Committee Hearing, April 7, 2009

COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 10:33 a.m. - - - Res. 090226 - Approval of revised Five-Year Financial Plan covering FY 2010 through 2014. Bill 090212 - Capital Program for six Fiscal Years 2010 to 2015, inclusive. Bill 090213 - FY '10 Capital Budget. Bill 090214 - FY '10 Operating Budget. COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Anna C. Verna, Chair Jannie C. Blackwell Darrell L. Clarke Wilson W. Goode, Jr. Bill Green William K. Greenlee Curtis Jones, Jr. Jack Kelly James F. Kenney Joan L. Krajewski Donna Reed Miller Brian J. O'Neill Blondell Reynolds-Brown Frank Rizzo Maria Quiñones-Sanchez Marian B. Tasco - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Specialists 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

Good morning everyone. Sorry for the delay. This is a continued public hearing of the Committee of the Whole. Mr. McPherson, who is our first witness? MR. McPHERSON: The first department is the Managing Director's Office. (Witness comes forward.)

Good morning. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Good morning, and good morning to the rest of the Council. I am Camille Barnett. I'm the managing director for the City, and it's a pleasure to be with you this morning. Since last year's budget presentation for the Managing Director's Office, this administration has refined our focus to four goals: The first is economic recovery and jobs. The second is enhancing public 3 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET safety. The third is investing in youth and protecting the most vulnerable. And the fourth is reforming government. To achieve these goals, we've undertaken a series of initiatives. As I discussed in last year's testimony, we have created four deputy mayors and a first deputy for administration to oversee operating departments. To strengthen these positions, the Managing Director's Office budget for Fiscal Year 2010 has been restructured. Previous budgets contained a scatter shot of eight divisions that crossed various aspects of City government. The 2010 budget has been streamlined to six divisions, one for each of the deputy mayors and first deputy and one for the new commissioner of parks and recreation this consolidation and reorganization of the budget better reflects reality. What I'd like to do is to 4 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET briefly describe the support that the Managing Director's Office provides for each of the deputies. For economic development, our first goal, the Office of Sustainability, composes the vast majority of economic- development portion of the Managing Director's budget. The total proposed allegation for this position is just over a million dollars, which is split between the General Fund and Grant Funds. The work of the Office of Sustainability is to constantly enhance the goal of making Philadelphia grow as a green city. Since continuing this mission in difficult times makes this goal even more important, we plan to fund nearly 57 percent of the projects of this division with grant money. For our goal of investing in youth and protecting the most vulnerable, the Office of Health and Opportunity composes actually a small portion of the Managing Director's budget. The proposed 5 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET allocation for this division is a little over $250,000, which is primarily the salary of staff members. For our goal of enhancing public safety, the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety gets quite a bit of assistance in the Managing Director's Office. The total allocation in the Managing Director's Office to support that deputy mayor and that goal is over $12 million; about half is in the General Fund and a half is in the Grant Funds. The operating sections of this office are some that, I'm sure, are very familiar to everyone on the Council, but these are funded through the Managing Director's Office. That's the Office of the -- the Criminal Justice Coordinating Office, the Office of Emergency Management, the Police Advisory Commission, and the Youth Violence Reduction Partnerships. We also have an initiative that supports both public safety and economic 6 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET recovery in this area, and that budget is the Office of Reintegration of Services for Ex-Offenders, formerly known as the Mayor's Office of Re-entry. This is where ex-offenders are offered the opportunity to learn new job skills. One other word on the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership: We will continue this program with significant investment in youth, and we sincerely hope that we will be able to expand that program through the use of recovery funds. 7 million is the General Fund and the rest are Grant Funds. These funds actually are only doing the following: They're combining two former divisions in our budget -- the Vacant-Lot Cleaning Program and 7 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Graffiti-Fighting.

Collectively, they've been known as the Community Life Improvement Program, or CLIP, so this change really just reflects a reality on the ground that's been there for several years. As this New Neighborhood Services Division, the group of approximately 120 employees, will continue their work beautifying parts of the City ravaged by abandoned properties and graffiti. Between 2007 and 2008, this group increased the number of properties that they brought into compliance with property and sanitation codes by 30 percent, or a total of $10,500. They also closed 15 percent more vacant parcels, bringing the number of parcels cleaned to over 12,000. 6 million in professional services for tree removal and maintenance of Fairmount Park. An additional division will be 8 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET created to house the newly-formed Department of Parks and Recreation, which will be composed primarily of salary support for the commissioner. Since these functions are going to be integrated over the next fiscal year, we will probably see a change in this in the 2011 budget, but this is where that starts now. To keep deputy mayors and department heads focused on data-driven decision-making, we've conducted Philly Stat sessions for the past year. As you know, because I know that several of you have not only come and your staff have come, but for the record, I want to say that the Philly Stat sessions regularly monitor the progress of the departments against standards that have been set for their performance. Much of the data that we'll be able to use in the future of Philly Stat sessions will come from the newly-created 3-1-1 Contact Center. Philly 3-1-1 9 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET serves as a single place for the City to receive and record concerns from our citizens. With a single source of data the City can determine how well we're meeting the service-request turnaround standards that the departments have set for themselves. Though it's still a little early to determine service improvements, Philly 3-1-1 has allowed the City to cut costs by closing smaller customer-contact points in other departments, most specifically the City Hall switchboard and the Mayor's Action Center. To date Philly 3-1-1 has received almost 300,000 calls about City information and services. We've also gotten a lot of customer feedback on 3-1-1, which is generally positive, and we continue to make efforts to improve and offer new services. I'd like to take this opportunity to once again thank Councilman Kenney for his initial and 10 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET continued support of Philly 3-1-1. By the end of Fiscal Year '09, we expect Philly 3-1-1 to have cost approximately $2 million. The Class 100, or salary, monies have spent on the current staffing complement. There are currently 47 agents and trainees, 6 frontline supervisors, and support 10 staff. 11 Of our $630,000 spent in Class 200 are contracts. The largest contracts were for almost $250,000 for strategic planning purposes, $143,000 for customer-relationship management software, and $96,000 for training for call-takers. In the FY '10 budget, 3-1-1 has a budget request to bring us to full staffing. That request totals just over $3 million. The numbers break down to approximately $250,000 a month in fixed operating costs. This would represent a full complement of 57 agent trainees and 7 frontline supervisors and 8 support 11 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET staff. The Class 200, for contract budget requests for this, is for the maintenance of existing City contracts but not for new professional-services work. The primary drivers of this line are the customer-service relationship management software and the fees for telephone activities. The Administration has also created a series of reform teams comprising members of the private sector as well as a diverse array of City employees.

The teams have been asked to identify efficiencies and cost-savings to the City and have a specific focus on some of the longer-term reforms in these areas. The Reform Team's focus is on the City's a largest departments, with the intention of finding large-scale improvements that will provide greater leverage in service delivery and cost-savings. The Reform Team plans to 12 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET have a series of recommendations ready for this fall. Together, these initiatives will continue to create solutions that move us closer to achieving our four goals. 5 million is in the Grants Allocation Fund. This represents just over $3 million, or an 11 percent, decrease in the General Fund from the FY '09 budget. These savings were achieved through a series of cuts that were needed to help the City balance the Five-Year Plan, in response to this unprecedented global and financial cries. Approximately $460,000 of the cuts involve shifts from the General Fund to the Grants Allotment Fund. 8 million, consists of new potential 13 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET sources for non-City funding to maintain our service levels. If further cuts were to come to the Managing Director's Office through the initiation of Plan B, the service impacts would be severe. Professional and administrative staff would be cut from the Administration Division, thereby reducing the capacity of work that the Managing Director's Office could handle. This level of cut would also result in a reduction in the hours for a Phillies 3-1-1 operation, which would condense to 12-hour shifts on weekdays and Saturday and one eight-hour shift on Sunday. In addition, Plan B, in the Public Safety Division, would see a loss of a logistics planning coordinator in the Office of Emergency Management, a core position that oversees debris management, restoration of essential services, disaster logistics, and resource management, management and maintenance of the City's Emergency 14 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Operations Center and emergency credentialing. There would also be varieties of reductions in the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership, with half the number of weekly visits to troubled youth, a decision that could make this vulnerable population much more likely to choose a life of crime. Our commitment to you and to the people of Philadelphia is to achieve these four goals while abiding by our core values of respect, service and integrity. We'll continue to make our operations smarter, faster, and better. I thank you for your partnership in these improvements and for the opportunity to testify this morning. I would be happy to answer any of your questions.

Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode. 15 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

Thank you, Madam President. Good morning, Dr. Barnett. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Good morning.

The Office of Reintegration Services for Ex-Offenders, aside from the new name, what has changed in terms of reintegration services? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Okay. I'll ask Deputy Mayor Gillison. DEP.

to come up. We've examined new staffing patterns, and we also have some differences in the new programs, and he'll be happy to explain it to you in more of the detail. (Witness comes forward.) DEP.

Good morning, Councilman Goode.

Good morning. DEP.

I'm Everett Gillison, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. 16 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET The model that we have adopted is a model that's a national model, where we actually target the numbers of people that we will be supporting. We are also looking forward to having a partnership with not only foundations to supply direct participation, but instead of the City doing the work itself, knowing that we don't have the ability to do that, we are partnering with direct providers in order to provide the services. We have a cap on the numbers of people available in the Managed Reentry Network; and as a result of that, our goal was to have 500 people being supported for an entire year, 250 of the most high-risk and 250 in the medium risk- categories, and making sure that they got into jobs.

In terms of targets, what are your specific targets? DEP.

I'm sorry. I didn't hear you.

What are your 17 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET specific targets? DEP.

We are looking at -- when you said the -- the category of assessments is where the targets are. And so, if a person comes in, for example, between the ages of and 9 24, that's the high-risk area deemed for 10 recidivism. We are also looking at the 11 numbers of convictions that they have, 12 and then the amount of time that they've 13 been out of prison is also one of the 14 assessment tools. 15 So using that particular 16 clientele or that cohort, that's who 17 we're trying to get to make sure that 18 they keep going straight.

So why you have targets is because you're trying to be more effective in terms of who you serve and target high-risk ex-offenders. Are there services offered to all ex-offenders? DEP.

