COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING City Hall, Room 400 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, March 12, 2026 10:00 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILWOMAN RUE LANDAU COUNCILWOMAN NINA AHMAD COUNCILWOMAN KENDRA BROOKS COUNCILWOMAN JAMIE GAUTHIER COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE GILMORE-RICHARDSON COUNCILWOMAN QUETCY M. LOZADA COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILMAN MICHAEL DRISCOLL COUNCILMAN CURTIS J. JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN NICOLAS O'ROURKE COUNCILMAN JEFFREY YOUNG, JR. COUNCILMAN ANTHONY PHILLIPS COUNCILMAN BRIAN O'NEILL ELIZABETH MCCOLLUM, Chief Clerk P R O C E E D I N G S
I note that the hour has come and that a quorum of this Council is present. All visitors please retire to seats outside the rails. Please take all sidebar conversations outside the Council chambers. I'll all -- I'll ask all those present, please put your cell phones on silent and/or vibrate. This is the last time I'm going to ask you to take all sidebar conversations outside the Council chambers. If you will not be quiet, Sergeant at Arms will escort you outside the chambers. Thank you very much. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Bishop J. Louis Felton, President of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and vicinity and Senior Pastor of Mount Airy Church of God in Christ. He is here today as my guest, and I'll ask all members and guests to please rise.
Thank you, President Johnson. Good morning. AUDIENCE: Good morning.
Let us pray together. Eternal God our Father, we are thankful to you that you have so favored us to come together this day to engage in the business of your kingdom as you have entrusted to us in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, for we walk by faith and not by sight. We have faith in the great leaders that you have placed in the city to lead us in these critical times. We have faith in our Council President, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson. We have faith in our Mayor, Mayor Parker. We have faith in every person who holds the trusted office of Councilmember of the city of Philadelphia. Faith in our public schools. Faith in our police department and Commissioner Bethel. We have faith in our public-school teachers, our principals, our staff, crossing guards. We have faith in every police officer and fire person. For God, we not only believe in you, we believe in each other. May you validate this mutual faith that we have by causing our great City of Philadelphia to have a renaissance in this 250th year of the birth of America. But we thank you that nearly a century before America was born, Philadelphia was already here, founded by William Penn, October the 27th, 1682. Thank you that in the deoxyribonucleic acid of Philadelphia that is inherent and intrinsic freedom for all persons. In the city of Philadelphia, even while slavery was the law of the land throughout America, Philadelphia was a place of liberty, freedom, and justice. “If I can just get to Philadelphia,” many an enslaved person had in their heart, “I can experience the gift of freedom.” As the world places its eyes upon us this year, converging upon the sacred grounds of this City of Brotherly Love, may we be the agents that you use to bring a spiritual, moral, and economic rebirth to America so that we may live up to the true meaning of our creed. We pray in the name of our blessed Lord and Savior, who loved us and gave himself for us, even the Christ. Amen. AUDIENCE: Amen.
The Chair thanks the bishop for his invocation. Council will now be at ease. The next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the Meeting of Thursday, March the 5th of 2026. The Chair recognizes Majority Deputy Whip Councilmember Cindy Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the Meeting of Thursday, March 5th, 2026 be approved.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the Meeting of Thursday, March the 5th of 2026 stand approved. All those in favor will signify by saying “aye.” AUDIENCE: Aye.
Those opposed? The ayes have it, and the journal is approved. The next order of business is request for leave of absence, and the Chair recognizes Majority Leader Councilmember Catherine Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the Majority, there are no requests for leave of absence today.
The Chair thanks the Majority Leader. The chair thanks -- now recognizes Minority Leader Councilmember Katherine -- Councilmember Kendra Brooks.
Thank you, Council President. On behalf of the Minority, there are no 21 requests for leave of absence.
The Chair thanks the Minority leader. The Chair now recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion concerning certain legislative matters that may arise during the course of today's session of Council and that were not listed on the Calendar circulated prior to today's Council's session.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that any of the following matters, if considered today, may be added to the agenda for this session of Council and as required by law, subsequently published on an amended agenda after the consideration of those matters: Resolutions authorizing hearings, amendments to bills on First Reading, the reconsideration of a bill vetoed by or recalled from the Mayor, amendments to bills recalled from the Mayor, resolutions taking substantive action to be voted on in this session, a motion to withdraw a bill or resolution 2 that is not on the calendar, and a motion placing a bill or resolution 4 on or returning a bill or resolution 5 from the suspension calendar that is not listed on today's calendar. The purpose of this motion is to provide the public with notice concerning possible actions by counsel that arose too late to be included on the calendar that was published prior to today's session. COUNCILMEMBERS: Second.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the legislative matter stated by Councilmember and Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore-Richardson may be added to the agenda for today should those matters arise during the course of this session of Council. All those in favor will signify by saying “aye.” COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Those opposed? The ayes have it, and the motion carries. The Chair recognizes Minority Leader Councilmember Kendra Brooks.
Thank you, Council President. I'm going to have to leave on Council matters and I would like to be voted “aye” on all bills and resolutions.
Thank you very much. Leave will be granted and voted “aye” on all bills and resolutions will be recorded. The Chair will dispense from the regular order of business to recognize the guests and visitors joining us in Council chambers this morning. On behalf of all members of City Council, we welcome you to our session. We appreciate you taking the time to join us as we attend to the legislative affairs of our great City and we certainly invite you to come again. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the elected officials who are joining us in the house today. I want to first acknowledge State Representative Morgan Cephas, thank you for joining us; City Controller Christy Brady, thank you for joining us; District Attorney Larry Krasner, thank you for joining us; first African American woman Sheriff in the city of Philadelphia, Ms. Rochelle Bilal, thank you for joining us; City Commissioner Christie Deeley -- Lisa Deeley, thank you for joining us; Mr. John Sabatina, register of Wills, thank you for joining us; State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams, thank you for joining us; State Senator Sharif Street, thank you for joining us; State Senator Nikil Saval, thank you for joining us. All these state folks, we're getting prepared for their budgets, so. The honorable former Councilmember Derek Green. The honorable Jannie L. Blackwell, thank you for joining us as well. The Honorable Blondell Reynolds Brown, thank you for joining us. Chairman Commissioner's office, Omar Sabir. We want to thank all elected officials for joining us this morning as we prepare for the budget address from our Mayor, Cherelle L. Parker. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. I want to welcome and acknowledge Christie Davis, my guest for Mayor Parker's budget address. Christie, can you stand? Christie is one of the 3000 Philadelphians who live in the 900 affordable homes owned by Neighborhood Restorations. They're scattered across West and Southwest Philly and they're being put up for sale, and as we begin this budget address, I am looking for a solution for that and I could think of no one better to have here than Christie.
