A privileged resolution honoring the life, legacy and memory of Dito van Reigersberg, theater artist, accomplished singer, cabaret star, and incomparable Philadelphia Dry Queen, who performed as Martha Graham Cracker on the occasion of his passing. Introduced by Councilmember Landau.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Landau for a motion on the resolution.
I 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the next resolution.
Authorizing the City Council Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings examining the strategy and tactics deployed by 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING the City of Philadelphia for crowd control during and following public events as a result of reports of overly aggressive tactics used by the Philadelphia Police Department following the 2026 LGBTQ Pride festivities. Introduced by Councilmember Landau.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Landau for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and congratulating the 2026 Frankford High School Pioneers Baseball Team on winning the 5A City Championship and celebrating their outstanding academic and athletic achievements. Introduced by Councilmember Lozada.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Quetcy Lozada for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution authorizing the Committees on Transportation and Public Utilities and Public Safety to hold joint public 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING hearings examining youth safety on and around SEPTA and identifying coordinated strategies to prevent violence, support young people and protect all riders. Introduced by Councilmember Young.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion on behalf of Councilmember Young.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of Councilmember Young, I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing the Philadelphia Police Department, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, and community partners for the positive impact of the Summer Night Lights initiative, and encouraging Philadelphia residents and families to participate in the 2026 Summer Night Light series. Introduced by Councilmember Young. COUNCIL PRESIDENT 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING JOHNSON: Chair recognizes Councilmember Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion on behalf of Councilmember Young on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of Councilmember Young, I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
Anyone opposed? (No response.) COUNCIL PRESIDENT 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING JOHNSON: The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Bernard Havard, President and Producing Artistic Director of the Walnut Street Theatre Company. Introduced by Councilmember Squilla.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Mark Squilla for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING resolution be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution also naming Lombard Street, between 6th and 7th Streets, as "Bishop Richard Allen Way" to honor the life and legacy of Bishop Richard Allen, founder of (Mother) Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and the African Methodist Episcopal Church denomination. Introduced by 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilmember Squilla.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Mark Squilla for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and congratulating the Science Leadership Academy/Palumbo Girls Lacrosse Team upon winning the 2026 Philadelphia Public Girls Lacrosse Championship, recognizing their undefeated season, outstanding athletic achievement, leadership, perseverance and positive impact as role models in their school and community. Introduced by Councilmember Bass.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Congratulations. Chief Clerk, please read the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring Lankenau Environmental Science Magnet School and standing in solidarity with Lankenau and other schools slated for closure as a 6/11/26 - STATED - 2ND READING result of the proposed School District of Philadelphia's Facilities Plan. Introduced by Councilmember Ahmad.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that a resolution 18 be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
Council President, there are no further resolutions in my possession.
That completes our Calendar for today. Any brief speeches on behalf of the Minority? Chair recognizes Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke.