At the 18 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET present time, the answer is yes, because we're still waiting for additional help with foundations coming forward. You are aware of a growing matter that we were able to announce, a partnership with Good Will, where Good Will is going to help us with the offenders that do not have any skills whatsoever. We will be able to provide a beginning operation for them to actually not only get paid but also learn some of the job skills that we're trying to teach in our job-readiness programs. So for the first 90 days, with an option for another 90 days, persons with no skills can actually come in, be part of the network, and actually get their skills-training at that time.

Specifically, if someone calls the office or someone stops by the office, what happens? DEP.

There is an assessment that is done. Since July 1st, when we started the Managed Reentry 19 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Network, we have had approximately 1200 people actually come into the office. We have done the assessments and we have tried to begin the process of weeding them or steering them to the proper places. And we have currently -- approximately 391 were accepted for the Managed Reentry Network. So they would come in, they are assessed. If we are able to provide them with a referral to a place if we can't deal with them directly, which obviously we can't deal with everyone directly, we try to point them in the right direction. But by targeting, we should be able to have a better use of the money that we have available to us, and that's what the national models have shown us.

And what have been the budgetary changes over the last few years? DEP.

It started out -- I believe that we were trying to get up to $2.1 million. And we -- the 20 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET prison budget actually supports this, and it's at a $1.2 million level at this time.

Okay, thank you. DEP.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Dr. Barnett, 3-1-1. You gave Councilman Kenney credit, for which I think he definitely deserves, but do you believe it's what Councilman Kenney envisioned, or is it what you envisioned? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Well, we're still working on it. In terms of getting 3-1-1 started, I think we have not only fulfilled our promise to implement it within the year's time, but we also did it in a time of severe financial cutback. When we look at our implementation of 3-1-1 with other major cities, we clearly did it better, faster, 21 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET and cheaper. And so I'm very pleased with the initial opening of the office. There are a lot of things that I think we can do with 3-1-1 that we're adding as we go through. We've been looking at connecting the systems for 3-1-1 with the work-order systems in the departments. That's happened in a couple of places, so it's just a lot easier to manage service requests on the back-end, if you can do that. The other thing that we're exploring is better access through the web. We've just now instituted web access to Philly 3-1-1, so anyone can go to the website, our phila.gov website/ 3-1-1. And you can get access to all of the information in the database. So if you want to ask a question about something in the City, you don't have to go through a 3-1-1 agent to do that; you can now access that information on the web. That gives us a great ability to expand our services and also a 22 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET real incentive to keep it updated. (Timer bell rings.) MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The other thing that you can do on the web now is submit your own service request and get a tracking number. So people can do that without having to call. We still have people who need to call and want to call, and so we'll always have that as a part of the contact center. I do think that we'll be able to do some things hopefully in FY '10 to add handheld technology connected to 3-1-1, because that way, many of the people who are City employees or neighborhood leaders who are out in the community can take a handheld device and be able to get that information in realtime into the 3-1-1 system. So I think that there are improvements that we can make. I still have the dream of making 3-1-1 region-wide, so that if you're driving around and you need something and it's 23 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET not an emergency, anyone can call 3-1-1, and then we'll have a system to disperse it. I will say that we're a ways away from being able to do that yet. So those are the things I think we could improve on.

Just very quickly: How would you rate the percentage of calls answered? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The percentage of calls answered, I think, is in the -- you know, within our timeframes, is in the 70-percent range at the moment. That's clearly below standard, and the reason that it's below standard is because we don't have the full complement of staffing. So if there's staff involved in the calls, they can't obviously take care of the other call. It's one of the reasons that in the next budget, we've requested the full complement of staffing for 3-1-1.

Thank you, 24 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Madam President.

You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, Managing Director. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Good morning.

It's good to see a project that's government-initiated move quickly, get completed. And, you know, I understand the problems of getting all of this, and I think the experience that I've had with it has been --

Councilman Rizzo, we can't hear you.

Okay. This is our next challenge (referring to Council chambers sound system). To be able see the system work as well as I know it can, but I have a 25 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET question about 3-1-1. Could you provide to the Chair the actual monthly fixed-costs? I know you -- in your budget, you talk about fixed costs in your statement here. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

But I'm curious about the monthly costs associated with the telephone company because -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I'm sorry. I didn't hear you.

With the telephone company and other vendors that support the system. Do you have a feel for what the monthly fixed costs are to Verizon for 3-11? 'Cause I know 9-1-1 is supported by the telephone bill. People pay a surcharge each month for 9-1-1. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Well, we'll --

But 3-1-1 is not going to get any of that support; am I correct? 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: That's correct, although since the 3-1-1 Contact Center is the backup center for 9-1-1, a lot of the retrofitting of the building to handle the 3-1-1 Contact Center was funded by the 9-1-1 surcharge that you get on your telephone bill. I have those monthly numbers for you now.

Okay. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: So in terms of the detail of the monthly charges or operations for FY '10, you want me to -- I'll do '10 first and then I can tell what you it is currently.

Okay. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: That our proposal would be 2,743 -- I'm sorry $2,743,914 annually. The monthly cost is $228,659 and a half, 50 cents. And then the Class 200, or the contracts, are $260,000 annually. Approximately $21,666.67 27 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET monthly; that goes to Novo, which is our software, at approximately an annual cost of $160,000. Language translation lines at $50,000. And Verizon costs at $30,000.

That's 30,000 a month? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: No, no, no. Those are the total -- the total monthly costs -- the total annual cost is $260,000, which is made up of those numbers I gave you. The monthly cost is 21,000, or about 22,000.

And that includes the $30,000 annual from Verizon? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes, that includes Verizon at 30,000.

Okay. Let's go back to the organizational chart. I was a little confused yesterday -- and I think some of my confusion was cleared up -- about the structure of this 28 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET administration. The managing director is at the top here and the deputy mayors report to the managing director; is that correct? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: That's correct.

Now, the reason I'm asking that is, you're suggesting in your testimony that there might be a sixth deputy mayor; would that be Michael DeBerardinaris? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: No. It definitely won't be another deputy mayor. It's where we have put Mike DeBerardinaris's salary as the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation. I fully expect that that will go to the Department of Parks and Recreation next year.

So this sixth department will be the Department of -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The sixth division is only for 2010. We'll present a different plan for 2011 when 29 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET we've got the complete consolidation of Parks and Recreation.

It says here, "An additional division will be created to house the newly-formed Department" -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Right.

-- "of Parks and Recreation, which will be composed of salaried support." That doesn't suggest a new deputy mayor. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: For the FY '10 budget, we needed to put the new commissioner's salary somewhere. Since there's not currently a combined Department of Parks and Recreation, we put his salary in my budget. I do expect that we will combine the Parks and Recreation Department, and so it won't -- it's only a temporary measure.

Terrific. Thank you for that. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

And 30 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET congratulations again on the launch of 3-1-1. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

You're welcome. On of your detail, you're requesting three full-time positions at a cost of $2,983,000. That would indicate an average salary of $994,000 per person. Can you explain what's happening in the -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I'm sorry. I missed the page. Tell me the page number again.

60. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: John, you want to help me with this. (Witness comes forward.) MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: This is John Farrell, who helped me put together 31 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET this detail, and I'd like for him to respond specifically to those items.

Thank you. Good morning, John.

Good morning, Madam President and members of Council. If you look at the detail page, there are only three positions listed. The rest are expenditure transfers to other departments; these are actually positions that don't go through the Managing Director's Office, but the Managing Director's Office does wind up paying the salaries for them. They're listed in the line items below there. It's expenditure transfers from Licenses and Inspections where it's got the 16; that means there's 16 positions whose salary is actually paid out of the Managing Director's budget, but the positions are housed in the Department of Licenses and Inspections.

Isn't 32 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET there a provision that prohibits that in the operating ordinance, in the operating-budget ordinance?

I'm not aware of any, Madam President. This is simply to -- they're originally paid by Licenses and Inspections, and the Managing Director's Office reimburses those salaries to the department.

That's not good.

Point of information, Madam President.

The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.

Could you tell me why that is the circumstance and why they are not paid by the department where they're working? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: They are. That's what this is.

Well, why are you paying -- why -- why isn't the 33 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET money appropriated to the department? Why are you transferring it to the department? (Witness comes forward.)

Steve is back. Welcome.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Steve Agostini, Budget Director. Councilmembers, I believe -- and I'm trying to get an answer to this. I'm not aware of the provision of it. If Charlie raised that as a question to you, Madam Present, there's probably something there, so I need to go look at it before I give you a response to that, so I'm trying to get some research on that. But I think, in many instances, there were a number of exempt positions that this administration inherited from the prior structure. They were allocated to the Managing Director's Office. 34 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET As you all know, the departments have certain caps on the number of exempt positions. Many of the positions that they're paying for from the Managing Director's Office that are then detailed to other departments are indeed in that exempt classification. But I'm trying to get you the detail right now so you know exactly what that is, what that looks like that. And that's -- as I understand it, it was sort of a custom administration that exempt positions were created in the Managing Director's Office and then assigned to various departments in the City.

I might understand Fairmount Park and MOCS, but what about L&I?

Madam Chair and Councilmember, I think it's the same thing, but I'm looking into that. We're trying to get an answer to that now.

Do you 35 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET think that we could get a response on that question before the end of the --

I'm going to try to get you a response this morning, Madam President.

Thank you. On , you're requesting $1.7 million for personal-services contracts. Can you tell us how these funds will be used? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: All of the items that you see on are for the CLIP program.

Are from... MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: CLIP.

CLIP? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm. It's all under the division that we have for transportation and utilities and is managed by Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler.

And much of that 1.7 million, almost the entire thing is 36 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET (inaudible) --

Sorry. Speak into the microphone, please.

Yes. The majority of that was what the budget -- or what the director described in her budget testimony, the 1.65 million that goes to Fairmount Park's tree-trimming program, is housed in that 1.7 million.

In the 1.7 million. And is that all tree- trimming?

Yes, it is.

So we should have a lot of trees being trimmed.

Yes. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: It may be one of the things that changes when we have a combined Parks and Recreation Department, so we might be able to make that show more logically next year.

Also, you're requesting $7.2 million for transportation and utilities for FY '10, 37 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET of which $6.7 million is in the General Fund. Can you tell us what these funds are and why they are not included in your budget -- and why they're included in your budget? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: This is the new Neighborhood Services Division that is combining the former CLIP Program and the Graffiti-Fighting Program. It doesn't represent any change. There has been no reduction in this budget; it's just combining those two operations since they've been functionally combined for a while.