Thank you very much. Welcome Christie. The Chair recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore- Richardson.
Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I, too, welcome the many esteemed guests who are joining us here in Council chambers today, as well as my special guest, David Ford. But I wanted to recognize someone very special here in our Council chambers who has joined us today, and I believe we have to do a fact check, we may be the first mother-daughter duo Ward leaders serving simultaneously. So I'd like to welcome my mom to the Council chambers. Please welcome Sherita Glenn.
Thank you very much. Welcome. The Chair recognizes Council Man Curtis Jones Jr.
Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I would like to welcome to these chambers the city rep for the city of Philadelphia, Jazelle Jones.
Smart man. Welcome. The Chair recognizes the Councilmember Rue Landau.
Thank you, Council President. I would like to welcome my special guest, Jose Benitez, who is the Executive Director of Philadelphia FIGHT, one of the leading LGBTQ health providers in the city of Philadelphia.
Welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jeffrey J. Young.
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to welcome all of our special guests today. With me today is Dr. Shirlana Dash, CEO of SELF Inc., the largest provider of emergency housing here in the city of Philadelphia. And as we have just seen an uptick in the number of homelessness in the city, I want to make sure that our city sheds the light on street homelessness and make sure that we have the funding necessary to provide the emergency housing for our citizens, folks who look like us in this community. So thank you so much, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips.
Thank you, Council President. I would like to welcome my special guest who is known by many members of City Council, Mr. David Simms, who is an extraordinary restaurant -- caterer, has a restaurant as well on Wister Avenue. He's also a community leader who's always helping our commercial corridors and he's always engaged in our neighborhoods. We're thankful for him, Mr. David Simms. He's also a friend of the Mayor and myself, so we're proud to have him.
Thank you very much. You know, you slid that in there, “he's cool with me and the Mayor,” like he kind of, wait for a shout out. Thank you, Dr. Anthony Phillips. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad.
Thank you, Council President. Welcome to everyone. I just wanted to recognize my guest who is the wing beneath my wings, my husband, Ahsan Nasratullah --
Way to go for the fellas. Dr. Phillips, but, yeah, I have known Mr. David Simms since I started Peace Not Guns. He was providing free catering for me at the time when I was supporting young people back in the early 90s. So thank you for joining us today, Dr. Simms. I appreciate your support, sir. The Chair recognizes Minority Leader Councilmember Kendra Brooks.
Thank you, Council president. I want to recognize my person here today is Jasmine Rivera. She's a leader in the immigrants' rights movement, and I just want to say thank you for allowing me to have her with me today.
Thank you. Chair recognizes Councilmember Quetcy Lozada.
Thank you, Council President. Welcome to all of our special guests. I'd like to recognize my special guest who doesn't need an introduction to this chamber. Reverend Bonnie Camarda from the Salvation Army who does a lot in our community.
Thank you for joining us. Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to recognize my special guest as well, who's in a very long line trying to get upstairs right now, but it is Mekia Elizabeth who is the Philadelphia Citizens Block Captain of the Year for the city of Philadelphia. Thank you.
Congratulations. As there are no 12 presentations today, the next order of business is communications. The Chair requests that the Sergeant at Arms deliver the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. Will the Chief Clerk please read the messages from the Mayor and any other communications in her possession.
“To the President and Members of the Council of the city of Philadelphia, I'm submitting, herewith for the consideration of your honorable body, the following: An ordinance to amend Bill 3 No. 250198 approved June 13th, 2025 entitled an Ordinance to Adopt a Capital Program for the six fiscal years 2026 through 2031 inclusive, by revising various appropriation amounts and totals, all under certain terms and conditions. And an ordinance to adopt a capital program for the six fiscal years 2027 through 2032 inclusive. And an ordinance to adopt a fiscal year 2027 capital budget. And an ordinance adopting the operating budget for fiscal year 2027. And an ordinance to amend Bill No. 250197, approved June 13th, 2025, entitled an Ordinance to Adopt a Fiscal 2026 Capital Budget, by revising various appropriation amounts and totals, all under certain terms and conditions. And an ordinance authorizing transfers and appropriations for fiscal year 2026 from: the General Fund, the Water Fund, the Transportation Fund and the Grants Revenue Fund, all from certain or all city offices, departments, boards and commissions to; the General Fund, the Water Fund, the Special Gasoline Tax fund, the Grants Revenue Fund, the Aviation Fund, and the Transportation Fund, all or to certain or all city offices, departments, boards and commissions. And an ordinance amending subcode A, the Philadelphia Administrative Code of Title 4 of the Philadelphia Code, the Building, Construction and Occupancy Code, by adding and revising zoning board of adjustments fees, and provisions regarding hearing scheduling, all under certain terms and conditions. And an ordinance amending Chapter 6-600 of the Philadelphia Code, Asbestos, by adding and revising provisions related to various fees, all under certain terms and conditions. And an ordinance amending Section 19-1806 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Authorization of Realty Use and Occupancy Tax, to clarify the imposition of the tax on the use or occupancy of real estate with respect to cell towers, all under certain terms and conditions. And an ordinance amending Title 3 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Air Management Code, to modify amounts of license and permit fees, under certain terms and conditions. An ordinance amending Chapter 19-2400 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Hotel Room Rental Tax, by providing for an additional excise tax on hotel room rentals, all under certain terms and conditions. An ordinance amending Title of the Philadelphia Code entitled 5 Finances, Taxes, and Collections, to 6 adding new Chapter 19-4800, entitled 7 Retail Delivery Tax, to establish a 8 tax on orders for the delivery in 9 Philadelphia of retail, consumer, 10 and other tangible goods, all under 11 certain terms and conditions. 12 An ordinance amending 13 Chapter 19-1800 of the Philadelphia 14 Code entitled School Tax 15 Authorization, to add a new Section 16 19-1808, entitled Authorization of 17 Ride Share use Tax, to authorize the 18 Board of the School District of 19 Philadelphia to levy a tax upon the use by a passenger of a transportation network company for a prearranged ride that originates in Philadelphia, all under certain terms and conditions. And a resolution providing for the approval by the Council of Philadelphia of a revised five-year financial plan for the city of Philadelphia covering fiscal years 2027 through 2031 and incorporating revisions with respect to fiscal year 2026, which is to be submitted by the Mayor to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority pursuant to an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement, by and between the city and the authority. And to the President and Members of Council of the city of Philadelphia, I'm pleased to advise you that on March 10th, 2026, I signed the following bill which passed by Council at its session on February 26th, 2026: Bill No. 241056.
