[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.