Is CLIP now operating in every section of the City, or is it still just in certain sections of the City? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: There are certain things that CLIP can do all over the City. And when we get a request through 3-1-1 or someplace else, if it's possible to move people there, we will. But it's still primarily focused 38 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET in the areas that it was before, particularly for vacant-lot cleaning. If there's some problems with abandoned cars or those kinds of neighborhood nuisances, it's often possible that we can use someone who's in the field for CLIP. But it is still not what I would call full citywide for all of these services. It would be, it makes sense to do it, but we don't have the funding to do it. We had to stretch just to keep the current funding level. So that's the reason the service is split as it s. (Addressing MDO staff.) And you may want to say something else about that --

Point of information, Madam President.

Yes. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell for a point of information.

Thank you. Will that affect the -- this 39 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET grafitti removal, will this affect the Mural Arts Program? And if so, how? Let's hope not.

Thomas Conway, Deputy Managing Director. With regards to the budget, the $1.7 million was for tree removal and pruning. It wasn't in the Neighborhood Services Division budget; that is transferred. That was for the last request. With regards to graffiti removal and the vacant-lot cleaning, the budget's all been combined in the Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities. I think that kind of -- the Mural Arts --

Well, I don't know how transportation and utilities relates to Mural Arts and graffiti removal.

They had to put it somewhere.

We're 40 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET worried about our Mural Arts budget; we love the Mural Arts. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Well, one of the things we can do to help the Mural Arts budget is to be sure that if there is a funding line somewhere where they can be funded, we put 'em there. So Mural Arts is actually funded out of several different places in the City's budget as well as, I'm sure you now, by private funds that are donated to the Mural Arts Program. I believe it's our job in the Managing Director's Office to keep that program alive and healthy, and we're doing all that we can to make sure that not only the existing funding but also any new monies that might be associated with recovery that are available for Mural Arts, that we use that. So it's high on our list to be sure that it gets adequately funded.

And my last point on this issue is, if you gave 41 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET 'em at least 50 percent of the 1 percent art, we wouldn't have to have these discussions. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I think you're right.

Will you consider that? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Gary Stoyer is heading up that particular cultural arts activity, and I know that he's in conversation with several of the people who are funded through the 1 percent for the art, and I believe he will have recommendations for you on that in a few months.

Thank you. Thank you, Madam President.

You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Sanchez for a point of information.

Thank 42 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET you, Madam President. In last year's rebalancing, there were several cuts that were made to CLIP. Can you describe what they were, and can you give us an estimate of the reductions of the types of services you were offering that you did last year? because even though in this year's budget, there's no further reductions, I want to kind of put it in context last year's reductions.

And if you don't mind, I still am trying to get an explanation as to how CLIP is presently working. Is it citywide? And if it is, where are these employees housed? I'd like some information. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Okay. So let me just give you an overview, and then Mr. Conway can answer some additional questions. The CLIP currently operates in over a third of the City, and it's 43 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET expanded geographically when resources become available. The program, of course, as you know, started in one Council District, but as a compliance of property maintenance codes arose, the program was expanded to four additional Council Districts -- the 6th, the 10th, the 7th, the 9th, and parts of the 5th. Although CLIP is not a full citywide program, it is responsible for helping the police department in writing violations for abandoned vehicles located on private property citywide and for writing violations and managing the Vacant Lot Program and graffiti-abatement teams citywide. So that's the distinction. It's not -- there are only certain services that we're able to offer citywide. I think CLIP is probably one of our better programs, and I wish that we could operate it citywide, and we will as soon as we have the funds to do so. 44 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

Okay.

Madam President, point of information.

Yes. Councilwoman Sanchez, are you satisfied with your -- with the answer that --

No. You know, I still want to know the reductions of last year's budget because even though it's been stated that there's no new reductions, in the Rebalancing Act, there was a serious level of reductions, so...

The budget was reduced $929,000 from last year. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: And maintained at that reduced level for this year.

So what does that translate to in terms of your ability to abate properties, vacant lots, graffiti? Your service context.

Well, basically, it will curtail our activity abatement portions of writing the violations and 45 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET stuff, but I think with the combined efforts and compliance rates rising, we can expand to other areas, and we don't have to abate as many properties when people do comply with the --

How many were you abating prior to the reduction?

I think it was about 11,000 properties.

And how many do you think you're going to do with your reduced budget?

Probably, you know, hopefully about 8,000, roughly.

Can you submit to the Chair your activities by line item and where you think these reductions are going to take you in terms of your ability to intervene on all of the different pieces?

(Nods head.)

And I say this 'cause I have an increase of activity and needs in the lower 46 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET northeast, and everybody is extremely concerned about what this means. I'm glad that we're able to do some citywide stuff, but I want to see what the service cuts really mean, how they translate in this context of lack thereof.

(Nods head.)

The Chair recognizes Councilman Green for a point of information.

Thank you. Mr. Conway, while you're there, you mentioned this would impact your ability to write fines, I think I just heard you say. But how many fines are you -- how much in dollar-value in fines are you responsible for writing?

Actually, it's about the violations.

Violations?

Targeted violations. Roughly, we recoup about a half a million dollars through violations through L&I as well as tickets, CVNs, 47 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET with the Streets Department.

You recoup? How much do you write?

That I don't have. I can look up that information.

What's that?

I don't have that information on me now.

Okay. If you could provide that to the Chair, please.

Okay.

Thank you.

Can I add on to that?

Sure.

Basically what happens is, we need to bill the property for the cost of the cleanup. If they don't pay the bill, we do lien their property for the cost. Just recently, we've been inundated with calls regarding the lien process is working. People are responding to the request to pay the 48 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET liens now, which is good. They're asking for the violations and so on and so forth, which is, the process is working, which is a nice --

Great. It'd be nice to know -- since it's a lien on the property, you're likely to get paid, so we can count that money, unlike other fines and fees the City writes that has a very poor collection rate on? So, you know, what the total value of that is, and if you're not going to be able to write as many violations, then obviously, you know, we have to look at that.

Yeah. I think the violations will be written; we just won't be able to abate as many properties as we have in the past.

Okay.

Which really solves the problem as to what the community wants and, obviously, what the Council wants. 49 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

Thank you.

Mm-hmm.

The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.

Thank you, Madam President. And after my five minutes, I want a point of information so I can take another ten minutes. (Laughter.)

I know. Got the message.

How you doing, Dr. Barnett? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I'm doing fine.

Good, good. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: How you doing, Councilman?

Good. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Good.

You, in your testimony, referenced the fact that you, in your previous budgets, broke down 50 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET government from eight divisions to six divisions, and I would like to know, which divisions did you eliminate? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Okay. So I have the divisions that we had last year -- or this current year. The divisions that we had in the Managing Director's Office were: Administration. Municipal Energy Office. Graffiti-Fighting. Office of Emergency Management. Police Advisory Commission. Vacant-Lot Cleaning Program. Targeted Assistance Program. And Criminal Justice Coordinating Office.

So you eliminated -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: What we did was to take these activities and reorganize them by deputy mayor so that the support for the deputy mayors was clear in terms of what the Managing 51 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Director's Office does. And so all of these programs were reorganized so that it's clear what the Managing Director's Office actually does.

Okay. In your -- thank you for that clarification. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

In your testimony, you also referenced Reform Team made up of private-sector and City employees. First of all, who is on that Reform Team? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I thought you might ask that. I have a list, and I'll be happy to provide it; it's a lot of names. What we have here -- let me tell you which reform teams that we have: We have a reform team on Police. One on Fire and Emergency Medical Service. One on Prisons and Criminal 52 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Justice. Another on Human Services. One on Education. One on Energy and Sustainability. One on the development process. One on Streets. One on administration and technology. And one on customer service. We have a private-sector outreach board, which is a group of private-sector individuals who are helping us recruit people to serve on each one of these teams in the private sector. They serve with a deputy mayor or another senior leader of the organization so that we avoid the problem of having a report that nobody implements. So they're working together so that we can use experience and the new eyes and fresh approach from the private sector but also grounded in reality so 53 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET that they can be implemented. The members of the private sector outreach board: The chair is (indiscernible) Selnick, who's from Diversified Search. Daniel Fitzpatrick, who's president and CEO of Citizens Bank. J. William Mills, President of PNC. Michael Pierson, President of Union Packaging. Rosemary Turner, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of UPS. And Harold Yo, Chairman and CEO of Day Zimmerman. In addition, each of the reform teams have private-sector members, and I'll be happy to read them to you, or I'll send them to you.

I would appreciate if you would provide that to members of Council. My concern is that the -- and I know some of those names, and they're 54 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET great people, accomplished in their respective disciplines and businesses. But some diversity, by way of approach and perspective, is equally important in my mind. And then the question begs itself: What happens to the recommendations? And do they have labor-relations impacts? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: There are two points there that I'd like to respond to. First, if you have particular suggestions of people or perspectives that you want included, I would be very interested in getting it. This is meant to be an inclusive process, so any additional suggestions that you have are most welcome. And we're certainly at the beginning of this process, so it's not too late to join. And that certainly is for all of the Councilmembers: I'd be happy to get 55 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET some ideas about different perspectives. And we're generally thinking that the recommendations would be ready -- the major recommendations would be ready in the fall. But if we see something that needs to happen, and can happen, we implement it immediately. We are very cognizant of any labor-relations impacts and will work cooperatively not only with our Labor Management Steering committee but the unions as they want to participate.

'Cause in our discussions, we happen to talk to members of City staffs, inclusive of the labor unions, and they have some interesting perspectives -- (Timer bell rings.)

-- on how things could get done cost-effectively, and I want to make sure that those voices are heard as well. And I will hold the rest of my questions -- oh, one another -- 56 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

No. 3

Yes, ma'am. (Laughter.)

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco. And I would ask each member to please abide by the five-minute rule because we have just about every Councilmember that wants to ask questions.

Okay. Mine will be very short, I'm sure. Good morning. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Good morning.

Thank you for servicing my area, my district. He's very responsive, Tom Conway. On of the detail, there are some cuts, and I'm interested in the 57 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Town Watch services; has that program been totally cut? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: No. 5 It's -- well, actually, I think it has now that we've gotten -- Deputy Mayor Gillison is coming. I think you remember that in the Rebalancing Plan, we cut it halfway, and we've continued additional cuts. So more of that is going to have to be done through volunteers and paid staff. Deputy Mayor Gillison will respond specifically. (Deputy Mayor Gillison returns to witness table.)

