Here is my summary of the Tuesday, June 4th 2024 regular meeting of Allegheny County Council. My votes are in parentheses, as is the prime sponsor. 14 members were present (Klein was absent).
I had the honor of presenting my first proclamation to USC Senior Isaac Bernstein, who was one of only 150 students to win a Coca Cola scholarship among the 103,800 applicants nationwide. Isaac’s accomplishments are many, but I was most impressed by his sense of service to his community through the charity he started, Plates for Pitt. Over the last 4 years, Isaac raised roughly $46,000 for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. You can read more about Isaac’s accomplishments here: https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/princeton…/
12926-24 (Walton – No)
This motion was for County Council to oppose the sale of US Steel to Nippon. I believe there are some reasons why one would want to oppose this sale, but I believe the positives of Nippon purchasing US Steel far outweigh the negatives.
– The stated security concern of selling US Steel to a Japanese company is without merit. Japan is one of our biggest military allies, and if we trust them enough to station a nuclear aircraft carrier (USS George Washington) in Yokosuka, I think we can trust a Japanese company to marginally increase their share of steel production.
– If the Nippon sale fails and Cleveland Cliffs, the main competitor to purchase US Steel, is successful, the US Steel jobs downtown will almost assuredly leave for Cleveland. If the Nippon sale is successful, they will likely stay in Pittsburgh.
– A sale to Cleveland Cliffs instead of Nippon would serve to concentrate the supply of steel within the United States, driving up costs to US consumers. Further exacerbating this issue is that buying US Steel would give Cleveland Cliffs monopoly control of the taconite iron ore used for steel production.
– If the sale to Nippon does not go through, there is also the possibility of US Steel retaining ownership. I personally don’t want a company that has been an awful environmental steward, has reneged on multiple promises, and has been very difficult during union negotiations to continue to operate the Mon Valley works.
For the above reasons, I voted No on the motion. The motion failed 6-8 with Betkowski, Bonaroti, Futules, Palmiere, Palmosina, and Walton as the Yes votes.
13056-24 (DeMarco – Yes)
This ordinance would change the timeline for filing an appeal to a change in assessed property value. Currently, appeals are filed by the 31st of March, resulting in appeals which are often after the tax bill is already due. The new ordinance would set the date at October 1st for this year and then within 60 days of receipt of a change in assessed value for future years. This would prevent the need for refunds and would allow for better budget planning by taxing bodies. It is also how the rest of the commonwealth does things. The ordinance passed 14-0.
13042-24 (Chief Executive – Yes)
This ordinance would create a slew of revisions to the county health code regarding housing. The update to the housing code includes new safety requirements for things like carbon monoxide alarms, aims to curb fire hazards and regulate the storage of dangerous materials, and clarifies lead paint remediation requirements, among a number of other revisions. The ordinance passed 14-0.
13079-24 (Palmosina – Abstain)
This motion encourages the PA legislature to enact HB 1632, which would amend the Workers’ Compensation Law easing first responders’ access to receive a post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) benefit. I am fully in favor of this motion, but I abstained because, as a volunteer firefighter, I stand to benefit with the bill’s passing. the motion passed 13-0.
13078-24 (Grzybek – Committee on Assessment Practices)
In the event of a court-mandated countywide reassessment, this ordinance would apply a tax-neutral assessment to those eligible (people making <$45,000 who are >65, >50 and widowed, or 18+ and disabled) in order to limit the potential impacts that a reassessment could have on the amount they pay in real estate taxes. In essence, this ordinance seeks to prevent people from being forced out of their homes due to inability to afford a huge spike in taxes following a court-mandated reassessment. Sent to committee on assessment practices.
In addition to the above legislative items, we also had a number of appointments, one of which was my appointment to the Southwestern PA Commission. I want to thank the Office of the Allegheny County Executive as well as my fellow members of Allegheny County Council for putting their faith in me with this appointment. Right now we have once-in-a-generation funding available in the areas of climate and transportation, and I look forward to working to bring that funding back to Southwestern PA.