City Hall Roll Call: December 7th, 2023
Council races towards Winter Recess
Welcome to Thursday’s City Hall Roll Call, powered by The Committee of Seventy.
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Welcome to City Hall Roll Call, a summary of City Council’s weekly Stated Meeting. Reminder, the information provided below is not an official or complete record. City Council’s official legislative database can be accessed through Legistar.
For a full play-by-play of the Council session, including speeches and public comment, be sure to follow me on Twitter.
Session Recap:
Today’s session was the second to last before City Council breaks for its four-week winter recess. Members introduced only a handful of resolutions, as any legislation not passed before the end of the year will lapse and have to be re-introduced in the new term. The majority of the session was occupied by the reading of committee reports, which signals a very lengthy calendar for next week’s final session. Sixty (60) bills were reported out of committee this week, with a suspension of the rules granted to allow them to be voted on at next week’s session. The volume of bills to be voted on almost guarantees Council will use a consent agenda next Thursday. A consent agenda will allow Council to vote on batches of bills, rather than having an individual vote on each bill and resolution. While this certainly will help reduce the amount of time it takes to get through the calendar, we should anticipate a lengthy final session next Thursday.
It should also be noted that any bills passed this week or next week are subject to a potential “pocket veto” by the Mayor. Under the Charter, the Mayor has ten (10) days to sign a bill into law. If the Mayor leaves any of the bills passed today or next week unsigned, they will be deemed lapsed and have to be reintroduced next year and begin the public hearing process anew.
Bills and Resolutions Introduced Today (By Subject Matter)
Due to the volume, ceremonial resolutions introduced by Councilmembers that honor or memorialize individuals or organizations will not be listed below, but can be found on Legistar.
🗺️ Land Disposition / Acquisition
Resolution authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of property located in the 1st Councilmanic District. (Squilla)
Resolution authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of property located in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
Resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer land to the Land Bank located in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
🔏 Contract / Agreement Authorization
Resolution approving a lease amendment to 820 Vine Street. (Squilla)
Resolution approving the redevelopment contract for a portion of Mantua. (Gauthier)
⚖️ Privileged Resolutions (Authorizing Hearings / Urging Action)
Resolution calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall Kia and Hyundai models lacking antitheft protection devices.
Resolution calling on Harrisburg and the PIAA to remedy the discrepancies caused by the “Competitive Balance” rule.
Bills and Resolutions Introduced Today (By Member)
Due to the volume, ceremonial resolutions introduced by Councilmembers that honor or memorialize individuals or organizations will not be listed below, but can be found on Legistar.
Councilmember Mark Squilla (D-1st)
R: Approving a lease amendment to 820 Vine Street.
R: Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of property located in the 1st Councilmanic District.
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (D-3rd)
R: Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of property located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
R: Authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer land to the Land Bank located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
R: Approving the redevelopment contract for a portion of Mantua.
Council President Darrell Clarke (D-5th)
R: Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of property located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
R: Authorizing the transfer of land located in the 5th Councilmanic District to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.
R: Also naming the 1200 Block of Shackamaxon.
Councilmember Kendra Brooks (I-AL)
R: Calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall Kia and Hyundai models lacking antitheft protection devices.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas (D-AL)
R: Calling on Harrisburg and the PIAA to remedy the discrepancies caused by the “Competitive Balance” rule.
Bills and Resolutions Passed by City Council at Today’s Session
Resolutions:
🗺️ 230903 (Clarke): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Housing Authority a deed conveying fee simple title to 2342-48 North 27th Street a/k/a 2748 North 27th Street (assessed as 2342, 2344, 2346 and 2348 North 27th Street, 2704, 2706 and 2708 West York Street, and 2709 West Arizona Street) in the Fifth Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia pursuant to Section 16-706 of the Philadelphia Code.
🗺️ 230904 (Clarke): Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 1218, 1220, 1222, and 1224 N. 15th Street in the Fifth Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia and further authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank fee simple title to such properties pursuant to Section 16-405 of the Philadelphia Code.
🗺️ 230905 (Clarke): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Housing Authority a deed conveying fee simple title to 1517 N. 33rd Street in the Fifth Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia pursuant to Section 16-706 of the Philadelphia Code.
🗣️ 230906 (Jones): Calling on the Administration to further examine the “consent-to-search” program in the City of St. Louis, Missouri, as an alternative to gun buy backs to increase the understanding of its potential impacts on the continual efforts of gun seizures in the City of Philadelphia.
🗣️ 230907 (Jones): Calling on the Pennsylvania State Senate to pass House Bill 1752 declaring Eid al-Fitr a state holiday and urging Governor Shapiro to sign this legislation.
🗣️ 230908 (Jones): Urging the Baseball Writers of America Association to induct Philadelphia Phillies legends Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.
🏆 230910 (Bass): Renaming the 400 block of E. Rittenhouse Street “Dione Johns Dancy Way” to honor Dione Johns Dancy for her tireless service to the Germantown Community and Philadelphia at-Large.
🏆 230### (Gilmore-Richardson): Honoring and congratulating Zeta Phi Beta Sorority on its 104th Founders Day.
🏆 230### (Gilmore-Richardson): Recognizing, honoring and congratulating Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated on its 110th Founders Day.
🏆 230### (Thomas): Honoring and congratulating Champion of the Week Jeanette Bavwidinsi for her dedication and hardwork on behalf of Philadelphia’s young people as Executive Director for the Office of Youth Engagement.
🏆 230### (Harrity): Proclaiming January 13th, 2024 as “Korean American Day” in Philadelphia to celebrate and commemorate the proud heritage of Korean Americans and their invaluable contributions to enhance the City’s culture, economy and the founding ideals of independence and democracy.
📆 Upcoming City Council Public Hearings
(Click on the Committee listing to download the full agenda of bills and resolutions for the meeting.)
Tuesday, December 12th
Committee on Commerce & Economic Development, 1:00 PM - the committee will hear testimony on strategies to ignite business and job growth and Philadelphia’s capacity to prepare individuals of all educational backgrounds for careers in the growing life sciences industry.
Committee of the Whole, 3:00 PM - the committee will hear testimony on appointments to the Center City District BID Board, the Board of Ethics and to review the operations of the School District in order to coordinate the activities of the Board of Education, the Mayor, and the City Council for the improvement and benefit of public education in Philadelphia.