Harrisburg City Council Meeting 5-26-2026

The time is 5:30 p.m. I'd like to be

mindful of everyone's time, so I'd like

to call our work session to order.

Mr. Humphrey, could you please call the

roll?

>> Ms. Davis.

>> Present.

>> Ms. Green.

>> Present.

>> Mr. Jones.

>> Here.

>> Mr. Lawson.

>> Here.

>> Ms. Rawls.

>> Present.

>> Mr. Rodriguez.

>> Present.

>> Ms. Hill.

>> Present. Thank you.

We will begin with committee business

associated with the building and housing

committee. I will defer to our building

and housing committee chair,

Councilwoman Davis, to lead discussion.

>> Thank you, President Hill. Good evening,

everyone.

Tonight, we will begin with Resolution

44-2026.

Mr. Humphrey, could you please read it

into the record?

>> Resolution 44 of 2026. A resolution

ratifying a master certified local

government grant agreement between the

City of Harrisburg and the Pennsylvania

Historical and Museum Commission,

thereby establishing the city's

eligibility to apply for grants through

the certified local government grant

program for projects that support and

advance the city's historic preservation

program.

>> Thank you.

Is there someone here from the

administration to talk about this

resolution? Or, can you please have a

seat here up front?

Thank you.

And turn the mic on. I think it's

There you go. And if you could just

introduce yourself and give us an

overview of uh

the resolution.

>> Yes. Uh my name is Erica Coffman. I'm

the historic preservation specialist for

the city of Harrisburg.

So, this is a master agreement between

the city and the Pennsylvania

Museum Commission. And this grant or

this this agreement covers the course of

I think well, it's several years. So,

any grants applied for in this period

fall under this master agreement. This

came about because I started here in

June 2025 and was interested in pursuing

a digital archive. So, I did work with

the grants team here to apply for a CLG

project grant to establish a digital

archive here for the city of Harrisburg.

And this after we had applied

realized that there was a

miscommunication with the overall

of the sign the signatures of this

master agreement

that was not fully all the required

signatures were not signed in April

2025.

So, now this is the

full fully executed agreement.

>> Okay, great.

I pretty much understand this resolution

is straightforward, but I will open up

the floor to my colleagues to see if

they have any questions. I'll start to

my far right with Councilman Lawson.

>> Thank you, Chair Davis. And I appreciate

you presenting. I have no no questions.

>> Vice President Jones.

Oh.

Councilwoman Green.

>> I thought you had forgot about me there.

I don't have any questions for you

though.

>> Thank you, Councilwoman.

Vice President Jones.

>> Thank you. No questions.

>> President Hill, any questions?

>> Thank you. Good evening. I don't have

any questions.

>> Thank you.

Councilwoman Rawls, any questions?

>> Good evening. I don't have any

questions. Thank you.

>> Thank you. Councilman Rodriguez.

>> Thank you. Thank you for joining us this

evening. No questions for me.

>> Okay, thank you. Um I will just add for

the record and for our

viewers that the Pennsylvania Historic

and Museum Commission is the official

state history agency responsible for

preserving and interpreting the

Commonwealth's heritage.

The Commission manages the State Museum

of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State

Archives, and the State Historic

Preservation Office.

Thank you for being here this evening.

And

with that, I will propose to add this

resolution to our next next legislative

session. Thank you.

>> Thank you.

Um the final committee business this

evening

Uh-oh.

Lies with the Parks, Recreation, and

Enrichment Committee. I will defer to

our Parks, Recreation, and Enrichment

Committee Chair, Councilwoman Rawls, to

lead discussion.

>> Thank you, President Hill. For a moment

there, we had an eighth member.

So, what happened?

Oh my gosh.

Uh well, good evening, everyone. Um Mr.

Um sorry, I almost said Mr. Tuesday. I

apologize. Mr. Humphrey, can you read

resolution 45 of 2026 in?

>> Resolution 45 of 2026. A resolution

ratifying and approving the proposal

from Bixler Pyrotechnics Incorporated to

provide the City of Harrisburg's 4th of

July 2026 fireworks.

>> Thank you. Is anybody from the

administration here to give more

information on this resolution?

>> Good evening, Council. Antonio Vagnozzi,

Business Administrator.

Uh I am here in place of Olivia Swenson,

our special events manager, as she is

out of the the this week.

Um

But basically, to give you a quick

rundown of this proposal. So, uh the

proposal is from uh Bixler Pyrotechnics.

Um they're a firm that has worked with

uh other first-class organizations like

uh you know, Disney World and such. So,

they have a lot of experience in doing

uh you know, anything pyrotechnics,

fireworks related. Um our plan for for

this year is to try to have a a great uh

family-friendly uh fun and safe show. Um

so, our biggest priority is the public

safety elements

uh that we're working with our police

and then the state police on. Um and

then as well as with that, it's just uh

to put on a a nice fireworks show that

everyone can come out uh and enjoy. Uh

with the proposal in front of you, uh

you'll be able to see they have laid out

uh a couple different sections of how

the show is going to operate. Um and

then they have a little bit of their

backgrounds uh about how they've

operated these shows in the past. Um

overall, uh this is going to cost about

48,000, but it's not really to the city

because we're we luckily have a lot of

great sponsors that uh will cover these

costs. So, I'm happy to answer any uh

additional questions that you may have.

