Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are two. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. 10/8/09 - STATED - 2ND READING We will now consider Bill No. 090520.
An ordinance amending Chapter 17-1600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Economic Opportunity Plans," by providing that Council may by resolution determine that there are reasonable grounds to believe that a participant, contractor, project developer, or applicant for or recipient of financial assistance has failed to comply with the provisions of that Chapter and should be subject to debarment.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. The Chief Clerk will please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. That concludes our Calendar for today. Are there speeches on the part of the minority? (No response.)
Are there speeches on the part of the majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Madam President. Last week I rose to speak to lighting a candle and cursing the darkness. On the lighting the candle part was about MED Week, and I want to thank my colleagues for coming out and supporting, particularly Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. We had over 200 active businesses come out and support that effort. The Water Department, SEPTA, PECO and the Gas Works all participated, and we thank them. A lot of information on the green procurement opportunities was exchanged, and I believe we set in motion a great deal of activity by way of contract opportunities for women and minority. So thank you for lighting that candle. I also rose to speak to the budget and I cited that an inaction was in fact an action, and I have to tell you that I received a number of angry and concerned and not so well-wishing phone calls from parts west in Harrisburg and in between, and I wanted to say today on the record that if I offended any of them in any way, that after soul searching and sincere consideration, I really don't care. I really don't care, because people in my district are suffering. People aren't being paid. Businesses aren't opening. Senior citizens aren't getting their proper services. And I understand that progress has been made, and I applaud the State House for doing the people's business. I applaud them for that. But I also say that even though the war is winding to an end, many casualties are still falling. Businesses are closing. People have lost their jobs. Every day that we do not pass that budget, people are suffering. that today at, I believe, 12 o'clock noon, high noon, there will be a rally to talk about the 100 different ways the state budget is hurting Philadelphians. So, again, I join you to listen, because just because our work was done, there's another shoe to fall, and we should support all of the people that are depending on the people up in the Commonwealth to do what the people sent them there to do, which is pass a budget. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman DiCicco. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Thank you, Madam President. I want to quickly thank Councilman Green for his introduction of the BRT reform legislation, and although I wish this bill had been introduced last week, as most of us had expected it would, I appreciate his efforts and look process. And during that process, I'm certain that many of us will raise questions, concerns and amendments. I'm also certain that we'll be able to work through the process cooperatively, as all of us have done in the past. To ask the sponsor to create consensus prior to introduction I believe is unrealistic, and in the future, I hope we all trust in the legislative process that guarantees all of us our voices are heard and maintains an openness and transparency. Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Madam Chair, Madam President. With the passage of the dumpster bill, Philadelphia has moved one step closer to shedding the unflattering moniker "Philthadelphia." This bill addresses serious quality of life issues in both Center City and the neighborhoods, the scourge of dumpsters that line our streets and alleys. This legislation provides the City with increased enforcement powers necessary to clean up the City streets. As importantly, this legislation implements technology that streamlines the inspection and ticket-writing process. Instead of four City workers being involved in issuing a ticket, only one City worker will be involved in issuing a ticket. I'd like to thank all of my colleagues who co-sponsored this bill and who stuck with me for seven months on this bill. I had to miss two hearings, and Councilman DiCicco stood up for me and represented me at the hearings on my own bill, as did my colleagues Maria Quinones-Sanchez and Curtis Jones and Bill Greenlee, and I really want to thank this in my absence. Finally, I'd like to thank my staffer Seth Levi. Seth has put countless hours into this legislation, going as far to get up before dawn and photograph illegal hauling of dumpster practices. The reason we amended this bill so many times is because Seth recently informed me that he was leaving City Council and my employ, and he said he wanted to wait to get the dumpster legislation passed before he left. So I figured the longer it took, the longer I could keep him with us. But Seth has accepted a job with the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, so his public service will continue, and I would just like to publicly thank Seth for all he's done for me during the campaign and in City Council. (Applause.)
And we wish him luck on the important work of the Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you, Madam President. I want to thank Councilman Green for the introduction of the BRT bill today, and I just want to give a little history around the strategy on how we got here today. He had a bill that he wanted to introduce last week. We suggested, after a long discussion, that he wanted -- and he kept saying he wanted it to be a Council bill. So we said if it's a Council bill, then there should be input by the Councilmembers. The Councilmembers were invited. He agreed. Councilmembers were invited to participate in the drafting session. Those who were not at the table the day before met the next day. And all of the Councilmembers who were interested in participating in that discussion came out ideas and recommendations that are part of this bill today. So I want to thank Councilman Green for his cooperation. And there's also some concern whether it should be introduced last week, this week, next week. At the end of the day, we can't do anything about it until May. So the opportunity to have Councilmembers participate does nothing to delay the passage of this bill, because what we were trying to do is to have the bill prepared and ready prior to our starting our budget process and after the first of the year. So I think we have accomplished that goal, and we'll proceed to have a hearing on the bill. Individuals will have additional input into the legislation. I think everybody who had been here before and had voted on legislation that was hastily drafted, had to do with Charter changes, made a comment and were determined that they would not be in that predicament again where we have legislation that we passed in haste and then we regret it after it is done. We wanted to be deliberative about this piece of legislation. We wanted to have input by those Councilmembers who wanted to have input, and we were able to do that. But at the end of the day, as Councilman Green said, it is the citizens of this city who want to know that the process is fair, that their assessments are correct, and that is -- at the end of the day, that is what our goal should be, to make sure that our citizens have confidence in what we pass and that the new entity will be something that they can have confidence in. So I thank all of my colleagues for their patience. I thank all of the Councilmembers who participated and gave their ideas. And certainly there can as we discuss this during public hearings. We will hear from the public. We will hear from experts, and we will continue to deliberate that. And so I think at the end of the day, by the time we have to have this bill done for the ballot, for the May 18th ballot, we will have it done in time. So thank you, my colleagues, on behalf of -
I certainly share your comments. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Madam President. First, I would like to wish Seth Levi well and acknowledge that there was a ton of staff work involved in that bill. I wish I had known about Councilman Green wanting to keep him as may have had a better chance if I had framed it in those terms, that would you like to give Seth two more weeks, I think I can figure out a way. But we didn't have that conversation, unfortunately. But the other matter I wanted to just mention is that I signed on to the BRT bill after I got here this morning and I also want to recognize Councilman Green's efforts in collaboration and just hard work. There are some things I may disagree with, but I'll support them if they are in the final bill. And I think what's really amazing is that after decades of mayors, going back to the '50s, calling for the reform of the BRT, the Council is united with the Mayor to fundamentally reform the BRT, professionalize it, split the appeals from the assessments, and everything else after that is details. And I'm sure we'll have a lot of discussion about the details, but the behind us. Everyone has agreed on the basic fundamental reform. Thank you.
You're welcome. Are there any other speeches? (No response.)
Anyone else want to be recognized? (No response.)
Seeing no one, the Chair recognizes Councilman Clarke for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Madam President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, October 22nd, 10:00 a.m., 2009. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, October 22nd. say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. (Stated Meeting adjourned at 11:15 a.m.) 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 October 8, 2009, 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.)