COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107 Tuesday, April 3, 2012 10:30 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN JAMES R. KENNEY COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO BILL 120164 - An ordinance to adopt the Capital Bill for the six Fiscal Years 2013-2013 inclusive. BILL 120165 - An ordinance to adopt the Fiscal Year 2013 Capital Budget. BILL 120166 - An ordinance adopting an operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2013. BILL 120167 - Resolution providing for the approval by the Council of the City of Philadelphia and revised by the yearly Financial Plan... ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 1
Good morning. Regarding bills No. 3 120164, 12165, 12166 and Resolutions No. 120167, Ms. Lewis, please read the titles of the bills and the resolutions.
Bill No. 120164, an ordinance to adopt the Capital Bill 9 for the six fiscal years 2013 to 2018 inclusive. Bill No 120165, an ordinance 12 to adopt the fiscal 2013 Capital Budget. Bill No. 120166, an ordinance adopted an Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2013. Bill No. 120167 a resolution 18 providing for the approval by the Council of the City and revised by the yearly financial plan for the City of Philadelphia covering fiscal years 2013 through 2017 and incorporating proposed changes with respect to Fiscal Year 2012 which is to be ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 3 submitted by the Mayor to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, the Authority, pursuant to the Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement authorized by an ordinance of this Council approved by the Mayor on January 3, 1992, Bill No. 8 1563-A, by and between the City and the Authority.
Thank you. Will the Administration please come forward. Good morning.
Good morning, Council President Clarke and Members of Council. I am Rich Negrin, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 4 Managing Director and Deputy Mayor for the City of Philadelphia. With me today are Brian Abernathy my chief of staff, and Dave Wilson my first deputy. I'm going to summarize my testimony. You have the written testimony, but I've been asked to shorten that and summarize it, so I'm going to read a shortened version. 2 million in our division of Public Safety, one million of which has been allocated for violence prevention initiatives and 200,000 allocated for witness relocation services. That is an increase of 387,000 in the administrative division which was allocated for additional staff as well as a decrease of 960,000 as a result of transferring tree removal to Parks and Rec. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 5 In addition, there's a decrease of 73,000 in the animal control contract, 33,000 accounts for a decrease in the Mayor's Office of Sustainability. And overall, the fiscal year general fund budget is 23,376,000. That reflects a net increase of 326,000. Over the course of Fiscal Year 12, the Office of the Managing Director has undertaken a series of initiatives. Our office has been able to rework PhillyStat to measure and improve operations through our performance management. That has reported a substantial improvement in operational performance. We have also improved the service of our 3-1-1 call center, which I'm happy to report received its 4 millionth call this fiscal year and has consistently exceeded a 90 percent customer satisfaction rate. We have expanded ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 6 PhillyRising Rising, the Mayor's neighborhood initiative, to improve city services. We've gone from 4 neighborhoods, with a goal of being 5 inside of every police division, 6 to a goal of being in 20 neighborhoods 7 by the end of 2012. 8 In addition to those 9 efforts, with our Special Events and 10 Special Projects Division led by Jazelle Jones, we have organized literally dozens of efforts around special events, even protest parades, including the Occupy Philadelphia Protest which captivated much of our attention this past fall. My office also undersees -- overseas Global Philadelphia which is making government accessible for Philadelphians with limited English proficiency, an issue that is very important to me as you know as a -- as a Spanish speaker. We also undertook this year ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 7 an initiative and created the Animal Care Control Team taking animal control into the city at the request initially of City Counsel to make sure that our animals are treated better in the City of Philadelphia. My chief of staff has led this effort, and we created a City-related nonprofit that assumed animal control operations just this week on April 1st. We've also this year, working in concert with City Council, developed a vacant property strategy that centralizes property disposition and simplifies our land management policies. We're coordinating the Facilities Management Task Force chaired by Tom Knox, under the leadership of Bridget Collins Greenwald, to review City-owned property and assets to provide support to the Office of Public Safety, the police department, the courts, the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 8 District Attorney's Office, in the development of GunStat. Mike Resnick is here. He's our partner around the GunStat issue. These are really critical to the Mayor as public safety initiatives, so we've worked to maintain service levels for programs such as Youth Violence Reduction and a Community Life Improvement Program, the CLIP Program, and Tommy Conway is here on that issue. The MDO is committed to serving our City's diverse constituency as represented by diversity within our department's contracts. 6 percent participation rate in Fiscal Year 12, up from percent from the 20 previous fiscal year.