There are no further communications in my possession, Council President.
Thank you very much. The message will be printed in the journal. The next introduction -- the next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips.
Good morning, Council President and everyone in the audience today. I have no bills or resolutions.
Thank you very much, Dr. Phillips. The Chair recognizes the Majority Leader Councilmember Katherine Gilmore-Richardson.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning colleagues. Today, I offer nine bills on your behalf and one non-privileged resolution on your behalf.
Thank you very much. Would the Chief Clerk please read the title of the bills and resolutions.
An ordinance 6 to amend the Philadelphia zoning maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by I-76, the Schuylkill Expressway ramp, Hartranft Street, and the Conrail right-of-way.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending Chapter 19-2400 of the Philadelphia code entitled Hotel Room Rental Tax, by providing for an additional excise tax on hotel room rentals, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending subcode A, the Philadelphia Administrative Code of Title 4 of the Philadelphia Code, the Building, Construction and Occupancy Code by adding and revising the zoning board of adjustment fees and provisions regarding hearing scheduling, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending Title 3 of the Philadelphia code entitled Air Management Code to modify the amounts of license and permit fees, under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending section 19-1806 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Authorization of Realty Use and Occupancy Tax, to clarify the imposition of the tax on the use or occupancy of real estate with respect to cell towers, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending Chapter 6-600 of the Philadelphia Code, Asbestos, by adding and revising provisions related to various fees, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance adopting the operating budget for fiscal year 2027.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance to adopt a fiscal year 2027 capital budget.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance to adopt a capital program for six -- for the six fiscal years, 2027 through 2032 inclusive.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a non-privileged resolution providing for the approval by the Council of the city of Philadelphia of a revised five-year financial plan for the city of Philadelphia covering fiscal years 2027 through 2031 and incorporating revisions with respect to fiscal year 2026, which is to be submitted to -- by the Mayor to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority pursuant to an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement, by and between the city and the authority.
This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar --
Got it. This resolution will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
Good morning, Council President. Today, I have two non-privileged resolutions for introduction.
Thank you very much. Will the Chief Clerk please read the title of the resolutions.
A non-privileged resolution also naming the 6200 block of Osage Avenue, Gerald Wayne Renfrow Way, to honor the life, leadership, and enduring legacy of Gerald Wayne Renfrow in the Osage Avenue and Pine Street community.
This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at our next session of Council.
And a non-privileged resolution 16 authorizing Councilmember Gauthier to intervene on behalf of, and as a representative of City Council, in the appeal against the zoning board of adjustment with respect to 4283 Viola Street.
This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council. Chair recognizes Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr.
Thank you, Mr. President. And on behalf of Women's History Month, I have one non-privileged resolution.
Thank you very much sir. Would the Chief Clerk please read the title of the resolution?
A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Major Benjamin F. Brooks for his historic career in the Pennsylvania State Police and his role in expanding opportunity in law enforcement.
This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for today. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau.
Morning, Council President. Thank you. I have one privileged resolution and two bills on your behalf.
Thank you very much. Will the Chief Clerk read the title of the bills and resolutions.
An ordinance 10 amending chapter 19-1800 of the Philadelphia Code entitled School Tax Authorization to add a new section 19-1808 entitled Authorization of Ride Share use Tax, to authorize the board of the School District of Philadelphia to levy a tax upon the use by a passenger of a transportation network company for a prearranged ride that originates in Philadelphia, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending Title of the Philadelphia Code entitled Finance, Taxes, and Collections, to add a new Chapter 19-4800, entitled Retail Delivery Tax, to establish a tax on orders for the delivery in Philadelphia of retail, consumer, and other tangible goods, all under certain terms and conditions.
12 This bill will be referred to the 13 appropriate committee. 14
And a 15 privileged resolution authorizing 16 the Committee on Legislative 17 Oversight to hold hearings on the 18 status, operations, and economic 19 impact at the port of Philadelphia, PhilaPort, to ensure its growth and operations position the city of Philadelphia as a 21st Century Commerce hub.
In the 2nd Councilmanic District. This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. Good job, Rue. Chair recognizes Councilmember Isaiah Thomas.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues. Good morning to all of our special guests. Today, I offer one resolution. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you very much, Member Thomas. Will the Chief Clerk please read the title of the resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing the month of March, 2026 as Creative and Nighttime Economy Month in the city of Philadelphia.
This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Quetcy Lozada.
Good morning, Council President. I have three bills.
Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the bills.
An ordinance 9 amending Section 12-2705 of the Philadelphia Code, Issuance of Resident Parking Permits, to allow for certain residential parking permits in District 38, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance to amend the Philadelphia zoning maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Erie Avenue, Front Street, Lippincott Street, and 2nd Street.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance to amend the Philadelphia zoning maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by McKinley Street, Leonard Street, Devereaux Avenue, and Bustleton Avenue.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jeffrey J. Young. Councilmember YOUNG: Good morning, Mr. President. No Bills and resolutions today.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes the Councilmember Minority Leader Kendra Brooks.
Thank you, Council President. I have no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jim Harrity.
Thank you, Council President. I have one privileged resolution 10 today.
Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolution.
A privileged resolution designating March 8th, 2026 as Joe Frazier Day in the city of Philadelphia in celebration and recognition of the 55th anniversary of the Fight of the Century in which Philadelphia icon, Smokin' Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali to win the World Heavyweight Championship title.
This resolution to be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. Good job, Member Harrity. Chair recognizes Councilmember, Minority Deputy Whip, Nicholas O'Rourke. Mr. Whip, excuse me, sir.
All good. Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning to all Philadelphians. Nothing today.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Mike Driscoll.