Thank you, Mr. President. Keeping it tight. But last day, a couple of things I want to hit on before we get out for the summer. We heard from Neighborhood Restoration tenants today who are on the front lines of what will be a rolling displacement crisis in our city as long-term HUD contracts expire and affordable housing evaporates. And now, we're hearing that HUD literally wants our capacity to build public housing to evaporate as they're cutting acquisition programs and flirting with lowering the Faircloth Limit on public communities that we can't have. E. Plan funding. That's all I'll say on that. But I think we got to really rethink this or think on it some more. To continue kind of in the same vein, I'll just say in the same district, and say I'm grateful to my colleague Councilmember Jamie Gauthier for her commitment to combating the cost of living crisis, this Just Water package seems just right to me. So thankful for your focus on it, seeing it and following up on that work. It's essential that we do just services to our communities. Another thing, I've got to shout out some of the bravest, boldest workers in Philly, because UNITE HERE is gearing up to strike during World Cup weekend. That takes some guts. Do I have a witness in the room? Workers deserve the world, so I applaud UNITE HERE for showing that fact while Philly is in the global spotlight. To the workers, you have my solidarity. And considering the track record of this particular body and a nod to the Chair of Labor Chairman Harrity, you should also have our subsidiarity, which is a term that the Pope recently brought up, reminding us about what solidarity means, because Philly is a union town, so more power to you. Let the wind be at your back, because we certainly are encouraging you and supporting you. Also earlier this week, State Representative Elizabeth Fiedler's Digital Ads tax passed out of the House with a bipartisan vote. If folks saw the news, this bill would actually require multinational corporations to pay their portion, their fair share, as we say, without passing the cost on to consumers. Catch that. When we talk about "holding billionaire tech companies accountable," this is what that actually looks like. Okay. Not a tax that's written into its very text -- thank you, Member Young -- saying that the consumer will be paying the extra cost. I don't think any PR machine is good enough to spend that as a tax on big tech, not when the truth is right there in black and white. That's what we call our aggressive tax. And this tax is projected to generate $500 million annually for the state. That's not chump change, $500 million annually. If taxing big corporations on just this one thing will generate that much revenue, imagine what we could do if we really got creative in Harrisburg and in City Hall, for that matter. That's a lot for one thing. So I urge the PA State Senate to pass this bill and the rest of the legislation in the Tax Billionaires Fund PA Legislative package. Now, while that is potentially big news for the state budget, our focus here is on the budget that we passed here today. And I really do appreciate the Administration's commitment to the Zero Fare program, a program that we need to continue to fund for years to come. This is twice over they've done that, and I do appreciate Madam Parker -- Mayor Parker, excuse me, for her focus on that, just the same as our Proactive Inspections program, which L&I is truly going to get off the ground this year thanks to the Mayoral investments. I'm so excited that this is unfolding alongside the Safe Healthy Homes package, and I'm believing and ready to work to make this next year a sea change for Philly tenants, because they need it. And I want to be clear that these are wins for working Philadelphians, but also for grassroots organizing. Philadelphians were pounding the pavement organizing for both of these programs last budget cycle. So I want to applaud Transit Forward Philly.
If you're watching this back, thumbs up to you and to Renters United Philadelphia and Philly Thrive and every organization who have advocated for these programs for over a year. Organizing gets the goods. When we organize, we win. And lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention the school district. Thank you, Mr. President Johnson, for securing a deal that makes sure our other sacrifices in this budget were not in vain. Still, it goes without saying that we need a real long- term solution for school district funding, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the issue in the months to come. We have so much work to do and so much work to work on. It's so much to hold together, but it's our task. I know that we can do it. I am done. But I'll just say this one remark before I get off the mic. It is Pride Month. We had some interesting commentary and public comment today. A remark was made to me, I am not going to engage in debate with folks who are not necessarily on that same playing field, but I think as a man of the cloth, someone said, you're a man of God. I am. And so, as opposed to debating about that front, back and forth, let me just state plainly that trans people are made in the image of God. God looks at them and sees them, honors them in the fullness of their humanity, on the inside and out, and they deserve to be treated and respected. It's an odd thing to suggest that because someone is trans that they shouldn't be allowed in a building. Think about the kind of rhetoric that we saw shouted. I know it was for clicks and all that stuff like that. But also, we don't need more debates. We need those of us who recognize what thus saith the Lord, to speak clearly that these are God's children and they deserve nothing but respect and love and embracing as we try to find ways to make sure that they can live with the full dignity of who they are. Thank you so much, Mr. President. Have a great summer, everybody. I'll see y'all in the fall. )
Very well said. Any speeches on behalf of the Majority? Councilmember Jim Harrity.
I just wanted to be marked aye on any of the resolutions I might have missed when I stepped out.