21 The participation goal for 22 Fiscal Year '13 has been set at 25 23 percent. The largest contract that will be awarded in Fiscal Year '13 is ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 9 the animal control contract which provides for the comprehensive animal control and care services for the city. This is a renewable contract for the City-created nonprofit. In efforts to increase our DBE participation, the MDO and its divisions work with OEO for any number of our RFP's to ensure DBE participation. I also personally serve on the Economic Opportunity Cabinet that works to increase participation city-wide across departments. To exemplify this commitment internally, the MDO takes an active role in employing a diverse group of people, many of which you see behind me. Approximately 60 percent of the executive-level team in the MDO come from a minority background with 40 percent identifying as African-American, 20 percent ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 10 identifying as Hispanic. In relation to gender, our office equally -- is equally balanced with 50 percent of senior-level staff being women. And finally, to answer a previous question, I believe it was Councilman Kenyatta Johnson who mentioned and asked some questions during the five-year plan around the 1 million dollars that is set aside for violence prevention. We hope to award those dollars through a competitive RFP process building off of PhillyRising's philosophy of providing services and programs identified by communities. Our goal is to fund programs that directly engage individuals who are most impacted by violence in their own neighbors and organizations involved in specific -- specific successful nonviolence programs. These contracts will be ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 11 performance based. It should be built as a collaborative model. The provider community will be engaged in late April through the Mayor's community dialogue, and we hope an RFP will be issued shortly thereafter. That concludes my testimony. Thank you. And I'm happy to answer any questions.
Thank you, Mr. Negrin. A couple of questions before I turn it over to the members. I'm going to start out on a light note. On page three of your testimony, you talk about the infamous animal control issue, and Mr. Abernathy, I -- I assume you anticipated a question about racoons. Now that you have been documented in the testimony as the person who is in control of this newly-formed entity, can you talk to me about what the policy is on raccoons in the budget ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 12 context?
Certainly. It -- there's two things: One, the racoons, if captured, must be destroyed by state law; two, but because of the limited resources that we -- that we do have in Animal Control, we do have a policy of not actively capturing raccoons that are walking down the street. If that raccoon is entering a property or damaging property, Animal Control will respond. And I -- I have made sure that that -- some calls have been responded to by Animal Control.
So if an individual such as the lady that was here during the testimony on the Bill's passage talked about the raccoon next door that was crawling through the wall and eventually entered her bathroom and she calls, the City will now respond, the newly formed entity, and capture the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 13 raccoon?
Absolutely. If an animal is within the residence, Animal Control should respond. They should have responded at the time. And I believe that woman's issue was resolved shortly after that hearing.
Okay. So, now, is that only an occupied residence?
We do have a policy, that as a direct result of your legislation in that hearing, Animal Control will not entering into an abandoned building for safety reasons; likewise, L & I will not enter an abandoned --
For -- no. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 14 Rats is Vector Control which is a different issue, and they lay down poison. But because of raccoons, you actually have to -- to set traps to capture the -- they need to have access to the property. I'm working with Commissioner Burns. We have set up a process that when responding to a vacant property Animal Control will enter the premises allow L & I to make sure that both -- both the L & I inspectors, as well as the Animal Control -- the Animal Control officers are -- are equally protected.
Okay. So we do have at least an entity to respond to the numerous requests that I anticipate I'll be getting as we move out into the streets this spring.
And -- and again, Councilman, part of my answer is going to stay the same, and I ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 15 suspect that you're not going to be completely pleased with it.