Morning, Mr. President. Good morning, honored guests, and no 19 bills or resolutions today.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Brian O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no 2 bills or resolutions.
Thank you very much. Chairman recognizes Councilmember Mark Squilla. Council, be at ease. Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer three privileged resolutions today.
Thank you very much, Member Bass. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolutions. Member Bass, do you have resolutions or bills on behalf of Councilmember Squilla?
Councilmember Squilla has no bills or resolutions today.
Okay. Well, we'll finish with your bills first and then I'll go to my Majority Leader. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolutions.
A privileged resolution recognizing and honoring the students, educators, and leadership of Imhotep Institute Charter High School for their outstanding STEM program and global education initiatives, including Project Cumba, Japan, and celebrating their commitment to expanding access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education for students in the city of Philadelphia.
This resolution will be placed in today's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Mekia Elizabeth, Block Captain of the 4500 block of Fernhill Road in Southwest Germantown, for being named Block Captain of the Year by the Philadelphia citizens and commending her outstanding leadership and dedication to building a stronger, more connected community in the city of Philadelphia.
Is she here, Member Bass? Did she make it up in the room?
Could she please stand? AUDIENCE: For Block Captain of the Year.
Congratulations. This resolution 2 will be placed in today's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged resolution honoring and congratulating Max Kent on the occasion of his retirement from NewCourtland and recognizing his decades of dedicated leadership in the United States Army, Healthcare administration, community service, and support of Philadelphia seniors and those who are underserved.
This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore-Richardson, who will introduce bills on behalf of Councilmember Mark Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of Councilmember Squilla, today he offers five bills; three on your behalf.
Thank you very much, Majority Leader. Will Chief Clerk please read the title of the bills.
An ordinance 8 to amend Bill No. 250198 approved June 13th, 2025, entitled An Ordinance to Adopt a Capital Program for the six fiscal years 2026 through 2031 inclusive, by revising various appropriation amounts and totals, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance to amend Bill No. 250197 approved June 13th, 2025, entitled An Ordinance to Adopt a Fiscal Year 2026 Capital Budget, by revising various appropriation amounts and totals, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance authorizing transfers and appropriations for fiscal year 2026 from; the General fund, the Water Fund, the Transportation Fund, and the Grants Revenue Fund, all from certain or all city offices, departments, boards, and commissions to; the General Fund, the Water Fund, the Special Gasoline Tax Fund, the Grants Revenue Fund, the Aviation Fund, and the Transportation Fund, all to certain or all city offices, departments, boards, and commissions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance authorizing the installation, ownership, and maintenance of a dumpster encroachment in the vicinity of 509 through Vine Street, 6 Philadelphia, PA 19106, under 7 certain terms and conditions. 8
9 This bill will be referred to the 10 appropriate committee. 11
And an 12 ordinance authorizing various 13 encroachments in the vicinity of 14 2655 South Juniper Street, 15 Philadelphia, PA 19148, under 16 certain terms and conditions. 17
18 This bill will be referred to the 19 appropriate committee. Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad.
Thank you, Council President. I have no 24 bills or resolutions today.
Thank you very much. The next order of business is reports from committee. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass for report from the Committee on Rules.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Rules reports out four bills with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you very much. Would the Chief Clerk please read the report.
The Committee on Rules to which were referred the following bills: Bill No. 260055, an ordinance amending Title 14 of the Philadelphia Code, entitled Zoning and Planning, by revising and clarifying certain provisions and making technical changes to text that has expired, all under certain terms and conditions. And Bill No. 260073, an ordinance amending Section 9-208 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Sidewalk Cafes and Section A-301.1.5 of Title 4 subcode A, the Philadelphia Administrative Code of the Philadelphia Code entitled Zoning and Use Registration Permits, by removing expired provisions related to outdoor entertainment at sidewalk cafes, under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation. And Bill No. 260022, an ordinance to amend the Philadelphia zoning maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Main Street Ridge Avenue, the Wissahickon Creek, Kelly Drive, Falls Road, the Schuylkill River, and Dawson Street extended. And Bill No. 260074, an ordinance to amend Title of the 4 Philadelphia Code by adding section 5 14-546 entitled 6th District Overlay 6 District, revised section 14-515 The 7 Northeast Overlay District, remove 8 Section 14-523, the Industrial and 9 Manufacturing Overlay District and 10 make other related changes, all 11 under certain terms and conditions, 12 respectfully reports it has 13 considered and amended the same and 14 returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation. There are no further bills to report out from the Committee on Rules, Council President.
Thank you very much. The chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Rules of Council be suspended to permit First Reading this day of the bills just read into the record by the Chief Clerk.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the Rules of Council be suspended so as to permit the consideration of these bills just read by the Chief Clerk at today's session of Council. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying “aye.” COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Those opposed? The ayes have it. The motion carries. These bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar for today. Chair also likes to welcome to City Council chambers, State Senator Vincent Hughes. Thank you for joining us today, sir. The next order of business is the consideration of the calendar. I note that the bills just reported from committees with the suspension of the rules have been deemed to have had a First Reading. These bills will be placed in the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar for the next session of Council. As there are no additional bills on the First Reading Calendar, the Chair recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore-Richardson for a motion concerning the bills and resolution on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following bills and resolutions are being called up from the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars today: Numbers 260171, 260174, 260175, 260179, 250769, 250917-A, 251066, 260112, and 260113. The following bills and resolutions on the calendar are being held: 250768, 250807, 250980-A, 251025, and 260021. The following bills are being amended: 250329, 250330, and 250843-A.
Thank you very much. Before considering these bills and resolutions, public comment is as follows: Your public comment must concern matters on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars for possible action in today's Council's session. All speakers must sign up in order to testify. Once you have signed up, you will be called in the order in which your name appears on a signup sheet. Under ideal circumstances, public commenters each will have three minutes to speak, however, this time limit may vary from session to session. Today, the time limit will be two minutes. In order to be fair to all those wishing to speak, I intend to hold faithfully to the two-minute limit. When you begin speaking, you will see a green light on the podium, when there are 30 seconds remaining to your time, the light will turn yellow, which is your reminder to conclude your remarks. Once two minutes have passed, the light will turn red and the Sergeant at Arms will disconnect the microphone. At that point, please yield the podium to the next speaker if you have not done so already. I also reserve the right, pursuant to our Rules of City Council, to limit repetitious comments on the same subject matter. I will now ask the Chief Clerk to prepare to call the first speaker, but at first, I would like to acknowledge, also joining us is former member of the legislative staff of this body, but also honorable State Representative of the General House, our good friend, Ms. Donna Bullock. Could you stand, Ms. Bullock? Always good to see you. Thank you for being here. Chief Clerk, can you please call the first person for public comment, please.