>> Thank you. Um I don't have any questions

at this time. It was

pretty straightforward. I'm just glad

the fireworks are coming back and you

answered any question I had about public

safety. That was going to be um uh a

question I was going to ask, but as you

said, that's the number one priority,

which it should be. So, I'm glad we are

being proactive in that area. Um so, I

will just start to my far left with

Councilwoman Davis.

>> Do you have any questions?

>> Thank you, Councilwoman Rawls.

I don't have any questions because you

answered it who's going to pay for the

fireworks this year and you mentioned

the sponsors, so that's perfect. Thank

you for being here this evening.

>> Councilman Rodriguez.

>> Thank you. Uh thank you for joining us,

Antonio. Always a pleasure. Um what's

the chances of getting like go Knicks in

the uh

>> [laughter]

>> Um just joking. Um to uh Chairwoman

Rawls' uh sentiments, It's really good

to have the fireworks back. Always an

attraction that, you know, brings a lot

of people into the city by way of

tourism. So, it's very beneficial. I

guess if I do have one question,

what kind of collaboration are we

working with intergovernmentally with

other like departments, state police,

you know, anything else to up that

public safety aspect?

>> Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we're building

out a plan between our police department

and the state police to make sure that

every all the aspects are covered. And

then on top of that, obviously, we're

working with public works and then the

mayor's office and pretty much most of

the outward-facing administration is

helping out in some ways on this.

>> Awesome. Thank you. That's all I have.

>> Thank you.

President Hume.

>> Thank you. I do have a few questions

regarding

the company. So, how many um

proposals were received?

>> That I don't know off the top of my

head. I can touch base with Olivia when

she's back and get you an answer.

>> Just curious. And then it notes that

Bixler Pyrotechnics is local.

Are they

Schuylkill County-based local?

>> I believe they're Pennsylvania-based,

but I'm not exactly sure where.

>> Okay, but not Harrisburg or the greater

Harrisburg area-based.

>> Yeah, that I'm not 100% sure. I can get

you an answer for that.

>> Thank you. Cuz it just notes local, but

I just wanted to

ask.

And then

the

The services provided will include a

15-minute fireworks display consisting

of an opening presentation, a body, and

a grand finale presentation. So, that's

exciting. I don't have any other

questions. Thank you.

>> Thank you.

Um

Sorry, Vice President uh Jones, do you

have any questions?

I was going to say to President Hill,

thank you for reading that. I was unable

to cuz my computer is not working. So,

I couldn't read and lay out what the

presentation was going to look like that

day cuz my mouse is not working on my

computer.

>> Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

>> Fine.

>> Hey, how you doing, sir?

>> [laughter]

>> I'm doing good. Thanks for the

>> my my question is is more in regards

around public safety as well. Um

you know, I hope that we get into the

practice of communicating that better to

our community. I mean, we we can

actually see what's going on just um

I want to say reporting out to to the

community. So, um is there would there

be any

um press releases, news updates to in

regards to public safety so you know,

the people of the community and visitors

traveling um have that sensibility of

safety?

>> Yeah, absolutely. As we get closer to

the event and we have a a more, you

know, hour by hour look out for what it

looks like, uh we'll have more

information available to the public

about where certain things are going on.

>> All right. I think that's important so

that they, you know, again

um we don't always get the best press

when it comes to public safety, but I

think this is something um especially

around the revitalizing uh the city. I

think that uh

yeah, we should be reporting out some

some of those numbers and and some of

those tactics that will be utilized to

to ensure uh the public safety. That's

all I have.

>> Thank you. Councilwoman Green, do you

have any questions?

>> Thank you very much. I don't have any

questions regarding this. Um I think the

questions about public safety have

already been asked and answered. I do

look forward to seeing the fireworks

coming back. I know that's something

that a lot of residents of Harrisburg

were disappointed to see go, and

obviously that um laser show didn't work

out so well. So, I look forward to

seeing it.

>> Thank you. And Councilman Lawson, do you

have any questions?

>> Thank you. Um

one question that I I do have. You said

likely sponsors. Do Do we have a

sponsors identified yet or

>> Uh there are. We're just not going to

release the list until a little bit

closer to the event cuz we're still in

the works of making sure that everyone's

covered.

>> All right. Just wanted to make sure that

we could give them shout-outs as as

necessary because

the the lack of a firework show was

something that did weigh heavy on a lot

of the citizens. So, we do want to shout

out those who who are are going to help

participate in

and I I agree with Vice President Jones

getting that

safety plan out there because although

residents missed having the fireworks,

many were concerned about the aspect of

safety. So, if we're up front and tell

people, "Hey, we have a plan to help

keep you safe." that that would be would

be great. But again, you know, hats off

to you guys for getting this put

together.

