Total cost of the contract, okay. All right, thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. I just had two questions. I want to go back to Councilman Kenney's concern about why people move out of the City, and representing an area that's just across the street from Cheltenham, we do see a number of the people from the Mt. Airy/West Oak Lane area who do leave and move across to (indiscernible). One of my favorite departments that I -- we find ourselves as District Councilmembers working with is the Department of L&I. And is there in this new budget an increase for staffing for L&I? Because, you know, I have a deep appreciation for all of the departments of the City -- the Police and the Fire -- but L&I impacts -- what they do impacts on the quality of 114 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059 life on people of the City on a day-to-day basis, and one of the problems we do have is the effort to deal with enforcement of L&I problems, because I've had, you know, people tell me, I just can't stand my neighbor who won't fix her fence or clean out her lot and nothing is done. And she say, I'm going to sell my house, I gotta get out of here 'cause I can't stand the trash, I can't stand the dogs, I can't stand the unsanitary condition of my neighbor's yard, I can't stand people growing vegetables in the front yard, and I can't stand this and I can't stand that. And so -- but then we just don't have enough people in the L&I Department for this enforcement and then to continue to make the enforcements stick.
During the budget process, L&I asked for additional inspectors to enforce a new fire suppression law, that request was granted, so there's funding for that. They asked essentially for restoration of the 1.5 percent cut so they could maintain their level of housing and fire inspectors, and that was also granted. So they got most of what they asked for in the budget process. 115 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059
I think some of what we have to do, though, is make better use of the resources that we do have, make better use of the technology that can be brought into the Department to allow it to function more efficiently. I don't think it's simply an increase of dollars or people into the Department, but I think we recognize that this is one of those critical departments that has to be linked more closely with what else is going on in neighborhoods with what the Law Department is doing. And so we're working on that. One of the things that, hopefully, will happen in the short term is a real focus on trying to get technology into the Department. It's still extremely labor-intensive. Simply, you know, once reports done out and the community getting it back in, transcribed. I mean, it is a system that's not functioning as it ought to. And so we're going to be spending time taking a much harder look at that, in part, because it is a critical part of any neighborhood transformation initiative. It's not just tearing down buildings, but it really is getting a handle on the conditions in neighborhoods. And L&I has to 116 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059 function in a more strategic way in order for us to do that.
Do we see light at the end of the tunnel? I mean, are you really planning on working with their technology and computer system?
Yes. They've had a request in. I think we now, in part with the new CIO, have the capacity to really take a project from beginning to end. I think that we have a clearer sense of how they link up with some of the other departments. And, you know, we think we've identified funds to enable L&I to get the technology that it needs. It probably lags behind a lot of other departments in coming up to speed with technology. And so we recognize that as --
Yeah. And there's been training. The Law Department has been doing additional training for L&I -- I forget exactly when it started, but helping the inspectors trying to do some cross-training of inspectors so folk aren't just skilled at one kind of inspection but 117 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059 can do a number of kinds of inspections. When L&I testifies, they'll be able to provide more detail.
The other thing is, we talk about Philadelphia being a city and a county. Are we getting the adequate reimbursement for services from the State for our county responsibilities? Do we have to provide much of our City General Fund dollars for services that we provide that are county functions?
I think there are a couple of answers to that. In terms of the Department of Human Services, for example, we have a very high reimbursement rate: We're actually paying about 10 cents on the dollar. So in terms of those services, we are well-reimbursed. If we look at the several picture of our State funding, we don't do well compared to our competitor cities. It's one of the things that puts us at a disadvantage; we get less money from our state than other cities get.
I think it really has to do 118 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059 with the State's approach to funding the City, compared to other states' approach to funding their cities.
Have we talked to our legislative delegation about that?
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Just, I guess, a follow-up, similar to the last question of my colleague. Mr. Dubow, if you could get me the county costs for Philadelphia and compare it to the Allegheny County expenditures budget?
But also to the extent that you can find out -- I'll find out on my own if you can't -- the level of poverty in both counties.
