[0:13] >>> january

[0:16] 2nd,2nd, 2026. So first, we will start with the

[0:17] pledge of allegiance.

[0:22] >>> I pledge allegiance to the flag

[0:23] of the united states of

[0:25] america and to the republic

[0:28] for which it stands one nation under

[0:29] god

[0:30] indivisible with liberty and justice for

[0:31] all.

[0:37] now please, stay silent for a

[0:40] moment of silent reflection.

[0:46] thank you. You may be seated.

[0:49] next up, I know what you've all been

[0:51] waiting for, the certificates of election

[0:55] of oaths and office. Before

[0:58] proceeding, let the record reflect

[1:01] that mr. Catena

[1:04] and mr. Palmosina were sworn in

[1:07] previous to this meeting and

[1:11] the

[1:14] clerk has led their oaths

[1:17] of

[1:18] office. Congratulations.

[1:19] >> communication

[1:20] from the return

[1:23] board from allegheny county

[1:26] certifying the election of

[1:29] november 2025, kathleen madonna-

[1:32] emmerling was

[1:35] duly

[1:41] elected.

[1:44] >> ms. Madonna-

[1:47] emmerling and

[1:50] judge, please move to

[1:53] the

[2:11] podium.

[2:23] >> please raise your left hand

[2:26] and repeat after me. I kathleen

[2:30] madonna-emmerling.

[2:31] >> I kathleen madonna-emmerling.

[2:32] >> do solemnly swear. >> do solemnly swear.

[2:34] >> that I will faithfully execute

[2:35] the

[2:38] office of member

[2:41] of council of the

[2:43] county of allegheny.

[2:44] >> and will to

[2:47] best of mymy ability preserve,

[2:49] protect, defend and obey the constitution

[2:50] of the united

[2:52] states and the constitution and the

[2:55] laws of the commonwealth of pennsylvania.

[2:56] >> congratulations.

[3:05] [ applause ]

[3:13] >> congratulations, the floor is yours

[3:17] for any

[3:18] remarks, then take your seat on the

[3:20] dais.

[3:23] >> thank you, president hallam.

[3:25] good evening, I promise this will take less

[3:26] time than it

[3:28] did for you to find this room this

[3:32] evening. First off, thank you. I

[3:35] am so deeply grateful to my

[3:38] family, friends, volunteers, and a

[3:41] historic coalition of neighbors, labor

[3:43] advocates, community organizations

[3:44] that

[3:47] came together to make today

[3:50] possible. Most of all, I thank the voters

[3:53] who put their trust in me. The

[3:55] overwhelming results of this election

[3:56] were not just a

[3:58] victory but a mandate for change.

[3:59] a clear

[4:02] call for more

[4:04] transparency, stronger accountability,

[4:05] and

[4:06] a county government that works for the

[4:08] people it serves. I started

[4:11] my journey in politics at age 41.

[4:14] as a stay-at-

[4:16] home mom. Most of the people in this room

[4:17] I met

[4:20] along this new path. Thank you

[4:23] for sharing your expertise,

[4:26] your wisdom, and your weekends

[4:29] with me. I share my story because

[4:30] I want

[4:32] everyone to know, politics is for everyone.

[4:34] you can start at any time. All you

[4:35] need

[4:38] is curiosity, a love of your

[4:41] community,

[4:43] and the ability to learn and make

[4:44] new friends.

[4:47] you don't need a certain

[4:49] title or background, just the courage

[4:50] to move forward.

[4:53] thank you all for giving me that

[4:55] courage. Now the campaign is over

[4:56] and the

[4:59] work of governing begins. This

[5:02] work requires collaboration,

[5:05] honesty, humility and relentless

[5:06] focus on the people of allegheny county.

[5:08] I take this

[5:10] oath today knowing that every decision

[5:11] we make

[5:13] up here affects real people and our

[5:14] real community.