Resources are -- are limited as well as our ability to deal with raccoons once they're captured. As I mentioned, by state law, raccoons have to be destroyed if they're -- if they're caught and trapped. Generally speaking, if a raccoon is not harming anyone or any property, Animal Control will not respond. Now, I certainly understand raccoons, we're not used to seeing them. We live in an urban environment, folks get scared and make assumptions about their -- their activities, but we haven't received any complaints or any reports of a raccoon attacking anyone or causing any harm to any -- any individual. So educating -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 16
So you're saying you haven't received -- you -- I probably should have cut it off a couple of minutes ago. So when you say you haven't received any reports, and I reference that Fox 29 report last year when the raccoon chased a little girl down the street, I don't think they had any reason to lie. So basically your testimony sounds as if you have to wait until somebody actually gets injured before you can say the raccoon is --
I need the state law to the change in order for me to start trapping raccoons on a regular basis. If we begin to trap raccoons, we jeopardize our dog ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 17 license and our animal control authority.
Councilman, one thing to take away there, and I think it's an important message for the folks, is that if there's a legitimate public safety concern and the raccoons are presented to a family, that they can call Animal Control and they will respond to that. Trapping a raccoon who is really walking in the middle of the street is a different scenario where they specifically create a public safety concern, people are not going to turn a blind eye to that.
All right. Whether or not it's of ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 18 concern, it's relative. I mean, the reality is if a person sees a pitbull walking down the middle of the street and that pitbull may not attack that individual, but from their prospective, that pitbull is dangerous just because of this whole notion. And similarly, people who aren't used to seeing raccoons walking down the middle of an urban street probably feel the same.
All right. I won't belabor that. I'll come back on that later. The PhillyRising collaborative, is how highly talented, highly-promoted program by the administration and, you know, I want to thank you all for selecting the Hartranft area for the initial kickoff --
ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 19 -- and it's done some good up in that neighbor particularly when you have good people. Officer Tajohn has been like a godsend up there. Question: In terms of the strategies, which this appears to be relatively short term, to go into a neighborhood and kind of stabilize things, you know, as it relates to crime and cleanliness, has there been any thought, or maybe you have talked about implementing a more longer term strategy because the reality is, in a lot of these neighborhoods you can come in and you can clean up some vacant lots and get the people engaged in, you know, graffiti removal and the whole nine yards, but the reality is there's a systemic problem as it relates to the properties and vacant land and that you don't have a longer term strategy, and then ultimately the next season you'll be right back to where you were. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 20 Is there some thought about, you know, maybe having City Planning and the Office of Housing or some of the other agencies that can bring us some more longer term resources to the table?
Yes. I can shed some light on that; in fact, the program in its mission, in and of itself, has never left Hartranft. So when myself and Everett Gilson and Mike Resnick and John Farrell who are in the room met around -- in my office talking about how we can create this program and make it sustainable over time, we wanted to distinguish it from programs in the past like, you know, the long-term programs, who went into an area with a lot of overtime, brought the level of quality of life up to a certain level, and then couldn't sustain that model because it was too expensive. So -- and what happens over ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 21 the long term is, when you eventually have to leave, slowly that neighbor starts to deteriorate and goes back to some of the areas where -- some the challenges that it had before. The beauty of the PhillyRising model is it's not putting a huge infusion of overtime or City dollars in a neighbor. It's a slower community-based incremental progress that stays, so we never leave. So we're in Hartranft today. There's a monthly meeting in Hartranft. There are ongoing efforts in Hartranft today. There are ongoing sustainable efforts in every PhillyRising neighborhood. So the model in, and of itself, is different for that reason, that when we tell folks that you have confidence in the City serves -- again, working with City Council. We just opened up a new PhillyRising hood -- neighborhood with ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 22 Councilwoman Tasco and -- and I wasn't there, but I heard she gave an intro that -- that was better than many of my PhillyRising folks about how affective this program could -- could be. The goal is to come into a neighborhood, identify the problems as they're identified by the folks in the community, engage and empower them, and then never leave. So even though a lot of the -- the sort of publicity and PR, and sort of a positive impact happens early on because you're actually bringing it up to certain a level, it dies down a little bit after that, but it doesn't mean we're not there. So one of our representatives is in that neighbor every single month.
