An election-fueled burst of reform measures won City Council's unanimous, final approval and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's endorsement yesterday, in what one councilman hoped would be a warm-up act for more good-government legislation.

On the way out are sky's-the-limit campaign contributions, clandestine lobbying, unreported gifts and the hand-picking of awardees for lucrative contracts, if the ordinances are enforced.

"We passed more reform in city government [yesterday] than we passed since the day [35 years ago] this city became a home rule charter city," said Councilman William Peduto, author of most of the measures. "Those issues won't go away," he said, and to make sure, he launched a push for a slew of additional reforms.

Mr. Ravenstahl called it a "historic day in the City of Pittsburgh," thanking council members for "their thoughtful approach and partnership, and I look forward to signing these bills into law."

The new rules with the most immediate effect may be those governing contracts, which fuse Mr. Ravenstahl's and Mr. Peduto's approaches, requiring competition for any contract of more than $30,000. Another measure compels those seeking contracts to reveal the lobbyists and consultants they've hired, if those relationships create "a real or perceived conflict of interest."

Lobbyists trying to influence city decisions will have to register with the city, under another ordinance.

Kicking in as soon as the mayor signs it would be a new gift ordinance, under which city employees must report anything they get from vendors that is worth more than $100, for posting on the city Web site.

And starting next year, council candidates can take no more than $1,000 campaign contributions from any individual and $2,000 from any political action committee, per election while mayor and controller candidates can take double that. Mr. Ravenstahl called those "the lowest campaign contribution limits in the history of Pennsylvania."

Mr. Peduto, who first proposed contribution limits in 2004 and saw his 2008 proposal vetoed by Mr. Ravenstahl, said the reform fest couldn't have happened if officials weren't facing the voters in May 19 primaries.

Hours after the votes, hoping to add more spice to the electoral stew, he unveiled 10 "theses" on reforming city government, posting them on the Council Chamber door and on a new Web site, reformpittsburghnow.com.

"You cannot and should not, as a public official, have the benefit of putting your name or picture on public property," or sending out city-paid mailings close to election time, he said, proposing an end to the long-standing practices of putting mayors' names on items like trash cans, and sending out "newsletters" to constituents during campaign season.

City subsidies for development should come only with efforts "to minimize the effects on the adjacent neighborhood, minimize the effects on the environment, and ensure opportunity for all," he said.

Data on the resolution of citizen complaints should be placed online in an easily understandable format, he said, so people can see which neighborhoods or types of complaints are getting the fastest service.

Council members shouldn't be allowed to steer money meant to pay for office staff to community groups instead, he added.