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Traffic Calming and Police Recruiting - City Council Week of October 1st

Traffic Calming and Police Recruiting - City Council Week of October 1st

On The Docket

  • $38k for consulting to improve the recruiting process
  • Council to approve 37 property sales across the city
  • $130k to unlock $1.3 million in federal funds to implement traffic calming measures at 3 sites and create a guide for other locations
  • Commercial zoning change on Shady Ave. next to the new Giant Eagle on Shady and Penn

The Details

Much of the discussion this week was not tied directly to the bills at hand. Instead, the council members took the opportunity to discuss related issues to each of the bills.

$38k for Consulting to Improve Recruiting Process

  • The goal is to help improve recruiting practices to address the staffing shortage (currently at 763/850 budgeted officers).
  • Council members raised other concerns:
    • Kail-Smith expressed a need to focus on retention as well as recruiting.
    • Coghill raised the idea of requiring multi-year contracts from new hires and/or having departments that hire away our officers reimburse the city’s training costs.
  • For more details, see WESA’s article.

Council to Approve 37 Property Sales Across the City

  • This is part of a regular process to approve the sale of properties to those who have applied to purchase them.
  • The City prioritizes individuals over LLCs to purchase properties, but anyone can apply to purchase a lot as long as they do not owe money to the city.
  • The City prioritizes the construction of affordable housing over other uses as well.

$130k to Unlock $1.3 Million in Federal Funds to Implement Traffic Calming Measures at 3 Sites and Create a Guide for Other Locations

  • There are about 1,000 outstanding requests for traffic calming, but they can only do 10 per year.
  • Projects are prioritized based on crash data, whether there are schools nearby, the number of vehicles on the street, and the number of residents under 18, among other factors.
  • The grant will fund identifying 10 high-need corridors within the existing high injury network, the creation of a design book on how to improve safety in those areas, as well as three demonstration sites.

Commercial Zoning Change on Shady Ave. Next to the New Giant Eagle on Shady and Penn

A public hearing is being held today on changing the zoning of a lot connected to the development from multi-unit residential to commercial use.