[5:17] and I want every

[5:19] resident of allegheny county to know

[5:20] I represent

[5:22] you, whether you voted for me or not.

[5:26] I am the person who will be your

[5:28] advocate, because I'm going to do

[5:29] the most good and make

[5:32] government work for you.

[5:34] so thank you. And especially I need

[5:35] to thank

[5:38] my family, who ate a lot

[5:41] of ramen

[5:44] in preparation for this. It's been

[5:45] a really

[5:47] long road to get up to that chair and I hope

[5:48] to

[5:49] make you all proud. Thank you very much.

[5:50] [ applause ]

[6:05] >> 13773-26.

[6:08] >> communication from the return board of allegheny

[6:09] county

[6:10] submitting a certificate of election

[6:11] certifying that at

[6:14] the election held on the fourth day

[6:15] of november

[6:19] 2025, lissa geiger-shulman was duly

[6:20] elected to

[6:24] the office of district

[6:27] three, member of council in

[6:30] the county of

[6:33] allegheny.

[6:34] >> ms.

[6:35] geiger shulman and judge, please move to

[6:36] the podium.

[7:09] >> please repeat after me.

[7:12] >> I, lissa geiger-shulman,

[7:15] do solemnly swear that I will

[7:18] faithfully execute the office

[7:21] of member of council of the

[7:22] countycounty allegheny and will to

[7:24] the

[7:27] best of my ability

[7:30] preserve, protect and defend

[7:33] and obey the

[7:34] constitution of the united states

[7:36] and the

[7:39] constitution and the laws of the

[7:41] commonwealth of pennsylvania.

[7:42] >> congratulations.

[7:52] [ applause ]

[7:53] >> congratulations, the floor

[7:54] is yours

[7:57] for any remarks. Then

[7:59] please take your seatseat the dais.

[8:01] >> excellent, I will be very brief.

[8:03] I want to start

[8:06] by thanking of course my

[8:09] wonderful family who also gave

[8:11] up a lot, although I think they're

[8:12] ready

[8:14] to join the madonna-emmerling family if

[8:15] it

[8:17] means ramen, I was getting a lot of

[8:18] looks during

[8:19] those comments. I want to thank them

[8:21] for all of

[8:23] their time, and thank those who raised me

[8:24] and grew up

[8:27] with me, and I want to acknowledge

[8:28] that

[8:30] I'm excited to governgovern

[8:33] the values and teachings and

[8:36] learnings I was given. I want

[8:39] to thank the communities

[8:41] of district three who supported me,

[8:42] put

[8:45] their trust in me to serve in this position.

[8:48] very excited to make a lot

[8:51] of progress for a whole range of

[8:52] issues, from children and families

[8:54] to basic traffic

[8:56] and infrastructure issues. There's so

[8:57] much we get to do

[9:00] as members of this body.

[9:03] and to my male colleagues, I

[9:06] look forward to getting to know all

[9:07] of

[9:09] you, learning

[9:11] from your diverse backgrounds and

[9:12] experiences and excited

[9:15] about the good we can do together

[9:17] for everyone that resides in allegheny county.

[9:18] thank you. [ applause ]

[9:30] >> 13774-26.

[9:33] >> communication from the return

[9:35] board of allegheny county submitting

[9:36] a certificate of

[9:39] election certifying that patrick

[9:42] catena was duly elected toto

[9:45] four. As

[9:49] noted, mr. Catena has been sworn in.

[9:51] >> 13775-26. >>

[9:53] communication from the returnreturn

[9:54] board of allegheny

[9:56] county submitting a certificate of

[10:00] election certifying that

[10:02] michelle naccarati-chapkis was duly

[10:06] elected toto eight council.

[10:07] >> please move to the

[10:12] dium.

[10:27] >> raise your

[10:30] right hand.

[10:33] repeat after me.

