City Hall Roll Call: September 29, 2022
Striking Art Museum Workers Call on Council
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. 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:
Today’s Council session was a very routine affair with the majority of Council business involving the transfer and disposition of land through the Philadelphia Land Bank. Relatively few bills and resolutions were introduced at today’s session and the public comment period was dominated by striking union members from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. While the union members testified in relation to the resolution decrying the transfer of the Atwater Kent collection, their focus was on the wage conditions at the Art Museum. The Art Museum receives significant financial support from tax payers, through the subsidization of its lease as well as the payment of its utilities.
During the public comment period, union members testified that they are paid significantly less than they would earn working at any of the other institutions along the Parkway. Many members cited the high increases in cost of living in the city against stagnant wages as a difficult challenge requiring them to work other jobs to supplement their income. Other members pointed to the generous six-figure salaries paid to executives at the Museum as particularly frustrating to “rank and file” members working to serve the Philadelphia community. In public statements, the union has stated that it is seeking higher quality, more affordable healthcare and increased wages to combat inflation and the lack of wage increases over the last three years.
Roxborough Shooting Response
In response to the tragic shooting of five young men leaving a football scrimmage in Roxborough, Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr. (D-4th) introduced a resolution calling for hearings regarding the city hospital network’s trauma response units. Jones stated that despite the shooting happening in Roxborough, one of the shooting victims who eventually died had to be transported to Einstein Hospital’s trauma center. In a speech, Jones noted that the purpose of the hearing is to map out all of the trauma units in the city and get an understanding why more hospitals do not have the units in place in light of the ongoing gun violence epidemic.
Council stands adjourned until Thursday, October 6th 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.
🏗️ Construction / Zoning
Bill authorizing animal husbandry use in a part of Fairmount Park. (Clarke)
Bill amending the zoning maps for land located in the 5th Councilmanic District. (Clarke)
Bill amending the zoning of an area bounded by Cottman Avenue, the Montgomery County Line and Bucks County line. (O’Neill)
🗺️ Land Disposition / Acquisition
Resolution authorizing Public Property to transfer land located in the 1st Councilmanic District to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. (Squilla)
Resolution authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of property located in the 1st Councilmanic District. (Squilla)
Resolution authorizing the disposition of land located in the 2nd Councilmanic District. (Johnson)
Resolution authorizing the disposition of land located in the 4th Councilmanic District. (Jones)
🚦Streets
Bill striking an easement from the City maps. (Johnson)
Bill revising lines and grades on the City maps. (Johnson)
Bill providing for no truck parking. (Jones)
Bill regulating the direction of traffic. (Jones)
Bill authorizing the revision of lines and grades. (Driscoll)
Bill providing for no truck parking. (O’Neill)
Bill providing for no truck parking. (O’Neill)
⚖️ Privileged Resolutions (Authorizing Hearings / Urging Action)
Resolution authorizing the joint committees on Public Safety and Public Health to hold hearings to investigate the mapping out of trauma centers in the City of Philadelphia. (Jones)
Resolution urging the Pennsylvania Senate to pass House Bill 1419, the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act. (Brooks)
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)
Resolution - Authorizing Public Property to transfer land located in the 1st Councilmanic District to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.
Resolution - Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of property located in the 1st Councilmanic District.
Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (D-2nd)
Bill - Striking an easement from the City maps.
Bill - Revising lines and grades on the City maps.
Resolution - Authorizing the disposition of land located in the 2nd Councilmanic District.
Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr. (D-4th)
Bill - Providing for no truck parking.
Bill - Regulating the direction of traffic.
Resolution - Authorizing the disposition of land located in the 4th Councilmanic District.
Resolution - Authorizing the joint committees on Public Safety and Public Health to hold hearings to investigate the mapping out of trauma centers in the City of Philadelphia.
Council President Darrell Clarke (D-5th)
Bill - Authorizing animal husbandry use in a part of Fairmount Park.
Bill - Amending the zoning maps for land located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
Councilmember Mike Driscoll (D-6th)
Bill - Authorizing the revision of lines and grades.
Councilmember Brian O’Neill (R-10th)
Bill - Amending the zoning of an area bounded by Cottman Avenue, the Montgomery County Line and Bucks County line.
Bill - Providing for no truck parking.
Bill - Providing for no truck parking.
Councilmember Kendra Brooks (I-AL)
Resolution - Urging the Pennsylvania Senate to pass House Bill 1419, the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act.
Bills and Resolutions Passed by City Council at Today’s Session
Resolutions:
🗺️ 220692 (Bass): Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 3217, 3241, 3248, 3253, and 3257 N. 15th Street, 3305, 3333, 3340, 3342, and 3346 N. 16th Street, 3314, 3316, 3320, 3327, 3331, 3342, 3344, 3346, 3412 and 3414 N. 17th Street in the Eighth 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.
🗺️ 220693 (Bass): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 6131 Baynton Street located in the 8th Councilmanic District.
🗺️ 220745 I(Clarke): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1600-40 N. 9th Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
🗺️ 220746 (Clarke): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1942, 1944, 1946, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956 N. 3rd Street; 1923, 1927, 1934, 1935 N. 4th Street; 1925 N. 5th Street; 301, 303, 305, 307, 309, 433, 437, 537 W. Berks Street; 2004 N. Bodine Street; 401, 405, 407 W. Hewson Street; 1916, 1922, 1940 N. Leithgow Street; 313, 421 W. Norris Street; 1910, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1958, 1961 N. Orianna Street located in the 7th Councilmanic District.