May Jeremy Blatstein, Lynn Landes, David Alexander Jenkins, Deborah Toney- Moore, Shirley Posley and Mekia Elizabeth Matthews, please make your way to the podium.
Good morning, City Council. My name is Jeremy Blatstein. We're talking about all bills and resolutions today. Grow Philly to 2 Milly. I repeat. Grow Philly to 2 Milly. That's the north star that every single piece of resolution should be viewed through, right? Growing the population of Philadelphia, pro-growth, pro-development. We're talking about some safety with housing, with Councilman O'Rourke. Those bills are not ready to be passed. Why? The Philadelphia Sheriff's Department and evictions, it's taking too long. We already -- Councilwoman Landau and Councilwoman Brooks are working on this. That bill cannot pass in its current form. The last thing we're talking about is Turn the Key. Councilwoman Lozada has on her desk a bill for 30 Turn the Key homes. This Council is passing money for affordable housing for Turn the Key. Councilwoman Lozada or any other member of this body could be introducing this bill to build 30 affordable homes once Turn the Key house is at $280,000. The last but not least, we're talking about SEPTA. Look over there, I'm looking at you, State Rep Cephas. We're not doing free SEPTA. She's pushing free SEPTA. We're a little -- that's a little too extreme. But we want funding for SEPTA, right? We want SEPTA funded and we need Harrisburg to fund SEPTA. We also need there to be density along our transit corridors. Shout out Councilwoman Gauthier for supporting that, but it doesn't go far enough. We need to get rid of our restrictive zoning overlays, up zone our transit corridors, Grow Philly to 2 Milly. And last but not least, ride the ride. Councilman Thomas, we got to ride SEPTA again, all right. I know no pictures or anything, but thank you. Ride the ride. Grow Philly to 2 Milly.
Thank you, Council President. I was sent here to work for the people and I want to say for the record, for the 2000th time, I support the home initiative. I support Turn The Key. I will not allow for individuals like Mr. Blatstein who is sent here by developers who make money off of projects in our city for their own benefit. I have -- I have had community residents -- I have had community residents who have said four times that they do not want this project. I'm not sure who Mr. Blatstein or others think they are to assume that it's okay for them to tell my community what they need in their community. I'm about stability and growth in my community and it will be dictated and determined by the people who live there. And so I will decide with my community whether those 30 properties will be built or not. And it will not be him to tell me if I'm going to do it or not.
If he needs my community to keep telling him that, tell him to keep showing up. We're going to run his ass out every single time.
For the sake of the institution, we would like all opinions, all comments and concerns that remain politically PC to refrain from that language. Thank you very much. Will the Chief Clerk please call the next person?
We have Lynn Landes, David Alexander Jenkins, Deborah Toney-Moore, Shirley Posey, and Mekia Elizabeth Matthews.
Good morning. I'm Lynn Landes from Philly's Republican Network. Diverting Philadelphia waste away from incinerators is a big step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to protect public health and the environment. We should also be looking at biomedical and other facilities whose emissions could prove hazardous. Furthermore, medications that many people are taking have been found in municipal drinking water supplies. In addition, much of our food, food containers, personal care and beauty products, as well as household cleaners and building materials include unnecessarily harmful chemicals. Very frankly, we need to look -- take a hard look at our marketplace and resource management plan and begin to systematically remove unnecessary toxins wherever we can because they are directly, profoundly, and adversely impacting the public's health, the environment, as well as our economy. We cannot keep loading up ourselves and our planet with toxins and trash. There's a better, healthier, and less expensive way to live. You can learn more at zerowasteamerica.org. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much. One second Mr. Alexander. I'm thinking about to bring the bishop to come back and reset. Please proceed.
Mr. President, members and guests, David Alexander Jenkins, and I rise pro the bill that's before us 250330. Protections against retaliation and harassment seem in order, not only as it pertains to the rights of our neighbors and housing, but across the board in this City of brotherly love and sisterly affection. A city which has been granted an implied warranty if you will, vested in the decisions those of you whom sit within the rail make even today. It seems that before that we would hear from our Mayor who will present a budget that seeks to balance the responsibilities of our fiscal truth and our duty to the citizenry of Philadelphia as we overcome a history that has often left housing and poverty to be dealt with someday, quite frankly, any other day than today. You see, budgets are declarations of priority, are they not? They reveal whom a government believes is worth saving and whom it is willing to leave behind. And so today, as we debate numbers, allocations, and programs, I rise to remind this body that the crisis before us is not abstract; it is human. During the funeral of the late great Reverend Jesse Jackson, I was sat ruminating in the words of -- that were presented by Stevie Wonder. Words, famously lamented by the late great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Words I sang as a child walking hand in hand down the aisle of Jones Tabernacle AME. “We shall overcome, we shall overcome.” And it struck me that it is not everybody who needs to overcome. In fact, most of the people who historically sang that song are no longer part of the we who must overcome at all. It is not the tired, the hungry, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to be free. It is not the colored or the burdened, the sick, the friendless, or the needy, dare I say, who need to overcome. But it is we. We who know who we are, we who stand between the promises of a 250-year-old declaration and the cries of a people for liberty in the pursuit of happiness. We the keepers of a system of inequality. We the arbiters of tactless solutions that sound good even fiscally, but often do not do anything more than to lie in the pockets of our friends. We who blocked the gates of a Zion, an apostle named Paul once described as a more excellent way. Friends, deep, deep in my heart, it is my belief that we must overcome today.
We have Deborah Toney-Moore, Shirley Posey, Mekia Elizabeth Matthews. May Dr. Deidre Farmbry, Jarvis McArthur, Charles Friedman, WilFrida Ball, Sister Taleah Taylor, and Theresa Howell also make their way to the podium.
Could the next speaker please approach the podium? We'll call the next speakers, please.