Okay. I hear your response, but what I'm talking about is a little more detailed in terms of what resources ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 23 you bring to the table. As an example, in the Hart -- the earlier referenced Hartranft area, Ms. Bridges who is -- basically, she's been doing PhillyRising on her own for the last years -- 7
9 -- and didn't have all of the 10 appropriate resources. She was -- 11 one of her issues was, as you know, 12 we were trying to have an office, an 13 Hartranft building, and it was owned 14 by the School District, and they had 15 policies that prohibited a number of 16 people. If you ever had a record 30 17 years ago, you couldn't be in the 18 building, so she didn't have a base 19 of operation. She needed -- she was 20 trying to get a location where she can have an office to do great work and have some sort of symbol of this is where you come to move the neighborhood forth. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 24 So she approached the City, and the City put her through like 9 million pieces of red tape to get a vacant building that was owned by the City forever, and that's the kind of thing that, from a long-term prospective, and I'm getting engaged, which it's my responsibility but, you know, given that that was a focus that we could have longer support on those type of things, real tangible things, getting her that vacant building and putting her in a position to apply for grants so that facility can now be up and operating and be in a position to apply for a NAT contract. So now as we talk about the planning for Germantown Avenue, the infrastructure, and hopefully I think we're supposed to be getting some commercial corridor dollars, talking to the business people on the corridor to get them to sign the waiver sheets ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES to do the mural arts, I mean, those type of things, so you bring the quality of life, as you said, on a sustainable basis. So that's what I'm talking about.
The School District -- I mean, in a lot of these neighborhoods there are individuals who have records. They have a prohibition on anybody being in their building who had a record. I mean, I don't think that makes a lot of sense but, you know, it's their building and their rule. So as a result of that we lost a lot of people who were volunteering, and one in ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES particular, the guys that had the baseball team over there, so now they didn't have a place to have an office off hours but -- you know. So that's what I'm saying: If you have a longer term strategy, you know, somebody from BPRC, working with them, working with the Redevelopment Authority, working with OACD to start that process to develop, and then ultimately getting some additional development on the corridor and then subsequently some housing in the neighborhood, that kind of thing.
Yeah. A great idea. I'd be happy to look into that. I wasn't aware of her scenario. And as you know, we have limited --
I'm just saying generally. That's ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 27 just an example for me.
No. I've seen -- to your point, I've seen Diane Bridges holding court on her front step.
I'm happy to see if we can figure out a way to utilize either a vacant property or some other scenario, whether it's a community or a rec center, where she can do some of that work. I'm happy to look into that.
All right. Thank you. Real quick, on the tree removal, we're transferring that to Parks and Recs?
Will that enable us to do a better job? What -- talk to me about that.
The money ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 28 had always been managed by Parks and Recreation. For whatever reason, the money lived in our budget. This was purely administrative, and I would refer to Parks to actually answer the tree removal question if you had specific questions.
And one last question, and I promise I will turn it over to my colleagues. Vacant lots, are we seeing any changes, a decrease, an increase, the funding for vacant lot cleaning?
The CLIP has been maintained in its entirety. There's been no changes.
I don't have CLIP in my neighbor or did we change the name? Did we --
We changed -- we're still talking about the still vacant lot cleanup. Tom Conway's services will still be ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 29 provided at full. He has not received any -- any reduction or increase.
Yeah. Given -- given some of the cuts that our budget has, I was -- I was quite happy to see -- to see his levels maintained.
Councilman, you can ask Tommy directly, but I know there's a significant percentage of the work that he does that is in North Philadelphia as well, so I do believe he is doing a lot of work in your area.
Yeah. I mean, because unfortunately ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 30 we have the bulk of Vacant Lots hanging around out in North Philly all the time.
All right. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Goode.
That's an interesting question. Directly from an operational prospective it's really seven. The administrative core and sort of key infrastructure departments, they're sort of a backbone of what we do as a city. So whether it's Public Property, whether it's Procurement, whether it's HR, whether it's 3-1-1, whether it's ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 31 Fleet, whether it's Records, those are -- all have a direct operational influence under -- under David Wilson within my office. And then I have sort of what the Mayor calls the T of responsibility which is -- which is sort of the influence across the coordinating part of my job around significant projects that sort of go across all other --
Is that more than anyone else? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 32
Okay. How do those departments perform relating to diversity goals?
I was asking you specifically how each department performs. For instance, what's the best department?
Yeah. We'll get that for you. It's Public Property, which I want to say has --
You don't ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 33 know off the top of your head?
Well, I know Records has probably the highest overall performance goal which I think it was in excess of --
Of the departments you oversee which are the worst? You don't know off the top of your head?