🗺️ 220747 (Clarke): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1000 and 1026-36 Fairmount Avenue (including the former 671 and 681-87 N. 11th Street and 1015-29 Melon Street); 1005, 1007 and 1013 Melon Street; 1019 and 1021 Wallace Street; 647-67, 662-68 and 670-72 N. 10th Street; and 667 and 677 N. 11th Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
🗺️ 220748 (Clarke): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 3812, 3826, 3834, 3846 and 3850 N. Camac Street; 3861 N. 13th Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
🗺️ 220749 (Clarke): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1402, 1403, 1405, 1407, 1408, 1409, 1411, 1412, 1413, 1414, 1417, 1418, 1421, 1422, 1423, 1424, 1425, 1426, 1427, 1429, 1431, 1432, 1433, 1435, 1436, 1438, 1441, 1443, 1445, 1446, 1447, 1449, 1457, 1462, 1513, 1514, 1532, 1536, 1547, 1559, 1561, 1611, 1613, 1629, 1631, 1633, 1635 and 1641 N. Marston Street; 2712, 2714, 2810, 2836 and 2838 Cecil B. Moore Avenue; 1316, 1318, 1400, 1406, 1408, 1414, 1418, 1422, 1426-32, 1434, 1436, 1438, 1444, 1448, 1450 and 1634 N. 27th Street; 1544 and 1546 N. 26th Street; 1602, 1608, 1614, 1632, 1637 and 1639-41 N. Bailey Street; 1420, 1444, 1450 and 1453 N. Etting Street; and 2704, 2705, 2710 and 2720 Jefferson Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
🗺️ 220750 (Clarke): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1309, 1324, 1347, 1348, 1410, 1412, 1421, 1424, 1427, 1428, 1429, 1433, 1437, 1440, 1443, 1451, 1452, 1454, 1457, 1459, 1463, 1512, 1516, 1519, 1534 N. Myrtlewood Street; 1330, 1458, 1460, 1500 N. Hollywood Street; 1218, 1511, 1513, 1521, 1523, 1525,1537 N. 28th Street; 1257, 1253, 1402, 1457, 1648, 1652 N. 30th Street; 2713, 2922 W. Thompson Street; 1240, 1265, 1271, 1304, 1318, 1446 N. Dover Street; 1330, 1332, 1334, 1336 N. Marston Street; 1339, 1416, 1446, 1455, 1632 N. Newkirk Street; 3000 W. Oxford Street; and 2815 Jefferson Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
🗺️ 220751(Clarke): Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 3861 North 13th 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.
🏆 220754 (Johnson): Naming Christian Street, between Broad and 20th Streets, “Black Doctors Row,” to recognize its designation as Philadelphia’s first African-American historic district.
🏆 220755 (Johnson): Naming the 900 block of South 17th Street “Geraldine Graves Way,” to honor the life and legacy of Geraldine Graves.
🏆 220756 (Johnson): Celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan, “The Lion of Zion,” on the occasion of his 100th Birthday.
🗺️ 220757 (Gauthier): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 759, 761, 763, 773, 779, and 783 Pallas Street; 4041 Cambridge Street located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.’
🗺️ 220758 (Gauthier): Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 1834, 1837, 1840, 1846 and 1848 S. Allison Street, 4322 Lancaster Avenue, 767, 769 and 771 Pallas Street, 5517 Paschall Avenue, 3909 Wallace Street, 642 N. 39th Street and 713 N. 43rd Street in the Third 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.
🗺️ 220759 (Gauthier): Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 5112 Ludlow Street located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
🏆 220762 (Gauthier): Renaming the 600 block of N. 37th street “Reverend Harry Moore Way,” in honor of the life and work of Reverend Harry Moore, Sr., for his work as a faithful spiritual leader and servant of his community.
🏆 220763 (Driscoll): Adding “Joseph A. Ferko Memorial Boulevard” to the street signs on Bridge Street between Tacony Street and Richmond Street in recognition of the positive impact that the Joseph A. Ferko String Band and its members have had in the City of Philadelphia and across the world.
🏆 220### (Gilmore-Richardson): Recognizing and congratulating Saleem Chapman for becoming the new Director of Sustainability for the City of Philadelphia.
🏆 220### (Gym): Recognizing and honoring Rita Addessa, the leader of the PA Lesbian and Gay Taskforce.
🏆 220### (Gym): Honoring Benjamin Rush High School for its selection as a Blue Ribbon School.
🏆 220### (Thomas): Honoring first group of all Black male teachers in core subjects.
🏆 220### (Jones): Honoring Life of John Izzard Jr. one of the first Black members of the city's rowing community.
📆 Upcoming City Council Public Hearings
(Click on the Committee listing to download the full agenda of bills and resolutions for the meeting.)
Tuesday, October 4th
Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless, 10:30 a.m. - the Committee will hear testimony on Bill 220655, “An Ordinance amending Chapter 9-800 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Landlord and Tenant,” to modify requirements and authorizations related to the City’s residential eviction diversion program, including associated changes to the landlord and tenant relationship.”
Monday, October 17th
Committee on Finance, 10:00 AM - the committee will meet to consider bills related to fixing typographical errors in the recently passed budget tax code.