Dr. Deidre Farmbry, Jarvis McArthur, Charles Friedman, Wilfrida Ball, Sister Taleah Taylor, Theresa Howell. We also have Melissa Mons, Corey Phillips, Sherman McLeod, Marvin Robinson, and Tabbal Louis, please start making your way to the podium.
Good morning, COUNCILMEMBERS and distinguished elected officials. My name is Jarvis McArthur, and this is Dr. Wilfrida Ball --
Could you speak into the microphone, sir, please?
My name is Jarvis McArthur, and this is Dr. Wilfrida Ball, and we are co-executors of the estate of Dr. Constance E. Clayton. We are here in support of the legislation proposed by Councilman Jeffrey Young Jr., to rename Buttonwood Street, Dr. Constance E. Clayton Way. There's much to be said about the achievements and accomplishments of Dr. Clayton. She was the first woman and first African American Superintendent of the Philadelphia Public School system. She implemented the model early childhood program that is used nationally and she improved standardized curricular and she was the recipient of honorary doctorate -- several honorary doctorates and hundreds of rewards. We as executors, however, are mindful of the fact of Dr. Clayton's purpose and that purpose was to children. This became more pronounced when we were organizing and reviewing many of her papers and writings. We came across a document where Dr. Clayton did the eulogy for the Honorable Judge Juanita Kidd Stout. She said at that eulogy, and I'm quoting, “Protect --" perhaps Judge Stout would have said the following, When I die, if you need to weep, cry for the children roaming the street. And when you need me, put your arms around others and give them what you need to give me.'” In essence, in passing this legislation, you are symbolically putting your arms around and encouraging others, particularly our children and helping them to know and to remember Dr. Clayton, her legacy, and more importantly, her motto; “The children come first.” We respectfully--
“The children come first.” We respectfully request that you pass the legislation. Thank you.
Good morning. My name is Dr. Deidre Farmbry, and I can't believe that it's been 17 years since I was in this chamber 18 for School District of Philadelphia 19 budget hearings in my role then as 20 interim superintendent. 21 But today, I am here to 22 speak of the legendary Dr. Constance 23 E. Clayton, my mentor. Thank you 24 for granting me this moment to express my deep appreciation for the decision to rename the block of Buttonwood Street adjacent to the School District of Philadelphia building the Dr. Constance E. Clayton Way. Today's action is more than a ceremonial gesture; it is an act of historical recognition and civic gratitude. Dr. Clayton was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. In the 1980s, she shattered barriers when she became the first African American and first woman to serve as Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia. She led the district for 11 years and to this day, remains the longest serving Superintendent in district history. That kind of leadership does not happen by accident. It happens through vision, courage, and unwavering commitment. But what makes this movement even more meaningful is that Dr. Clayton was truly homegrown. She was born in Philadelphia, educated in Philadelphia public schools, and chose to dedicate her life to serving the very community that nurtured her. Dr. Clayton guided her work with a simple but powerful belief, and you heard it, “the children come first,” setting the expectation for actions to result in every child, regardless of neighborhood or circumstance, receiving opportunity and a quality education. As a street is a pathway towards a destination, so too was this motto setting the direction for excellence with no tolerance for detours. Time is up? Okay. Thank you.
Okay. Good morning. My name is Shirley Posey and I'm the Director of STEM at Imhotep Institute Charter High School. Really -- yes. Really quickly, I want to paint a picture for you. About a group of students from the city of Philadelphia that traveled to -- the fourth time to Ghana, not just for sightseeing, but to actually provide healthcare to over 1200 villagers. Not only that, they collected data. And what the data showed was, out of those 1200 villagers, 78 percent of them had waterborne illnesses. But we had a key to that. We 3D-printed, right at Imhotep, water filters. And when we incorporated those 3D-printed water filters, guess what the data showed? It showed that it was a hundred percent decline in waterborne diseases and illnesses within that village. In 2022, I was given the opportunity to develop the STEM program, but -- and we've gone to other communities such as Sapelo Island, Jackson, Mississippi, Kenya, but this year we've expanded our research to Japan. We just came back from doing R&D, Research and Development, with the top engineers and scientists. And not only were they -- were -- we loved what they were doing, but they loved the students from Imhotep Institute Charter High School STEM program, that they want to collaborate and create a partnership with their Japan students. And so what we have is our STEM program. We're just not learning about robotics and coding, but we're looking at how to solve problems. And when you transform students, you transform the community. So I would like to thank the resolution that is coming forth to honor these students, and what we've discovered are innovative and sustainable solutions to take plastic water bottles and trash and convert them into cement and other sustainable solutions for the city of Philadelphia. So thank you all so much, and if you want to hear more about our STEM program and what the phenomenal and transformational work that our students are doing, then we are here, and we have student representatives here to answer any questions. Thank you for your time.
Hi. My name is Mekia Elizabeth, and I am a co-chair of Fernhill Park, Friends, and Community Impact Director for Harmony Hill. Good morning, and thank you to City Council for this recognition. I'm truly grateful to receive it, but I want to honestly say that this work has never been about one person. What's happening on Fernhill Road and in the Fernhill Park community is the result of neighbors deciding to care for one -- to care for ourselves, one another, and the place we live. A few years ago, we put a small free coffee station on our patio. It was supposed to be a self-serve -- it was supposed to be self-serve, and it was supposed to be a finished space on an unfinished block where adults could gather to vision and enjoy a more beautiful experience of neighborhood life. But the neighborhood kids showed up first, and they had their own vision for the space, and they insisted on executing it themselves. The kids showed up first thing in the morning, some still in their Spider- Man onesie pajamas, greeting and serving neighbors, watering the plants, picking up litter, making treats and drinks, writing thank you notes for donations, collecting signatures for birthday cards, and drinking all the hot chocolate. In response, the adult neighbors started bringing what they had to share. One neighbor brought bags of coffee beans, another brought juice boxes. Someone showed up with bagels, another neighbor dropped off apples. Someone donated a toaster oven. Someone brought coloring books and crayons and stickers so kids would have something to do while the adults talked. Someone gave Barbies, another neighbor brought a TV, so the kids could see Gracie's Corner. Little by little, a gift economy emerged. People were eager to offer what they had so the whole community could flourish. These gifts even helped us offer a $2,500 college scholarship for one of our neighborhood youth who works as a barista at the cafe. It turns out our community cafe wasn't all neighbors had to give. One neighbor offered a dedicated space for an after-school club and community gatherings. We're also growing a neighborhood food forest, building a children's play village, and hosting Fun Fridays at Fernhill Park, where all spaces where people of all ages and backgrounds can learn, play, and belong. What began as a little patio experiment, a space built by neighbors for neighbors with the help of this city, eventually grew into what we could now call St. Harmony Café. It now became a part of a larger vision we call Harmony Hill. Harmony Hill is our local expression of the beloved community that Coretta Scott King spoke about, a place where neighbors care for one another, steward the land, and create opportunities for all generations. Right now, we're continuing that work by restoring our community clubhouse and expanding green spaces that support our youth, land stewards, our gardens, and community gatherings. So I'm grateful for this recognition, but I also want to extend an invitation. If you want to see the future of Philadelphia, come spend a day with us in Harmony Hill. Thank you.