It's something that is a tradition

that's going back as far as I can

remember and and when we don't have it

or when we have that laser show that

didn't quite pan out, you know, citizens

they see that and and and that I think

big one of our biggest problems when

we're talking about revitalizing the

city is morale. And if our morale is

down, you know, we we're we're not going

to push the envelope to to make this a

place that we we can be proud of. So,

you know, again, hats off to you guys.

Thank you for bringing this back and you

know, we we look forward to your reports

coming in in the near future.

Thank you.

>> Thank you.

Okay, I don't have any other questions.

I would like to place this resolution

onto our next legislative agenda,

please.

That's it for me.

>> Thank you.

Uh we will now open the floor for our

public comment. Just a few housekeeping

notes before we begin. If you're

interested in offering any public

comments, please state your name and

your address for the meeting record. If

you don't feel comfortable sharing your

address, please share the vicinity in

which you live within the city. You will

have 4 minutes to share your comments.

Mr. Humphrey has added a timer to the

screen for your reference. I'll begin to

my right. Is there anyone that would

like to offer public comment?

>> Good evening. My name is Melanie Cook. I

live in the Riverside area of the city

of Harrisburg. With respect to the two

items that are on the work session

agenda,

uh the resolution relating to historic

preservation programs in the city of

Harrisburg, I am quite frankly

interested in getting a little more

information on how this program

operates. Is there something on the

website that indicates what the

objectives of the program are? Uh we

know that there is uh a nonprofit that

functions in the city of Harrisburg, but

I'm very curious uh to hear what the

city's historic preservation program

actually consists of. There are a number

of buildings in the city, um most

notably uh the William Penn campus,

which I'm not sure the city has weighed

in on or did weigh in on with respect to

whether or not that building should be

preserved. And I just wondered if this

uh particular division of the city

existed at the time and what if any uh

position it had with respect to

preserving that campus. Um also with

respect to the second agenda item, it is

uh good to see that the fireworks are

coming back. Having lived in the city of

Harrisburg for a number of decades, uh

fireworks are something that were an

integral part of the summer. And uh a

number of incidents occurred, and to

discontinue something that has been

celebrated in the city for many years

with virtually no issue um did not seem

the wisest decision. $48,000

is what was indicated it's going to cost

with some likely sponsors, but there was

no indication as to whether or not the

entire cost would be covered by the

sponsors or if the city would be on the

hook for some of it and if so how much.

Also with respect to the safety

precautions that are being taken, it is

one thing to bring in the state police

and the capital police and to have

enhanced police presence in downtown

Harrisburg at this time, but I think it

is also critical to develop some sort of

plan and proposal

to put forward for parents and for the

youth. The incidents that have occurred

have largely been as result of young

people getting together and getting too

rowdy. It would have been good if there

was some sort of

capital public campaign that says this

is how you conduct yourself, this is

what we expect. So I hope within the

coming weeks there's an effort to go

into the schools and try to get the word

out as to what the expectation is with

respect to our youth because for the

most part people come down and conduct

themselves well. Anyone who came down

for the Arts Festival realizes that

people pour into the city of Harrisburg.

This is not just something that the

citizens of this community enjoy and I

do think it's also critical to recognize

that quite frankly this expense should

be shared with some of the neighboring

communities and municipalities that

benefit from a bird's eye view of the

fireworks that the city of Harrisburg

puts on or has put on regularly. Thank

you.

>> Thank you. Is there anyone else in my

right that would like to offer public

comment?

>> Good evening council. I am Brian

Kiesling. I'm from Midtown. Hope you've

all been doing well.

I wanted to comment tonight on parking

in the city of Harrisburg. I am sure

each of you has heard every complaint

everyone has had about parking in this

city and you may share some of those

complaints yourself from time to time.

It frustrates and disappoints me the

number of times I talk to people who say

that parking is the reason they don't

come here and it is always the number

one reason for so many people.

Um

Our parking is more expensive than

Lancaster and Carlisle, but also Philly

and New York. Uh our tickets are

astronomical for parking violations in

this city.

And I know that 13 years ago decisions

were made regarding parking because of

the financial circumstances of the city

at the time,

but we found ourselves with a contract

that I believe still has 27 years to go

and I am concerned that this contract is

not viable for the financial health of

this city. We have seen so many

businesses come and go and a lot of the

time people will talk about poor COVID

recovery or things like that, but I

think the elephant in the room is that

people aren't coming downtown because

they don't want to pay more to park than

they're going to pay to do whatever

activities they're doing and a lot of

the businesses that we've lost are

bringing really important things to this

city, food and activities, really

important multicultural element to

Harrisburg and it's just a real shame

that we keep losing it. I think that

Park Harrisburg's practices have

historically been predatory, that they

are exploiting a situation where they

are able to charge what they want to

charge and I think there are also

unethical practices that come into play.

For example,

a week or two ago, I parked outside my

house. It was

street cleaning day. I failed to see the

sign, so I got a ticket. That's on me.

However, when I parked that morning, I

paid for parking, and Park Harrisburg

was happy to accept my money for a

parking spot that they were not

providing.