Records is doing well. Public property is doing well. Fleet Management is doing well. The Commission of Technology is doing okay. Human Resources is not doing well. And Procurement, if you look at the city-wide buy in terms of supplies, services and equipment, is not necessarily doing well, and so they vary. But you don't know that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 34 off the top of your head, right?
Okay. So what role do you play in making them better or worse in terms of meeting their diversity goals?
I play an important role. I mean, we talk about diversity importantly in my -- in my meetings. So when I have the administrative group meetings, which include the leaders of all of those meetings, we talk about our diversity goals.
So how often do you speak with department heads about diversity goals?
How often? We do it every time we have a PhillyStat session. So every single one of those departments comes and reports in front of me through PhillyStat ops, which is quarterly.
Is that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 35 your only form of process?
It is not. So we have administrative meetings where I meet with the heads of those departments. We talk about our key diversity issues then. We track sort of how we're doing and have those conversations and talk about the emphasis.
How have you helped improve any department's performance?
Well, I -- I do it in a number of ways. First, I demonstrate and then --
Give me an example of a department; in fact, let's use the city-wide buy in terms of service, supplies and equipment. How have you helped improve that goal?
Well, it -- it -- Councilman, it's called leadership, right? So first I ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 36 demonstrate leadership in the area of those goals. I not only talk about the importance of those diversity goals, but I -- it's reflected inside of my department, inside of my staff, in how we conduct our business, then we identify it as a core value.
That's that's not really a direct answer. I'm asking: How do you move the needle in terms of the city-wide buy in making sure the diversity goals are met?
I'm going to ask him -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 37
Great. Well, first of all, we identified diversity participation as a core value within my office. So we talk about the fact that it's a core value, we talk about and monitor the actual score, at least, on a quarterly basis. We talk about it in PhillyStat Ops. You can see that on Channel 64. It's one of our priorities. One of the things I did this year which was different which we'd never done before is, we actually made recognition and provided awards around our core values. So diversity --
I'm asking specifically about the -- city-wide of services, supplies and equipment. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 38 How have you moved the needle on that in terms of creating great diversity? It's a direct question.
Procurement is going to do that. They're going to do it directly. I'm going to do it indirectly by setting a division, setting our priorities, establishing our core value --
So you have not done anything directly to impact diversity in terms of that city-wide buy?
Other than monitoring what they do on a day-to-day basis, which is their job, I provide the leadership.
What did they achieve last year, the last fiscal year, in terms of diversity, the participation rate?
Yeah. We can provide those numbers. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 39
I have the numbers right here. You don't have the numbers right here, but I have the numbers right here.
We have them if you want me to pull them up and -- and give them to you.
It's about percent. Is 10 percent a 10 good number or a bad number?
I don't think it's a good number. I think it can get a lot better.
Mr. Negrin, yesterday there was a -- I ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 40 think it was yesterday, there was a story in the paper about the 3-1-1 versus the 9-1-1 calls and emergency calls. I'm not going to get into the dispute on the numbers, but I guess just a general question: How do you see -- it does seem like the numbers are getting better and more people are calling nonemergency calls into 3-1-1. How do you see that number even getting better as far as like informing the public of when and how they should call 3-1-1 in certain cases?