[10:34] >>

[10:36] I, michelle naccarati-chapkis,

[10:39] do solemnly swear that I will

[10:42] faithfully execute the

[10:45] office of member of

[10:48] council of the county

[10:51] of allegheny and will to

[10:54] the best of my ability

[10:57] preserve, protect,

[11:00] defend and obey

[11:03] the constitution of the united

[11:06] states and the

[11:09] constitution and laws of the

[11:11] commonwealth of pennsylvania.

[11:12] >> congratulations.

[11:13] [ applause ]

[11:21] >> congratulations, the floor is yours

[11:25] for any remarks, then please

[11:28] take your seat on the

[11:31] dais.

[11:34] >> good afternoon. It

[11:37] is exciting to be here

[11:39] for my second term. And I wanted to

[11:40] of

[11:41] course acknowledge and thank those

[11:43] people walking back

[11:46] to their seats, who were

[11:47] standing beside me this evening, my

[11:49] family. I

[11:52] also have

[11:54] my sister here and nephew and brother-in-

[11:56] law also in the room tonight and want

[11:58] to thank you all

[12:01] for your constant dedication

[12:04] to my work and, you know, all of you have

[12:07] been able to step in when I said

[12:09] I've got a

[12:13] everybody said okay, who has

[12:16] dinner, who

[12:19] has dogs, who is

[12:21] taking care of what. They all figure

[12:22] it out.

[12:25] my family --I didn't have a

[12:28] campaign manager so they

[12:30] acted as campaign manager. What do you

[12:31] think, do

[12:33] you like this wording, what is does

[12:34] this picture

[12:36] look like, and I had a lot of edits from the

[12:40] group in the corner. I'm

[12:41] most appreciative. A lot of community

[12:43] members stepped up for my

[12:45] campaign and I want to thank all of them.

[12:49] certainly the people in district

[12:52] eight, of which I am so very

[12:55] proud to present.

[12:57] there are 14 municipalities in district

[12:58] eight, a

[13:00] large area to cover, but it's my honor and

[13:04] privilege to be with each municipality

[13:07] whenever they have an issue

[13:10] or want to

[13:13] liaison with county government.

[13:14] >>

[13:15] we've

[13:16] built a rapport and

[13:18] open communication the past four years

[13:19] and I will work

[13:22] to continue that. We've had a

[13:24] great collaboration here, good working

[13:25] group amongst

[13:28] all of us here in countycounty

[13:31] council, and I've

[13:34] enjoyed my

[13:37] colleagues, strategizing and being

[13:38] thoughtful

[13:39] together, agreeing and disagreeing

[13:40] together.

[13:46] helps us move forward

[13:48] as we talk about our strategies. It's been

[13:49] my honor to

[13:51] sit with you and I look forward to

[13:52] the new members as

[13:55] well, building up the

[13:57] relationship grown so dear to all

[14:01] of us. There are a lot of things that

[14:04] were exciting last five years

[14:07] and interested to see it

[14:10] go. Implementation of complete streets I was

[14:12] able to introduce, and getting the

[14:13] properties that the

[14:16] county owns online and available for purchase.

[14:19] also the climate action

[14:20] plan, how does our community look

[14:22] forward to the things

[14:24] that we know are important to us,

[14:25] like a

[14:28] sustainable, thriving community.

[14:30] economic development and housing are

[14:31] critical issues

[14:34] in district eight. Those are

[14:37] things I will continue to strive to

[14:38] work

[14:40] toward every day I'm part of this council and

[14:41] look

[14:43] forward again to being part of all of

[14:44] you in 2026.

[14:46] thank you. [ applause ]

[14:52] >> 13776-26.

[14:54] >> communication from the return board of allegheny

[14:55] county

[14:57] submitting a certificate of election

[14:58] certifying

[15:01] that the election on november

[15:04] 2025, aaron adams was duly

[15:07] elected to district

[15:09] nine council.

[15:10] >> please move to the podium.