They charged me the fine after the fact,

and it felt like they were double

dipping. I'm able to pay for a spot

that's not actually an available spot,

and then I have to pay a $30 fine, which

becomes a $50 fine if I don't pay it

within 3 days.

And I know a lot of people who have run

into similar problems. I think that

it's something that the city really

should try and and do something about to

get out of this lease situation.

If the city can't be in full control of

its own parking, we're not in full

control of our own city. It it stops

being in the hands of the people in the

community, and I think that's

detrimental to the community long-term.

Since I have a minute left, I am also

excited for fireworks to come back, and

I would like to also share hope that

there are safety measures and outreach

that can be done beyond just increased

police presence. I think that that would

be really beneficial to the city as a

whole. So, thank you very much for your

time.

>> Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anyone else to my

right that would like to offer public

comment?

>> Hello, my name is Josh Myers, and I live

uptown, and I am coming here to talk

about or to lodge a concern about the

speed bumps. There's some on Third

Street, but specifically Division

Street, which is right around the corner

from where I live.

I have to now like take alternate routes

if I want to get to Second Street or

Front Street if I'm coming from like the

Uptown Plaza or anywhere up there.

And I heard that they're look city's

looking to expand, put more of these

speed bumps around.

That's not true?

>> No, um they are working on removing

them. They're they're replacing them

with um like asphalt like different

speed bumps, not the ones that are

there. So, that'll be happening soon. I

don't want to interrupt you, counselor.

>> No, no, no. So, we're getting rid of

those speed bumps?

Oh, perfect. Thank you. I understand the

need for the safety. I'm with that, but

those speed bumps are terrible, so.

Thank you.

>> Thank you. Is there anyone else to my

right that would like to offer public

comment?

>> Since you didn't start the clock, that's

cool.

My name's Char Magaro. I live at 606

Magaro Road in Enola.

Um I stand before you to remind you of

the Suiterra Street Park.

This is the fourth time I've been in

front of you.

Two times, at the end of the second

time, you approved it.

I was also here 2 months ago to complain

why I can't get two documents out of the

city of Harrisburg.

I want to remind you that this park at

15th and Suiterra sir is going is

designed to serve the most needy in all

of Harrisburg on every human level,

according to the last census.

Um there's over 700 residents that this

would serve that asked for a park on

this specific location.

It's designed to serve all age groups

and also as a climate change and

environmental justice project. And if

you don't know, if people are surrounded

by nature, it lowers their stress level.

And this is a fully funded project. It's

a half a million dollars gift to the

city of Harrisburg. It's not costing you

1 cent.

In January, we were supposed to start

this project by sending out the

bid process, but it was delayed because

couldn't get two documents, an MOU and a

grant agreement.

A grant manage agreement out of

legal or somewhere up there, but I think

it's legal.

Um so, you know

you know, this is uh

these documents are needed

to submit to DCNR so they'll match our

half a million dollar gift to the city.

So, in sum

uh

this is time sensitive. We were supposed

to start in January. We cannot we it

won't it won't come to fruition if we

don't start it in June for the bidding

process.

And then um

so, it kind of leaves me speechless,

actually. Um

but

in sum, you know, I have a question for

you.

And my question is this.

What excuse shall I give the 700 people

in the South Allison Hill

that this we can't deliver two documents

to make this happen?

What excuse do I give the 50-plus

private donors?

And what excuse do I give DCNR that

can't get it together here?

And

what excuse do I give the media that has

covered me both on TV and in print

because they're excited about this

project.

So, what excuse

as to why Harrisburg can't deliver two

documents

>> [snorts]

>> that will benefit the most needy among

us

and the most deserving.

Thank you.

>> Thank you. Is there anyone else to my

right that would like to offer public

comment?

Okay. Seeing and hearing no one, anyone

in the middle section?

Mhm.

>> Hello everybody.

I'm not a person to get up to speak. I

never was like that. I was born and

raised on Cumberland Street, Harrisburg.

My father was a a trashman

there. You know,

I when I got married, I had five kids.

>> [snorts]

>> Lived out on the hill

for

since 1971,

me and my husband and my five kids.

I have never seen this city this bad.

It's horrible. They let people come in

here

and they make in their backyards, they

make dumps out of their backyards.

The one man that I live next door to, I

just filed paperwork against him.

Tim Rowbottom.

You

>> [laughter]

>> And when I mention that name, he had two

children.

When they went to school, I'd always

give them money. You know, because I

love children. I had five of my own, but

I love children.

Even kids today, I give money to.

But I I can't believe the dump that he

made in the backyard. The front is

beautiful.

But the backyard, he put children they

opened up a camp.

He opened up a camp in the basement

for the children.

And when I seen all these kids coming

down the street, I said,

"I wonder where them kids are going?"

When I found out he opened up a camp for

the children down there.

And maybe I shouldn't say this, but I'm

going to say it anyhow.

They were all African-American kids.

And whenever he opened up that building

there, I watched everything he was doing

over there.

It wasn't nothing but African-American

people that he hired cuz he could use

them.

