COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, February 22, 2006 10:20 a.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN JOAN L. KRAJEWSKI, CHAIR COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN JACK KELLY COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILMAN JUAN RAMOS COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY BILLS 060047, 060048, 060049 and 051139 - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2
The Committee on Appropriations is now in session. Will the Clerk please read the bills.
Bill No. 060047, an ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2006 within the Grants Revenue Fund from the Director of Finance - provision for other grants to the Streets Department, the Department of Public Property and the Department of Human Services - Office of Emergency Shelter Services; and Bill No. 060048, an ordinance 17 authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2006 within the Water Fund from the Managing Director -- Office of Fleet Management to the Managing Director -- Office of Fleet Management; and Bill No. 060049, an ordinance 24 authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2006 within the General 3 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. Fund from certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions to certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions; and Bill No. 051139, an ordinance 7 amending Title 17 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Contracts and Procurement," by providing for a price preference for hybrid-electric or alternative fuel vehicles when the City purchases vehicles, and by making technical amendments; all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you. I believe the first bill that we will hear today is Bill 060047, but before we begin, I would like to acknowledge the Committee members. To my left is Councilman Rizzo, Councilman Goode, and to my right is Councilman Kelly, and I believe Councilman Nutter is here. Thank you. Is there someone here to 4 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. testify for Bill 060047? Good morning.
Good morning, Councilwoman Krajewski. I'm Vince Jannetti, the Acting Director of Finance for the City. I'm here to offer testimony on Bills 060047, 060048 and 060049. 060049 is a mid-year transfer ordinance for the General Fund. I think the most notable transfers in this ordinance are an increase in the appropriations for Fleet Management for equipment and for fuel and probably the Sinking Fund Commission, an increase in the appropriations of the Sinking Fund Commission for the temporary loan notes we do annually. If you would like, I could read my testimony or...
If you have that, put it into the record, but right now I would like to hear testimony on Bill 060047, the first bill. 5 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC.
060047 represents three increases in the Grants Revenue Fund. There was an increase of $710,000 for the Streets Department, Class 200/300. There's an increase of 13,706,000 in Public Property for Class 200 and an increase in the Office of Emergency Shelter Services of $7.4 million.
Are there any questions from the Committee? Councilman Nutter. Before we begin, Councilman, I'd like to recognize Councilman Ramos as part of the Committee. I'm sorry, Councilman.
No problem. Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't mean to be out of my seat at the Committee table. I'll rejoin you in a few moments. 6 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. Mr. Jannetti, can you tell me or explain, I guess, to the Committee, on of the testimony for 060047, there's reference made to new funds for coordination between police, courts, DA and non-profit agencies for the benefit of victims of domestic violence. Could you go into a little more detail about that?
Madam Chair, may I make a statement, if you don't mind, while they're coming forward? Councilman Nutter?
Thank you, because I have to leave the building, but I wanted to speak on behalf of the grant for OESS, Office of Emergency Shelter Services. As all of you know, this is 7 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. part of what I spend most of my time on. I hope the Committee will consider, with the suspension of the rules, this aspect of Bill No. 060047. And as all of you know, the shelter numbers are up, so we really, really need the transfer to do what we need to try to take care of people at the bottom rung of the ladder. That's it from me, and thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair, for allowing me to speak.
I'd also like to recognize Councilwoman Miller, who is a member of the Committee. Are there any other questions? Councilman Nutter, we're waiting for your answer.
I'm happy to speak to the domestic violence question from Councilman Nutter. My name is Roberta Sharp and I work for the Office of Adult 8 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. Services. Adult Services, under the Managing Director's Office and DSS, brought together and served as the applicant for a Department of Justice grant to encourage arrest policies and increase the enforcement of protection from abuse orders. We worked closely in collaboration with the Police Department, the courts, Adult Probation, the District Attorney's Office and several non-profit organizations to win this grant opportunity. The grant is for $950,000 over two years. It's one of the first DOJ grants that the City has won for domestic violence, and we're real excited to be able to implement it. It includes features like training the police, lieutenants and sergeants, working to better coordinate the sharing of information across systems to help support victims of domestic violence. 9 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC.
