Title
Directing the President of Pittsburgh City Council to establish a special committee of the council for purposes of fact finding in matters associated with the events surrounding the 2009 G-20 Conference in Pittsburgh
Body
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh will host the Group of Twenty (G-20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Conference on September 24-25, 2009 and welcome the leaders who represent two-thirds of the world's population to Southwestern Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, hosting the G-20 Conference will provide the City an opportunity to showcase for the world the strength and beauty of Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania as well as to develop the City's capacity to host and manage such events; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of Pittsburgh deserve objective fact-finding in matters associated with the decision to host the G-20, the planning and preparation for the event, the costs of the event and contributions-monetary and in-kind-from other governments, and the operational decisions made leading up to the event; and
WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Pittsburgh believes that objective and comprehensive fact-finding in matters associated with the G-20 Conference will help stimulate recommendations for new legislation and policy changes that will enhance the City's capacity to host such events in the future,
Be it resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. That the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby directs the President of Council to exercise the power invested in Council by Section 306 and Section 312 of the Home Rule Charter,
1. To establish the G-20 Fact-Finding Committee as a special committee of the City Council. Members of the G-20 Review Committee shall consist of the Chairs of the Council Committee on Finance and Law, Committee on Public Safety, and Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs. Additional members shall include the City Controller as well as the Director of Public Safety and two of his appointees. All Council members will be allowed to participate on issues of particular interest to them.
2. To declare that the subject and scope of the G-20 Fact Finding Committee shall be the objective and comprehensive collection of information and documents in matters associated with the following aspects of the City's involvement in the G-20 Conference:
a. The decision to invite and host the G-20 Conference in Pittsburgh, including City participation in that decision and the consideration of both the possible costs and benefits for the City of Pittsburgh, its citizens, and its businesses;
b. The planning and preparation for the event, including the City's public safety plan for accommodating both the large numbers of G-20 participants and the large numbers of groups and individuals expected to protest against the G-20; and,
c. The costs to the City of Pittsburgh, to its citizens, and to its businesses associated with hosting the G-20 Conference as well as the money and in-kind services contributed by surrounding municipalities, the County of Allegheny, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States government; and
d. The operational decisions made leading up to the week of the G-20 Conference including the public safety plan as well as the protection of the rights of citizens, business owners, delegates, visitors, bystanders, and those wishing to exercise their right to freedom of speech and assembly during the G-20 Conference.
Section 2.
That the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby direct the President of Council to invest the G-20 Fact Finding Committee with the power:
1. To exercise on behalf of the City Council the authority to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents for the purpose of conducting objective and comprehensive fact finding in the matters associated with the decision to host the G-20, the planning and preparation for the event, the costs of the event and contributions -- monetary and in-kind - from other governments, and the operational decisions made leading up to the event, including the public safety plan as well as the protection of the rights of citizens, business owners, delegates, visitors, bystanders and those wishing to exercise their right to freedom of speech and assembly during the G-20 Conference;
2. To establish for City Council and the public an objective and comprehensive collection of documents including but not limited to correspondence, agreements, applications, budgets both proposed and final, interviews, testimony at public hearings and any other materials that will enlighten the public and guide future policy making regarding the decision to host such events, the planning and preparation for such events, the costs of such events and contributions-monetary and in-kind-from other governments, and the operational decisions made leading up to such events.