And I didn't like it at all. But the

children, that's what I'm worried about.

Cuz the dump the dump is the door was

right here. The dump's right where I'm

at. The kids are all in there.

I filed charges against him.

>> Right.

>> Took him to court. Because I've had

paperwork down here for 15 years. Ever

since he moved in there.

Now he's putting boats on the street.

And he's putting these big trucks

on the street. He has them on the street

parked on the street. Because he don't

because he has a fence around the yard

they won't touch it. I said, "I got a

fence around my yard, too. But I

wouldn't disrespect the neighborhood."

And senior citizens, they don't do that.

I had the cops come come up up my house

the other day about

next door to me people moved in there.

The kids were on the porch playing

basketball.

I said, "I never seen this before."

And it almost the ball almost hit my my

window of my house. So I said something

about it.

And we had a big argument. I had to call

the police.

The police didn't do nothing. They never

do.

The only ones that does anything in this

city is public works.

They're the only ones that do it. When I

call them, they're Johnny-on-the-spot,

but they can't do it all.

They can't do it all.

But I don't want to file no charges

against anybody, but with him

the mayor came out there

when there was a towing company in front

of my house. She came and got rid of

that. It is beautiful. We clean up from

Holly Street all the way down to Rudy

Road. My son, me, and his wife.

We keep it clean out there. I just put a

trash can out there so they could just

put trash in the trash can.

But there's no such thing as respect.

What happened to that?

What happened to respect in the

neighborhood?

We need to take care of one another.

And those children

I I mean, I just can't believe what he

did to his own children. Well, if he did

it to his own children, he'll do it to

anybody else's because the police took

his children away from him.

You know, and and he's putting up and I

couldn't understand it. All the

paperwork they got down here for

Robottom.

They don't do nothing.

They don't do nothing to Robottom. You

know why?

>> [music]

>> Maybe I shouldn't say this.

What I'm getting ready to say.

My My grandfather's Irish.

I'm Irish. Okay.

Never heard anything bad about anybody.

I didn't even know the difference

between black, white, orange, gorilla,

whatever color you were. Wasn't taught

it. I didn't know. I didn't even

didn't even know about slavery.

>> Ma'am, thank you for your comment.

>> Didn't even know about that.

And guess when I when I got married

and Roots came on, that's when I seen

it.

And I said, I can't believe this

happened.

I said, I can't believe this really

happened.

You know, for people to be like that

because God didn't make nobody like

that.

They made themselves like that.

>> Ma'am, could you state your your name,

please?

>> Huh?

>> Could you state your name for the

record, please?

>> Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Trudy M.

Johnson.

And I live on 18th Street.

>> Thank you.

>> Yeah. And that where he's at, Robottom's

at,

my children used to work in that

building.

And the yard it was a always a yard

there. When he came there,

he made a dump out of it. And it's hard

it's getting worse and worse.

Well, and the city won't do nothing

about I have got paperwork here.

They won't do nothing about it.

>> ma'am, thank you for your comment.

>> Okay. All right, thank you.

>> Thank you.

If you'd like to wait until after our

next meeting,

somebody can

talk to you.

I think she's leaving.

Okay.

Okay, thank you.

Hold on, 1 second. He's coming around.

Somebody's going to come in.

Okay.

Okay, Ms. Trudy, we've got her we're

good. Go ahead.

>> Good evening, Council. Libby Prophet,

2000 block of Chestnut Street. I want to

use at least two of my minutes to honor

Mr. Ross Kirby Willard.

Silence. Thanks.

>> Thank you.

Have a good day.

>> Thank you.

Is anyone else to my left that would

like to offer public comment?

Okay, seeing and hearing no one.

The time is 6:04 p.m.

I will entertain a motion to adjourn our

work session.

>> So moved.

>> Is there a second?

>> Second.

>> Thank you. We stand adjourned.

If everyone is okay with moving right

into our legislative caucus followed by

our legislative session,

I will call the meeting to order. Mr.

Humphrey will call the roll. The

invocation this evening will be led by

Councilwoman Green followed by the

pledge of allegiance, which will be led

by Vice President Jones.

For communications this evening,

we are joined by Pastor Jameson

McLaughlin of Goodwill Memorial Baptist

Church for presentation on 717 Day.

We will then open the floor for courtesy

of the floor followed by the approval of

the minutes for the legislative session

that occurred on May 12th, 2026.

We have two reports of committees this

evening. The first will be delivered by

our building and housing committee

chair, Councilwoman Davis, on the work

session that just occurred a few minutes

ago

on May 26th, 2026.

And the second committee report will be

delivered by our parks, recreation, and

enrichment committee chair, Councilwoman

Ross, on the work session of May 26th,

2026.

We do not have any ordinances for first

reading, ordinances for amendment, or

ordinances for final passage.

Resolution. The first resolution for

consideration this evening is resolution

44 of 2026,

which we will vote upon. Resolution 45

of 2026,

which we will vote upon.

Resolution 46 of 2026 will move to the

budget and finance committee.

Resolution 47 of 2026 will move to the

public safety committee.