Okay. I can tell you that in terms of income and property assessments, that we do worse than they do, but we'll get you that.
I mean -- and we've talked privately. I think it's the argument that 119 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059 we've never made that is costing us the most money with the State of Pennsylvania, and we might want to turn back the county to them since we're only doing it as their agent. Thank you.
Thank you. Can you tell us what amounts, if any, are included in the plan for the payment of Parking Authority loan guarantees? What are the specific guarantees the City is paying on and what's the status of those projects?
It's about 2.5 million. I'm looking for the exact number. It's for two projects; one is Walnut West and the other is Eighth and Market. And we actually had to make a payment on Eighth and Market, I think it was, a couple of weeks ago; we paid about 1.4 million.
No. In terms of the status of the projects, I believe the Parking Authority has determined, I think, at a board meeting that it will pay the developer in order to reacquire the Eighth and Market Street site. It 120 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059 then intends to make some improvements around -- on the site and perhaps do surface parking on the site. It will have to come back to City Council, I believe, in order to change the plan that was proposed in the bond financing, but I believe that that is its short-term plan for the site.
Okay. In the Mayor's budget message, he did mention about the possibility of expansion for the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and I notice that that is not in the Five-Year Plan.
To answer your last question first, the two garages, the total about is about 4.7.
The Administration believes that it's probably -- that it is important to expand the Convention Center. There is not a plan to fund the financing. There are preliminary conversations going on with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and that is something that we would 121 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059 have to take a look at how it is the City might participate in some kind of financing. But it has not reached that point. But I think what we wanted to signal in the Five-Year Plan is a continuing commitment to the tourism industry and that we can't leave it at midpoint, that the center needs to grow if in fact the rest of the investments we've made in the industry are going to be realized. But we would to reopen the Five-Year Plan and figure out how we are going to afford that, if it comes about. It looks like it's possible.
Thank you. Are there any questions from any committee member? The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. I have a quick follow-up question with regards to the dollars for the after-school investment. The testimony on , third paragraph, indicates that there's a $10 million investment. Does that include federal dollars or are those all City dollars? 122 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059
And the beacon schools, that's a relatively new phenomena for our city, correct? (Witness comes forward.)
I'll ask the Managing Director, Estelle Richman, who's taken a new interest in trucks and snow removal.
I am Estelle Richman, City Managing Director. And I can show you pictures of my trucks now rather than my grandchildren. (Laughter.)
But in any case, no, Philadelphia has had a prototype beacon program here that was run here by Congreso for the last couple of years. This, however, is a major expansion of that, and we will have, I believe, 11 new beacon programs starting up in, around the 1st of March.
1st of 123 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059 March.
You'll tell me if I should wait till we hear from DHS with regards to evaluation protocols and that kind of thing. Since it is new, we want to be certain that those dollars are used to the maximum.
Yes, the DHS testimony and actually some of the testimony that will be presented under social services will cover our quality assurance efforts, not only for the beacon schools, but also for the rest of the after-school programs.
And they will be managed under the supervision of DHS or the Department of Recreation?
The after-school program is really seen as a joint initiative around social services. So no one department has sole responsibility. It's our way of being able to integrate the services so that we can really make sure they're very accountable. And the beacon school and the after-school programs work closely with the Office of Child 124 2/11/02 - FISCAL STABILITY - RES. 020059 Policy, the Safe and Sound Program, the Recreation Department, the Behavioral Health Department, and the Department of Human Services.
Okay, then. Thank you. That concludes my questioning.
Thank you. Any other questions from members of the committee? (No further questions.)
Thank you all very much. Is there anyone else to testify on this resolution? (No response.)
Seeing none, the committee will stand in recess until Wednesday, February 13th at 9:30. Thank you very much. (Proceedings end at 12:15 p.m.) - - - 125 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia's meeting of the Council Committee on Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation of Monday, February 11, 2002, are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. RE: Resolution No. 020059 _______________________________, Josephine Cardillo Registered Professional Reporter and 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.)