[15:22] [ applause ]

[15:23] >>

[15:25] many thanks given out, but

[15:28] give thanks to judge sweeney

[15:35] and ruski, I had an hour-

[15:37] long speechspeech cut short. You'll get

[15:41] to know him. I had

[15:44] the privilege of knowing him his whole life.

[15:46] his father and grandfather, men of

[15:49] great integrity. And I'm honored out

[15:53] of all the

[15:55] officials, you have chose men. I appreciate that.

[15:56] thank you.

[15:58] place your left hand on the bible

[16:00] and raise your right hand please and

[16:02] repeat after me.

[16:05] >> I, aaron adams,

[16:08] do solemnly swear that I will

[16:10] faithfully execute the office of member

[16:14] of

[16:16] the county of allegheny and to the

[16:17] best

[16:20] of my ability preserve,

[16:23] protect and defend and obey the constitution

[16:26] of the united states and the laws of the

[16:29] commonwealth of

[16:30] pennsylvania.

[16:31] >> congratulations.

[16:32] [ applause ]

[16:41] >> congratulations.

[16:44] the floor is yours for remarks,

[16:45] then please take your seat on the dais.

[16:53] >>

[16:56] thank you, president hallam.

[17:01] good evening, everybody. It's an honor

[17:05] and privilege to stand before everyone today.

[17:08] as a sworn-in

[17:11] member of allegheny county council,

[17:12] representing

[17:13] the ninth district. I'm humbled by the

[17:14] trust

[17:16] placed in me and grateful for the

[17:19] opportunities to serve alongside my new

[17:20] colleagues

[17:23] and the staff that support the council every

[17:26] day. I look forward

[17:28] to working collaboratively with each

[17:29] of

[17:32] you as we ensure the voices ofof

[17:36] residents, especially of district

[17:41] nine, are heard.

[17:44] mr. Macy's years

[17:46] of service and commitment and knowledge have

[17:47] left a

[17:50] lasting impact. I know there are very big

[17:53] shoes to fill. I'm grateful for his

[17:56] leadership and look forward to continuing

[17:58] conversations with him as I benefit

[17:59] from his

[18:01] vast understanding of the county government

[18:02] developed over many

[18:05] years of service. I come from a

[18:08] role after serving on the

[18:11] city council of the city

[18:14] of duquesne. That's grounded me

[18:16] in the realities of local government.

[18:17] I'm

[18:20] incredibly proud to be from the

[18:23] city of duquesne, it's been some time

[18:25] since a member of ourour community

[18:26] has served

[18:29] above the city level. I'm

[18:32] honored to

[18:35] represent

[18:37] them at the county level. I would like

[18:38] to thank those

[18:40] who supported me throughout this campaign

[18:41] and helped

[18:44] bring me to this moment today.

[18:46] your belief in me, time, hard work,

[18:47] made this

[18:50] all possible and I'm

[18:52] deeply grateful. I'm committed to

[18:53] good

[18:54] governance, regardless of the side of

[18:56] the aisle. I believe progress

[18:59] is made through

[19:02] cooperation, respect and willingness to

[19:04] work together. I welcome the challenges

[19:08] ahead and coordination required

[19:13] to meet them. Have about 96,000 bosses

[19:14] and will take

[19:17] that seriously, represent with integrity,

[19:20] strong morals and unwavering commitment

[19:21] to

[19:23] public service. To my family and friends

[19:24] and

[19:26] those in attendance, thanks for your

[19:29] support, encouragement and I hope

[19:32] to make thethe adams proud. Honored to

[19:35] be here, excited to get started, ready to get

[19:36] to

[19:38] work. Thank you. [ applause ]

[19:47] >> 13777-26. >>

[19:49] communication from the return board

[19:50] of allegheny county

[19:53] submigt a certificate of election

[19:54] certifying

[19:56] that the election held on november

[19:59] 2025, robert palmosina was duly

[20:02] elected to district 12. He has already been sworn in as

[20:05] well.