Resolution 48 of 2026

will move to the budget and finance

committee.

Resolution 49 of 2026

will move to the administration

committee and resolution 50 of 2026

will move to the administration

committee.

Is there any old business for discussion

council members?

Okay, seeing and hearing none, any new

business?

Okay, then we will adjourn.

Sorry, I'm just trying to give Vice

President Jones a few moments to return

so he can lead the pledge of allegiance.

So, please stand by.

>> All right, can everybody please stand?

>> No, no. No, no, no. We're not ready. Our

interpreters aren't ready yet. We're not

ready. We just held our legislative

caucus. That's That's what you missed.

>> I thought it was on me.

>> Not yet.

Okay, if everyone is ready,

the time is 6:08 p.m. I would like to

call our legislative session to order.

Mr. Humphrey, could you please call the

roll?

>> Ms. Davis

>> Present.

>> Ms. Green

>> Present.

>> Mr. Jones

>> Here.

>> Mr. Lawson

>> Here.

>> Ms. Rawls

>> Present.

>> Mr. Rodriguez

>> Present.

>> Ms. Hill

>> Present. Thank you.

The invocation this evening will be led

by Councilwoman Green.

>> Thank you, President Hill. Um if we

could just all take some time to

celebrate the good things happening in

the city.

Um we're coming up on graduation, prom's

passed not that long ago. So, just

saying congratulations to all of our

seniors that are graduating, to all of

the kids who are out here doing great

things, to all the residents out here

doing uh great things. Uh we often just

hear the negative about the things that

are going on that we don't want going

on. So, just thank you to everyone who's

out here making the city a great place

to live, work, and play.

Um and then just praying for everyone as

we move into these warmer times,

hopefully, cuz um the temperature's it's

going up and down. But, as we move into

the summer, uh just for the safety of

our kids, for our residents, and just

for us all to have a blessed and

wonderful summer. So, thank you.

>> Thank you, Councilwoman Green. The

Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Vice

President Jones.

>> Now, can everyone please rise?

>> [laughter]

>> Pledge allegiance

>> to the flag of the United States of

America,

and to the republic for which it stands,

one nation under God, indivisible, with

liberty and justice for all.

>> Thank you, Vice President Jones. For

communications this evening, we are

joined by Pastor James McLaughlin of

Goodwin Memorial Baptist Church, who

will share a presentation on 717 Day.

Please.

Oh, you can have a seat here.

>> Good evening, everyone.

>> Good evening.

>> My name is James McLaughlin. I have the

pleasure and privilege of not only being

a resident of Harrisburg, but also the

pastor of Goodwin Memorial Baptist

Church on 2447 Green Street. Um before I

uh say any words, we have a video

presentation that can articulate what we

are looking to do even better than I

can. Thank you.

>> [music]

>> Peace is our power.

>> July 17th marks 717 day, a citywide day

of peace uniting communities across the

717 area code with one shared

commitment, no fighting, no violence,

and no disturbances of any kind.

This annual initiative calls on

residents to intentionally choose peace

for 24 hours, bringing together

neighborhoods across the Harrisburg

region in a unified show of discipline,

pride, [music] and community strength.

The day is designed to highlight the

region's rich heritage, including its

black church traditions, local artists,

athletes, entrepreneurs, and families,

>> [music]

>> while also celebrating the culture,

music, food, and voices that define the

717.

This is more than just a date on the

calendar. It is a declaration, a

celebration, and a growing movement

centered on one message.

In the 717,

>> [music]

>> peace is our power.

>> Peace is our power.

>> [music]

>> Yeah, we stand tall.

>> One day, no violence, no trouble at all.

Hands to the sky.

>> The whole city calls.

>> 717

>> Yeah, we want [music] and we are.

>> Peace is

our power.

>> Feel it in the air. July 17th, [music]

unity everywhere.

>> Love over hate, yeah, we showing we

care.

>> 717, [music] spreading love everywhere.

>> July 17th

However you say it,

>> [music]

>> just stand on it.

>> 717

>> 717

>> [music]

[music]

[music]

>> Thank you.

I have to give credit to the genius

behind that presentation, Mr. Vincent

Hill Jr.

Um but in a nutshell,

>> [clears throat]

>> this is our third time having what we

call 717 Day, where we try to gather uh

people together for a day of peace. I've

spent time in Dauphin County Prison and

various places in the community

emphasizing to those who might be uh

subject to GVI intervention to say,

"Hey, we want a day of no violence, no

fighting, no crime, no peace." Our first

year was a huge success. One of the main

advocates was Brother Carl Singleton,

and he had conversation with the chief

at the time, and we were told there were

no incidents on that day. And so, we

want to continue that tradition, so that

it's not just a holiday in Harrisburg

and in the 717 area code, but throughout

the entire area code, where people come

together in Lancaster and York and all

um places with the municipalities to

support one another, to love one

another, and to celebrate the rich

culture and heritage that is right here.

That's it. Believe it or not, as a

preacher, I'm not long-winded.

>> Okay, can you please Well, I the

flyer is still on the screen, but if you

could please share the date, the time,

and the location.