Good morning, council. You know me as Charles Freedman, and I want to talk specially to Mark, your Bill 22 250843A, today. And I really enjoy watching everybody connect today in City Council. And I wish we could connect about this trash problem we got in Philadelphia. Some neighborhoods, it's just being thrown in the trash. You know, people take bags and put them by the curb. Why don't they just invite the animals to come in their house and get the trash, because that's what we're doing? We are feeding the animals and stuff. And Mark's bill is a great idea, and I want to shout out to my main man, Councilman Curtis Jones. He's a -- he's a wise man, and he's teaching me too. But getting back to this trash thing, I'm telling you, Philadelphia better not fail with the trash. I am not going to be defeated by trash. And we can -- and we can fix this. We can fix this. We got -- we got to change some of the policies so it would easier for everybody to get on board. And Mark, I'm with you 110 percent. I was at your office yesterday, and you did a sidestep on me, but that's okay. And what I'm going to do is I'm going to keep -- I'm going to keep backing you up because you got a good idea. I was going to tell you some of the secrets to it, but I'll hook up with you later on. And I just want to give thanks to -- where's my other mentor, Jannie Blackwell. She taught me well. And I want to thank City Council for giving me this chance to talk about something that I know we can defeat. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Freeman. So it is what it is, right? Please call the next speaker. Sister Taleah, welcome.
Yeah. Sister Taleah Taylor, President of the city of Dreams Coalition, also -- oh, okay -- also Director of Community Engagement at Level Up Philly, Political Advisor, and Youth Case Manager. Hello, everyone, City Council. Good afternoon, members of City Council. My name is Sister Taleah Taylor. Many of the people across Philadelphia know me as a community activist, someone who fights every day for families all across Philadelphia. But today, I want to speak not as just as an advocate, but as someone who has personally lived through the very housing conditions we are discussing. I am here on behalf of Councilmember O'Rourke and the bills that he has -- he has introduced. In my personal life, I have experienced housing insecurity that no resident of Philadelphia should ever have to endure. My home was robbed over and over again for years. Even when the perpetrators were identified, the system failed to protect me. The conditions of the property deteriorated so badly that the house became nearly unlivable. Walls were broken, windows shattered, and people were climbing -- were able to climb back and forth through the windows over and over again. There were pages -- 18 13 pages of violations documented by 14 License and Inspections, yet nothing 15 was resolved, ever. 16 Imagine the stress, the 17 mental anguish, and the depression 18 that comes from living in those conditions. Imagine trying to continue serving your community while your own living situation is unstable and unhealthy. Through my hotline and community work, I receive over 1,000 calls every year from families experiencing the same thing. Mothers, caregivers, seniors, and children live in homes that are unsafe, unhealthy, and ignored. I watch families break under the weight of the stress because they cannot get the help they need, even after contacting multiple city agencies. That is why the legislation before you today matters so much. Accountability matters, structure matters, and enforcement matters. That is about thousands of Philadelphia residents who wake up every day wondering if anyone in power actually sees them. Today, you have the opportunity to show them that you do. And this was also by the old administration that I was -- I was failed, but this definitely -- okay. But thank you, Nicholas O'Rourke, for everything that you're doing to help improve the quality of life for everyone.
Good morning. My name is Teresa Howell. Council President, City Council as a whole --
Excuse me one second, ma'am. Chair recognizes Councilman Curtis Jones Jr.
Thank you so much, Mr. President. For the record, Sister Taleah lived on my block and then she moved out of my district.
Thank you, Member Jones. For the record, it is not the 4th Councilmanic District. The floor is yours, ma'am.
Thank you. I would like to thank Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke for his introduction of the Safe Healthy Homes Act. I would like to thank the Housing Committee for passing it out of committee, six to zero. I look forward to next week, where I know it will pass out of City Council as well and become law. We also want to thank the Mayor, who has prioritized license and inspection for Safe Healthy Homes inspections. We thank her for her initiative. We thank her for prioritizing us, when we are always the ones -- which, speaking of low-income people, are always the ones overlooked or grandfathered in. But for the first time, with this City Council, I feel important. I feel like I matter. I want to thank my Councilmember Quetcy Lozada for always standing up for Frankford. She stands up for the people of Frankford and the neighborhoods of Frankford, and she fights hard for us. And I thank you for the fight. Thank you very much.
Good morning. My name is Melissa Mons. I am here as part of One PA Renters United, and I am immensely grateful for the passage of the Safe Healthy Homes Act out of the housing committee, and to the Council, if these measures had been in place eight years ago, I would not be as sick as I am today. That is why these bills are so important. People's health -- are losing their health. One of our members is in the hospital, has been in the hospital repeatedly, since the beginning of the year due to severe asthma, and is still battling rodents running through her housing, chewing through sheetrock and things of that nature. And she's constantly battling health issues. So we are immensely grateful. We are immensely grateful to the Mayor for including funding, specifically for proactive inspections. That fight has been fought for a very long time from my understanding. I'm sorry to say I wasn't there at the beginning, but I'm here now, and I'm glad to be a part of bringing it home. I want to thank, again, Quetcy Lozada. She has been a major force in this. I got sick in Frankford. I've been able to -- I've been one of the fortunate ones that's been able to move out of that environment. I want to say thank you to Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke for introducing the bill. All the hard work his team has done, late-night phone calls, and everything else. I want to thank the co-sponsors of the bill and everyone who has supported us to this day. I will be back next week, hopefully a little better than I am today with -- to help push this over the finish line. Thank you, again. We appreciate you immensely.