[20:11] [ applause ]

[20:12] >> can I have roll

[20:14] call?

[20:15] >> mr. Adams.

[20:17] >> present. Honored to

[20:20] be here.

[20:21] >> catena.

[20:23] >> here.

[20:26] >> filiaggi. >> here.

[20:28] klein.

[20:29] >> here. >> madonna-emmerling.

[20:33] >> here.

[20:36] >> michelle naccarati-chapkis. >> here.

[20:39] >> mr. Walton.

[20:41] >> 15 members present. >> thank you, jared.

[20:44] I will open the floor for nominations for

[20:48] council president. Members

[20:49] are not required to make a nomination,

[20:51] if they do,

[20:54] no more than one each. Ask to be

[20:57] recognized.

[20:58] >> I'd like to be

[20:59] recognized.

[21:00] >> councilman futules.

[21:01] >>

[21:03] I would nominate pat catena.

[21:05] >> second that. >> don't need a second,

[21:08] just a nomination, but we appreciate

[21:09] it.

[21:12] anyone else?

[21:14] hearing no further nominations, they're

[21:15] closed

[21:17] and clerk will conduct voting. When your

[21:18] name

[21:21] is called, vote for one of

[21:24] the nominated.

[21:25] >> mr.

[21:27] adams.

[21:28] >> mr.

[21:30] catena.

[21:31] >> mr.

[21:36] bada?

[21:38] >> mr. Catena. >> mr. Catena. >> myself.

[21:39] >> ms.

[21:42] filiaggi.

[21:45] >>

[21:48] >> catena. >> mr.

[21:51] grzybek.

[21:52] >> catena.

[21:54] >> ms. Hallam. >> catena. >> mr.

[21:57] klein.

[22:00] >> catena. >> madonna-emmerling.

[22:03] >> catena. >>

[22:06] naccarati-chapkis.

[22:09] >> catena. >> mr. Palmiere.

[22:12] >> catena.

[22:15] >> mr. Palmosina. >>

[22:18] catena.

[22:19] >> mr. Rose.

[22:21] >> catena. >> ms.

[22:24] shulman.

[22:25] >> catena. >> mr. Walton.

[22:29] >> catena. Council president has been

[22:31] elected. Mr. Catena received 15 votes.

[22:51] catena. .

[23:27] >> I'd just like

[23:29] to make a few remarks. Obviously I'd

[23:30] like

[23:33] to thank my colleagues for putting the faith

[23:36] in me to serve another term as

[23:39] council president. Someone --

[23:42] one of my colleagues who was sworn

[23:43] in

[23:44] this evening made the comment that

[23:45] you need courage

[23:47] to serve in this role. It's a tough role

[23:48] to serve in.

[23:51] anytime you run for office, you

[23:54] have to put yourself out there. And it's

[23:57] tough on your family, it's tough

[24:00] on you, and things can get to

[24:03] you, and

[24:06] as we represent our

[24:09] constituents, we always

[24:12] need to remember that --

[24:15] or we need to think --put

[24:17] ourselves in their shoes constantly.

[24:18] it's easy

[24:20] to forget sometimes when you're sitting

[24:21] up here.

[24:23] I think it's very important that we

[24:24] always try to remember

[24:27] where we're at.

[24:28] >> I

[24:30] know personally that

[24:33] sometimes --I'm not perfect by

[24:36] any stretch of the imagination,

[24:37] and I wish I had all the answers.

[24:39] but I

[24:41] know with all of my colleagues up here, there

[24:42] are people who

[24:45] have answers. I always rely heavily

[24:47] on them. There are things that we

[24:48] can

[24:51] do better. I admit that. And we can

[24:53] do better and we will do better. And

[24:54] we need to

[24:56] work together in order to accomplish that.