Okay. I guess I should ask, what is the budget for the Town Watch services? How much has been cut? And how much do you think that they will end up with at the end of the day? DEP.

The exact -- I'm sorry Everett Gillison, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. 58 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Town Watch was cut; it was cut approximately 40 to 45 percent from -- during the rebalancing. It was then maintained at the same amount as we went forward for the next year. We are trying to target what we do with the money that we have by keeping the block captains and keeping them not only involved but using utilizing a couple other technology ways to organize them in a different way than they were before. I have -- because Town Watch is under my purview, I've been also able to use the Office of Emergency Management and their ready-notify P.A. in order to begin to using e-mail and electronic ways of communicating not only with each other but with the police and the police department. So by taking more of a holistic approach to the limited resources that we have, we're trying to get more bang for our buck by keeping them involved. 59 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET I also want to take and use the Fire Department to bring those block captains as well, to be able to train them not only for policing with eyes and ears, but also looking out for each other's neighbors when a fire should happen or at least fire prevention services. So we're trying to really have a different kind of approach to Town Watch. It's not just going to be block captains and eyes and ears, but expanding it to all of public safety. And I understand, even talking with the Managing Director and with Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler with the Streets Department, expanding their capabilities as well. So we're trying to pool as much as we can to help our citizens help us do -- deal with the government.

Okay. Thank you very much. Also on , Madam Managing Director, you have a number of Grant 60 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Funds listed. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

Could you give me some idea what these programs -- let me be just more specific. What -- what is Solar Cities? I imagine -- and Open Space? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

I guess they would be the two that I would be interested in. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Solar Cities has to do with our Stainability Program -- and I'll ask Mark Allen Hughes to come and respond to that -- and also to the William Penn Foundation's Stability Plan.

Mm-hmm. (Witness comes forward.)

Good morning, Madam President. Good morning, Councilwoman.

Good morning.

Let me respond first 61 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET on the Solar Cities America Partnership. That's a U.S. Department of Energy grant for $200,000 as well as some further in-kind from external partners to the City that is helping us expand the amount of solar energy in the City, that's actually deployed and built in the City. It's a two-year grant, and we're managing it through the Mayor's Office of Sustainability.

Okay. What about the William Penn foundation open Space Plan?

Now, the Open Space Plan is actually different. That is not directly under the control of the Office of Sustainability, but I could speak a little bit about that, which is -- it's supporting the work of the Green Plan, which is an Open Space Plan that has been underway for several years now, and this is the last piece of it, as they kind of land that big effort over the last several years and produce a report. 62 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET We're also using -- in our larger sustainability plan, we're using some of the findings of that Open Space Plan.

Okay. Thank you very much. (Timer bell rings.)

I just have one more question. You talked about the trees in the Fairmount Park. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Uh-huh.

Was that -- would those monies go to Fairmount Park in the next year? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: That's what I expect, yeah. There's no 19 particular reason they're in the MDO budget, so when we combine the two operations, we will probably have a new recommendation on the placement of those funds.

Mm-hmm. So now, if someone wants a tree cut. 63 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: They still call Fairmount Park. It's just the funding --

The funding? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: What it is, we transfer the funding from the Managing Director's Office to them to do the work.

Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you, Madam Chair.

You're welcome. Oh, before I recognize the next Councilmember, I understand that the budget director has a response to the question that was asked earlier.

Yes, I do. Thank you, Madam President and Councilwoman Tasco. With respect to those positions, the $3.4 million that was a question on , there are 116 positions that are 64 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET in three other departments: 92 positions in MOCS, those are all exempt; in 4 Fairmount Park; and 16 in Licenses and 5 Inspections; those are not exempt. 6 These are transfers of 7 expenditures back and forth between the 8 MDO and the departments. We settle up quarterly. We do notify Council on a quarterly basis that we are providing that. If it's the desire of the Councilwoman and the President, we will get you copies of those requests to settle those funds. And the reason this has been done, as I understand it, is that the sort of infrastructure in CLIP in terms of doing timesheets and doing the management and the supervising of those individuals is not sufficient, and so it made more sense to put them in these departments directly. And that's what I understand has been the case for sometime.

Thank 65 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET you.

You're welcome.

The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.

Thank you, Madam President. Good morning. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Good morning.

First, on a light note, Doctor, you had mentioned, I think, in your first question to Councilman Goode about you vision down the road of being able to be in a car and handle a device to call 3-1-1 -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Oh, I --

-- and, obviously, you wouldn't do that while driving, right? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Oh, certainly not. And no cell phone either.

Okay, 'cause that would be against the law. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes, 66 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET that would be --

And we certainly don't want that. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: No. And that would certainly not be my recommendation.

Okay, all right. Just checking on that. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yeah. Pull over.

Thank you. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Or do it while you're walking.

Okay, that's good. I just had a couple of questions on the Neighborhood Services Division. A lot of 'em got answered, but you mentioned in your testimony a group of approximately 120 employees will continue the work. Is that -- is that less than the combination of the two divisions, or are we talking about less people now or -- 67 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: It should be the same about --

About the same? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: There's been no cut from the Rebalancing Plan till now.

Okay. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: So it's approximately the same number of people.

It's approximately the same. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: (Addressing MDO staff.) Do you want to respond? They said I was right.

Oh, okay. Good. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: So --

Okay. And I think Mr. Conway said that one of the things that would be less is the abatement. How about the actual -- some of the other things that you do; will 68 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET that be lessened, if you could tell me?

With regards to enforcement, there will be probably, most likely, the same amount of violations written.

Same amount?

Same amount of CVNs written.

Okay.

The abatement for the -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: What's that acronym mean?

Code violation notices.

Thank you. It's people power.

Right. Okay. So other than that, it would stay about the same.

Yeah, it would stay about the same. Just the abatement will be cut a little bit. 69 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET But, hopefully, with community service workers and getting other people to join in with the cleanups of the neighborhoods, we won't need as many abatements on private properties.

Okay.

And, again, it's about compliance. If we write the violation, the whole thing is to make them comply with their own violation.

Sure.

So the City doesn't have to abate the property.

Mm-hmm. And I agree with what everybody else has said: The program seems to be working extremely well.

Thank you.

That, Mr. Conway, you do a great job.

Thank you.

Last question on tree-removal maintenance. This is basically what Fairmount Park has 70 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET been doing before, right? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes.

And you'll still be working both in Fairmount Park -- in the park itself and on street tree removal? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes.

Do you envision being able to do less or about -- again, about the same on that, would you think or -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Well, as you recall, in the original budget for 2009, our recommendation was to add money into Fairmount Park for these kinds of things.

Mm-hmm. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The tree pruning and removal as well as tree plantings so that we replace our urban canopy of trees. In the rebalancing, those funds have essentially been reduced to nothing.

Right. 71 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: So what we have is what we have currently funded in the Managing Director's Office and anything that we can get from Fairmount Park's budget. So it's -- we're not nearly at the level that we should be.

Mm-hmm. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: And I think it's our intention that when there is adequate funding, this would be one of the places we would put funding back.

'Cause, obviously, we get a lot of -- I'm sure you hear -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yep.

-- a lot of complaints about trees and whatever. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yeah.

I think that -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The program is managed through Fairmount Park. 72 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

Right. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The Managing Direct's Office does not manage it.

Right. No, I understand. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: It's just a money transfer.

I understand, okay. But I think on average, I heard one time they try to trim trees -- what is it, every seven years or ten years or something like that? Is that -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yeah.

-- pretty much going to -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: It depends on the kind of tree. But generally, yes.

Right, okay, all right. And you think that may stay somewhere around the same area, maybe a 73 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET little longer? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I don't think there's a significant funding change from what the low level of funding was before.

Right, okay. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: We had hoped to add --

Add, right. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: -- but we have been unable to add.

Right. I gotcha, okay. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

All right. Thank you both. Thank you, Madam Chair.

You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.

Thank you, 74 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Madam Chair. Good morning. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Good morning.

You have testified that there's a General Fund reduction of percent. And, actually, 9 you've gotten 5 million in grants, a 10 great increase in grant funding, which I 11 commend you for, which has allowed you to reduce the General Fund expenditure from -- that would be from the FY '09 budget. What is the General Fund expenditure difference between the November of 2008 Rebalancing Plan and the FY '10 budget, on an analyzed basis? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: (Addressing MDO staff.) John, do you want to come up here. The major difference in the General Fund portion has to do with the funding of 3-1-1, and I could get you the specific numbers as soon as my staff gets 75 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET up here. (Mr. Farrell returns to witness table.)

So the question is: How much more are we spending in the administrative portion of the Managing Director's Office since December of 2008? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Do you want the whole budget or just administration?

Just administration. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Let us do some math. We'll get right back to you.

I just think, you know, if you're increasing costs in the department but the testimony sounds like you're decreasing costs, and I want to make it clear to everybody that, you know, a lot more money is being spent. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes, Councilmember. The reductions that we've 76 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET had in administrative costs are more than offset by the increases that we've had for 3-1-1. So the total budget does go up because 3-1-1 was included.

Right. That just wasn't mentioned in the testimony, and I thought people ought to be aware of that. So with respect to 3-1-1, how does -- explain -- your testimony mentioned, I think, that the City has cut costs by closing smaller customer-contact points and other departments, most primarily City Hall switchboard and the Mayor's Action Center. What are the dollar-savings from closing smaller customer-contact points? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: It's about a million dollars a year, and those costs are no longer being spent for those smaller operations, but they have been folded into the 3-1-1 costs.

So can you, by department, tell us what positions 77 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET were eliminated in departments that result in a million dollar savings? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yeah. It's all of the people that were in the Mayor's Action Center and in the City Hall switchboard, which is in the Public Property. That represents the million dollars of costs from consolidation of previous call centers.

Okay. If you could just provide the detail to the Chair. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Sure. I'd be happy to.

So, really, have we eliminated any positions? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: In the Managing Director's Office?

No, as a result of the implementation of 3-1-1. When you look at all of government in terms of, does 3-1-1 cost us more or less due to its existence? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The 78 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET investments that we've made in 3-1-1 in terms of labor cost have all been either consolidation of the centers, hiring people from other departments who were laid off, or hiring people from other departments through voluntary transfers, or because they have applied, through the civil service system, to be an agent and were hired from their previous department through that process. So there have been several different ways that people have come over to 3-1-1. But everyone so far, except for the director and the assistant director, have been previous City employees.

