower-income Pittsburgh neighborhoods, the city's forestry division says. On April 29, council advanced a 10-year deal for Student Conservation Association volunteers to keep working in parks. The group's spring plan focuses on the tree canopy, its program director said. State money pays for the work, and the city doesn't have to match it.
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County jail inmates receive first paychecks after 200 years of unpaid work.
Until this month, Allegheny County Jail workers weren't paid at all. Now, they earn $5 a day, and those in educational programs earn $2 per class. A council member said 377 workers got their first payments in early April. Still, people doing custodial work on their own pod won't be paid until a second phase, which has no start date.
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Proposed bill takes aim at officer anonymity amid immigration enforcement.
Officers, including federal agents, couldn't wear masks or hide badges on duty in Allegheny County under a proposed law. Introduced April 14, it would punish each violation with a fine up to $500 or up to 90 days in jail. Undercover officers and those wearing medical masks would be exempt. For now, council has referred it to the public safety committee.
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Supervisors approve $500,000 grant application to repair two bridges.
As part of ongoing infrastructure needs, supervisors approved a resolution to pursue $500,000 in funding to renovate the Kelly Hollow and Rippel Road bridges.
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Blighted properties to enter demolition bid process.
Supervisor Amy Cline gave an update on four blighted homes slated for demolition using Act 152 funds, a state-authorized program that supports removal of structures meeting blight criteria.
City Council
Pirates charities and Laborers Union team up to upgrade 20 youth baseball fields.
Drainage problems can stop play on city-owned youth baseball and softball fields. Now, a $300,000 Pirates Charities grant will cover upgrades, such as laser grading, at about 20 fields. On April 20, council also advanced a laborers' union donation for scoreboards at 10 fields. The city is still finalizing which fields will get the upgrades.
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University of Pittsburgh joins push to fund city projects with $5M grant.
A $5 million University of Pittsburgh grant could fund parks, Main Street programs, public safety facilities, and more. On April 20, council advanced the grant, which is paid over five years. Proposed spending will go into the capital budget for council approval, the chief of staff said. Still, a council member asked for extra spending reports, citing concerns about city trust funds.
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Pittsburgh may break even on the Draft with officials betting on the long game.
Police and public works overtime for the NFL Draft will cost about $1.8 million, the acting budget director estimated. On April 20, council advanced a $2 million VisitPittsburgh grant to cover approved costs like those. Still, a council member noted the city will collect only parking tax from the event. The finance director said the city might break even.
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Pittsburgh plans to keep vape shops 1,000 feet away from schools.
A proposed ordinance would keep vape shops at least 1,000 feet from Pittsburgh schools. On April 15, council advanced the bill to a public hearing that hasn't been scheduled yet. Following city planners' advice, it also dropped daycares and religious institutions from the distance rules. A council aide said the original list would have effectively banned vape shops citywide.