[24:57] no matter

[25:00] where you fall on the spectrum,

[25:03] we're all interested in getting things accomplished

[25:04] for

[25:06] the cities of allegheny county. That's what it's all about, how

[25:09] do we make it a better county overall

[25:12] for everybody. I've gotten questioned

[25:13] in the

[25:15] past about why don't you speak very

[25:16] much, why

[25:18] do you sit back

[25:19] and listen. I learned early on --

[25:21] used to get in trouble in

[25:24] school a lot because I had a big mouth,

[25:25] always

[25:28] getting in trouble with the

[25:30] principal, saying you need to shut your

[25:31] mouth, you talk

[25:33] tootoo much. I learned from the principal we

[25:34] have

[25:37] two ears and one mouth

[25:38] for a reason -- to listen twice as

[25:40] I try

[25:42] to listen to my colleagues and

[25:43] myself

[25:44] in their position. I'm committing

[25:46] to you tonight

[25:47] to endeavor to do that more because

[25:49] I think I can do

[25:52] a better job job I want

[25:53] you to all challenge me at doing that.

[25:55] by all

[25:58] means, challenge me. I'm open to

[26:01] anything, I think you know that.

[26:04] whatever I can do to move

[26:05] the county forward and help all of

[26:07] you move the county

[26:10] forward, I thank you for

[26:12] putting faith and trust in me. Thank

[26:13] you

[26:16] again, everybody. [ applause ]

[26:19] okay. Now move on to the

[26:22] public comment --

[26:25] or

[26:28] proclamations/certificates to be

[26:31] read into the record.

[26:32] >>

[26:34] recognizing the holiday salon by

[26:37] kofi collections event

[26:40] sponsored by council member hallam.

[26:43] a proclamation

[26:46] recognizing chalfant

[26:49] borough mayor

[26:52] james

[26:55] perry. A clamation recognizing

[26:58] dawn penatzer for

[27:01] her efforts.

[27:02] >> any

[27:04] public comment? No.

[27:05] >>

[27:07] approval of

[27:09] minutes, if there are no objections, would

[27:10] like to

[27:12] read all the nominations at this time.

[27:13] hearing no

[27:16] objections, go ahead. First are to

[27:17] the community college of allegheny

[27:19] county

[27:22] board of trustees

[27:25] to 2031.

[27:28] appointment of

[27:31] joe

[27:33] mastrangelo, and jessica priselac.

[27:37] the rest are to the agricultural

[27:40] land preservation board.

[27:43] reappointment of daniel dalton.

[27:46] appointment of

[27:48] anthony glasso. Appointment of roy

[27:52] kraynyk. The

[27:55] appointment of janet craig, and

[27:58] the appointment of lindsay

[28:00] mckee.

[28:01] >> we have no unfinished business.

[28:02] any

[28:03] liaison reports this evening? One

[28:04] of my

[28:07] favorite

[28:10] subjects.

[28:11] >> usually

[28:13] the jail oversight board is 1st of

[28:14] the

[28:16] month, but

[28:19] it's going to be next thursday,

[28:22] 4:00 this room.

[28:23] >> seeing no news

[28:24] business or

[28:25] resolution.

[28:28] motions, 13788-26.

[28:30] >> motion the council of allegheny

[28:31] to

[28:34] evaluate the merits of filing

[28:37] an amicus curiae brief

[28:39] in the matter of allegheny county

[28:43] prison employees at any point union

[28:45] versus --

[28:46] >> I would make a motion

[28:47] to approve and

[28:49] ask for a second.

[28:50] >> motion made.

[28:52] second. All those in

[28:55] favor --discussion. Anything you want

[28:56] to talk

[28:58] about for

[29:01] this?

[29:02] >> I talked to

[29:04] a lot ofof of council. If you

[29:07] vote yes, it instructs our solicitor

[29:08] to

[29:10] file a brief

[29:13] in support of our position as council in

[29:16] this lawsuit. As it

[29:19] says, the allegheny county prison

[29:22] employees at any point union vs. The

[29:23] pennsylvania labor

[29:25] relations board. The board has been

[29:26] successful

[29:28] in all levels of the case so far and

[29:29] the supreme

[29:31] court has just decided to hear it.

