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102 issues
Last updated July 28, 2026
Downtown's special tax district, the TRID
The URA's plan to fund Downtown redevelopment with future tax revenue, and the opposition to it.
Last updated July 28, 2026
PPS school closures
The Future Ready plan to close and consolidate Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings.
Last updated July 28, 2026
The PPS student code of conduct
The district's rules for student behavior and discipline.
Last updated July 17, 2026
Vision Zero and safer streets
Traffic calming, crossing guards, signals, and data aimed at ending traffic deaths.
Last updated July 13, 2026
Allegheny One digital services
A proposed single online home for county services.
Last updated July 10, 2026
Reorganizing and modernizing City Hall
Department restructuring, records, IT and 311 systems, and other internal operations.
Last updated July 6, 2026
A shake-up atop County Council
The fight over County Council's presidency and its staffing.
Last updated July 6, 2026
How the county government operates
Ballot questions and ordinances on term limits, contracts, council's budget, and ethics.
Last updated July 6, 2026
Magee-Womens nurses' contract
Council's support for nurses negotiating with UPMC.
Last updated July 3, 2026
Services for older residents
Meals and programs for seniors at city recreation centers.
Last updated July 3, 2026
Stopping violence before it starts
Safe Passage, group violence intervention, and county prevention dollars aimed at youth and neighborhoods.
Last updated June 26, 2026
Youth jobs and job training
Learn and Earn and other programs that help residents find work.
Last updated June 22, 2026
A permanent home for the medical examiner
The county's purchase of the medical examiner's building.
Last updated June 19, 2026
Crisis response without police
Co-response teams and the Office of Community Health and Safety.
Last updated June 19, 2026
Fern Hollow Bridge collapse aftermath
Settlements and safety changes after the 2022 bridge collapse.
Last updated June 5, 2026
The North Side Esplanade
Financing and road work for the riverfront development and Ferris wheel in Manchester.
Last updated June 3, 2026
Paying for Pittsburgh Public Schools
The district's budget, deficits, tax rate, and grants.
Last updated May 29, 2026
A neighborhood improvement district for East Carson St.
South Side business owners' plan to tax themselves for improvements.
Last updated May 18, 2026
Allegheny County's limits on ICE
County Council's laws limiting cooperation with immigration enforcement and unmasking federal agents.
Last updated May 11, 2026
Opting out of PPS lessons
How families can pull students from lessons that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs.
345 stories
City Council
A $20.1 million financing plan would bring in 13 new fire trucks.
The $20 million donation from Highmark Health will cover purchasing 13 new fire trucks. Because the donation will be split over five years, the Equipment Leasing Authority requested council’s approval to enter into a financing agreement for the trucks. Buying them all at one time allows for a price discount, though the city will have to pay a little more than $2 million in interest on the financing.Survey
Council has agreed to buy all 13 fire trucks now and pay for them over five years with Highmark's gift. What should the city report back on as the trucks arrive? Pick up to three.
City Council
New zoning code’s affordable housing bonus program would get regular progress reports.
Council may track how developers use the affordable housing bonus available in the new zoning code. Proposed legislation would require the Department of City Planning to send a semiannual report to council. The department will also issue any recommendations for changes to the program in two years.Survey
What should the city's twice-yearly reports on the affordable housing bonus show?
City Council
A 2% tax on unearned income could raise $51 million a year.
A proposed unearned income tax could raise $51 million a year for the city. Council members disagree on how to keep the city afloat during a difficult financial period. If passed, Pittsburgh would be the first municipality to enact such a tax. Council sent the bill to a public hearing.Survey
If Pittsburgh adopts a 2% tax on investment income, what should the money go to first?
County Council
Paid sick leave rules reach businesses with fewer than 15 employees for the first time.
Council also amended its 2021 Paid Sick Leave Act. Employers with 15 or more employees must provide one hour of paid sick time off for every 30 hours worked for up to 72 paid hours per year. Employers with fewer than 15 employees are required to provide the same with a cap at 48 paid hours per year.Survey
Should the county offer financial help to small businesses to cover the cost of paid sick time?
County Council
43 of 49 speakers urged support for paid parental leave.
Forty-nine people spoke during public comment with 43 being in favor of paid leave. Many cited the need for birth mothers to physically heal and for both parents to bond with the baby. Some of those who spoke in favor recalled painful experiences during and after childbirth. Opponents cited financial concerns for small businesses.Survey
Do you support the county's new rule requiring businesses with 15 or more employees to offer 12 weeks of paid parental leave?
County Council
County becomes first in the country to require 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
Allegheny County Council voted 11-4 in favor of implementing paid parental leave. All businesses with 15 or more employees must provide 12 weeks’ paid parental leave following the birth, adoption, foster care placement or stillbirth of a child. Businesses have 180 days to implement the policy with a potential 180-day extension to account for differences in fiscal calendars.Survey
What should the county track and share publicly to show how paid parental leave affects local businesses? Select all that apply.
City Council
Side yard sales could return after a year on hold.
Pittsburgh may reinstate side yard sales. The program allows residents to purchase abandoned lots adjacent to their homes at a reduced rate. Lot prices will increase to $1,500. An online calculator will show the total cost, which includes fees such as the deed transfer tax, which is based on the land’s assessed value.Survey
The price of a side yard lot should depend on the lot’s size or value.
City Council
Nineteen food justice projects chosen to split a $250,000 grant.