>> Absolutely. Thank you for that. I

apologize. Uh so, the date and time is

July 17th, um from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00

p.m. And we are not asking much, uh only

to help us get the message out of

awareness, of advocating for celebrating

that day, celebrating culture,

celebrating heritage. And we will be at

the the on 7th and Radnor. Um I was told

do not say Radnor. Somebody joked me

about that. Um, but it's 7th and Radnor.

I believe the correct pronunciation is

Gorgas Playground. And and so, we as a

committee we met and we discussed

whether it be Sunshine Park, but we

wanted to celebrate this new park and

celebrate how

we believe God is doing a new thing even

in this community. God has done great

things here for many years and I hope

I'm not offending anybody with

theological language. Um, but we just

want to celebrate this community and so

we thought that was the ideal location.

And it would be great if city council

could be represented and we would give a

member of the council an opportunity

just to say some good words about what's

going on in the city.

>> Excellent. Well, thank you so much.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> All right.

That's it. No questions? All right.

>> Thank you. Thank you so

much.

>> Thank you.

>> Next we have courtesy of the floor

moving forward with our meeting agenda.

Same housekeeping notes. If you're

interested in offering any public

comments, please state your name and

your address for the meeting record. If

you don't feel comfortable sharing your

address, please share the vicinity in

which you live within the city. You will

have 4 minutes to share your comments.

Mr. Humphrey has added a timer to the

screen for your reference. I'll begin to

my right. Is there anyone that would

like to offer public comment?

Okay, seeing and hearing no one. Anyone

in the middle section?

Seeing and hearing no one. Anyone to my

left?

Seeing and hearing no one, we will move

forward with our meeting agenda.

Next we have the approval of the minutes

for the legislative session that

occurred on May 12th, 2026.

Council members, are there any revisions

to those meeting minutes?

Okay, seeing hearing none, the minutes

stand approved.

Next, we will have reports of

committees. The first report will be

delivered by our building and housing

committee chair, Councilwoman Davis, on

the work session that occurred a few

minutes ago on May 26, 2026.

>> Thank you, President Hill. Good evening

again, everyone.

On May 26, 2026,

the

Building and Housing Committee and City

Council met to discuss Resolution

44-2026.

Resolution 44-2026

is a resolution ratifying a master

certified local government grant

agreement between the City of Harrisburg

and the Pennsylvania Historical and

Museum Commission.

The PHMC, thereby establishing the

city's eligibility to apply for grants

through the certified local government

grant program for projects that support

and advance the city's historic

preservation program.

Erica Kaufman of the Pennsylvania

Historical and Museum Commission

gave an overview of the service

today, and City Council had the

opportunity to ask questions.

There were no questions asked. Everyone

pretty much understood

what this grant

is for,

and myself offered to the viewers

a background of what the Pennsylvania

Historic and Museum Commission is.

And it is a again the official state

history agency responsible for

preserving and interpreting the

Commonwealth's heritage. The commission

manages the State Museum of

Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State

Archives, and the State Historic

Preservation Office.

I would recommend that my colleagues

approve this resolution

and thank you very much

>> Thank you, Chair Davis.

Uh the final committee report that you

will hear this evening will be delivered

by our Parks, Recreation, and Enrichment

Committee Chair, Councilwoman Rawls, on

the work session of May 26th, 2026.

>> Thank you, President Hill. Uh please be

bear with me as I go over my report. My

computer, as I said, is not my friend

today.

Uh my mouse is not working, and I am a

very uh well-put-together person when I

read a report, but

um it did what it wanted to do today.

So, just bear with me here.

So, um on May 26th, 2026, the Parks,

Recreation, and Enrichment Committee met

to discuss Resolution 45 of 2026,

a resolution ratifying and approving the

proposal for Bixler Pyrotechnics

Incorporated to provide the City of

Harrisburg's 4th of July 2026 fireworks.

The city's business administrator,

Antonio Magna, was present to present

Council with more information on this

resolution.

He explained that the company, Bixler

Pyrotechnics, is a well-known company

who has worked with many well-known

companies such as uh Disney World, just

to name a few. Mr. Magna also pointed

out that the first priority of this

event is public safety and creating a

public safety plan by working with a

local police entity such as the state

police. He further pointed out that the

cost of the show would be $48,000,

but that the city would not

be taking on that cost due to having

multiple sponsors. President Hill

pointed out that the show will include a

15-minute

15-minute firework display consisting of

an opening presentation, a body, and a

grand finale presentation.

My fellow council members asked

a handful of questions such as who the

sponsors were for this event, how will

we collaborate with other public safety

entities, and what will the plan look

like, and how many

proposals were submitted before Bixler

was chosen. Um Mr. Magna pointed out

that he would get back to us on

information that dealt with proposals

submitted, and if the company was a

local

company.

Um I recommend that resolution and that

my fellow council members vote for

resolution 45 of 2026,

um mainly to bring our fireworks back,

but that I'm glad that we're being

proactive with a public safety plan.

