Topic
County Council
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.
City Council
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.
City Council
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.