Thank you very much. It will be duly noted, sir. Councilmember Cindy Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. And as we close this Council session today, I wanted to speak not to the loudest voices in Philadelphia, but to the voices that I feel like are too much of the time ignored. I wanted to speak to someone who was like my mother, a single mother trying to keep her lights on. I wanted to speak to the senior citizen living on a fixed income, wondering if they can afford another tax increase, another utility bill, another unexpected expense. I wanted to speak to the working men and women who wake up before sunrise, work all day and still struggle to make ends meet. Imagine doing everything right. Imagine paying your rent, paying your mortgage, your taxes, your gas bill, your electric bill, and then waking up one morning to find a boot on your car and being told before you can go to work, before you can pick up your child, before you can take your mother to a doctor's appointment, you owe hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Imagine what that feels like. Imagine growing up in North Philadelphia, like someone like Herk the Chicken Man. Many of us know him. You have a skill, you build something from nothing, you serve your community, you feed children, you become known across the city and even across the country. And then one day you're told you can't do it anymore. Or imagine starting a running club, bringing together hundreds of Black and Brown residents every single week, helping people get healthy, helping people stay connected, helping people find a purpose. Then being told that bringing people together is somehow a problem here in the City of Philadelphia. Imagine being born in Philadelphia, raised in Philadelphia, working in Philadelphia and feeling like your neighborhood is no longer yours. Imagine watching development happen on your block while local residents struggle to find work. Imagine being a skilled carpenter, electrician, laborer or tradesman and watching trucks pull up with out-of-town license plates while opportunities pass by your community and how would you feel. And it begs the question people ask us all the time, who is City Hall? Who are we all working for now? I know, like many of you in the room, we're born and raised here in the City of Philadelphia. I know what it's like to be poor in Philadelphia because I grew up poor in Philadelphia. I know what it means to struggle because I've struggled. I know what it means to carry debt trying to build a better future. I know what it means to watch our neighborhoods fight every day against violence, poverty, addiction, abandonment and neglect. And that is why, if you know me, you know I've never been interested in politics for politics' sake. I'm interested in people. Always have been, always will be. I'm interested in the people of Nicetown, the people of Logan, the people of Germantown, the people of North Philadelphia, the people throughout my district. And they are fighting every single day for stability, safety, dignity and opportunity. The responsibility is not to win social media arguments. My responsibility is to not satisfy every activist, commentator or political critic. My responsibility is to fight for my people and that's what I'm going to continue to do to those who want to fight for the seniors who want to stay and age in place in their neighborhoods, to fight for returning citizens trying to rebuild their lives, to fight for young people who deserve an opportunity instead of violence, to fight for families who deserve a chance to stay in the neighborhoods that they helped build, that they've held down. And while others spend their time talking and performing, we have been working. We're building recreation centers, we're investing in parks and playgrounds, we're opening a new food warehouse that is going to distribute thousands of pounds of fresh groceries to residents. We are cleaning blocks, cutting dangerous trees, removing trash and addressing quality-of-life concerns. We are funding free summer programs.
We are creating opportunities for young people. This summer we have 12 young Black interns that will work in my office, gaining experience, mentorship and a pathway into public service and leadership, and that matters. We're serving seniors and supporting community organizations and helping our residents navigate city government. We're showing up where people live. Because at the end of the day, the people I represent are not looking for political theater. They are looking for results. They want safe streets, clean neighborhoods, affordable housing, jobs, opportunity and they want a government that sees them, hears them and fights for them. I know who I am and I know where I come from and I know who sent me here. So as we move into these summer months, one, I remain committed to the same mission I started with, fighting for the people of the 8th District and fighting for everyday Philadelphians, the people who built this city, the people who sustained this city, the people who deserve an opportunity to thrive in this city that they call home. Thank you, Mr. President. )
Thank you very much. Very well said. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. The Pennsylvania Constitution recognizes water as a basic human right. But for working families, rising rates mean pinching pennies just to keep the water running. And for those already beyond their means, it means dry pipes without running water. Our constituents can't wash their hands, clean dishes or prepare food. It's unsafe, unsanitary and unacceptable, but it doesn't have to be this way. Taxpayers own our water system. And we, as their representatives, have the power to make sure that Philadelphians have running water. And that's exactly what we did by enacting my Just Water legislative package today. We expanded the Tiered Assistance program to households earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level, families who were previously denied any relief at all. Council also codified the shared responsibility policy, a protection PWD announced in 2013 never put into regulation and quietly walked away for far too long. This city has made residents pay for fault in government infrastructure. Take my constituent Alexandra, she closed on her home in the 3rd District. PWD confirmed her meter reading and she did everything right, and then after upgrading her meter at PWD's recommendation, Alexandra was hit with an $8,000 bill for eight years of data the old meter allegedly failed to transmit. She did everything right. The city told her to pay up anyway. And there is Elva McGraw, a retired Philadelphia school teacher and two-time stroke survivor. Her daughter pays every water bill in cash in person with a receipt. In 2025 alone, the family paid $740 against $451 in actual charges. PWD's records show a credit of $5.90, meaning almost $283 just disappeared. When the family asked PWD to inspect the meter, the department refused. Let me be clear: The Water Department is responsible for these injustices. We have chosen to let these policy failures continue for years. No more. I want to thank my co-sponsors Councilmembers Driscoll, O'Rourke, Brooks, Phillips, Landau, Lozada, Harrity, and Squilla as well as Community Legal Services, especially Robert Ballenger, and every advocate and constituent who spoke up throughout this process. To Philadelphians worried about paying their next water bill, help is on the way. Thank you so much.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad.
