City Hall Roll Call: September 5th, 2024
Spotlight Shines on Safer Streets
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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.
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Welcome Back!
I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. Before we kick off this week’s City Hall Roll Call, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. Your support and interest in our city government is greatly appreciated. If you receiving this information and know others who would benefit too, I’d be incredibly grateful if you could share it with your community.
Also, for my new readers who have recently signed up, please note that my focus is local politics and policy. If you are interested in staying engaged in this year’s federal elections, the Inquirer’s Election Newsletter is a great resource to keep you informed.
With that, let’s get down to business. (And Go Birds!)
Session Recap:
Today marked City Council’s return to action after its 12-week summer recess. With chambers packed with safe street advocates, arena supporters and arena opponents, Council kicked off its fall session with a busy day of introductions.
Street Safety
The big story in the flurry of introductions was the number of bills and resolutions related to street safety. Council President Kenyatta Johnson (D-2nd) introduced a bill that would prohibit stopping, standing or parking in a bicycle lane and increase the violations for doing so. The legislation would increase the fine from $75 to $150 for violations in Center City and University City, and from $50 to $75 in other parts of the city.
The bill comes shortly after Mayor Cherelle Parker’s (D) press conference where she commitmed to “traffic-calming projects across the city, to make the streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.” The recent killing of Dr. Barbara Friedes by a motorist has galvanized safety advocates who want the city to prioritize its Vision Zero initiative, the goal of which is to eliminate all traffic fatalities. Philadelphia has one of the highest rates of traffic deaths compared to its peer cities of New York, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago.1
Furthering the work to make Philly streets safer for all users, Councilmember Isaiah Thomas (D-AL) introduced a resolution authorizing the Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings regarding the city’s progress towards Vision Zero. Councilmembers Mark Squilla (D-1st) and Cindy Bass (D-8th) each introduced legislation adding bike lanes to their respective districts.
Property Tax Assessments
The new property tax assessments that most property owners received this summer were also on Council’s radar today. Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (D-3rd) introduced legislation that would give homeowners additional time to file for their homestead exemption, which Council raised last spring from $80,000 to $100,000. Council is clearly concerned about the timing and number of homeowners appeals likely to result from the reassessment, with Council President Johnson introducing a measure to create a process that would provide homeowners an informal review process of their property assessments. Councilmember Rue Landau (D-AL), citing the late timing of the release of the new assessments to homeowners, introduced a resolution “urging the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) to adopt a policy of accepting all nunc pro tunc property assessment appeals filed for Tax Year 2025 by March 31, 2025, due to the delay in mailing of property reassessment notices until August 7, 2024.”
Continued Focus on Kensington
Lastly, Council introduced a number of measures focused on the ongoing crisis in Kensington. Councilmember Quetcy Lozada (D-7th) sponsored two bills regarding mobile service providers operating in the 7th Councilmanic District. The first bill would limit where mobile service providers could operate to “non-residential blocks” which do not contain a school or recreation center. The second bill requires mobile service providers to “remove all litter within a surrounding fifty (50) foot radius where they have performed a distribution of goods. Acknowledging the life saving services delivered by mobile service providers, a fact sheet provided by the sponsor’s office explains that the bills were introduced in response to “concern over the presence of mobile service providers which have congregated in large numbers to distribute often duplicative services in residential areas which have contributed to litter, nuisance behavior and safety concerns.”
Councilmember Mike Driscoll (D-6th) introduced a resolution authorizing the Special Committee on Kensington to hold hearings regarding the state of transportation infrastructure and services in Kensington.
Council stands adjourned until Thursday, September 12th at 10 AM.