Right, but their positions have been eliminated, so it's the same as a new hire. And what I would like you to do is, give the -- if you could provide the president a chart sort of explaining that -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Okay.

-- I would 79 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET appreciate that. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I have it right here, and I'll be happy to give you a copy of it.

So we've talked about 3-1-1 and efficiencies but if you could explain where the efficiencies really come from. Do they come from a call center, or do they come from the implementation of a City Stat-type program? In every city that I've looked at where they've implemented 3-1-1, it's City Stat that brings the savings, not the call center, which creates often more work. So could you explain what we're doing to implement City Stat and, you know, really generate savings. Baltimore, in its first seven years of implementation, estimates it saved -- and there's a study back in the supp., actually -- $350 million. (Timer bell rings.) MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: It is 80 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET true that working 3-1-1 and City Stat together provides a synergy that makes performance improvement better, faster, and smarter. So that's the reason we implemented these two things together. And the kinds of analysis of how much savings you have, I think that it is attributed more to a change in the leadership and the culture of the organization than any specific program, but I do think that Philly Stat and 3-1-1 together are great management tools to instill the new values in the culture, and I think that we are already beginning to see the results of that work. When we combine what we're doing with Philly Stat and 3-1-1 with what I think we'll do with the reform agenda, I think you're going to see some significant changes in operations that will result in cost-savings and also better service. I don't think those have to be mutually exclusive.

That's my 81 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET time, Madam President.

Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Krajewski.

Thank you. Good morning. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Good morning.

I just want to clarify. I've had several complaints from constituents, when they call 3-1-1 -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Uh-huh.

-- and they ask for my office, that they question them quite a bit before they connect them to my office. I'm sure there are other Council people that have the same problem. Why is that? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Well, because we had the wrong protocol for the agents, it's been fixed. If anyone asks 82 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET for a Council office, they're immediately transferred. Previously, the agents were trying to take care of the situation in the 3-1-1 center; they're no longer doing that, so you shouldn't have that problem anymore.

Well, if they ask for my office -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I know. And if they ask for you, they should get you directly, and that's what's happening now.

But that's not the case. They're asking the constituent, "What is the problem? Maybe I can help you." MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yeah, I understand that that's what we used to do. What I'm telling you is that when we heard about this complaint, we fixed it; they don't do that anymore.

They don't do it anymore? 83 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: They don't do it anymore. If anybody has that -- if anybody experiences that now, please tell me, because it's not supposed to be happening anymore.

You know, 'cause I kind of resent that. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yeah, I can understand that.

I mean, if somebody calls up and they want to speak to me, I don't think that they have a right to question my constituent or anyone if they're asking for me personally. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I certainly agree.

Well, I Appreciate that. Okay. In your testimony, you indicate that the call center is operating 24 hours a day, from Mondays through Saturday, and eight hours on 84 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Sunday; is that correct? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: That's correct -- well, no, it's hours a day. 5

Why is 6 the center staffed 24 hours a day? Most 7 people won't be calling during the middle 8 of the night. 9 MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: One of 10 the reasons that it operates 24/7 is so 11 that regardless of when people want to 12 contact the center, they can. 13 Obviously, we staff depending on 14 how many calls or other information we 15 expect to get. The City Hall switchboard 16 was formerly 24/7, so there is a 17 tradition of having non-emergency 18 information available, so we wanted to 19 continue that. 20 It also helps us in any 21 potential issues that we might need as 22 9-1-1 backup, but it is primarily to make 23 it easy for customers to reach us 24 whenever they need to.

Well, I 85 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET mean, if it's a gas emergency, they would call the gas company, right? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: That's correct.

And electric, they would call the electric company or what have you. How many are staffed on -- in the middle of the night? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Hold on. Let me get that for you. I think it's four. And one of the other reasons that we staff it at night is because that does help us divert calls from 9-1-1. If 9-1-1 gets a call that's a non-emergency call, they don't have to handle it; they can always put it in the 3-1-1 system.

What is the breakdown between the employees transferred from -- I believe that Councilman Green asked the question, so I don't want to be redundant -- from other departments? 86 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: There are currently forty-seven agents and eight supervisors, and they're all from other departments.

Where will the additional other positions come from? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: First from people in the City that are interested in transferring in like we did before, anyone who might be subject to a layoff or otherwise. And then we may need to begin to hire from the outside if we can't get enough agents that way. We have asked for private-sector support, and we've gotten some good response from Blue Cross, who has put a couple of their operators from their call center in 3-1-1 for six months. It's terrific because it gives our agents an opportunity to see how other professional call-takers work, and it also makes the 3-1-1 operation more accessible to other people. So that's one of the things that 87 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET we've done. We've also worked in cooperation with placement of ex-offenders, and we're hopeful that we'll be able to also use 3-1-1 as one of the ways that we can improve our employment opportunities there. So we're looking at various places to get the remaining 10 positions. I will say that we'll have to hire more than ten, because when you're in a startup operation, there's a great deal of turnover. So we'll continue to be looking at ways that we can hire additional people.

Thank you. Can you forward to the Chair an organizational chart for the MDO with the names and positions? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Sure.

Thank you. Thank you. 88 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Miller for a point of information.

I have a point of information on the 3-1-1 system. What is the difference between -- or what do they do different, the former operators at the 1776 versus the 3-1-1 operator? 'Cause when I call, there is (inaudible). MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes. We've got some statistics for you on that. Primarily what we had before, with the 1776 number, was a way to transfer calls. So people would call in to get the number to transfer appropriately. And so, when we were working with that call center, the average talk time, or the time that the agent was talking to the person on the phone, was 89 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET less than a minute, about 46 seconds, and there were approximately seconds 4 between the calls. 5 The 3-1-1 Contact Center, since 6 we're working to try to resolve the issue 7 either of service requests or a point of 8 information to answer it on the first 9 call, we're talking longer. It takes 10 longer to do that than it does to transfer a call. So our average currently in the 3-1-1 systems is minutes and 37 seconds, and there's about minutes between calls. We would like to be able to answer calls quickly and resolve them more quickly than we currently can. The two constraints there are, it's a startup operation so people are still learning the ropes; and also, we don't have as many people as we need for the full complement of staff.

Okay. What is -- I want to call it "the VIP 90 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET line," but what is that number? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: (Addressing MDO staff.) Do you want to talk about what you do with that line?

Good morning. My name is Rosetta Carrington-Lue. I'm the 3-1-1 Contact Center Director. You asked a question about the VIP line, which was a special number that was used in the Public Property switchboard operation. That number was transferred down to 3-1-1 because we didn't know exactly what types of calls were coming on that number. So rather than just cut -- terminating that number, we transferred it down to get a sense of what type of calls we were getting. What we're seeing is that number is used by a multitude of people for directory assistance. So there are -- we get about 400 calls a today on that line sometimes just for information that has been -- you know, people have found a 91 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET workaround to get through previously 1776. Now they are still dialing it for 3-1-1.

Well, what about the 686-5 --

Councilwoman, I just think --

It's a point of information.

-- you're going beyond the point of information.

Okay.

So when it's your turn, you can continue.

All right. I'll wait for my turn.

All right. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.

Thank you very much, Madam President. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Oh, I do 92 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET have an answer to a question.

Councilwoman?

Thank you. Thank you, Madam President. With regard to the Office of Public Safety and the Office of Reintegration Services for ex-offenders, I'm really interested in what programs are funded and what programs exist. I was at a meeting -- in fact, Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison was there -- last Saturday and watched (indiscernible) in North Philadelphia, although it's not -- it's in Councilman Clarke's area. But I was really affected by the statements from men who, from the '60s, talked about the gangs that they were in and talked about -- he said that in North Philadelphia, men are afraid of the police. Anybody who's been arrested is afraid of the police. And, furthermore, they said that people who are getting 93 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET laid off, if they were ex-offenders and worked years and got laid off, they're 4 afraid they're being treated like 5 newly-affected ex-offenders, and they're 6 afraid all over again, like they were 25 7 year ago, before they worked for the City 8 and other places. It was an important 9 meeting. 10 And I wanted to ask you about 11 that and about what kinds of programs 12 we're dealing with for this ex-offender 13 population and how we're dealing with the 14 overall tone of that meeting with people 15 who are afraid and people who feel that 16 being ex-offenders and being unemployed 17 now is worse than ever before. 18 DEP.

Yes. 19 Thank you, Councilwoman. Everett 20 Gillison, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. 21 I totally understand the feeling 22 that you had. As you know, I was there 23 on the panel and was invited to go and 24 made sure the Mayor was there as well. 25 We are in a very difficult time 94 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET right now. I mean, we have people with master's degrees getting laid off, and we have people with bachelor's degrees getting laid off. And you and I, I think, share the commitment to making sure that all persons, if they want to be able to get into a job, should be able to have that opportunity. The program that we're trying to put in place is a partnership between the foundations and City government -- not only City government looking at how we are going to, when we get out of this job freeze, be able to offer opportunities to ex-offenders to come in and work for the City, but also be able to have people on the outside talk about how we will be able to reengage them so that they're not afraid to come forward. The police -- the issues about the relationship with the police, you and I know, is something that's been longstanding in this city, that we will take a long time to hopefully get out and 95 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET get behind us. But the main way we're going to be able to do that is to provide jobs for people in a way that is meaningful to them. And I think that if we continue debilitating or having the debilitating effect of an offense, if we can can't get that removed -- and we're going to have to do that legislatively either through an expansion of the program, where summaries are now, after a seven-year period or a ten-year period, are removed from consideration. That's a good first step. But we really need to have something called "Jubilee Year," where, after a seven- or ten-year period, and you've already proven yourself that you're out of the life, you're out of the area, that your record can be expunged, because that's really where the key is going to be as we go forward. And we'll need to have our partners in the legislature, not only 96 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET here but also in the General Assembly, to really address this as we go forward. But that's what they're really looking for. They're not looking for anything else other than we've paid our debt, we want to be able to be supportive and go forward. And I'm one hundred percent, and I know the Mayor is behind that as well.

Great. Gwen Jacobs just passed me a copy of this (indiscernible) and I'll pass this over to you so that you may have that as well, 'cause it's really -- DEP.