[29:32] so

[29:34] I'm asking council to file a brief

[29:35] in

[29:37] support of our

[29:39] position. Personally, the reason we

[29:40] thought it was

[29:42] needed is as it sits currently, we

[29:43] have the

[29:47] corrections officers union,

[29:50] an advocacy

[29:52] body, versus the labor relations board,

[29:53] a

[29:56] neutral body. We

[29:57] worry, why the supreme court took

[29:59] this up, what

[30:01] they rule, could potentially hamper

[30:04] our ability to legislate for the jail

[30:07] or any other department in the county

[30:08] depending

[30:11] on what they rule. Which we

[30:13] can't see into the future. Asking our solicitor

[30:14] to figure out

[30:16] an argument.

[30:17] >> okay. >> I can answer questions.

[30:20] >> I have one. >>

[30:23] go

[30:24] ahead, councilmember walton.

[30:25] >> this

[30:29] friend of the court

[30:32] brief, it's designed

[30:35] to challenge

[30:38] the ability of

[30:41] the

[30:44] corrections officers to have

[30:47] their own independent union or

[30:50] to restrict their

[30:53] ability to unionize in

[30:55] its entirety?

[30:56] >> absolutely not. This

[30:58] case has nothing to do with that.

[30:59] there are three

[31:00] elements of the case the supreme court is

[31:02] taking up.

[31:05] first two are whether the

[31:08] 2021 ballot

[31:11] referened um --

[31:14] there's a

[31:17] ballot referendum by

[31:20] the voters,

[31:23] passed. They've been going after that.

[31:26] managerial to do safety in the jail,

[31:29] and whether a votervoter

[31:32] referendum has

[31:34] more, less or equal weight to the body.

[31:38] nothing to do with the

[31:41] ability to organize, purely

[31:43] whether the safety conditions inside

[31:44] the jail

[31:46] are able to be legislated.

[31:47] >> mr.

[31:48] president,

[31:49] I wanted to say the motion is forfor

[31:53] to evaluate the merits of

[31:56] filing the amicus.

[31:59] >> yes.

[32:02] >> councillor walton? >> the concerns

[32:05] I

[32:08] have,

[32:11] while

[32:14] I disagree at different

[32:17] points in time

[32:20] with judicial decisions

[32:23] that

[32:26] are

[32:29] made, there has to be some

[32:32] reason that the supreme

[32:35] court decided to review

[32:38] the issue in terms of

[32:41] its validity, theory, integrity

[32:44] to begin with.

[32:47] given those

[32:50] kinds of

[32:53] issues, I would

[32:56] be

[33:02] reluctant to expend county dollars

[33:05] to --to --

[33:11] um, try

[33:14] to shape a response in terms of merit and

[33:17] lack of merit. The supreme court

[33:19] has decided there is some merit there

[33:23] to begin with. Let me finish.

[33:26] you may not agree, and

[33:29] there's room --

[33:30] >> it's just factually

[33:32] untrue, what you just said.

[33:33] >> look,

[33:35] they decided for whatever reason to

[33:38] review the issue. And

[33:41] as a result,

[33:44] I am concerned about

[33:47] us

[33:50] expending

[33:51] dollars to challenge their ability to

[33:53] review.

[33:59] I understand a amicus brief isis

[34:02] friend of court, I understand

[34:04] that component. And I don't think

[34:05] that's the

[34:08] best utilization of county

[34:11] resources at this particular point in time.

[34:12] >> I

[34:13] appreciate that, just clarify one, we

[34:14] have a solicitor

[34:17] on retainer, won't be a cost for him

[34:20] to evaluate whether or not this

[34:22] is something we should do. Two, it's

[34:23] very possible they

[34:26] took it up to be the final straw in

[34:27] ending

[34:29] the conversation. We know the courts

[34:30] ruled

[34:33] in favor of the labor

[34:36] relations board at common pleas

[34:37] and common court level. It's possibility

[34:39] that's what the

[34:42] do, we have no way of

[34:45] knowing or predicting

[34:48] why they took it up.