Thank you, Council President. I want to start by thanking you and all my colleagues for a very productive session, and particularly you for helping us navigate this final budget, including the work we did for the school district. I'm grateful for that. We tell our children education is the fundamental tool that you need to be successful in your life, and yet we've put barriers along their way, right here in Philadelphia. And today I introduced a resolution to recognize Lankenau Environmental Science Magnet High School and all the other schools who are fighting for their life right now. Yesterday I was at Lankenau's graduation, and it was my great honor to be able to celebrate these young people who have been not only fighting for their school but also continuing with their education and performing. You heard today during public comment two teachers from Lankenau who highlighted all the achievements they've made this session, not years ago, this year, these last few months, while they've been fighting for their school's existence. So I am grateful for these young people who have shown such resilience, and it affirms my commitment to standing in solidarity with them, with the students, faculty, families and staff. It is also my pledge to stand up for the other schools for closure in the school district. We need to have the school district show their work so we can proceed in a very thoughtful manner. I want to thank my Education Chair Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, Chair of the Education Committee, and say again, the fight is not over. Lastly, I'd like to highlight my bill regarding T and U visas that was just passed by all of you. Thank you for your vote. The bill is about public safety. When survivors of human trafficking or crime fear coming forward, they stay silent, and a city where victims stay silent is a less safe city for all of us. With that, I say happy summer to everyone. Have a safe and fun time, and I yield back the balance of my time. Thank you, Council President. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau.
Thank you, Council President. Thank you, everybody. I promise to be quick. I wanted to just congratulate all of us. This is the last session. So, to start, a lot of thank-yous that start with Council leadership to you, Council President, to our Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson, to our Whip Isaiah Thomas, thank you for leading us through this session. I want to give a huge thank you to our --
I have a Deputy Whip too. She's in the same meetings that we're all a part of.
I got you. Deputy Whip too. I want to thank the Clerk's Office, our stenographers, our Comms AV tech staff, our Sergeant-at-Arms, the sign language interpreters and Council President's staff for always supporting us and helping us through what is an arduous session. I want to thank my team for all of their support, Ted, Molly, Jeff, Barbara, Tess, Alyssa, Jasmine, Andre and Lauren, you're always amazing, but particularly this session. I want to thank you for Ice Out and for this wonderful Pride Month package that you put together today and all of the awards that we gave. For what happened today, I am feeling like the more queer joy and pride we bring into this room, into City Hall, into the People's House, it is bringing out more hateful comments and more resistance. But there are more of us than there are of them and we will just continue on this journey together. I promise you so much of that. And finally, very glad that we got our school funding together. I am committed, as I know we all are, to finding as much money as possible, to keep it recurring, to keep it sustainable, to keep more funding there, to fund transit, to fund housing, to fund our rec centers and our libraries and all of our essential community pillars, that is so important. I want to end by making sure that we take a moment to acknowledge that we lost an incredible pillar of Philadelphia last week with the passing of Gretjen Clausing, who was the Executive Director of PhillyCam, which I serve on the Board. She was an advocate for community media and public access TV and a dear friend of myself and so many others, and she will be sorely missed, Gretjen. (Applause.)
Thank you. Chair recognizes Councilmember Quetcy Lozada.
