Pittsburgh City Council approves series of routine resolutions, schedules public hearing on police chief nomination

Pittsburgh City Council on Feb. 11 approved a slate of finance, public works, public-safety and other resolutions and voted to hold the nomination of Christopher Ragland for chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for interview and a public hearing.

The measures passed included agreements, grant acceptances and settlements across several departments and programs. Council members recorded unanimous roll-call approvals on the committee reports considered for final action. Separately, council members said they would schedule a public hearing and an interview for the Ragland nomination after requests from community groups, including the NAACP.

Why it matters: The adopted resolutions authorize city spending, grant matching and legal settlements and advance infrastructure and public-safety agreements. The decision to hold the Ragland nomination for further public review signals council interest in broader community input for leadership of the police bureau.

Council action and key measures Council adopted committee reports that included the following resolutions and authorizations (bill number as read at council, as described in the meeting):

- Bill 14-09: Amend leadership development contract with Pittsburgh Futures, increasing authorized spend by $76,800 for a new total not to exceed $338,136 over four years. (Committee: Finance and Law) - Bill 14-10: License agreement allowing the mayor and director of finance to permit Pittsburgh Steelers LLC to use the city seal on official Steelers-branded merchandise at no city cost. (Finance and Law) - Bill 14-37 and related amendments: Amendments increasing…