City Hall Roll Call: June 9, 2022
Budget deadline looming: anti-violence funding and tax relief at issue
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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. Also, don’t forget to tune in on Tuesday mornings at 10:25 a.m. to WURD Radio and Reality Check’s “City Council Calendar with Lauren Vidas.” Show host Charles Ellison and I preview the issues and break down the legislation that Council will tackle at its Thursday meeting.
Session Recap:
With only two Stated Meetings scheduled before Council recess, pressure is building for Council and the Mayor to reach an agreement on this year’s budget. If Council follows its current public schedule and breaks for the summer on June 23rd, it has slightly less than one week to pass the budget bills out of committee in time for a final vote.
At the close of today’s Council session, Council President Darrell Clarke (D-5th) urged members to stay close to their phones, noting that “We have around four to five days to come to some consensus around budget matters, so please be available. We don’t have a lot of time, we have to conclude our business.” On Tuesday, the Committee of the Whole will convene to consider the various budget and tax relief bills. It is the Council President’s hope that an agreement can be reached by this time so that the bills can be voted out of committee in order to have their first reading on Thursday, June 16th.
Anti-Violence Funding At Issue
There appear to be two main points of contention between Council and the Administration for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget. The first relates to the topic at the forefront of everyone’s minds - the raging gun violence epidemic and the dedication of resources that will finally stem the tide of bloodshed overtaking the City. Many leaders worry that Saturday night’s mass shooting on South Street is a harbinger of what could be Philadelphia’s deadliest summer on record. The Mayor’s budget proposes what it calculates as a $184 million investment in anti-violence strategies, including community grants and expansion of social service programs. Some Councilmembers are questioning both the reported amount of the investment, as well as where the funds are being directed. Councilmembers are urging the Mayor to both increase the amount of investments, as well as more directly target those funds to neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence.
Earlier Curfew Proposed
While budget negotiations continue, Council will consider other measures related to the ongoing gun violence crisis. Councilmember Katherine Gilmore-Richardson (D-AL) introduced a bill today that would adjust the city’s curfew for minors for the summer months. The bill, if passed, would require everyone under the age of eighteen to be indoors by 10pm. Currently, sixteen and seventeen year-olds have a 12 a.m. curfew. In introducing the bill, Councilmember Gilmore-Richardson noted that this was not a reaction to the South Street shooting, but rather part of a coordinated multi-year effort to protect at-risk teens and children. Gilmore-Richardson has been Council’s leading advocate for the creation of Community Evening Resource centers throughout the city. She notes that the centers, which operate seven days a week from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m/ have served over 300 youths to date. She stated that she is working closely with the Administration to get additional centers up and running, including a center located in Northeast Philadelphia to ensure that every part of the city has this important resource.
Tax Relief Debate Ongoing
The second major budgetary point of contention between Council and the Mayor relates to tax relief. Many residents experienced sticker shock looking up their home values when the Office of Property Assessment announced the results of the city-wide reassessment. In order to cushion the blow of these assessments, which amounted to a 31% increase overall in the total value of Philadelphia real property, the Mayor has proposed increasing the Homestead Exemption from $45,000 to $65,000. Multiple Councilmembers have introduced bills that would double the exemption to $90,000 - the maximum allowed under state law. Rather than lower the property tax millage rate or maximize the homestead exemption as Council has called for, the Mayor has instead proposed modest reductions in the city’s Wage Tax.
Further complicating negotiations are the Pennsylvania Constitution’s Uniformity Clause, which prohibits the implementation of any progressive rate structure for taxes. High earners, or high value property holders must be taxed at the same flat rate as low earners or low value property holders. Moreover, with the real property tax including both a city tax portion (45%) directed to the City’s general fund, as well as a School District portion (55%), an expanded Homestead Exemption would have the potential to impact funding to the School District. Should the current Homestead Exemption remain in place, the School District would anticipate natural assessment growth of $130 million next year. This would drop to $94 million under the Mayor’s proposal ($65k exemption) and $47 million under Council’s maximum proposal ($90k exemption).1
Should Council and the Administration not reach an agreement by next week, Council would still have the option to schedule an additional Stated meeting in order to finish negotiations prior to the July 1 deadline for budget passage.
Council stands adjourned until Thursday, June 16th at 10 a.m.
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.