I'm sorry, Ms. Sharp. I may have missed this. What department are you with?
What are we doing with regard to trying to reduce the amount of domestic violence in Philadelphia?
The Mayor, as you may know, appointed a task force to end domestic violence co-chaired by the Police Commissioner and by Carol Tracy, who is Executive Director of Women's Law Project. They forged out a plan that includes several elements, many of them on the City level, coordinating through the various departments to determine what's being done and to increase the level of coordination across. We also, in the last year, implemented a City-wide hotline for victims of domestic violence through several non-profits. Prior, the 10 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. non-profits had operated hotlines with separate phone numbers, making it confusing for a woman to touch base and get the help she needed. We now have one coordinated City-wide hotline that's operated by several non-profit organizations. They're seeing about 700 phone calls a month, spending a couple hundred of hours doing counseling, and we've seen increases in those agency services to domestic violence victims as a result of this better coordination. So gradually following that plan under the Mayor's task force, we hope to reduce the incidence of domestic violence over time.
Thank you. Are there any other questions? (No response.)
Madam Chair, if I may, I'd like to also ask Council for a 11 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. suspension of the rules to allow for first reading of this bill at the next session of Council.
Yes. Now we will hear testimony on Bill 051139. Mr. Muller from Fleet Management. Good morning.
Good morning. How are you? Jim Muller, Commissioner of Fleet Management for the City of Philadelphia. Good morning, Councilmembers and Chairpersons and honorable members of the Legislative Oversight Committee. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify on the subject of hybrid vehicles. My name is James Muller, Director of the Office of Fleet Management for the City of Philadelphia. 12 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. I am here to answer any further questions on hybrid technology.
I'm sorry. Are there any questions from members of the Committee? Councilman Rizzo.
One of the recommendations that I have, and I know you've had experience with this type of vehicle for a few years now since they've been introduced, is there any consideration, since it is kind of new, that if a fleet is able to buy an extended warranty on a car since it's a bit complicated, that that be considered? Because I know we try to keep our vehicles for a number of years, that to assume the entire maintenance and repair of these high-tech vehicles might be expensive on that end of it, after you 13 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. wind up saving so much money on the fuel and you wind up having a major component fail and the vehicle is out of warranty. So maybe there would be an opportunity to buy an extended warranty until we really get a feel for the maintenance costs down the road.
Yes. We can look into that, but as you know, hybrid vehicles, their warranty is more extensive than a regular vehicle, and that's why we're testing them. I mean, we have right now -- at the end, we have six Priuses and eight Escapes right now in the City's fleet, with an attempt to order another 13 more to come in yet. So we'll have almost 27 hybrid-type vehicles in the fleet, and we'll be testing them to find out what they do.
My suggestion is simply this: That if there is an opportunity to participate in some add-on to the vehicle, it might be something to be considered, if it's 14 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. something that is available to a fleet application.
Mr. Muller, I just want to know about the maintenance of these vehicles. Can you use your current equipment to maintain these vehicles or do we have to invest in new equipment to service these vehicles?
Well, there's some new equipment that we need to order, and also our technicians would need to be trained on these type vehicles.
How much would the equipment cost? Do you have any estimate?
Not yet. We're putting that together now. That's why we're testing a few of them. And right now, most of them go back for warranty because of the CNG and -- I'm sorry; 15 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. because of the hybrid-type technology. So we're sending them back to the dealer for --
Thank you. What is the life expectancy of the vehicle, hybrid?
