Pittsburgh City Council gave its first approval yesterday to a new ordinance that would require a chain of approvals before anyone in the 3,300-employee city work force could peek into anyone else's e-mail account.

The 6-2 vote for the ordinance came after the second long debate in as many weeks about whether anyone in Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's administration has snooped into council e-mails. Unlike last week, most council members seemed convinced that the administration was not peering over their shoulders.

"Has this administration ever come to you and asked you to snoop on council members' e-mails?" Councilman Jim Motznik asked City Information Systems Director Howard Stern.

"No one in this administration has ever asked me to snoop on ... council members' e-mails," Mr. Stern said.

"I did get another answer when I asked that question privately," Council President Doug Shields said later. "To me it's in dispute at this time, based on prior conversations" he said he had with Mr. Stern. Mr. Stern said he did not recall those conversations.

Under the legislation, sponsored by Councilman William Peduto, when a city supervisor or manager asks to see an underling's e-mail without his or her knowledge and consent, the supervisor has to fill out a form that is reviewed by the city solicitor before access is provided. If anyone wants to read e-mail by the mayor, city controller or a council member, the OK of both the solicitor and the chair of the Ethics Hearing Board is required.

The legislation doesn't trump the state Right-to-Know Act, which makes most e-mail messages written by public officials subject to disclosure upon request, with several dozen exceptions.

Patrick Dowd and Theresa Smith voted no. A final vote could occur Monday.

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