Resolution 180851-A
Calling on Sheriff Jewell Williams and the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania to impose a moratorium on residential property foreclosure sales until City Council has the opportunity to hold public hearings regarding recently obtained data, which suggests troubling trends in already struggling areas of the City.
Introduced by
From the floor
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“Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. I want to thank you for your support on Resolution No. 180851-A. I introduced it two weeks ago and it dealt with the temporary Stated Meeting October 18, 2018 foreclosures. So now what are the next steps? We've had a meeting with the Revenue Department. We've had a meeting with the Sheriff's Department. We're having a meeting with several of the courts, and we are in the data-…”
Councilman Jones · Stated Meeting, October 18, 2018 · Oct 18, 2018 · official transcript, this passage
Status timeline
- Sep 27, 2018Introduced and Ordered Placed On Next Week's Final Passage Calendar · CITY COUNCIL
- Oct 4, 2018READ · CITY COUNCIL
- Oct 4, 2018AMENDED · CITY COUNCIL
- Oct 4, 2018ADOPTED · CITY COUNCIL
Official documents
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..Title Calling on Sheriff Jewell Williams and the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania to impose a moratorium on residential property foreclosure sales until City Council has the opportunity to hold public hearings regarding recently obtained data, which suggests troubling trends in already struggling areas of the City. ..Body WHEREAS, In March of 2008, Philadelphia City Council passed Resolution No. 080331, which called on then Sheriff John Green and then President Judge C. Darnell Jones to impose a moratorium on residential foreclosure sales in Philadelphia. At that time, Philadelphia was facing a mortgage foreclosure crisis, with nearly 200 homes a month being auctioned by the Philadelphia Sherriff's Office; and WHEREAS, As a result of City Council's call for action, a temporary moratorium on residential foreclosure sales was enacted by the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office. Additionally, the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia announced the Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Pilot Program in May of 2008; and WHEREAS, On September 13, 2018, Philadelphia City Council passed Resolution No. 180765, which authorizes the City Council Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless to hold public hearings to examine sheriff sale trends throughout the City since the existence of Philadelphia's Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program, and further examine the impact of sheriff sales on the City's affordable housing market; and WHEREAS, After that resolution was passed, the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office produced data regarding property mortgage foreclosures dating back to 2014. This data suggests that several areas of the City are being hit the hardest. Between 2014 and 2018, the 40th Ward has seen 494 residential mortgage foreclosure sales. Wards 34 and 35 are also experiencing more than double the rate of sales as compared to the rest of the City; and WHEREAS, It is the duty of this Body to protect the citizens and the neighborhoods of Philadelphia and this Body has already gone on record with an intent to thoroughly analyze sheriff sale trends by unanimously passing Resolution No. 180765. In light of this recently received data, a moratorium on residential foreclosure sales should be enacted, until Council schedules a hearing pursuant to Resolution No. 180765; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby calls upon Sheriff Jewell Williams to impose a moratorium on residential foreclosure sales until City Council has the opportunity to hold public hearings regarding recently obtained data, which suggests troubling trends in already struggling areas of the City. ..End