I don't know off the top of my head, to be honest with you. That's why we bought some to test, same as New York and Boston and everybody 16 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. else. They're looking -- it's a new technology, and as I said, there's no 4 track record on this technology, and that's our biggest problem that I have, is the track record on these vehicles. Once we buy them, we're stuck with them. If something happens, then what do we do now to replace these vehicles? A few years ago we bought some CNG brooms for the Streets Department and every one of the engines blew up, so we had major problems with those five brooms that we purchased. So, I mean, this is why we're buying of them or 27 basically, to 17 test them and see what they do and 18 evaluate, and then we'll go from there. 19
Just to make sure that the record is clear, the technology that's been developed to date on the hybrids are extremely much more 17 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. dependable and long-lasting than the CNG blow-up trucks that they bought. I mean, I want to make sure it's understood that these vehicles drive on the road just like any other vehicle, and the benefits to them are multiple, in that the environment is better off for it, we're spending 50 percent less gas. So right there is two major benefits in savings. And I see no reason why, under regular maintenance, with the warranty and some additional training, why these vehicles could not be extended for the normal lifespan of a vehicle that runs on full fuel as opposed to a hybrid. All the legislation is asking to do is to use it as a preference, that when available, when it makes sense financially to purchase them instead of gas-guzzling cars. I mean, I don't think that that's all that complicated. We do it with recycled material. We have a preference for buying recycled material. And having a preference to buy these 18 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. vehicles -- I mean, the city of Los Angeles has 7,000 vehicles in their fleet, similar to the size of Philadelphia. They have 575 hybrid vehicles. So they must have been happy with what's happening out there, and also with the pressure they have relative to the environment and the ozone and the air quality, that they're moving in that direction, and I see no reason why Philadelphia should not be on the east coast additional cutting edge, along with New York, of purchasing these vehicles, cleaning up our air and using less gasoline. As everyone knows, if you go to fill your tank these days, it's an amazing experience. You sometimes feel like you need a mortgage to fill up your tank. And if we can go in a direction to save the taxpayer gasoline costs at the same time having a vehicle that works appropriately and cleaning up the air a little bit, I see no reason why this 19 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. should not be a preference.
Since we know that the hybrid vehicles are electric gasoline powered, what I'd be interested, if you know -- and if you don't have it available, provide it to the Chair -- I understand at some point the battery pack needs to be replaced and I understand that is a very, very expensive replacement process. Could you provide to us that information on --
-- how long is the expected life of the batteries and once it's deemed that they need to be replaced -- and I understand when you replace them, you must replace them all -- what that would involve, and also, if you could, follow up on that extended warranty, if available.
Thank you. Are there any other questions? Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, Councilman Kenney has raised obviously an important issue, and I don't have any particular concern about the appropriateness of going to these hybrid vehicles. I was a little concerned about Mr. Muller's comments from earlier, and so I'd like to ask him, when you said that -- of course, there's a track record issue with the vehicles, but you're going to purchase vehicles? 18
Ford Escape hybrid. It's a four-cylinder engine. Right now we have eight in the fleet and an additional 13 coming within the next 21 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. two weeks for various departments.
And given your concerns about either longevity or how they'll work or your previous experience with other purchases, not that this one would go in the same direction, was a cost-benefit analysis done comparing purchase versus lease?
That's what we're doing now with -- well, with maintenance and everything included, on how much fuel we're going to save compared to a regular Ford Escape that costs like $21,000. See, the initial cost is more, too, Councilman. The initial cost to purchase is four, five thousand dollars more. It's a great --
I 22 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. understand that.
Like I said, we're trying it. I mean, we're going in here and buying some and putting them out. And as I said, we're testing the vehicles to make sure, but as I said, my problem is that the track record, there's no 9 track record on these hybrid vehicles. In other words, every time another company comes out --
It's hard to have a track record when it's a brand new car. I got that part. What I'm asking you about is, do you have the financial analysis that compares purchase to lease, given your concerns about the longevity of the vehicles, you had the previous experience with whatever that piece of equipment was that blew up? If for some reason these don't work, what do you do with them? 23 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC.
Well, we're stuck with of them, basically. We have to 4 fix them. What we did -- 5
So I'm 6 going to ask you now for the third time. 7 Did you do any cost-benefit analysis 8 comparing lease to purchase? Yes or no? 9
That was Bob, my 17 Administrative Services Director, Bob 18 Fox. 19 That's why we bought 21 of 20 them, Councilman, to test the vehicles to 21 find out how much fuel we could save, the analysis of the price cost to a regular vehicle. We didn't look into leasing these vehicles.
Do we lease 24 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. any vehicles these days?
We lease them for the Police Department because they need various types and models to do the job that they're assigned, undercover work.
I assume there must also be either a flexibility or a cost reason for leasing vehicles versus purchasing them. That's what I'm trying to understand.