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 amending Philadelphia Code Section 14-303 to clarify provisions related to public hearing notice at the Zoning Board of Adjustment. (Johnson)
Bill amending the 4th District Overlay to include areas in the Morris Park neighborhood. (Jones)
Bill amending Philadelphia Code Section 9-1000 by adding requirements and establishing certain limits related to electrical contractors. (Driscoll)
🏞️ Parks and Recreation
Bill adding a chapter to the Philadelphia Code related to event permits to encourage applicants to identify a contingency plan. (Bass)
Bill adding a chapter to the Philadelphia Code regarding book sanctuaries to protect against censorship. (Bass)
🏥 Public Health
Bill adding prohibitions and penalties related to litter near mobile providers of goods. (Lozada)
Bill adding a chapter to the Philadelphia Code concerning mobile service providers. (Lozada)
🗺️ Land Disposition / Acquisition
Resolution authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
Resolution authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
Resolution authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
Resolution authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
Resolution authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
Resolution authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
Resolution authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
💼 Business Regulation
Resolution continuing the Fishtown / Kensington Business Improvement District. (Squilla)
Bill amending Philadelphia Code Section 9-6300 to clarify the statute of limitations and provide retroactivity for the consumer protection ordinance. (Johnson)
🚦Streets
Bill authorizing a sidewalk cafe in the 1st Councilmanic District. (Squilla)
Bill authorizing a marquee canopy in the 1st Councilmanic District. (Squilla)
Bill authorizing Philadelphia Code 12-701 to add a bike lane on 3rd Street. (Squilla)
Bill amending Philadelphia Code Title 12 to prohibit stopping, standing or parking in a bicycle lane and increasing monetary penalties for violations. (Johnson)
Bill authorizing a sidewalk cafe in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
Bill authorizing a sidewalk cafe in the 3rd Councilmanic District. (Gauthier)
Bill establishing parking regulations, one way regulations and a bike lane in the 8th Councilmanic District. (Bass)
Bill authorizing sidewalk cafe located in the 9th Councilmanic District. (Phillips)
Bill amending Philadelphia Code Section 12-2700 entitled “permit parking” by making boundaries for certain districts. (O’Neill)
Bill rescinding Bill No. 240500, “Requirements of EV Chargers.” (Ahmad)
💸 Finance / Budget
Bill amending Philadelphia Code Section 19-3200 entitled Keystone Opportunity Zone to provide for additional extensions for certain benefits, under certain terms and conditions. (Johnson)
Bill amending Philadelphia Code 19-1300 to provide a mechanism for a informal review of individual property assessments.(Johnson)
Bill amending the Homestead Exemption to revise the deadline when the application is due. (Gauthier)
⚖️ Privileged Resolutions (Authorizing Hearings / Urging Action)
Resolution calling on the Philadelphia Water Department to use projected climate change rainfall to predict impacts related to wastewater overflow. (Squilla)
Resolution authorizing the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless to hold hearings on how setting affordable housing program eligibility according to the metric of regional Area Median Income (AMI) fails to reflect the true state of housing affordability needs of Philadelphians, how this leads to City housing programs not providing enough funding to those who need it most, and how the adoption of a more locally defined AMI can be utilized to create and sustain genuinely affordable housing across the city of Philadelphia. (Gauthier)
Resolution authorizing the Joint Committees on Public Safety and Public Health to hold hearings on the effectiveness of mobile mental health units. (Jones)
Resolution authorizing the Committee on Education to hold hearings on the rate of food waste in schools and to determine distribution options for excess food. (Jones)
Resolution authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings on the preparedness of City Departments rto ensure they possess a redundancy of records. (Jones)
Resolution calling on the Commonwealth to secure $161 million in funding for SEPTA. (Young)
Resolution authorizing the Joint Committees on Public Safety and Streets to investigate Philadelphia Police District Precinct policies for approving and denying block party applications. (Young)
Resolution authorizing the Committee on Streets to hold hearings regarding the process for changing the direction of streets. (Young)
Resolution calling on Philadelphia universities to adopt the SEPTA Key Advantage program. (Young)
Resolution calling on the City to explore a pilot of free doorbell cameras to enhance safety. (Young)
Resolution calling on the City to explore the resumption of Philly Free Street Days. (Young)
Resolution authorizing the Committee on Transportation to hold hearings regarding the economic impact of the Philadelphia Water Department’s advanced metering infrastructure. (Driscoll)
Resolution authorizing the Special Committee on Kensington to hold hearings regarding the state of transportation infrastructure and services in Kensington. (Driscoll)
Resolution calling on the Commonwealth to strengthen enforcement against illegal commercial activity impacting Philadelphians. (Bass)
R: Authorizing a taskforce to advance recommendations to ensure all people are able to exercise their right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom. (Brooks)
Resolution urging the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) to adopt a policy of accepting all nunc pro tunc property assessment appeals filed for Tax Year 2025 by March 31, 2025, due to the delay in mailing of property reassessment notices until August 7, 2024. (Landau)
Resolution authorizing the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Legislative Oversight to hold hearings to examine the actions necessary to reduce the city’s prison population to enable the closing of the detention center. (O’Rourke)
Resolution authorizing the Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings on the city’s progress towards achieving its Vision Zero goal. (Thomas)
R: Authorizing the Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings on the city’s preparedness in hosting the numerous events scheduled for 2026. (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 Mark Squilla (D-1st)
R: Calling on the Philadelphia Water Department to use projected climate change rainfall to predict impacts related to wastewater overflow.
R: Continuing the Fishtown / Kensington Business Improvement District.
B: Authorizing a sidewalk cafe in the 1st Councilmanic District.
B: Authorizing a marquee canopy in the 1st Councilmanic District.