Um and other council members also did

point, I'm sorry, about making sure we

communicate with our

residents about what that public safety

plan looks like. So with that said, I

recommend that we vote yes for

resolution 45 of 2026. Thank you.

>> Thank you.

Uh we do not have any ordinances for

first reading, ordinances for amendment,

or ordinances for final passage. We will

move forward with resolutions. The first

resolution for consideration this

evening is resolution 44 of 2026.

Mr. Humphrey, could you please read it

into the record?

>> Resolution 44 of 2026. A resolution

ratifying a master certified local

government grant agreement between the

city of Harrisburg and the Pennsylvania

historical and Museum Commission,

thereby establishing the city's

eligibility to apply for grants through

the certified local government grant

program for projects that support and

advance the city's historic preservation

program.

>> Thank you. Council members, are there

any final questions, comments, or

concerns related to resolution 44 of

2026?

Okay, seeing and hearing none, Mr.

Humphrey, could you please call the

vote?

>> Ms. Davis?

>> Yes.

>> Ms. Green?

>> Yes.

>> Mr. Jones?

>> Yay.

>> Mr. Lawson?

>> Yes.

>> Ms. Rawls?

>> Yes.

>> Mr. Rodriguez?

>> Yes.

>> Ms. Hill?

>> Yes.

>> Resolution 44 of 2026 passes by a vote

of seven yays to zero nays.

>> Thank you. Next we have resolution 45 of

2026. Mr. Humphrey, could you please

read it into the record?

>> Resolution 45 of 2026, a resolution

ratifying and approving the proposal

from Bixler Pyrotechnics Incorporated to

provide the city of Harrisburg's 4th of

July 2026 fireworks.

>> Thank you. Council members, are there

any final questions, comments, or

concerns related to resolution 45 of

2026?

I would like to note for the meeting

record, Mr. Magnant did respond to some

of my questions. So, he noted that

Bixler is based in Ashland,

Pennsylvania. So, yes, it is located in

Schuylkill County. And that the city

received several proposals, and they

chose Bixler because they've worked with

them in the past. They've done a great

job, and they are a very highly

recommended pyrotechnics business. So, I

just wanted to note that for the record.

Um if there are no additional questions

or comments, Mr. Humphrey, could you

please call the vote?

>> Ms. Davis.

>> Yes.

>> Ms. Green.

>> Yes.

>> Mr. Jones.

>> Yay.

>> Mr. Lawson.

>> Yes.

>> Ms. Rawls.

>> Yes.

>> Mr. Rodriguez.

>> Yes.

>> Ms. Hill.

>> Yes.

>> Resolution 45 of 2026 passes by a vote

of seven yays to zero nays.

>> Thank you. Next we have resolution 46 of

2026.

Mr. Humphrey, could you please read it

into the record?

>> Resolution 46 of 2026, a resolution

authorizing the City of Harrisburg to

enter into a professional services

agreement with Maher Duessel for the

purpose of providing audit preparation

services to the City of Harrisburg.

>> Thank you. Resolution 46 of 2026 will

move to the budget and finance

committee. Next we have resolution 47 of

2026.

Mr. Humphrey, could you please read it

into the record?

>> Resolution 47 of 2026, a resolution

authorizing the City of Harrisburg to

negotiate and enter into a memorandum of

understanding with the JT Dorsey

Foundation to provide soccer for success

summer camps.

>> Thank you. Resolution 47 of 2026

will move to the public safety

committee. Next we have resolution 48 of

2026.

Mr. Humphrey, could you please read it

into the record?

>> Resolution 48 of 2026, a resolution

authorizing the City of Harrisburg to

negotiate and enter into a professional

services agreement with Boyer and Ritter

LLC to perform the City of Harrisburg's

annual audit and financial report DCED

- CLGS - 30 for the year ending December

31st, 2024.

>> Thank you. Resolution 48 of 2026 will

move to the budget and finance

committee.

Next, we have resolution 49 of 2026.

Mr. Humphrey, could you please read it

into the record?

>> Resolution 49 of 2026, a resolution

confirming the appointment of Mr. Isaac

S. Gaylord, Esquire, to serve as an

assistant city solicitor for the city of

Harrisburg.

>> Thank you. Resolution 49 of 2026

will move to the administration

committee.

The final resolution for consideration

this evening is resolution 50 of 2026.

Mr. Humphrey, could you please read it

into the record?

>> Resolution 50 of 2026, a resolution

implementing technical corrections

required by the Pennsylvania Municipal

Retirement System related to the passage

of resolution 34 of 2026, which ratified

an adoption agreement for the

non-uniform municipal employees

retirement system with the Pennsylvania

Municipal Retirement System to extend

the superannuation retirement known as

the rule of 80 effective January 1st,

2026.

>> Thank you. Resolution 50 of 2026

will move to the administration

committee. Council members, is there any

old business for discussion?

Okay, seeing and hearing none, any new

business?

Okay, seeing and hearing none, the time

is 6:27

p.m. I will entertain a motion to

adjourn.

>> So moved.

>> Is there a second?

>> Second.

>> Thank you. We stand adjourned.