Okay. But in this particular case, you apparently 25 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. chose not to even analyze whether there was a difference between them and you just decided to go and buy of them and 5 we'll just see what happens. 6
Well, what 7 happened is, we were looking into hybrid 8 vehicles since we have the Priuses and 9 people were looking for SUVs, a smaller 10 SUV, and we were getting into the 11 technology of hybrid, and we decided we 12 were going to buy 21 Escapes to try them 13 out and see what they do. 14
All right. 15 This one might be too far down the path, 16 but could you just forward through the 17 Chair if you would do an analysis between 18 cost of purchase versus lease? I mean, 19 buying them might ultimately be the best 20 decision, but I'd at least like to see it 21 on a piece of paper.
2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. Councilwoman Miller.
Thank you, Madam Chair, but he actually answered my question when he was answering one of Councilman Nutter's questions. Thank you.
Just to add to the record, this issue of having a track record, there is a track record, and the track record exists in New York and Los Angeles that have been buying them since probably 2001 and 2002. Anecdotally my staff has talked to Fleet Management people in both of those cities. They're extremely happy with the gas mileage savings. They're extremely happy with the performance of the vehicle. They're extremely happy with the warranties that have not run out yet. I mean, maybe we ought to talk to them since they've been at this a few more years than us as opposed to doing our own 27 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. analysis. So there seems to be no trouble at all with the 800 cars that New York has and the 575 vehicles that Los Angeles has. So maybe they know something we don't. Thank you.
If we do lease, are our leases for municipalities similar to a consumer? If you decided that the best bet was to lease the vehicles at the end of a period, whether it's two years, three years, can you buy it out?
In other words, I know what Councilman Nutter is saying. Rather than get stuck with 21 paper weights that might not work well for us, that at least in two years or 28 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. three years you bring them back to the dealer and say, Thanks, but no thanks. But if they work out, I assume you could pre-negotiate, if you want to keep them, you keep them.
Thank you. I believe we'd like to call up Mr. Cheung and Mike Ewall, and the next one would be our own Hurricane Schwartz.
Good morning. You look just like you do on TV, Hurricane.
My pleasure as well. 29 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC.
Don't worry about any snow that falls today. It will just melt if it does occur.
How about next weekend? Is it okay to go away next weekend?
It might snow a little bit Sunday morning, and then it's going to get very cold after that.
You, too. I have some prepared remarks that there are copies made that you can take a look at. The reason I'm here is twofold: Partly because of my knowledge or understanding about the atmospheric effects of hybrid vehicles and also because I'm an owner and have been an owner of hybrids for about four years now. I now have a second-generation 30 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. model Toyota Prius. I've been extremely pleased with the vehicle. I've actually demonstrated it to some other people, who have ended up buying them themselves. I have had virtually no 7 problems with these cars. We don't plug them in. We drive them just like regular vehicles. They get great acceleration when necessary, great gas mileage, and there's plenty of room. This technology is working. There's really no doubt about it. The one maintenance issue that is of greatest concern is the battery. In various vehicles, it gets determined how long that warranty is. My original Prius had an eight-year warranty for the battery. I believe my current one has a ten-year warranty for the battery. If you for any reason down the road decide that you don't like these vehicles, they are in great demand. They depreciate less than practically any other vehicle on the road, especially if 31 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. the gas prices keep going up. So you'll be able to sell them if you want to get rid of them, but I don't see any reason why you would. Now, as far as the atmospheric things, we're talking about pollution. Pollution problems fall in two areas: Ground level ozone and global warming. Ozone at the ground is most often a problem in the warm months since sunlight and high temperatures combine with the car exhaust and other pollution sources. The higher the ozone concentration, the harder it is to breathe. Those most affected are children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma and chronic bronchitis. It can also harm healthy people who exercise, work or just spend a lot of time outdoors. The worst ozone days are called Ozone Action Days when we in the media urge sensitive groups to stay indoors as much as possible and for even healthy 32 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. people to limit their activity outdoors. The number of Ozone Action Days varies a lot from year to year, depending on how hot and sunny the summer is. Our worst year was 2002 when Philadelphia had 42 days that exceeded the EPA standards. Recent studies have shown the EPA standards to be too low, so they made them more stringent starting this past year. The more cars we put on the roads and the more miles those cars go, the more ozone pollution there is. Now, this is not related to the ozone hole. That's a completely separate thing, since ozone has different effects near the ground and high up in the atmosphere. Now, as far as global warming, global warming is still a controversial issue, even more so after some cold snowy winters that we've had, but 2003 was declared the second warmest in the recorded history of the planet. 2005 was also up there, and there's plenty of 33 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. evidence that it's going on. Cars release carbon dioxide, which is one of the top emissions that influence warming of the atmosphere. Hybrid cars release much less CO2 than conventional cars. Now, the hybrid technology may have even greater potential in the future. A recent New York Times article, which I also had copied here, on plug-in hybrids mention that they could get between 100 and 1,000 miles per gallon depending on how far you drive on each trip. The more successful today's hybrids become, the sooner we'll see the demand for the next generation. Now, I didn't buy my hybrid just because it's environmentally friendly. It's a nice, comfortable, affordable car. Nothing special to do. I just drive it like everyone else.