B: Amending Philadelphia Code 12-701 to add a bike lane on 3rd Street.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson (D-2nd)
B: Amending Philadelphia Code Title 12 to prohibit stopping, standing or parking in a bicycle lane and increasing monetary penalties for violations.
B: Amending Philadelphia Code Section 19-3200 entitled Keystone Opportunity Zone to provide for additional extensions for certain benefits, under certain terms and conditions.
B: Amending Philadelphia Code Section 14-303 to clarify provisions related to public hearing notice at the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
B: Amending Philadelphia Code Section 9-6300 to clarify the statute of limitations and provide retroactivity for the consumer protection ordinance.
B: Amending Philadelphia Code 19-1300 to provide a mechanism for a informal review of individual property assessments.
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (D-3rd)
R: Authorizing the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless to hold hearings on how setting affordable housing program eligibility according to the metric of regional Area Median Income (AMI) fails to reflect the true state of housing affordability needs of Philadelphians, how this leads to City housing programs not providing enough funding to those who need it most, and how the adoption of a more locally defined AMI can be utilized to create and sustain genuinely affordable housing across the city of Philadelphia.
B: Authorizing a sidewalk cafe in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
B: Authorizing a sidewalk cafe in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
B: Amending the Homestead Exemption to revise the deadline when the application is due.
R: Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
R: Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
R: Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
R: Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
R: Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
R: Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
R: Authorizing the Land Bank to dispose of properties located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr. (D-4th)
B: Amending the 4th District Overlay to include areas in the Morris Park neighborhood.
R: Authorizing the Joint Committees on Public Safety and Public Health to hold hearings on the effectiveness of mobile mental health units.
R: Authorizing the Committee on Education to hold hearings on the rate of food waste in schools and to determine distribution options for excess food.
R: Authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings on the preparedness of City Departments rto ensure they possess a redundancy of records.
Councilmember Jeffery Young (D-5th)
R: Calling on the Commonwealth to secure $161 million in funding for SEPTA.
R: Authorizing the Joint Committees on Public Safety and Streets to investigate Philadelphia Police District Precinct policies for approving and denying block party applications.
R: Authorizing the Committee on Streets to hold hearings regarding the process for changing the direction of streets.
R: Calling on Philadelphia universities to adopt the SEPTA Key Advantage program.
R: Calling on the City to explore a pilot of free doorbell cameras to enhance safety.
R: Calling on the City to explore the resumption of Philly Free Street Days.
Councilmember Mike Driscoll (D-6th)
B: Amending Philadelphia Code Section 9-1000 by adding requirements and establishing certain limits related to electrical contractors.
R: Authorizing the Committee on Transportation to hold hearings regarding the economic impact of the Philadelphia Water Department’s advanced metering infrastructure.
R: Authorizing the Special Committee on Kensington to hold hearings regarding the state of transportation infrastructure and services in Kensington.
Councilmember Quetcy Lozada (D-7th)
B: Adding prohibitions and penalties related to litter near mobile providers of goods.
B: Adding a chapter to the Philadelphia Code concerning mobile service providers.
Councilmember Cindy Bass (D-8th)
B: Adding a chapter to the Philadelphia Code related to event permits to encourage applicants to identify a contingency plan.
B: Adding a chapter to the Philadelphia Code regarding book sanctuaries to protect against censorship.
B: Establishing parking regulations, one way regulations and a bike lane in the 8th Councilmanic District.
R: Renaming a block located in the 8th Councilmanic District.
R: Calling on the Commonwealth to strengthen enforcement against illegal commercial activity impacting Philadelphians.
R: Renaming a playground located in the 8th Councilmanic District the Donna Reed Miller playground.
Councilmember Anthony Phillips (D-9th)
B: Authorizing sidewalk cafe located in the 9th Councilmanic District.
Councilmember Brian O’Neill (R-10th)
B: Amending Philadelphia Code Section 12-2700 entitled “permit parking” by making boundaries for certain districts.
Councilmember Nina Ahmad (D-AL)
B: Rescinding Bill No. 240500, “Requirements of EV Chargers.”
Councilmember Kendra Brooks (I-AL)
R: Authorizing a taskforce to advance recommendations to ensure all people are able to exercise their right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom.
Councilmember Rue Landau (D-AL)
R: Urging the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) to adopt a policy of accepting all nunc pro tunc property assessment appeals filed for Tax Year 2025 by March 31, 2025, due to the delay in mailing of property reassessment notices until August 7, 2024.
Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke (I-AL)
R: Authorizing the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Legislative Oversight to hold hearings to examine the actions necessary to reduce the city’s prison population to enable the closing of the detention center.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas (D-AL)
R: Authorizing the Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings on the city’s progress towards achieving its Vision Zero goal.