The Food Justice Program selected 19 projects, spanning all nine council districts, to receive a portion of a $250,000 grant. The grants aim to bolster community organizations that address food insecurity and lack of access to fresh food through production or distribution. Federal funding cuts spur continued interest in investing in local food networks.Survey
What is the biggest barrier to getting fresh food in your neighborhood?
City Council
Proposed budget schedule aims to avoid a New Year with no budget.
Pittsburgh City Council is considering a plan to codify a Dec. 20 deadline for passing the annual budget. The date gives the mayor 10 days to act with a one-day cushion for council to override a veto or for the budget to automatically become law if it remained unreturned. No one knows what happens if the budget isn’t passed by Dec. 31.Survey
Which of these makes it easier for you to weigh in on the city budget?
City Council
The $6.5 million ShotSpotter contract sparks a fix for a purchasing loophole.
Today, the city can sign some big contracts without a council vote. That's how a $6.5 million deal with ShotSpotter went through last year. On Oct. 21, a bill requiring council approval for such multi-year contracts over $30,000 failed. It advanced, however, after the limit was raised to $1 million.Survey
Council should be notified when the city signs a contract through another government’s agreement, even if council does not have to approve it.
City Council
Vibrant Pgh’s $50,000 membership gets a second chance.
Young college graduates leave Pittsburgh for more diverse cities, a council member said. In a 5-4 vote on Oct. 21, council reversed course and advanced renewing the city's $50,000 yearly Vibrant Pgh membership. Last month, the committee had recommended against it. The council president said a diverse workforce is vital to the city's success.Survey
Which one of these should the city focus on to attract and keep workers?
City Council
The long-running zoning rewrite moves to the finish line.
New developments in Pittsburgh still have to meet parking requirements. On Oct. 21, council agreed to move forward with a zoning package that would drop them. It would also ease building backyard houses and basement or attic suites, and let developers build higher with affordable units. Council is expected to cast its final vote next week.Survey
If new buildings have fewer parking spaces, which steps should the city take on your street?
City Council
First phase of the permitting overhaul is held at the administration’s request.
Early this year, the mayor ordered a review of the city's permitting process to make it more predictable and efficient. On Oct. 14, council held the first step at the administration's request. That bill fixes typos, simplifies height rules, and removes outdated sections of the zoning code. The council member who relayed the request didn't say why the administration wanted the hold.Survey
If you’ve applied for a city permit in the past few years, what was the biggest problem?
City Council
Proposed bills would offer council budget training and put quarterly finance sessions into law.
Last November, council learned of $13 million in unaccounted-for city water bills. In April, it heard the city had pulled $10 million from two trust funds for general expenses. On Oct. 13, two council members introduced five finance reform bills to end such surprises. One would train members to read a budget, and another would put quarterly finance meetings into law.Survey
Which changes would most improve your trust in how the city manages money?
City Council
Residents petition for a hearing to replace a missing workplace safety marker in Market Square.
City code requires council to hold a public hearing on replacing a missing Market Square marker about workplace accidents. On Oct. 13, council received a petition from 26 residents asking for that hearing. According to the marker's text, the research it honored led to workers' compensation laws. The hearing isn't scheduled yet, and it doesn't guarantee the marker will be replaced.Survey
What makes it easier for you to take part in a public hearing?
City Council
A half mile of trees illegally cut down along the Ohio Riverfront Trail leads to a two-year tree study.
About a half mile of trees along the Ohio Riverfront Trail were cut down without permission. A city arborist said a neighboring property owner did it and dumped much of the wood into the river. On Oct. 7, council advanced paying for an independent tree count there. The city forester said that's needed to seek restitution.Survey
What should the city do first to protect trees on public land?
City Council
$340 million in contracts for 96 vendors moves forward without department details.
The city wants 96 vendors on call through $340 million in service contracts. On Oct. 7, council advanced them, though they don't say which departments will use them or why. A budget staffer said she could provide those details, and a final vote is set for Oct. 13. However, extra details sent to council typically don't make the public record.Survey
Before council approves a contract, details on which departments will use it and why should be part of the public record.
City Council
A new review system might help the city weigh past performance before renewing a contract.
Right now, the city has no uniform way to weigh poor vendor work before renewing a contract. For example, a council member said one contractor installed the wrong door at the Oliver Bath House. Council advanced a no-cost agreement with a nonprofit to help build a review system for city vendors. A budget official said clear performance criteria would tell vendors what's expected.Survey
It should be standard practice to perform performance reviewsof vendorsproviding services to the city before additional contracts are approved.
County Council
Council asks to sit in on the court fight over its $1.5 billion-short pension fund 🔗.
Allegheny County's employee pension fund is nearly $1.5 billion short. A Sept. 3 court opinion said the governor and state lawmakers will likely need to give the county more funding tools. Then on Sept. 22, county council voted to ask the court to let its lawyer join the case as a neutral party. Next, the court will hold a hearing on that request.Survey
Which approaches should the county consider to close the pension shortfall?
County Council
Door-to-door reassessment could cost $50 million and bring a wave of appeals.
Allegheny County hasn't reassessed property values since 2012. In August, a judge ordered the county to start reassessing by July 2027 and finish by 2032. On Sept. 14, a council committee heard the door-to-door work could cost $50 million and bring a wave of appeals. For now, it's holding a bill for regular reassessments until other lawsuits end.Survey
Which concerns about the coming reassessment matter most to you?