Thank you, Council President. I will also be brief because I know it's been a long session. And I also want to begin by thanking you for your leadership and the leadership of your leadership team for getting us through another cycle of budget season, another session -- another group of sessions of Council. This Council session was -- I don't even know the words to use. I know that we had some really high times and we had some really challenging times, but I think that what residents of this city saw during every single session was a group of people who are committed to ensuring that our city has quality of life, that we are fiscally responsible, even though at times we may not agree. I want to personally thank you because each time I either am in a group or I am having a one-on-one conversation with you, there's always a lesson learned, right. And I may not always agree with you and I may get really frustrated with you, but I want to publicly say, thank you for your leadership and for your guidance. It is --
It is because of those conversations and the conversations that I have had with Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson and Councilmember Thomas as well as other members of this body that I learned, right. I didn't know about how this part of politics work. But I think this Council session was a real learning experience for me. And I was able to also communicate and connect with residents of the 7th Council District in a different way that I have about this budget in the past. And it is because of them that I asked so many questions. It is because of them that I took many of the positions that I took, because they are the ones who sent me here. I am excited, just as they are, to learn that there was an agreement that was made in order to save the 340 positions. I am excited and so are they, about the fact that we save Conwell and that we saved Moffitt and that we were able to save Elkins and that other commitments were made for other schools in my district, and we're grateful for that. But I also think that it is important for us, my residents, myself and members of this body to better understand how the school district is spending their money, how are they allocating those funds, where is the money coming from and where it is going. And so, members of this body and myself sent you a letter. I appreciate the fact that you all received that letter and that we will be calling for a compliance and performance audit of the school district, because it is the only way that we will continue to have trust from our constituents and as a body and be able to provide our children with the education opportunities in every neighborhood that they deserve. And so, I wanted to publicly say thank you to you for having those difficult conversations when we were not always in the space. Thank you, Council President. I wish everybody a very happy summer. I hope all of you get a lot of rest. And I also want to congratulate all of the young people in the 7th Council District that have pushed through and have graduated and are preparing for their next journey in life. We are excited to see what you bring to the City of Philadelphia and we're looking forward to being able to watch you grow in the future. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. Very well said as well. She can be rough sometimes. But, yeah, thank you, sis. I'm just having fun. Councilmember Dr. -- I mean, because I don't think nobody's rougher than Jamie Gauthier, but it's all love. But I'll tell you why, it's all in the effort of us -- or the 5 o'clock text message from Anthony Phillips this morning, but it's all love. I appreciate all my members who are here -- yeah, 5 o'clock this morning. Councilman Dr. Anthony Phillips, sir. COUNCILMAN PHILLIPS:I sure did text him at o'clock this 5 morning. I had something on my mind. So I do want to say thank you, Council President, for your leadership, and also thanks to all of the members of City Council. Each of us, as I said in the past, we have our own level of expertise and talent that we bring to the City of Philadelphia in terms of what we do as public servants. And unified together, we work well together and I think we find ways to listen to our residents and also to listen to each other because we collectively have to serve them. So thank you to everyone, especially also our Majority Leader Kathy Gilmore Richardson is always keeping us at bay. So we appreciate her. I just wanted to briefly say listen, we've done a lot in my district. Community engagement has been incredible. We've also passed bills that will pour into our community, such as the Landlord Accountability bill, Tobacco Retail bill. We've addressed issues with the Water Department. We've organized a Youth Fund for the City of Philadelphia through City Council to get summer programs at a discounted rate to the Children's Scholarship Fund. And we've also created initiatives that matter to our community in terms of collaborative initiatives. We're going to continue to do that. The biggest thing that I believe in is representative democracy. What we saw yesterday, Council President, was achieved through representative democracy. When we listen to people, we find a way to work together. Sometimes we have a great idea on what we want, but sometimes that idea may not be what people want. And so, we got to figure out how to achieve that together. And I think that's what we saw. I just want to briefly say Wadsworth Day 2026 is coming up on Saturday, June 27th. It is from 12:00 to 7:00 p.m. Every member of Council is invited to join. We'll send you some details. Also, all of City Council is invited and the public as well from across the city. Headlining we have artists this year. We have Keith Washington, an '80s, '90s incredible artist. And then we also have Next, the '90s group with RL. And we have headlining Donnell Jones. So --
So Donnell, Donnell, where you want to be, where I want to be. So it's America 250 and we're doing -- he's looking --
I want to see how much budget they got up there in the Northwest. That's a heavy line-up.