Thank you, Mr. Christmas.

Thank you. It really bothers me that people feel afraid all over again. We worked hard in this city -- Commissioner Johnson did -- to bring the police department and the community together. It took us a 97 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET long time to get there. And now with police being shot in this administration and with us hearing about some cops who have gotten themselves in trouble, all of that is threatened, and I'm worried about us maintaining the relationship that took us years to formulate to pull the police and the community back together as a working unit. And we don't want to lose that opportunity, either. DEP.

And, Councilwoman, I agree. I think that the way we go about doing it is to be as transparent as possible, especially when you're talking about various things that both Commissioner Ramsey, the Mayor, and I have been looking at with -- (Timer bell rings.) DEP.

-- how are we going to discipline people and make sure that the discipline is actually made known.

That 98 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET was only one question. Thank you, Deputy. DEP.

Okay.

I only got one question in.

Well, you'll just have to wait.

Oh, I should be able to get more because I don't ask many. Thank you, Madam President.

You're welcome. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Madam President, Madam President?

The Chair recognizes Councilman Clarke. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Madam President?

Yes. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: We do have an answer to a previous question whenever you would like us to answer it.

To 99 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET whose question? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I'm sorry?

Whose question? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: It was Councilmember Green's question.

I'm sorry. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Councilmember Green.

Oh, okay. Well, he's not hear at the moment, so I think we ought to wait until he gets back. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Okay.

Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Clarke.

Thank you, Madam President. Good morning, Director. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Good 100 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET morning.

I heard Councilman Rizzo talk earlier about the issue with respects to organization and flow charts. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Uh-huh.

And he says he's no longer confused, and I've been going along this line of questioning with pretty much everyone who's been testifying, and I am still confused. Now, I understand that you, as the Managing Director, have all of the deputy mayors report to you. And let me preface my comments by saying: I've been around a long time, in different capacities, a 20-year-plus member of government, and I've seen a lot of mayors and a lot of directors. And I must say that I've never seen, first of all, this type of flow chart and this many changes during the course of an administration in departments, in direction, in moving 101 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET money and people around. And today I hear testimony, as an example, about the funding for CLIP, or neighborhood services, being now in the Transportation Office. And this is probably not intentional, but I've seen things in the years that people -- administrations move people, move departments, change names, and they eliminate services. And they reduce budgeting and they change direction. And that's fine 'cause at the end of the day, the head of the administration got elected the mayor, and it's their ability to do that because of that. But my concern, as an elected official who represents a district, probably the most diverse in the City 'cause I have Rittenhouse Square, North Philly, the Northeast, my ability to have a clear sense of where we're going and what's available and the resources is 102 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET diminished dramatically because, frankly speaking, I can't keep up, all right? And that's a problem for me. And I don't know if it's intentional; it could be, you know. I understand that. Or if it's unintentional. But the reality is, when you keep changing the game, it makes it difficult from a budgetary perspective to find out how much money is actually being cut and how much is being enhanced. I mean, yesterday, we had a chart, right? I gave it to one of the newspapers chose; and for whatever reason, they chose not to put it in there, after they said they would. But it referenced the reduction in the Mayor's Office from the numbers that came from the proposed budget. And it gets reported that it was a totally different number. And, you know, people don't have a lot of resources to check, and I understand that. So I'm -- my point is that I'd 103 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET like to know where we are. And now, maybe you have to do a new chart and maybe, on a periodic basis, give us the new operations. I mean, I knew where Tommy Conway was, and I think I know where he is now. I mean, these are people that I utilize a lot. You really have to put it in a little better format in terms of where we are and who we call and who's in charge, you know. And I'm glad to hear today that you're essentially after the Mayor, you're next. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

All right. As an example -- and I brought this up yesterday; you weren't here. I'm out with the Mayor, and I go out with the Mayor a lot, in spite of what people think, all right? We're out in neighborhoods, and I represent a challenged part of the neighborhood. And too often, I see the Mayor 104 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET having to respond to a person out there that's, "Oh, Mr. Mayor, look at this house" (indiscernible) and grabbing a card. He's doing what elected officials do, writing it down a little card. I don't understand why the Mayor should have to do that, 'cause I'm concerned that I don't see the level of support out there in those neighborhoods with the Mayor when he's dealing with issues sometimes related and sometimes unrelated to the challenges that we find out here. And as the Managing Director, you're now saying that you're responsible for having the appropriate team, the appropriate resources out in these communities. You know, I've had a conversation with you last year about, in years past, I used to be able to call a person when I had to go out in the neighborhood, and then you actually offered yourself, "Call me," you know, all right. And, you know, you got a lot 105 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET of stuff to do, 3-1-1. So I really would like to see some sense of just neighborhoods. I know now you have Neighborhood Services. I'd really like to see a sense of real neighborhood commitment. You know, I just -- I mean, I talked about it yesterday and I'll say it again. You know, this thing -- we're giving out recycling buckets and knocking on the man's door, he comes to the door. A recycling bucket. Next door, building wide open, right? Trash, debris. Nobody's there to, like, "Wow, I got to get this cleaned." Instead, we just went on, giving out buckets. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

You know, as the Managing Director, that was traditionally the role, to make sure that those things in those neighborhoods got done. Where are you at on that? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Well, 106 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET let me first say that it's not our intent to confuse things or make it less clear. So if we have done that, I apologize. In the Managing Director's budget, specifically all of the programs that you have referred to are still there; it's just that they have organized under each of the deputy mayors because they actually work with the departments that that deputy mayor supervises. So, for example, the Neighborhood Services operation, CLIP, still exists exactly where it was before; nobody's moved. And the budget exists where it was before. The only difference is, by reporting to the Deputy Mayor of Transportation and Utilities, CLIP, working in concert with particularly Streets Department, has been able to do a better job. (Timer bell rings.) MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: In terms of looking at staff support for 107 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET neighborhoods, I think that it's an area that definitely needs improvement. One of the things that we're doing through the Reform Teams and Philly Stat are looking at all the different initiatives that the City has in various departments that affect neighborhoods. And, as we talked about earlier today, one of the things that we want to do is to get something in people's hands other than just the paper they can write something down quickly on. With technology investment --

But you got to -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: -- you'll be better -- (Indiscernible; parties talking over each other.)

But you got to have to have the personality. That's my problem. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I'm sorry? Say -- 108 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

You have to have the personality to do that. I'm just saying, the Mayor shouldn't have to do that. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I agree.

I don't see the sense of commitment of having people out in these neighborhoods making sure that things are addressed. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Well, I'll be happy to talk with you more specifically about it because I think it's a legitimate concern and one that we share in the Administration. And I want us to feel like we're a part of the same team in getting these things resolved. So I'll be happy to discuss that with you and make sure that we're doing what we need to do.

Point of information, Madam President.

The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell for a point of information. 109 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

(Inaudible, off-mic.) ... and I never have points of informations. I heard a mention of Tom Conway, 'cause I got a question for him when he comes back to make sure we still get fences on lots, but -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Where's Tom? Come on back. (Tom Conway returns to witness table.)

But I still don't understand -- my point of information is: In your response, Madam Managing Director, you went back to the Transportation and Public Utilities. Transportation means it's a big SEPTA project I've been fighting since 1999. I don't understand how you take abandoned properties, graffiti removal, Neighborhood Services Division and put it under Transportation and Public Utilities. If you can link 'em somehow, 110 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET we're fine. We want the services, but we'll have to memorize that "L&I" means Transportation and Public Utilities. I don't know. (Rina Cutler comes forward.) DEP.

Yes. Councilwoman, Rina Cutler Deputy Mayor for Transportation and Utilities. Yes, the -- part of the reason it was moved over under my office is because it works with the Streets Department primarily to do cleanups, vacant lots, graffiti. So that is the tie-in to my office. Because the Streets Department does many of the functions alongside of CLIP, it seemed like the logical choice to be able to provide those services. So I'm certainly not expecting that you will, A, notice a difference; and if you do notice a difference, I expect it to be on the positive side.

I don't understand that. So I got to remember 111 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET that Tom Conway -- by the way, you still going to do my fences? Let me sneak that in under my point of information. We still doing fences?

Well, we'll be cleaning the vacant lots still. When we can, we can place fences --

That means you're not doing fences then.

-- with limited resources.

You're still doing fence or you're not? We need our fences, 'cause if you clean the lots and you don't fence them, then you're back where you started from, and they're going to do dumping and more so since we don't have that. But I still don't understand why it's not under L&I or even Streets. You'll have to explain it again. DEP.

Okay. It doesn't need to be under either of those departments in order to coordinate those 112 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET activities. Because much of the activities that Tom's group does interact with, A, a variety of departments that we interact with on a regular basis, and, B, is most closely associated with the Streets Department, I mean, we could have just as easily moved it under Streets as a -- other than a division in my office. But because Streets is under me, there is no 12 difference for me between those pieces. It coordinates on a daily and regular basis with cleanups that are handled by the Streets Department, will continue to do all of the functions. And let me give you an example of this, Councilwoman, that I think might be useful. One of the things we're trying to do in the Streets Department is really coordinate what we will call a "complete streets program," which means then when I've got -- this is a hypothetical example. But when I've got folks going 113 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET out to repave, I will pull resources in from other agencies to deal with issues on that street. So, if we're paving these three blocks, we will have CLIP out there with us to look at graffiti, we will have sign replacement being done, we will try to cut the sneakers off the wires. We will look at the street and say, How can we combine our services to fix this street? And so, in that case, it is a Streets Department project, but we pull all of the other pieces in to deal with that. It's just a mechanism for coordinating those types of activities.

Thank you, Madam President. I'll let Darrell, you straighten -- you figure it out, you straighten it out. Thank you, Madam President.

You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman 114 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Kelly.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to follow up with what Councilman Clarke was saying that -- I know your objective here is to streamline government, but I don't know, I don't see it. I see that you have the mayors and, of course, the managing director. Now, under you, you have the first deputy of administration; under that person, you have six deputy mayors under -- DEP.

(Inaudible, off-mic.)

You don't? Four? Is it four? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yeah. The First Deputy for Administration supervises the administrative departments in much the same way that the four deputy mayors supervises a cluster of operating departments.

Now, the 115 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET operating departments, are they commissioners? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes.

They're commissioners. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes.