[34:50] better safe than sorry to handcuff

[34:53] ourselves and our ability to legislate.

[34:57] trying to be proactive.

[35:00] >> mr. Frank,

[35:03] councilwoman hallam noted

[35:06] there would be no

[35:09] fees, additional cost to council

[35:12] or the county for you to do this evaluation.

[35:15] and secondly, to file the brief.

[35:18] is that correct?

[35:19] >> first of

[35:21] all, I'm on a fixed

[35:24] maximum of

[35:26] $5,000 a month. If I exceed that in

[35:27] hours,

[35:30] I don't charge. With regard to

[35:33] filing a brief,

[35:35] again, I've not said we should file

[35:39] a brief.

[35:40] >> I'm sorry,

[35:42] not trying to

[35:44] be disrespectful. Yes or no, will

[35:45] there be

[35:48] an additional fee

[35:51] for anyany work regarding

[35:54] this issue?

[35:55] >> not

[35:57] above the 5,000 per month.

[36:00] >> there will be no fee? >> no

[36:03] fee above the 5,000 per month. I'll be

[36:06] charging by the hour.

[36:07] >> good

[36:09] with that?

[36:12] >> not really. But I accept

[36:15] his

[36:18] answer. And demand accountability

[36:21] in the

[36:23] process. That being said --

[36:24] >> just to

[36:27] be clear, this is

[36:29] just evaluate. Not file the brief.

[36:30] but to look at

[36:33] the merits to see if a brief is warranted.

[36:36] >> correct. >> my concern

[36:39] is there will be

[36:42] no charges to council or to

[36:44] the county beyond his normal retainer

[36:45] of

[36:47] $5,000 a month.

[36:48] >> that's what she

[36:49] said.

[36:50] >> correct.

[36:51] >> correct. >> for this entire process.

[36:54] >> correct. >>

[36:57] anyone else?

[36:58] >> will the

[36:59] final deliverable be a report from

[37:00] solicitor

[37:03] frank to entirety of council?

[37:06] we'll all receive it?

[37:07] >> that's

[37:09] my understanding.

[37:10] >> at that

[37:12] point, based upon his, we need to

[37:15] make a decision.

[37:16] >> I apologize for

[37:17] making everyone consider this tonight,

[37:18] but because of

[37:21] the timing from the union,

[37:23] that will dictate when they ask for

[37:24] an extension

[37:26] and we don't meet until the end of

[37:27] january.

[37:29] that's why we had to do it tonight.

[37:30] >> any

[37:33] other questions or concerns?

[37:36] do you need a

[37:38] roll call, dewitt?

[37:39] >> want to be on

[37:40] the record.

[37:42] >> motion to approve.

[37:45] adams.

[37:46] >>

[37:47] yes.

[37:48] >> bada. >> yes. >> catena. >> yes.

[37:49] >> filiaggi. >>

[37:51] yes.

[37:52] >> futules.

[37:54] >>

[37:56] yes.

[37:57] >> grzybek. >> yes. >> palmiere.

[38:00] >> yes. >> palmosina. >> yes.

[38:03] >> rose. >> yes. >> shulman.

[38:06] >> yes. >> walton. >> I'm on

[38:09] an island and will

[38:12] stay there.

[38:13] >> 14-1, passes.

[38:15] >> notification of contracts? None.

[38:18] any public comment.

[38:21] is there a motion to adjourn?

[38:22] >>

[38:24] so moved.

[38:25] >> second. >> signify saying aye.

[38:27] >> aye. >> motion carries.

[38:30] thank you everyone. Have

[38:33] a wonderful evening.

County Council on 2026-01-02 5:00 PM

Agenda

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