In fact, I'll be trading in my other car, an SUV, for a hybrid SUV when a truly fuel-efficient version of that comes out. 34 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. I feel that as a scientist in the public eye, I can help set an example for others and let them know about this amazing technology, and that's what your bill will do as well.
Good morning, Madam Chair and members of the Committee. My name is Eric Cheung. I'm the senior attorney at the Clean Air Council. We are a non-profit environmental advocacy group dedicated to protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air. You guys have my testimony as well, so I will just briefly just talk over the major points, but I'm here to look at the bill from an environmental perspective and some of the policy implications. Clean Air Council supports the City of Philadelphia's proposed procurement policy to preference the purchase of hybrid-electric and alternative fuel vehicles as set out in this bill, 051139. Given the high cost 35 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. of transportation fuel and the poor air quality in the Philadelphia region, taxpayer money ought to be spent responsibly. The City's decision to make hybrid-electric and alternative fuel vehicles a priority in vehicle purchasing decisions offers definite health benefits and will play a part in improving our nation's energy security by reducing petroleum consumption, and more specific to hybrid-electric vehicles, this bill 13 will result in fuel cost savings, especially in light of the high cost of gasoline at the moment. And as a large consumer of such products, the City will increase demand for hybrid-electrics, thereby encouraging car manufacturers to bring more types of hybrid vehicles in larger numbers to the market for all Pennsylvania residents. Just in terms of your looking at the cost of these vehicles, since they're more expensive than their traditional counterparts, the City is 36 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. eligible to receive rebates from the state's Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant Program. So at least some of that cost can be defrayed through state subsidies. So basically in conclusion, the Clean Air Council encourages the City to pass this bill. It is in perfect position to lead by example and raise a profile of these cleaner vehicles. Clean Air Council urges the City to take the next step and establish this policy of purchasing hybrid-electric and alternative fuel vehicles where feasible. Thank you.
My name is Mike Ewall. I live in Northeast Philadelphia, and I'm the Director of Action PA and also the Energy Justice Network. Action PA is a state-wide organization where we help communities on the front line with struggles against polluting energy and waste facilities. And Energy Justice Network works in the national and international level doing that same 37 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. thing. We've done more research into different types of technologies on alternative fuels and the community level impacts of them than probably any other environmental group out there, and in my testimony, I outline eight different so-called alternative fuels, and I just want to outline a couple of them to draw your attention to. One of the things that we've been working on here in Philadelphia is this proposed liquefied gas terminal, and we're proud that City Council last week passed that strong resolution opposed to that terminal. Now, natural gas vehicles are one of the main types of alternative fuel vehicles that would be talked about, and natural gas, obviously the prices are going up. Production in North America has already peaked, and we're looking at building these terminals in order to essentially try to build a new dependency 38 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. on foreign sources of energy and start to go to war for these things, and that's why these import terminals are being proposed, because we don't have enough in this country. And so promoting natural gas vehicles will put our cars in competition with home heating, which is not what we're aiming to do here, I would hope. There are also plans for plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles where promoting them at this time would also be very problematic. In this country right now, there are 135 new coal power plants being planned and about a dozen nuclear reactors so far, and the numbers of those proposals are going up as we speak. In Pennsylvania alone, there are three new waste coal fire power plants that have been permitted by the state in the last ten months, and I don't think that is the type of thing that we want to be promoting if we're going to start putting cars on the grid. And I 39 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. think it would be appropriate if there were something that were more specific in this proposal that said if we're going to start putting cars in the grid, we're going to make sure that's done with clean electricity, like wind or solar. That is not in here. I think promoting hybrids is excellent. I own a hybrid. I'm a happy hybrid owner. I would like to see that promoted as much as possible as part of a comprehensive strategy for conservation and efficiency tactics, which could do far more than any alternative fuel can. And I would encourage the passage of this, but in doing so, I would encourage striking any language about alternative fuels until that could be clarified as to exactly what that means and what communities will be impacted by the production of those fuels.