Well, I know, in previous administrations, it was just simple: Managing Director, all of the commissioner reported to the Managing Director. It's a little confusing, I know, to some of us here that we don't know who the deputy mayor is, we don't know who the commissioner is working for, and it's a little confusing on that part. And that's one of the things, I think, that Councilman Clarke was alluding to. I just have some -- I need some clarification. In your testimony, you mention -- you mention that you have various departments that are funded for your budget, and they are -- specifically they're the: Criminal Justice 116 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Coordinating Office, the Office of Emergency Management, Police Advisory Commission, Youth Violence Reduction Partnership, as well as the Office of Reintegration Services. Now, could you tell me, are all of these paid positions? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes. They represent staff people who help with those operations.

I was always under the impression that -- the Police Advisory Commission, they're also paid? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The members?

Yes. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: No. 19

The members aren't. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The members are not paid.

But you don't have a breakdown here. Could you submit to the Chair a breakdown of the personnel 117 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET in each one of these offices? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Sure. Be happy to.

With salaries? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Sure.

'Cause I think that would help us immensely. And I just -- I don't know. I think I just have some questions. For instance, what is the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership? What is that? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Usually known by its acronym, YVRP. Deputy Mayor Gillison will tell you some of the specific programs that are operating under this program. It's primarily to intervene with teens and young adults to give them alternatives to a life of crime. It's been a very successful program so far in Philadelphia, and we expect that we'll be able to expand it if we get some additional federal funds. 118 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

What is the present staff level in that department now? DEP.

Good morning, Councilman. I don't know if it -- okay. The way that it works is that there is a partnership between PAN, which is where we have street workers, and we also have a partnership with the District Attorney's Office, the Police, the Probation Office, the Youth Probation Office. And as a result of the partnership, we actually supervise somewhere around 893 youth partners. Those youth partners are seeing a minimum of two to three at present five times a week. And when we actually had to cut back, we went back to four times a week. But those individuals are in the program because by an assessment that has been completed, they are the ones most likely to be in trouble or to actually 119 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET kill someone. That's one of the dynamics that went into the program. It's been around since 1999, when it was started by the district attorney, and this is one of the programs that has national not only kudos, but we have data that actually shows how effective the program has been since 1999. We tried to put additional money into it. We committed $5 million in the original budget last year. We've had to cut it back as a result of the economic downturn, but I am seeking to replace as much money as I can by using some of the Recovery dollars that might be available so that we will be able to keep our commitment to keeping these young people safe and to keep them from being "in the life," which is causing so much havoc on our streets.

Excuse me, Councilman Kelly. I believe Councilwoman Sanchez has a point of 120 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET information.

Deputy Mayor Gillison, can you speak to YRP again. In this budget, you know, we were told we were maintaining services, and I think it's important that people know the cuts that were made during the Rebalancing Act and the impact that -- you said you went from a five-time connection with youth to four. DEP.

That's correct.

How much was the program cut? DEP. COMM. GILLISON: The total cut of the program, I believe, was in the order of -- and I'd have to provide that directly to you, Councilwoman. I know I should know that off the top of my head, as many times we had to go over that. I believe that it went down -- I think we went from a $5 million commitment originally down to a $4.3 million commitment in the matter. 121 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET But I'll have to get back to you, and I'll provide that to you, Councilwoman. And also provide it to the Chair. I'm sorry.

Yeah. I would just like to know the staffing levels -- DEP.

There are --

-- between 1999 and the present. DEP. COMM. GILLISON: The main staff for the program is only an assistant managing director, a deputy managing director, and then a general person. That's on of the matter. But we actually use additional money to help with overtime for police, for probation, for the PAN workers that are a part of the program. But I can give you a total staffing that the grants actually do that. I'll have to provide that to the Chair. 122 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

Okay, okay, great. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President.

You're welcome.

I have a point of information.

Yes, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.

If there is any discretionary funding in the recovery program, are we trying to apply for those dollars that can be used for this program? DEP. COMM. GILLISON: Oh, absolutely.

All right. So you're on it? DEP. COMM. GILLISON: Yes, absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you. Councilman Kelly, you're 123 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET finished?

Yes, Madam President.

Thank you. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Madam President?

Yes? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Would you like for us to provide the information for the Councilmember now.

Oh, Councilman -- yes, Councilman Green is here, so I believe he was the one that asked the question. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I want to get this information to you as quickly as we can. We have done the calculations on your question.

Good morning. John Farrell, again, Assistant Manager Director of Administration. Councilman, I believe your question was the difference between the 124 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET MDO Administration Division budget from the mid-year adjustment until the Fiscal Year '10 budget, and that was actually a decrease of just over $46,000.

Well, I'm looking at the budget right here, and I have increment run, January '09, which, I presume, reflects the November rebalancing, and there are a total of 57 positions as of January '09 and a total of 91 positions for fiscal 2010. So, I suggest you go back and redo the math. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: It could be in the way that we're defining "administration" is different than the way you're defining it. So we'll make sure that that we do it the way that you ask.

I'm defining it by Schedule 100 List of Positions, Division, Administration, Fund, General, of the MDO's budget. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Steve, 125 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET do you want to come up? (Mr. Agostino returns to witness table.)

Good morning, Councilmember. How are you?

Good morning. Good afternoon.

Oh, you're right. I'm so engrossed in the numbers, I missed it. I think, Councilmember, it's the positions that are associated with 3-1-1. We'll go back and do an accounting at the break and bring it back to you this afternoon.

Right. It looks like you've cut about -- assuming, you know, maybe 3 or $400,000, and you've added, just taking what would be average salaries, over 800 or $900,000. So -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The salaried members for the full complement of 3-1-1 are what drive the budget above its previous level. 126 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET And we've also taken money from people who have transferred in. In this year's budget, the people who were transferring into 3-1-1, oftentimes the monies stayed in that department.

All right. May I suggest that we just go back and take a look at this. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Sure. We'd be happy to do that.

So we can get an answer. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.

Thank you, Madam President. Let me just say for the record quickly, because five minutes passes quickly, that on the Mural Arts, I'd like to go on the record as well to say that I'm paying attention, and as the Administration looks to see how we can, in a fair way, handle Mural Arts like other programs, let's remember that Mural 127 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Arts touches public safety, DHS, the schools, the prisons, and family court. And if we're looking at other systems, that they provide services to those systems, the expectation would be that those systems help to underwrite some of those program costs. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: That's correct.

Okay. On 3-1-1, what I envision here is a three-legged stool: You have the Mayor's Office that has directed his executives to make changes in terms of service delivery. And then you have Council people who are not clearly, as this discussion as reflected, not completely up to speed with the changes you've made in various departments. And so if you link that to 3-1-1 -- I'll give you an example. We had a recent issue in Roxborough where petroleum leaked and caused a mysterious odor that was reported to 3-1-1 several 128 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET times. Ultimately, I got a call in my office. That coupled with Channel 6, they got the attention, and then that particular situation was taken care of. So to Councilman Clarke's question, we know that training happens on the mechanics of the system, but what about understanding the various neighborhoods in this city so that 3-1-1 operators also know what Philadelphia looks like, where Roxborough is compared to West Oak Lane, et cetera, 'cause all of that helps feed and improve the system. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I certainly agree with that concept, and our director of 3-1-1 will talk to you about the kind of training that we have that relates to that.

Sure. Good afternoon. That's a really interesting question. We have been -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I think you should -- 129 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

I'm Rosetta Carrington-Lue, the 3-1-1 contact center director. We've been in operation for a little bit over 90 days now.

Okay.

We do have an intense customer-service training class, and we have continuous training that goes on within our operations. We are emphasizing and beginning -- we are beginning to look at things like you're seeing, actually now going into understanding the neighborhoods, understanding the cultures and the differences --

Mm-hmm.

-- that we will encounter based on, you know, where the call might be coming from.

Because of the -- my time is going to run out, quickly. How long is the training?

The initial training 130 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET is about four weeks.

Okay.

And then we have ongoing spot training.

Okay. To the Managing Director: How old is the system in Washington, D.C.? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I think it's been in place a couple of years.

A couple of years. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yeah.

How long do you believe it took to ramp up to a place where it stabilized in terms of the number of concerns raised around inadequacies of the system? 'Cause, I mean, all systems have growing pains; we know a that. But then it reaches a point where it's working the way it was intended. So how long did that happen in D.C.? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Well, 131 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET I'd have to check; I don't know what they would say about whether they have achieved the level of service that they were after, but I'll check.

Okay. A year from now, when you're testifying about 3-1-1, where would you want it to be compared to where it is now and the various legitimate concerns that have been raise about the system? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Well, one of things that I hope we have by this time next year is a full complement of staff so that we have better statistics on how quickly we answer the phone and how quickly we take care of the issue.

Mm-hmm. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I do expect at the end of the year that we will have reports of the services that are useful not only to the managers of the operations but also to the City Council and to the public, and that that information is posted on the web. 132 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET I expect by this time next year that people will be familiar with the website that's connected to 3-1-1 and that we will see really a substantial increase in the use of the website versus the telephone in terms of calling in. I do --

Well, there we're making a presumption that the overwhelming majority of the households in the City of Philadelphia have computers, and there's still a segment of our city that is not fortunate that way. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Right, that's true. And that's the reason that we'll continue to have a call-in center as well as a walk-in center.

Okay. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: So if somebody wants to walk in, we'll still have that. But right now, almost a hundred percent of our work is through the call center. 133 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

Okay. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: And I would expect that that would change in terms of how people access.

Okay. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I do hope that we will have at least one pilot program using handheld technology connected to 3-1-1, that we will have been able to do a pilot program so that we're in a better position to do that. So those are the kinds of things that I think are realistic to accomplish under this budget recommendation for improvements to 3-1-1.

Okay. My last question on 3-1-1: When it comes to handling complex issues like this mysterious odor that was in Roxborough, but an emergency response, you know, the worst that we can expect, where's the linkage with 3-1-1 tied to our city's emergency response systems? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Okay. 134 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET Rosetta, would you like to speak to this?

Sure. What we do -- and we just went through a training situation regarding emergency response and how we would handle those. (Timer bell rings.)

We have on our system, we now know -- we're supposed to know where to transfer the call. In case of emergencies, we would transfer to 9-1-1; or if it's a specific department situation, we will transfer it immediately to that department and to that contact person within that division.

I see.

We are not here to just hold the call within our operation; we do need to go ahead and transfer it to the right department to get it resolved immediately.