R: Authorizing the Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings on the city’s preparedness in hosting the numerous events scheduled for 2026.
Bills and Resolutions Passed by City Council at Today’s Session
Resolutions:
🗣️ 240629 (Johnson): Calling on the Pennsylvania State Senate to enact House Bill 2370 to fairly fund schools in Philadelphia and across the Commonwealth to ensure fair allocation of resources for all students.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring the Honorable Steven Kinsey for his leadership as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Recognizing September 2024 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring Philadelphia Youth Network’s 25th Anniversary.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring Youth Action.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring Browns Caterers.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring Buccann restaurant.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring Galaxy pizza.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring local funeral home.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring Cathryn’s Cake Salon.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring catering company.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring restaurant.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring florist.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring Ron's Caribbean Cuisine.
🏆 240### (Phillips): Honoring local dermatologist.
🏆 240### (Gilmore-Richardson): Honoring a recently announced partnership between PhilaPort and Norwegian Cruises, celebrating the return of cruising to Philadelphia.
🏆 240### (Gilmore-Richardson): Recognizing Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. on Zeta Day at City Hall.
⚖️ 240### (Gauthier): Authorizing the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless to hold hearings on how setting affordable housing program eligibility according to the metric of regional Area Median Income (AMI) fails to reflect the true state of housing affordability needs of Philadelphians, how this leads to City housing programs not providing enough funding to those who need it most, and how the adoption of a more locally defined AMI can be utilized to create and sustain genuinely affordable housing across the city of Philadelphia.
🏆 240### (Johnson): Honoring and congratulating the Rec 6 Basketball team.
🏆 240### (Johnson): Honoring and congratulating Prepatory Charter graduate Kahleah Copper for winning a gold medal in women’s basketball in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
⚖️ 240### (Thomas): Authorizing the Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings on the city’s progress towards achieving its Vision Zero goal.
⚖️ 240### (Thomas): Authorizing the Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings on the city’s preparedness in hosting the numerous events scheduled for 2026.
🏆 240### (Thomas): Honoring and congratulating Joel Embiid for his gold medal in men’s basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
⚖️ 240### (Jones): Authorizing the Joint Committees on Public Safety and Public Health to hold hearings on the effectiveness of mobile mental health units.
🏆240### (Jones): Honoring 6 ABC news anchor Rick Williams for his contributions to the impactful crime fighter series.
🏆 240### (Jones): Honoring Drexel University Alum Justin Best for his contribution in securing the gold medal in rowing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
⚖️ 240### (Jones): Authorizing the Committee on Education to hold hearings on the rate of food waste in schools and to determine distribution options for excess food.
⚖️ 240### (Jones): Authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings on the preparedness of City Departments rto ensure they possess a redundancy of records.
🏆 240### (Landau): Recognizing September 10th as Suicide Prevention Day.
🏆 240### (Landau): Congratulating Maia Weintraub for winning a gold medal in fencing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
⚖️ 240### (Young): Authorizing the Joint Committees on Public Safety and Streets to investigate Philadelphia Police District Precinct policies for approving and denying block party applications.
⚖️ 240### (Young): Authorizing the Committee on Streets to hold hearings regarding the process for changing the direction of streets.
⚖️ 240### (O’Rourke): Authorizing the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Legislative Oversight to hold hearings to examine the actions necessary to reduce the city’s prison population to enable the closing of the detention center.
⚖️ 240### (Driscoll): Authorizing the Committee on Transportation to hold hearings regarding the economic impact of the Philadelphia Water Department’s advanced metering infrastructure.
⚖️ 240### (Driscoll): Authorizing the Special Committee on Kensington to hold hearings regarding the state of transportation infrastructure and services in Kensington.
🏆 240### (Ahmad): Recognizing the prevalence of child abuse and affirming the city’s commitment to providing services for child welfare and safety.
Bills:
💼 240368 (Squilla): Continuing a neighborhood improvement District, known as the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District ("District"), in an area that generally includes both sides of East Passyunk Avenue from the south side of Federal Street to the east side of South Broad Street, certain blocks of streets that intersect that portion of East Passyunk Avenue, both sides of South Broad Street from the north side of McKean Street to the north side of Snyder Avenue, and the west side of South Broad Street from the south side of Mifflin Street to the north side of McKean Street…
📆 Upcoming City Council Public Hearings
(Click on the Committee listing to download the full agenda of bills and resolutions for the meeting.)
No City Council meetings have been formally scheduled as of Thursday, September 5th. Check Legistar for the latest.
https://visionzerophl.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Vision-Zero-Annual-Report-2023.pdf