Great. Thank you for your testimony. Any questions? 40 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. (No response.)
I recognize that Councilman Clarke has joined the Committee. Gentlemen, thank you very much. Is there anyone else to testify on Bill 051139?
Mr. Chairman, I think you are aware there is an amendment that's going to be offered.
If someone on the Committee could offer it on my behalf, I would appreciate it.
Well, you're the Chairperson now, so I don't know if you can offer it.
Sure. 41 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. I think Councilman Goode is going to do that. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. An amendment to Bill No. 7 051139 has been circulated to all members of the Committee, and for the meeting portion, we will move for the adoption.
All right. The amendment has been offered. It will be taken up in the public meeting portion of today's proceedings for a vote. It has been circulated to all members of the Committee. Any other questions? (No response.)
We will now hear 060048. Is there someone here to testify? And also on 0049.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, I'm Vince Jannetti, Acting Director of Finance for the City. I'm here to offer testimony on Bill 060049 and 060048. 42 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. Bill No. 060049 has a total of 30 transfers requested, including 4 transfers involving change in 5 departmental appropriations and seven 6 transfers between classes within a 7 Department, without any resulting change 8 in the Department's total appropriations. 9 And Bill No. 060048 is in the 10 Water Fund. It's an internal transfer 11 within the Office of Fleet Management 12 from Class 200 to 300/400 for vehicle 13 parts. 14 Again, I would ask for a 15 suspension of the rules to allow for 16 first reading at the next session of 17 Council, and if there's any questions, 18 I'd be happy to answer them. 19
Thank you. Are there any questions from 43 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. members of the Committee? Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This is for all the other bills? Everything is up?
48 and 49, great. I'm looking at the testimony for Mr. Nucci, Director of the Office of Emergency Management. There's mention made of the Emergency Preparedness Review Committee, which I think we had a briefing from that committee some time ago. Can we have some additional information about the pending consultant relationship that you anticipate through the EPRC?
You might want to identify yourself first and then 44 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. tell us what you want to tell us.
My name is Michael Nucci. I'm the Director of the Office of Emergency Management and I'm here to present testimony on Bill 060049, which is a mid-year transfer requesting a transfer of $1 million to be used for consultant services for the Emergency Preparedness Review Committee. The City of Philadelphia is, we feel, prepared to respond to most major emergencies, and its emergency responders and indeed all City departments have proven time and time again that they have the determination and resources to respond to the challenge. In the wake of 9/11, we have used both federal and local resources to train and equip our first-responders, including the Philadelphia Health Department, to meet the new challenges of terrorism. We have forged new alliances with the area's hospitals and surrounding counties. At no time in the City's history has it been 45 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. better prepared to meet the challenges of a major emergency. Yet, there is still a lot more to be done. The failures at all levels of government in responding to Hurricane Katrina and the continuing threat from terrorism has caused us to believe that we need to take a fresh look at our capabilities to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses, the adequacy of our resources and provide a blueprint for correcting any weaknesses. To this end, on September 16, 2005, Mayor John F. Street announced the creation of an Emergency Preparedness Review Committee, whose purpose is to analyze the potential catastrophic threats to the City; to evaluate the plans, procedures and resources in place to meet those threats; to recommend measures to deter as well as respond to those threats. The Emergency Preparedness Review Committee consists of members from virtually every City department, the 46 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. hospital community, utilities industry and the private sector, including two selected by City Council leadership. It is co-chaired by Pedro A. Ramos, the Managing Director, and Dr. Harvey Rubin, Director of the University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Strategic Threat Analysis and Response. Its various subcommittees will examine everything from continuity of government to emergency response, to critical infrastructure, to public communications and vulnerable and special-needs populations. To assist with the process, provide expertise and develop a final report, the City, after a detailed evaluation, has selected James Lee Witt Associates as consultant for the project. Pursuant to its contract, James Lee Witt Associates will analyze data, plans and documents; enlist experts to advise on certain issues; facilitate the work of the various issue-based subcommittees and prepare the final evaluation and 47 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. recommendations. This completes the formal portion of my testimony. I will be pleased to respond to any of the questions you may have. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Nucci, Mr. Witt was formerly with --
That's a little while ago. And, what, he presently has a firm and provides consulting services?