Yeah. I think there's a few things that we can do. And I think, first of all, I -- I think it's a good story. We've made a lot of progress, right, so -- in the last two years without an advertising campaign of any kind. So when we started 3-1-1 we started off with a 4 million dollar budget. When -- when the economic ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 41 Tsunami hit the city, which you guys are all way too familiar with, we cut that budget in half, right, so we started with 2 million. That budget has never increased more than 2.6 million in the -- in the last three years. During that time the calls that went to 9-1-1 that should have gone to 3-1-1 have been cut in half. The numbers on that we report are still relatively small. So just this past year the number of calls that went to 9-1-1 that should have been to 3-1-1 there were only 2200. When you consider 2200 calls out of a million calls a year, we roughly estimate -- you know, average about a million calls a year. That's a pretty small percentage. I think one call is too many. And we're going to keep -- continue to push that. I think stories like yesterday that talk about the issue ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 42 and give us free media around 3-1-1 are an important part of that. That's why we talk about 3-1-1 on a regular basis. I think Rosetta Lu who is not here because -- because -- for personal reasons has done a phenomenal job of reaching out to the community directly through her neighborhood liaison program, but I'm not satisfied with the fact that everybody in Philadelphia is aware of calling 3-1-1. So I think it's a combination of the longer it's there the -- the ability that we have to get the word out. We've done some PSA's in the past. We're talking about doing more things like that with -- with Comcast and others to get the word out around 3-1-1. Part of the silver lining around the crises that we had last year around not just the hurricanes, the earthquake and occupy, is that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 43 every time there's a situation where people are alert to the city and what's happening, we talk about and emphasis 3-1-1, and our calls go up like every time we have a press conference and we talk about 3-1-1. So that's part of the silver lining. So my hope is that in the future we'll be in a better financial position to do some advertising and get the word out --
The word out better. Okay. Thank you. I guess this one is for Mr. Abernathy. On the animal care and control, I have more of a general question than the President. How do you see, and I know it just -- you just took over on April 1st, so this might be a little unfair question -- how do you see this being better than what was there before just generally? What would you say your ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 44 goals are again?
Well, I -- I -- I think it should be -- we should be clear. We didn't -- we didn't create the Animal Care and Control Team because the PSCA was failing in it's duties.
The SPCA actually ran -- ran the animal shelter well over the last number of years after the initial transition.
You know, I think especially when Sue Crosby became president of the SPCA, she's now the executive director of Animal Care and Control, she's been able to provide some solid leadership in a place that we haven't had a -- had a lot of leadership. You know, the recent transition has gone very smoothly. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 45 The average shouldn't see any -- see any difference in the services that they received last week as they do this week, which is different than any transition over the last ten years. You know, we're talking four significant transitions in a 10-year time frame. I think the way we've structured this board is to make sure that it's sustainable. It's not -- it is City related, but it's not only City driven. It has a significant animal efficacy voice, but at the same time has a very clear mission to represent the City's interest which I think is -- we've swung the pendulum one way or the other for the last number of years. I think we're -- I think we're starting to find of sweet spot.
And I agree. I mean, it's been better over the last few years. You know, for a while, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 46 probably disaster is not an unfair term, or close to it. But I appreciate that because, as you know, with Councilman Kelly leaving now I think I'm the unofficial guy here, so I know we'll be talking some more.
And I know sometimes as the -- your staff come in here, they march in here with a sense of sadness, but for a few seconds I'd like to talk about some of the great things that you have done, particularly in my district working with alleyways. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 47 I cannot tell you what the CLIP a/k/a Alley Clean Program has done for the quality of life of everyday citizens that don't understand the big issues of a multilayered government, but they dog on sure understand what it means to walk through a clean environment in the back of their homes even though it is a private alley, but it's a first responder public safety issue, so I want to say thank you for that. The other thing I want to say thank you for is how you handled Occupied. We could have gotten a black eye internationally, not just national, internationally, and it was a difficult multilayered issue dealing with issues of the First Amendment right to speak that you handled gracefully. And even though some of some the occupiers didn't handle it as gracefully, you maintained your poise. So i want to say those things ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 48 publicly on the record and say some of the things that you do well.
All right. So now let's shift to some of the things we need to do better.
Can I say something briefly? I want to say something briefly.
If I could say something briefly about the occupied piece because I think it's important, I think it was a credit to our entire city, not just the administration and City Council. I think obviously the police showed the greatest restraint I think. There -- there's a great picture that I received seen of three or four protesters standing about an inch away from an officer's face, you ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 49 know, and the restraint on the part of our officers I thought was extraordinary and the training. But also, as you know, I have a great team, and not only do we have daily calls around this, but I've had a phenomenal team led by our events folks and working in conjunction with the police and civic affairs to do a really great job on this issue. So thank you very much, and on behalf of all of them I'll say thank.
