Aye. The ayes are 15, the nayes are 0. A majority of all members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. The clerk will please read the title of Bill No. 990023.
An ordinance adopting the Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2000.
This bill having been read on two different occasions, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? The clerk will call the roll. Excuse me, Councilman Cohen, your light is on. Did you want to be recognized?
I'm sorry we BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990023 can't hear you. I don't believe you have your microphone on.
I want to speak -I'm going to be voting in support of the bill, but I want to state some concerns that I have. We are adopting the operating budget at a time much earlier than required by the Home Rule Charter. It is a time when people in the community are becoming concerned about the next year's budget, there are many ideas that have been expressed in the field. And it would be my hope, which I've expressed at various times, that I've that we not act earlier than the Home Rule Charter requires us to act, which is at the end of May -which would, for example, give us much more time to consider what changes might have to be made in the budget to deal with questions like after-school programs, which might involve the School District and various agencies of the City of Philadelphia. BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990023 We have a number of other issues outstanding such as the question of the amount of support for the School District, questions that were -- that developed as a result of the various hearings on the School District budget on the issue of books. And there are a whole host of questions arising as to what may be needed as the Welfare Reform Act becomes a real problem for the City of Philadelphia. So far, it has just begin to emerge as a significant problem, and I think that we ought to be waiting through the end of May. There's also another factor involved. Once we pass this budget, if issues that require the Council, in its judgment, to make changes, we are faced with the fact that we cannot make changes unless we have the Mayor's consent, unless we are able to muster 12 votes to override a mayoral veto. I'm not predicting vetoes; I'm urging cooperation between the Mayor and the City Council, but I always believe a legislative body ought to reserve its powers even as it cooperates with the Mayor. Currently, if we wanted to make changes BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990023 between now and the end of May, all we would need to do is to confer with the Mayor. If the Mayor concurs with us and he does not wish to take any money away from any other item, all the Mayor has to do -- and he's the only one that can do it -is to change the estimate of revenues. Once we adopt the budget -- and that's going to be the action taken today -- it means that if we have a disagreement with the Mayor, that we are then in a position to have to produce 12 votes to override a mayoral veto. At the current time, if the budget were not adopted, we would not need to do that because the Mayor could resolve all issues simply by increasing the estimate of revenues. We don't have that power under the Home Rule Charter. Therefore, I'm hoping, Madam President, that if matters do come up, that this Council will resolve to deal with them and, if necessary, be prepared to enter into discussions with the Mayor with respect to additional needs. And if that proves unsuccessful, that we will be in a position to exercise our legislative authority and, if necessary, to obtain the necessary votes to carry BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990023 out the will of the Council. Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Clark.
Madam President, Councilman Cohen and I had a brief discussion on this issue last week. I disagreed with him then and I do today because I believe there has been, and continues to be, an opportunity for Council to put its stamp on the final bill. As far as needing 12 votes to override a veto, that simply increases the size of any dissatisfied Councilman's problem. If you can raise an issue that is so compelling that 12 of us agree with you, then it's a done deal. I do think we ought to get this business tucked away, as those of you who have elections to do should be freed up to do it. As far as I'm concerned, we could stretch this out indefinitely, but I'm in a unique position here. I think that all of the people who wanted to be heard on this issue have had ample BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990023 opportunity to do so. And should they raise a compelling issue that we have not seen or heard before, this Council has shown its willingness to take on the Mayor on issues that we feel strongly about. And so I'm going to be disagreeing with Councilman Cohen who's an old, dear and trusted friend of mine, with whom I agree on, mm, better than 50 percent of the issues, but I disagree on this one. And I'll be urging my colleagues to join him and me in voting for this bill.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Madam President, Councilman Cohen and I have been agreeing a whole lot lately, so tread carefully here, but I just want to mention two things. One, the record should also state that not only are we passing the budget at a record early time, but the Mayor also moved up eight years ago and has continued in each of the subsequent seven years to give his budget message about two and a half months earlier than the BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990023 Charter requires. So our schedule actually is pretty much the same as it used to be; it just doesn't have the midnight pressure of the last week in May, and it's done in a more civil way in March. But I think the record should be balanced, at least that the Charter also says we have to get the message, I believe, by April 1st or the first week in April. We've finished the budget now before the Charter tells us we have to get the message. The State has begun doing the same thing, and they've had a much better time in arriving at bipartisan budgets since they started doing it earlier -- both the governor meeting with the legislature and putting a budget together and the passage. Lastly, I'd be remiss if I didn't both congratulate Mayor Rendell on eight straight. And I would also mention that all of us gave -- many of us, at least, gave great credit to Council President Street for shepherding the budget process through as early and as quickly as he did in the seven that he handled. And, Madam President, I want to congratulate you 'cause I BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990023 think most of us would agree that you've done even better. You trumped John. Thank you.
Thank you. Did the clerk read the title of the bill?
You did? This bill having been read on two different occasions, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? The clerk will call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 15, the nayes are 0. The bill passes. The clerk will please read the title of Bill No. 990024.
An ordinance amending BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990024 Chapter 19-2600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Business Privilege Taxes," by decreasing the rates of the tax based upon gross receipts.
This bill having been read on two different occasions, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? The clerk will please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 15, the nayes are 0. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. The clerk will please read the title of Bill No. 990025.
An ordinance amending Chapter 19-1500 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Wage and Net Profits Tax," by decreasing the rates of the tax.
This bill BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990025 having been read on two different occasions, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? The clerk will call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 15, the nayes are 0. A majority of all members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. The clerk will please read the title of Bill No. 990037.
An ordinance amending Section 1 of the ordinance approved June 25, 1998 (Bill No. 980452), an ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, Director of Commerce, Director of Aviation, and other officials of the City to acquire real estate and enter into certain leases and other agreements with the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development and other parties necessary to permit BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990037 development of two new airport terminals and other airport improvements. . .
This bill having been read on two different occasions, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? The clerk will call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 15, the nayes are 0. A majority of all members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. The clerk will please read the title of Bill No. 990032.
An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 1999 within the Grants Revenue Fund from the Director of Finance - Provision for Other Grants to the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania.
This bill BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990032 having been read on two different occasions, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? The clerk will call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 15, the nayes are 0. A majority of all members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. The clerk will please read the title of Bill No. 990033.
An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 1999 within the Grants Revenue Fund from the Director of Finance - Provision for Other Grants to the Board of Trustees of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
This bill having been read on two different occasions, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? BILLS ON SECOND READING - 990033 The clerk will call the roll.