And how many people participated in the RFI process? 48 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC.
We sent the proposals out to four different firms that we felt had the experience in this area.
And when was it completed? When was the process completed?
I think the final choice was made by the Managing Director and the Mayor December, early December.
Early December. How did you arrive at the million dollar figure?
Well, the actual proposal is close to a million. It's 980-some thousand dollars.
I understand. In the government, that's a million dollars. How did you arrive at that figure?
That was the proposal that was submitted by James Lee Witt & Associates.
How long is 49 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. he going to be working for us?
This will be until the end of June at least when the report is due.
Six months and they have about people working on this full 15 time, plus they bring in experts in 16 different areas where we don't have the 17 expertise. So it includes the whole -- 18 plus really running the whole 19 subcommittee structure, providing the 20 minutes, everything from all the 21 subcommittee meetings. 22 The committee, as Council 23 knows, is rather large. We've drawn in 24 experts from industry, from Unysis, from 25 the hospitals, utilities. So to manage 50 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. that large of an operation, that's most of what their work involves.
They did work for New Orleans during and after and the state of Louisiana during and after Katrina. So they have that experience. And I think it was Dallas or Houston that they did work in.
So all of this work and all of this coordination, is there going to be like a report or a series of recommendations made?
Their contract requires to come up with an evaluation of what we're vulnerable to, an evaluation of our capabilities to respond to those things, and a blueprint for recommendations on how to correct any deficiencies.
And all of that is going to get done by June 30th? 51 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC.
That's what the Mayor's charge calls for. We're on schedule to do that right now, unless something falls behind, but it looks like the end of June is when we'll have that.
For which they're going to charge us a million dollars?
Clearly, I'm in the wrong line of work. Clearly. Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Did they work for New Orleans before or after the hurricane?
No. They were called in by the state of Louisiana and New Orleans during and then -- 52 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC.
Are there any other questions from members of the Committee? (No response.)
I believe that ends our public hearing on appropriations. Now we'll go into our public meeting. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Miller on Bill 060047.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill 21 060047 be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation and further request that the rules are suspended so as to permit first reading at our next session. 53 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. (Duly seconded.)
Therefore, Bill 060047 will be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation, with a suspension of rules so as to permit first reading at the next session of Council. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode on 060048.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill 060048 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next Council session. (Duly seconded.) 54 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC.
Therefore, Bill 060048 will be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation, with a suspension of rules so as to permit first reading at the next session of Council. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter on Bill 060049.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill 060049 be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation and further recommendation that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next session. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. 55 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. All those in favor? (Aye.)
Therefore, Bill 060049 will be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation, with a suspension of rules so as to permit first reading at the next session of Council. The Chair recognizes Councilman Clarke on Bill 051139 with an amendment.
Madam President, I move for the adoption of the amendment to Bill 051139. (Duly seconded.)
56 2/22/06 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 060047, ETC. Councilman Clarke.
I move that Bill No. 051139 as amended be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation and a request for rules suspension as to allow reading at the next session of Council. (Duly seconded.)
Therefore, Bill 051139 will be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at the next session of Council. Thank you very much. (Committee on Appropriations adjourned at 11:15 a.m.) 57 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on February 22, 2006, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)