Resolution 260819

Title Urging the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Department of Licenses and Inspections, Department of Sanitation, and other appropriate City agencies to immediately prioritize and coordinate efforts to address the growing rodent infestation in the Lower Northeast section of Philadelphia and to treat the current conditions as an urgent public health and quality-of-life emergency requiring immediate City action. Body WHEREAS, Residents throughout the Lower Northeast section of Philadelphia, including Oxford Circle, Castor Gardens and surrounding neighborhoods, have reported persistent rodent activity affecting homes, yards, businesses, vehicles, vacant properties, and neighborhood spaces; and WHEREAS, Recent reports have identified improperly stored trash, neglected properties, structural openings, abandoned vehicles, and other sources of food and harborage as conditions contributing to rodent activity in Lower Northeast Philadelphia; and WHEREAS, Rodent infestations create significant public health, safety, and financial concerns, as rats can contaminate food and living spaces, gnaw through building materials and electrical wiring, burrow beneath properties and outdoor spaces, and damage personal property, with Northeast Philadelphia residents specifically reporting damage to vehicle wiring and resulting repair costs; and WHEREAS, Rodent activity does not remain confined to a single property, and conditions that provide food, shelter, or breeding opportunities on one property can contribute to infestations affecting an entire block or surrounding neighborhood; and WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Department of Public Health, through its Vector Control Services program, responds to rodent concerns and undertakes measures to control rodents and other disease-carrying pests; and WHEREAS, The Department of Licenses and Inspections enforces property maintenance requirements, responds to complaints concerning property conditions, inspects nuisance and vacant properties, and issues violations when owners fail to maintain properties in accordance with The Philadelphia Code, including requirements concerning rodent infestation and control; and WHEREAS, The Department of Sanitation is responsible for municipal waste collection, illegal dumping enforcement and removal, street cleaning, and sanitation enforcement and education, functions that are critical to reducing trash, food waste, and other conditions that attract and sustain rodent populations; and WHEREAS, Although these departments possess distinct responsibilities and enforcement tools relevant to rodent prevention and control, effective intervention requires coordinated inspections, treatment, sanitation enforcement, property remediation, and information sharing so that residents are not left navigating multiple agencies to resolve a single neighborhood-level infestation; and WHEREAS, The Managing Director’s Office is responsible for coordinating the operations of City departments and is positioned to ensure that the responsible agencies establish clear roles, share information, prioritize resources, and implement a unified response to the rodent conditions affecting Northeast Philadelphia; and WHEREAS, Existing Philadelphia law requires properties to remain free from rodent infestation and establishes responsibilities for extermination and rodent control, while stronger enforcement against repeat offenders who continually fail to correct conditions contributing to infestation is necessary to protect surrounding residents and neighborhoods; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby urges the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Department of Licenses and Inspections, Department of Sanitation, and other appropriate City agencies, with coordination by the Managing Director’s Office, to immediately make the growing rodent infestation in the Lower Northeast section of Philadelphia a high-priority interdepartmental matter and treat the current conditions as an urgent public health and quality-of-life emergency; coordinate an immediate and sustained response focused on areas experiencing concentrated rodent activity; prioritize inspections, treatment, sanitation enforcement, property remediation, and enforcement against repeat offenders; and identify any additional resources, regulatory changes, or legislative authority necessary to effectively address the current infestation and prevent its recurrence. End