I see.

So that's being reemphasized. Again, this is a daily feedback that we give in coaching that we 135 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET provide to the agents. So we're not just waiting for things to occur for us to react, but every opportunity that is given or sent to us that, along the lines, there may have been a service failure, we take it as an opportunity to coach everyone and to improve our services.

Okay. Well, thank you for your testimony. Thank you, Madam Chair.

You're welcome. Councilman Jones, did you have a point of information?

A point of information and a true point of information. What is a work-order management system? And do we have one? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes. We actually have two, and those two are in various departments. Every department doesn't have one. 136 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET But essentially it's an automated system to track requests for service either from the public or from the City department's operation so that they can keep track of what they're doing in terms of usually working the field, following up on complaints and concerns.

So at this point, we do have one, but it does not measure what the response times are, it does not tell us what categories and produce reports for us to tell us what categories of information requests or complaints we're getting, and give us the ability then to adjust our management and, in fact, our budget accordingly to address the increasing needs in one category or another. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The work order systems that are in operation, that have been in operation for a while, do give managers similar types of information that you've described. The difference in connecting it 137 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET with 3-1-1 is that, first of all, we'll have the information citywide, and it will be tracked, and we'll also be able to track what's going on with the service requests. Right now, in 3-1-1 now, we can determine if we're getting a lot of service requests for a particular item or for a particular location, and that helps us distribute the crews to address it better.

Here's one test case, here's one test case. How many requests for raccoon removal have you gotten in the months of operation, and where were they? Simple question. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: A simple question.

Raccoons? I'm not sure about raccoons. But how our system is set up is, a service request will generate from 3-1-1. It will then go into automatically the work order system, for 138 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET example, for Streets in the case of a dead animal or a pothole. That's how we integrate.

But that -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: We'll give you the report that we do weekly, which will show you -- I don't know. It depends, I guess, on whether the raccoon is alive or dead. But we can definitely give you the types of calls we're getting weekly.

I'm telling you the types of calls we get -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

-- and the answers we can't provide. And what I'm saying to you is that, you know, I really don't care what your org chart looks like, don't (indiscernible) within the executive branch purview to do. What I do care about at the end of the day when a constituent calls is that we give them a answer, that we give 139 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET them a solution hopefully to a problem they have. And one of the things that we want out of this system is to be able to quantify what those problems are and where so that we can apply the appropriate resources budgetarily to it. And I would question, if in fact we have this professional team that's out there, that is going to help us -- this reform team, that this information is vital to them. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

Right? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Madam President, I do have a sample of our most recent report from 3-1-1 that talks about the types of calls. If you would like, we have copies available for the Council.

Weren't they submitted to Councilmembers yesterday? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: The weekly update? 140 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

Point of information.

So how many raccoons? I mean, it goes back to -- listen, it goes back to -- I just need to know that because, again, I'm joking but I'm serious. I get more calls about that than most (indiscernible), and I don't know where that problem ranks among other problems, so, therefore, how much resources to apply to it. If it ain't measured, it ain't managed. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you. Councilwoman Sanchez, did you want to be recognized?

I was going to ask the Managing Director, when does she perceive getting us that data by district? 'Cause I do read those reports that come out weekly, the data's not segregated yet, so are you looking at what -- 141 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes. We can -- (addressing Ms. Lue) can we do it by district yet?

Yes, yes. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: We can now do it by district, and we'll give you district --

So when we start getting the weeklies, I'd like to be able to look at a comparative analysis -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Oh, definitely.

-- by district. So I want mines but I want to be able to look at it -- MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Sure. We'll be happy to do that.

Okay. Thank you.

I think we'll all get one, will we not? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Yes, everybody will get 'em, and they'll be 142 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET posted on the web.

Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.

Thank you very much. First of all, as far as Mr. Conway is concerned -- and I'm speaking from my own personal belief -- as long as he's doing the job he's been doing since probably before I got here, I don't care if you put him under the Zoo, because he does a tremendous job, and that's the work, the community work, that we expect. " I didn't understand it, but it was the Mayor's prerogative, and the Mayor did it, and that was his right to do. 143 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET So how you want to assign people of where you want to put Mr. Conway, as long as the product is there, I'm a happy camper. Just a few comments on 3-1-1. I think it's important to remember that 3-1-1 was rolled out December 31, '08. It's been operating for less than four months, less than four months. If you go there -- and I would recommend that Councilmembers go to the center, sit with a call-taker, plug in a headset, and listen to the interaction -- it is light years better than what we used to do. I use it. I call on the phone, I don't identify myself. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. And when it doesn't, I call them and explain to them what the problem was and what I see could be corrected. I meet with them regularly to go over some of the complaints that I hear from constituents, and they make adjustments and fix it. 144 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET But the interaction between the caller and call-taker is much, much better than it used to be at the switchboard, because at the switchboard, when the call left, no one knew where it went and who dealt with it and whether or not it got resolved or whether or not the constituent is happy. But when you listen to the headset and they solve a problem, I've heard more than once, "Thank you, honey. Thank you, sweetie. " It's a cultural change in interaction. The second part of the benefit of it, I believe, will come out in another couple months, another year, when we have the data necessary to understand where we assign crews to do potholes in an area where there's 15 of them as opposed to sending out 4 in one area, 5 in another area, and 3 in another area. It is a management tool, but I will tell you that despite its lack of 145 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET perfection, despite its lack of perfection, it is better than what we had because people are listening, they're getting a person on the line. I'm not happy with the way -- the length of time it takes to pick up a call sometimes, but that's the issue of this hiring freeze that we can't fully staff. This is an important -- and not because it was something that I -- I didn't invent it. I saw it in Chicago and in Houston and in Baltimore, and I thought it was a tremendous thing that we never had before. Since January '09, people didn't have personal interaction with their government unless they called a Council office. They still call our offices, I'm happy to serve them, but I hope that at some point in time, the normal course of business gets conducted and completed as a result of the 3-1-1 call. And there was a question raised 146 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET relative to its 24-hour staffing. We may have a situation where we have a person from out of town who's here at a convention, whose car was towed, and it's 2 o'clock in the morning and they need some direction. We may have a person who's strung out on drugs, who's looking to go to rehab before he kills him or herself and calls at 3 o'clock in the morning for direction. There is all -- I this think that this system needs to be improved, it needs to be changed when it's necessary, but we need more time to understand the full effects of what we need to change. I'm happy with the effort that they're making. I'm not happy sometimes with the response I get on the phone. And when I don't get a good response, I call them and they try to make adjustments and fix it. We meet regularly.

We meet with department heads, we meet with the police 147 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET department to try to do some of the -- we were talking recently about some of the summer -- spring and early-summers mischief stuff that goes on in the neighborhoods that maybe doesn't rise to a level of a priority 9-1-1 call, but maybe we can track it through 3-1-1. And we've been meeting with the police department to have people both call 9-1-1 and 3-1-1 and find out where the bad corners are, where some of the problems in the neighborhood are, where the kids are drinking out -- not maybe getting a priority call with, you know, a police cruiser coming in at high speed. But what happens in the neighborhoods in spring and summer is that those 9-1-1 calls that fall to the bottom of priority don't get addressed either, and people get annoyed. So if we can provide captains with information about where these kids are out drinking, you know, in the evenings or causing better a ruckus in 148 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET the neighborhood, it's a better management tool. I'm happy with what you've been doing. I understand the constraints of what happened because, as we rolled this out, the economy fell off the cliff. And I think, considering the economy fell off the cliff, I think you're doing a pretty good job, and I really do appreciate your continued effort to improve it. Skepticism is easy, and some people, you know, in our city like to see things fail because it's something new and different. But I still think if you stick to it, we'll be okay. Thank you. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Thank you.

Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Sanchez.

No, I think it was Donna first. 149 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET

I beg your pardon?

She's been waiting.

Thank you, Maria.

The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Miller.

I just have a couple of quick questions. Well, you know, I think 3-1-1 is here to stay, and other cities are using it, and I remember when we had the hearings. And so, I think you're just going to continually grow and improve. But I do have a question. In your testimony, you said that the -- that eventually, you may want to offer new services in 3-1-1. And what would those services be? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I'm sorry. I didn't hear the last --

On of your testimony, the last sentence. 150 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Mm-hmm.

"Customer feedback has been positive and Philly 3-1-1 is continually making efforts to improve and offering new services." MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: Okay. You want to know what the new services are.

Yes. MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I was referring there specifically to the use of the web in terms of being able to contact 3-1-1 via the web, not only for a service request but also for access to the knowledge base so you can get a question answered without having to go through an agent. So that's the first new service. The second new service that I'm hopeful we'll be able to at least pilot this year is the use of handheld devices to give 3-1-1 more information about what needs to be done so that it's a more proactive version of an individual 151 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET calling or going on the web. The handheld devices could be used by City employees who are in the field, it could be used by neighborhood associations, it could be used by block captains. So we really would like to pilot that technology to see if we can't increase the amount of information that we get into 3-1-1 so that we can manage it better through the departments. So those are primarily the new services that I think we're looking at for FY '10.

Right. Do you know how many cities across the country are now using 3-1-1? MANAGING DIR. BARNETT: I'll have to get an updated list, but we do have a map that shows some of the major cities, and I would say that on that map, we've got probably -- Rosetta knows -- over a hundred.

Yeah, pretty close to a hundred cities are using this type of 152 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET model for their constituents.

Okay. Excuse me, but what is your name again?

My name is Rosetta Carrington-Lue. I'm the 3-1-1 Contact Center Director.

Are you new to the City, or were you previously employed with the City of Philadelphia?

I'm new to the City of Philadelphia. It will be almost a year that I've been in the City of Philadelphia.

Oh, okay. Well, you know, a lot of us still don't know a lot of the staff, actually, have no idea. So it might be good to kind of introduce yourself to people so people will know. Someone told me that each office is assigned like a 3-1-1 coordinator; is that true, each Council office?

That is correct. Each Council office has a service area 153 4/7/09 - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - 2010 BUDGET coordinator.

Okay.

And what I've been doing over the past month and also will be continually doing is going out, like you said, and introducing myself to the Council and staff. And I've met with at least three thus far to talk about the issues that are coming up here, how we could improve communication between 3-1-1 and the Council staff and the Councilmembers. And, again, a lot of it is report space, you know, how do we drive the information out to the public and also to the staff.