Reverend Waller, where you at? I know the Enon thing going on.
All of our sponsors, including Enon and the Masjid, America 250 influenced the action movement. And also, it's going to be a high touch production. So all of us in the 9th District, every neighbor, you need to be here, and some of us are 9th District neighbors, including Ms. Wendy over there. So I look forward to seeing everyone at Wadsworth Day. We have adult carnival, kids carnival, cookout. It's a family festival. Okay. So bring your family. It is good for everybody who wants to feel good in the community. (Applause.)
Awesome. I look forward to coming up there and enjoying myself, same as I did last year. Okay. That's it. Just wrapping up, just to run down the tally for this Council session. Very, very productive. We've adopted 319 resolutions and 126 bills passed by this Council body, so give yourselves a round of applause. (Applause.)
I thought somebody said early on all we do is ceremonial resolutions. I think there's 319 bills. I just wanted to state that for the record. And as we leave for the summer, I'm just honored to serve with all of you. And I know for a fact we may discuss different paths on the how, but we all recognize the why is moving the City of Philadelphia forward, rather it's addressing the issue of human trafficking, rather it's addressing the issue of safe and healthy homes, rather it's addressing the issue of equality with income and reproductive rights and a variety of different other issues, we're all rowing in the same direction to improve the quality of life of all the residents here in the City of Philadelphia. And even ironically today is the last day of school for so many children here in the City of Philadelphia, I want to take a moment to acknowledge our Chair of Education Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who isn't here, as well as our Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson for working in partnership with me and my team, and our Finance Director for City Council Helen Loughead, working throughout this past weekend and making sure that those 340 positions that we all talked about, that we made a commitment on last week, that remain in the hands of the Philadelphia School District to support our young people, coming up with an agreement. I want to clarify the word agreement with Dr. Watlington and Chairman Streater and working in partnership with our Mayor Cherelle Parker to make sure we have not only the 50 million that we put on the table to save the 340 positions, but also making sure we're in line with our PICA requirements that that 50 million will be recurring every year, and we'll work to find long-term revenue to address the structural deficit with the Philadelphia School District. And also, Member Lozada, you are correct, yes, we have to do a deeper dive and make sure that they're doing their fiduciary responsibility and making sure they're spending the taxpayer dollars and what is efficient and so forth. But ultimately today, I'd like to say, as I said yesterday, being as though it's the last day of school, I call it Christmas in June, for those workers not having the opportunity to be laid off, right, and they have the ability to go into next year knowing that their positions are secure, and that was the ultimate goal at the end of the day. And folks still get to go home and say, we didn't raise your taxes when we're sitting inside the barbershop or the beauty salon and you're asked the question, are you putting more taxes on me, that's going to be a burden. And so, I just think all the hard-working members of this body, right, it's truly an honor to serve with all of you. And most importantly, I think there's great things to come as we continue to move the City of Philadelphia forward. And even as we go to Harrisburg and continue making sure that we did our part, we want to make sure that folks up there that we work with also make sure that every young person gets a quality education based upon their constitutional mandate to support our young people here in the City of Philadelphia, and they deserve it and they deserve nothing less. So I thank all of you for your due diligence on the telephone calls, the text messages, the recommendations. And this is the result of us working collectively as a body on behalf of the people who have sent us here. And so, with that being said I want to say, Happy Father's Day to the fathers. You know, half of them left today. But nevertheless, we still want to give a shout-out, especially give a special shout-out to Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke as well. And also, he's soon to be married though so he's a dad too, Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips, welcome to the club, sir. With that being said, the Chair recognizes my Majority Leader Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. President. I move that Council stands adjourned until Thursday, September -- September 17, 2026 17 at 10:00 a.m. 18 (Duly seconded.) 19
It has been moved and properly seconded that this Council stands adjourned until Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The motion is carried. Thank you all very much. Congratulations on a successful productive Council session, and please be safe during the summer months. - - - (Stated Meeting adjourned at 2:35 p.m.) - - C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence noted are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me in the foregoing matter, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. ________________________________ TANEHA CARROLL