🚓 Public Safety
Bill amending Section 10-300 of the Philadelphia Code to revise evening curfew hours for minors. (Gilmore-Richardson)
🗺️ Land Disposition / Acquisition
Resolution authorizing the transfer of land located in the 5th Councilmanic District to the Philadelphia Land Bank. (Clarke)
Resolution authorizing the transfer of land located in the 5th Councilmanic District to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. (Clarke)
Resolution authorizing the transfer of land located in the 5th Councilmanic District to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. (Clarke)
🚦Streets
Bill establishing a no truck parking regulation for a street located in the 4th Councilmanic District. (Jones)
Bill establishing a no truck parking regulation for a street located in the 4th Councilmanic District. (Jones)
Bill authorizing Howard Forman to install and maintain encroachments on Rising Sun Ave relating to the Caribbean Feast Restaurant. (Clarke)
Bill authorizing the installation of a red light camera at 20th and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. (Clarke)
Bill authorizing the installation of a red light camera at Kelly Drive and Eakins Oval. (Clarke)
🔏 Contract / Agreement Authorization
Resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Energy Authority to purchase energy from a to be constructed solar facility located in the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. (Clarke)
💸 Finance / Budget
Bill establishing a tax rate for the city portion of the real property tax and establishing a tax rate for the school district portion of the real property tax. (Gym)
⚖️ Privileged Resolutions (Authorizing Hearings / Urging Action)
Resolution authorizing the Special Committee on Gun Violence to hold hearings to examine the city's response to the ongoing gun violence crisis. (Johnson)
Resolution urging the City to reconsider the transfer terms of Atwater Kent Collection to Drexel University. (Bass)
Resolution authorizing the Committee on Streets to hold hearings on the social and economic justice factors impacting the redesign options of Roosevelt Blvd. (Thomas)
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 Kenyatta Johnson (D-2nd)
Resolution - Authorizing the Special Committee on Gun Violence to hold hearings to examine the city's response to the ongoing gun violence crisis.
Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr. (D-4th)
Bill - Establishing a no truck parking regulation for a street located in the 4th Councilmanic District.
Bill - Establishing a no truck parking regulation for a street located in the 4th Councilmanic District.
Council President Darrell Clarke (D-5th)
Bill - Authorizing Howard Forman to install and maintain encroachments on Rising Sun Ave relating to the Caribbean Feast Restaurant.
Resolution - Authorizing the transfer of land located in the 5th Councilmanic District to the Philadelphia Land Bank.
Resolution - Authorizing the transfer of land located in the 5th Councilmanic District to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.
Resolution - Authorizing the transfer of land located in the 5th Councilmanic District to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.
Bill - Authorizing the installation of a red light camera at 20th and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
Bill - Authorizing the installation of a red light camera at Kelly Drive and Eakins Oval.
Resolution - Authorizing the Philadelphia Energy Authority to purchase energy from a to be constructed solar facility located in the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
Councilmember Cindy Bass (D-8th)
Resolution - Urging the City to reconsider the transfer terms of Atwater Kent Collection to Drexel University.
Councilmember Katherine Gilmore-Richardson (D-AL)
Bill - Amending Section 10-300 of the Philadelphia Code to revise evening curfew hours for minors.
Councilmember Helen Gym (D-AL)
Bill - Establishing a tax rate for the city portion of the real property tax and establishing a tax rate for the school district portion of the real property tax.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas (D-AL)
Resolution - Authorizing the Committee on Streets to hold hearings on the social and economic justice factors impacting the redesign options of Roosevelt Blvd.
Bills and Resolutions Passed by City Council at Today’s Session
Resolutions:
🏆 220533 (Parker): Adding Bryant Lamar Heard II to the street signs on the 5200 block of North Camac Street in celebration of his life.
🏆 220534 (Parker): Adding DJ Diamond Kuts to the street signs on the 7100 block of Georgian Road in honor of her trailblazing work to represent women in the hip hop industry, advance local artists, and serve the people of Philadelphia.
🏆 220535 (Parker): Adding the Honorable Marian B. Tasco to the street signs on the block intersections of the 7900 block of Mansfield Avenue between Vernon Road and Slocum Street in recognition of Councilwoman Tasco’s tremendous service and contributions to the City of Philadelphia.
🗣️ 220536 (Parker): Calling on the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to exercise the full extent of its authority to address public health issues related to the sale of tobacco products, including hookah, in violation of the Tobacco Retailer Permit provisions of The Philadelphia Code, and to mitigate the disproportionate effect of those sales in certain communities.
🏆 220538 (Jones): Naming the 1700 block of North 49th Street as “Ken Carter Way” in honor of Charles Kenneth Carter, a board member of the Business Association of West Parkside, who passed away on August 9, 2021.
🗺️ 220539 (Jones): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 650 N. Conestoga Street, 658 N. Conestoga Street, 662 N. Conestoga Street, 5436 W. Girard Avenue, 5552 Harmer Street, 642 N. Sickels Street, 644 N. Sickels Street, 653 N. Sickels Street, 534 -36 N. 54th Street, 538-40 N. 54th Street, 546 N. 54th Street, 550 N. 54th Street, 623-33 N. 55th Street, 641 N. 55th Street, 643 N. 55th Street, 645 N. 55th Street, 647 N. 55th Street, 649 N. 55th Street, 651 N. 55th Street, 653 N. 55th Street, 655 N. 55th Street located in the 4th Councilmanic District.
🗺️ 220540 (Johnson): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1310 S. Corlies Street, 1315 S. Corlies Street, 1320 S. Corlies Street, 1322 S. Corlies Street, 1326 S. Corlies Street, 1349 S. Corlies Street, 3000 Titan Street, 3010 Titan Street, 3018 Titan Street, 3036 Titan Street, 3046 Titan Street, 3050 Titan Street, 3002 Wharton Street, 3003 Wharton Street, 3009 Wharton Street, 3014- 3026 Wharton Street, 1537 S. Patton Street, 1334 S. 30th Street, and 1329 S. 31st Street located in the 2nd Councilmanic District.