We have Corey Phillips, Sherman McLeod, Marvin Robinson, Tabba Lewis, and Ogbonna Hagins. Please make your way to the podium.
Good morning. My name is Cory Phillips, another member of One PA Renters United. And I wanted to, again, add thanks to all the Councilmembers, Squilla, belated -- one-month belated birthday to Ms. Gauthier and Councilman Jones and other council. I may not get you all names off hand, but just thanking you all for the support of the Safe Healthy Homes Act, which is very vital to the city of Philadelphia. If we are to grow, we got to get the homes right first for people to come in to move into the city. So we got to make sure these landlords are held accountable in so many ways, not just with the health need -- when it comes to the health, when it comes to the conditions of the buildings or even some try to legally rob us, which I feel as though I didn't get legally robbed, but I was evicted with no 3 cause, I wasn't even on the property, and still got an eviction on my -- on my name when he allegedly said I'm evicted. So right now, I'm just stuck for a little while at family. But thank you for those who are supporting it, this bill, to improve the housing in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Thank you all.
Hello. David Tony Moore signed us up, but my name is Norie Farmer, and I am a 12th grade STEM trailblazer. I'm a part of the STEM program at Imhotep Institute Charter High School, and we develop innovative solutions to environmental crisis that exists in today's time. We use existing technologies to improve our communities and also improve ourselves. Being -- me joining STEM, it not only changed how I critically think, but it changed me on a maturity wise and comprehension. Just changed me into a better person who was able to speak in spaces like this. A year ago from now, I could wouldn't even be able to communicate properly, so not only do we learn how to be unified with each other, but we also learn how to be professional and have etiquette with everyone else. And I do believe that it's important that STEM is implemented into our communities, into our schools, into our youth, because STEM is life. Everything you have is science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. So this instills integrity and intelligence within ourselves and our own students.
Hey. How are you all doing? My name is Troy Hutton. I'm a part of the engineering team for the STEM program at Imhotep Charter.
Speak into the microphone a little bit more, young man.
How are you guys doing? My name is Troy Hutton. I'm a 12th grader at Imhotep Charter School for the engineering team. While in Japan, we observed many things, like Japan's infrastructure. They have energized footsteps that control the city energy. We looked at greenhouses while there. In there, we observed many things that we could portray into the city and maybe develop the city's infrastructure, the city's water lining, the city's energy, the city's everything.
And we also would like to use our studies and research to propose a bill.
Good morning, COUNCILMEMBERS and our citizens of Philadelphia. My name is Sherman McLeod. I'm the president and CEO of Philadelphia Technician Training Institute, where we bought the Marine Institute in 2015. We own that whole block. Thank you for the opportunity that the Councilmembers here have been very supportive of us, and being able to get people from, on the adult scale, and up. 15 Also, for people that are 16 prison-bound in the -- on state road 17 training, so that they don't have 18 the recidivism, in addition to having children on Saturday that we train to be able to be tradespeople. We're next -- our next part of the expansion; we just completed expansion on Girard Avenue. It was a six-and-a-half million-dollar expansion. We're going into Councilwoman Gauthier's district with a $20 million expansion. We've been responsible, with the collective energy in this room, to be able to put cumulatively over a billion dollars in salaries for people that are in the trades in Philadelphia. We just want to thank you for your opportunity to have done that. MALE SPEAKER: All right. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Council President. This resolution, actually -- this is for Curtis Jones recognizing great leaders. I just wanted to say this resolution that Curtis Jones had, it was 260175. From Geneva Black -- this man, Councilman, has been honoring people in our neighborhood. And I'm going to cry, because Geneva Black, Pastor James Allen -- Dr. James Allen, all these people I'm talking about, these people led me. They guided me when I was a kid, when I was years old. A lot of them are 6 not here. 7 And I really appreciate, 8 Councilman, from the bottom of my 9 heart, that you've been honoring 10 these people before they leave here. 11 I think that's a great gift, because 12 most people get their honor when 13 they're gone. 14 So I just wanted to say to 15 you, thank you for honoring Madeline 16 Dunn. Because Madeline Dunn had me since I was 16 years old. Pastor Allen them had me since I was 18 years old. Geneva Black had me since I was 12 years old. So a lot of my leadership comes from those strong people, and I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you so much for honoring people before they leave here. And the second thing I just want to say to all the city Council, thank you all. Thank you all for just listening to us. Thank you all for passing Safe Homes, because that's important. That's -- I mean, that's not something to really argue about, but sometimes you got to come here and debate. And I love this building. Do you know why? Because it makes it who we are. It's a democracy. So thank each and every one of you all. I appreciate it. And especially to the Mayor, I really came to really just hear the Mayor and also honor you, as you honor somebody else, Councilman. You've definitely touched my heart. You've been doing a great job in the neighborhood, and I mean that from my heart, because we had great leaders in our neighborhood. They're resting right now, but I'm sure they're proud. So I just want to thank you for that. And also, I just want to say to the Mayor, I think she's doing an outstanding job as our Mayor, so thank you. I can't wait to hear her budget.
Good morning. My name is Ogbonna Hagins, and I'm a 4th generation chattel slavery survivor. Bill 251066 is about digitizing Philadelphia's vital records and making them searchable. That may sound like a simple records project, but records tell the story of people's lives. They show our history and the conditions people lived under. A city budget works the same way; it shows who the city invests in and whose problems it is trying to fix. When a budget does not deal with the specific harms experienced by the descendants of emancipated people, two things happen. First, it ignores the only group whose poverty was created by law. Second, it goes against the 39th Congress with what they said after slavery. “Freedom comes to freedmen; it should be able to support themselves.” Freedmen should be able to support themselves and have the same economic opportunities as white citizens. And it brings me back to 251066. When the city preserves its historical records, it is admitting its historical records matter. It's admitting that. The records show clearly that American freedmen faced slavery, Black Codes, Jim Crow, redlining, racial covenants, and other policies that shaped the economic conditions that we still see today. Philadelphia has already recognized this history in its own law, including the city's slavery- era disclosure law and the Slave Lineage Reparative Resolution for the Office of Freedmen Affairs. It's history should be dealt with now and not delayed. Ogbonna Hagins, over and out.
Council President, there are no further names for public comment.