Pittsburgh City Council approves multiple routine resolutions, contracts and an appointment

Pittsburgh City Council on April 1, 2025 approved a series of resolutions and administrative items covering professional services agreements, equipment purchases, land disposition contracts, small-service contracts and one mayoral appointment.

The approvals were routine and largely uncontroversial; most measures passed on roll call with an 8-0 vote. Council also received and filed a weekly grants-office status update and an affordable housing bond annual performance report and scheduled follow-up briefings and post-agenda hearings on several items.

Among the items the council approved were two committee bills expanding the city's pool of on-call professional services agreements. The measures in committee report 16-77 (bills 16-39 and 16-40) authorize additional open-end professional services agreements with multiple vendors. Those authorizations reflect previously approved framework resolutions and set maximum annual amounts for vendors; the committee report was carried on final action by roll call, recorded as eight ayes.

The public works committee's final-action items included a resolution to purchase one MaxScan tool to support Department of Public Works vehicle repairs (bill 16-41) for an amount stated in the meeting text as $13,004,499.98, and a resolution authorizing $35,025 for portable restroom rental and servicing from United Rentals (bill 16-64). Both measures passed on roll call with eight ayes.

The committee on innovation, performance, asset management and technology cleared a professional services agreement with Scicom Data Systems Inc. (bill 16-35) for ongoing maintenance, support and upgrades to the Department of Law's legal case-management software for an amount stated in the meeting as $11,424 over one year. That bill passed on roll call, eight ayes.

The committee on intergovernmental and educational affairs approved three items (bills 16-36, 16-37 and 16-38). They include a cooperation agreement to transfer funds not to exceed $125,000 to the City of Pittsburgh Equipment Leasing Authority for vehicle purchases associated with a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection municipal recycling grant (bill 16-36); renewal of the city's membership in the Chartiers Valley District Flood Control Authority, not to exceed $17,204 (bill 16-37); and a cooperation agreement assigning ownership and maintenance to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership for Market Square infrastructure it will construct, at no cost to the city (bill 16-38). Each of those measures passed on roll call, eight ayes.

Council also approved an appointment: the confirmation of Isabelle Isabella Gross to the Shade Tree Commission with a term to expire March 1, 2029 (bill 16-92). The appointment was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Separately, the council's clerk read, and the council voted to receive and file, communications from the Office of Management and Budget and the Urban Redevelopment Authority, including a grants-office status update for the week ending March 28, 2025; a donation from the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust of up to $500 for smoke detectors to be distributed to city residents; and the Urban Redevelopment Authority's affordable housing bond annual performance report dated March 28, 2025. A motion to read, receive and file those communications carried.

Council closed the meeting after scheduling two post-agenda sessions: one on the Oakland bid (a future post-agenda meeting) and another on the affordable housing bond. Council also announced an executive session the same afternoon related to bill 16-87 and briefings scheduled on Delta Days in Pittsburgh and affordable housing strategies.

Votes at a glance (final action shown) - Bill 16-39 / 16-40 (committee report 16-77): authorize additional open-end professional services agreements — passed; roll call recorded eight ayes. - Bill 16-41: warrant in favor of Canon Tools to purchase one MaxScan tool for DPW vehicle repairs — passed; roll call recorded eight ayes. (Amount stated in the meeting: $13,004,499.98.) - Bill 16-64: warrant in favor of United Rentals for portable restroom rentals and servicing ($35,025) — passed; roll call recorded eight ayes. - Bill 16-35: professional services agreement with Scicom Data Systems Inc. for the Department of Law case-management system ($11,424, one year) — passed; roll call recorded eight ayes. - Bill 16-36: cooperation agreement/transfer of funds to Equipment Leasing Authority (up to $125,000) for vehicles tied to a DEP municipal recycling grant — passed; roll call recorded eight ayes. - Bill 16-37: renewal of membership in the Chartiers Valley District Flood Control Authority ($17,204) — passed; roll call recorded eight ayes. - Bill 16-38: cooperation agreement assigning ownership/maintenance of Market Square infrastructure to Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (no cost to city) — passed; roll call recorded eight ayes. - Bill 16-92: appointment of Isabelle Isabella Gross to the Shade Tree Commission (term to expire 03/01/2029) — approved by voice vote. - Communications (bills/communications 16-93, 16-94, 16-97): grants-office status update; Pittsburgh Cultural Trust donation of up to $500 for smoke detectors; URA affordable housing bond annual report — read, received and filed.

The meeting record shows no roll-call opposition to the measures listed above. Where a roll call was read, it recorded eight ayes (councilmembers named on the roll: Charland; Coghill; Gross; Mosley; Strassburger; Warwick; Wilson; R. Daniel Lavelle, council president).