🏆 220541 (Johnson): Honoring Father’s Day Rally Committee for its longstanding leadership and dedication to the physical and emotional wellbeing of African-American communities and, particularly, men of color.
🏆 220542 (Johnson): Resolution recognizing June 2022 as “Gun Violence Awareness Month” in Philadelphia.
🗺️ 220546 (Quiñones-Sánchez): Authorizing Public Property to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank deeds conveying fee simple title to certain City-owned lots in the Seventh Councilmanic District.
🏆 220547 (Green): Recognizing June 6-11, 2022 as Disability Pride Week in the City of Philadelphia.
🗺️ 220548 (Squilla): Authorizing Public Property to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank deeds conveying fee simple title to 2868 Amber Street, 2022 E. Fletcher Street and 2106 E. Stella Street in the First Councilmanic District.
🏆 220550 (Oh): Honoring fourteen of Philadelphia’s most influential Asian Pacific Americans during Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month: Judge Marutani, Judge Ida Chen, Dr. Philip Jaisohn, In Ho Oh, Chief Inspector Wong, Vai Sikahema, Siani Lee, Grace Uyehera, Cecilia Moy Yep, Nick Shenoy, Julie Wong, Sarah Chang, Piquant “Skip” Voluntad Jr., and Reverend Peter Hwang.
🏆 220551 (Oh): Designating September 23, 2022 as “Multilingual Freedom Day in Latin America” in recognition of the annual “Latin America Book Fair” event.
🏆 220### (Domb): Resolution congratulating and honoring Philadelphia boxing legend Bernard Hopkins for his induction into pro boxing hall of fame.
⚖️ 220### (Thomas): Authorizing the Committee on Streets to hold hearings on the social and economic justice factors impacting the redesign options of Roosevelt Blvd.
⚖️ 220### (Johnson): Authorizing the Special Committee on Gun Violence to hold hearings to examine the city's response to the ongoing gun violence crisis.
Bills:
🏗️ 210677 (Jones): Amending Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “The Philadelphia Building Construction and Occupancy Code,” by modifying when notice must be given regarding demolitions.
🏗️ 210740 (Clarke ): Amending Chapter 9-1000 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Trades,” and Chapter 9-3000, entitled “Sheet Metal Technician”, to create a license requirement for Mechanical System Contractors and to modify licensing requirements.
😇 220049 (Green): Amending Chapter 20-1000 of The Philadelphia Code (“Political Contributions and Expenditures”) to add and make changes to provisions regarding campaign contributions and disclosure of political committee expenditures.
💼 220337 (Gym): Amending Title 9 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Regulation of Businesses, Trades and Professions,” by adding a new Chapter, entitled “Employee Commuter Transit Benefit Programs,” to require certain employers to provide a mass transit and bicycle commuter benefit program.
😇 220360 (Green): Amending Chapter 20-600 of The Philadelphia Code (“Standards of Conduct and Ethics”) by revising and extending the prohibition on retaliation and adding protections against interference with Board of Ethics proceedings.
😇 220361 (Green): Amending Chapter 20-1000 of The Philadelphia Code (“Political Contributions and Expenditures”) to revise provisions and to make technical changes.
📆 Upcoming City Council Public Hearings
(Click on the Committee listing to download the full agenda of bills and resolutions for the meeting.)
Friday, June 10th
Committee on Public Property and Public Works, 10:00 AM - Council will hold public hearings for nine bills related to the authorizations of contracts and rights-of-way.
Committee on Labor and Civil Service, 1:00 PM - the Committee will consider a number of bills including a measure related to the limited rehiring of retirees in order to address the City’s current staffing crisis (Bill No. 220487).
Monday, June 13th
Committee on Rules, 10:00 AM - the Committee will hear two bills related to the continuance of neighborhood Business Improvement Districts and one bill related to the development of the Delaware River waterfront.
Tuesday, June 14th
Committee on Streets and Services, 10:00 AM - the Committee will hear three bills, including a bill o establish a prohibition on loud noise emanating from a motor vehicle and to add a section authorizing use of an automated system for determining violations of that prohibition; a bill to authorize a bicycle lane on Woodland Avenue from The Woodlands driveway to the VA Medical Center Driveway and a bill revising lines and grades on the City Plan.
Committee of the Whole, 4:00 PM - Council will consider the various budget and tax relief bills related to the FY2023 budget.
Wednesday, June 15th
Committee on Children and Youth, 9:00 AM - the Committee will consider a bill limiting the use of foster children’s Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Veterans or other various benefits; and, will address the findings of the Enough is Enough Students (EIE) Against Gun Violence Campaigns survey.
Committee on Rules, 12:00 PM - the Committee will consider sixteen bills related to zoning and land use rules.
Thursday, June 16th
Committee on Global Opportunities & Creative/Innovative Economy, 4:00 PM - the Committee will hold public hearings on the findings and recommendations of the Philadelphia Fashion and Garment Industry Task Force.