And so I appreciate that. There are a couple of issues I'd like to focus on, and I'll share my mic time with my colleagues unlike I did, Mr. President yesterday. I had a bone to pick but -- and it is thoroughly picked for me. First, and foremost, I want to say on the record that I am totally against and appalled by bandit ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 50 signs in the City of Philadelphia. They are a scourge that go from as far as the Far Northeast to the deepest part of South Philadelphia and seem to reflect themselves particularly in inactive neighbors, low-income neighbors, almost in a predatory fashion, like, we buy your house, we do -- we will -- we will do anything kind signs with a total disregard for the ability for us to catch them and enforce them if they have a phone number on them, and they have a location with them. It seems to me that we can put together a strategic way the bring them down. They are a public safety hazard. When you try to come up to a turn sign signal, you can often -- your eye can be districted by the multicolored signs that hide the actual traffic signs, speed signs, things that the Streets Department has. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 51 I want to say also for the record, Mr. President, I'm not for legalizing them. I'll say it three times, because that seems to be what -- you know what has come out of this. I want to say it again: I'm not for legalizing them, but I am for providing advertising space in a wider range of use that we've discussed in the Veterans 10, outdoor advertising and providing revenues for the City of Philadelphia. So what I'd like you to respond to is how we are going to start to aggressively deal with them? And if you would, for the record, tell us about that.
And thank you, Councilman. The bandit signs is not a problem the City can't solve on its one. I think that's become clear. We don't simply have the resources to tackle this issue on a product -- in a proactivity way, but ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 52 we do need to be doing a better job. And over the last six months we have developed a strategy that I think will put a significant dent in the bandit sign issue. First of all, there's no 7 reason for when our crews are already on the block either cleaning a vacant lot, sealing a house or sweeping the street, that they don't also take down bandit signs, and we will start -- we are starting to do that now. There's no reason for our sweep officer not to record and -- and take pictures of those signs so the citations can be -- can be issued. The struggle that -- the largest struggle we've had is being able to identify the folks who are putting up the signs. As you indicated, for the large -- for the most part, folks are putting up signs with phone numbers and phone numbers only. Being able to track down those ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 53 folks and where they live and an address has been challenging. Working with the Office of Administrative Review, we think that we'll be able to solve that issue, but we're going to need some resources to do that. We have reached out to some private entities, what, we're not to announce today but -- what those private entities are. They have agreed to provide today us some resources, and hopefully in the next two to three weeks we'll be ready for a formal announcement, and most certainly we'll include you on that.
We'd like to work with you on that. If we can find Bin Linden, it seems to me we can find some of these guys with these illegal signs. And I'm going to yield, and I'll go around on my second round on my next issue, Mr. President.
ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 54 Thank you, Councilman. Real quick, community service individuals who have been giving alternative sentencing for whatever, they currently perform work such as cleaning lots and graffiti removal, but I guess under the law they must be supervised by a City employee. So does that mean that technically, if authorized, slash, supevised, they can abate a nuisance?
We're going to have to get back to you on that, Councilman, specifically. If you're asking if they need to be -- if they can abate a nuisance without being supervised?
I'm saying, just being supervised. I mean, we will get to -- I want to ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 55 respond to the question that Councilman Jones raised when you said there was limited resources so --
We utilize them today. So if you look at our PhillyRising clean up if you look at our service events and our days that we do around service, we have a major cleanup day coming up.
But you'll see the folks out there with the vests on in the jumpsuits, and we utilize --
You know, it was period before when we had a lot of money and City workers used to do it. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 56
So my question is: As it relates to the bandit signs, is that an activity that community service people could do?
In part, yeah. And we have -- we have spoken to community service folks. And again, this goes back to when we have -- when we have workers on the block, there's no reason that those workers shouldn't be pulling down signs at the same time. The question -- the question is going to be: Do we -- where is our priority; is our priority the vacant lot or is our priority the bandit signs and just being able to balance those priorities going forward. And I think to your point, there are going to be neighborhoods and circumstances that we need to prioritize the bandit signs, and I -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 57
Well, let me ask my last follow-up to that question. If you were in a position to receive additional community service -- and unfortunately, we have a lot of people that qualify for the program unfortunately -- we're looking at some other programs that could conceivable divert individuals into a community service program, the lady I don't want to say her today, but -- so if you received additional people that would qualify for the community service program, would you use them?
I think the answer to that is if -- if we're talking about doing those stand-alone projects, we are going to need an supervisor to supervise those folks. If we're able to incorporate those into part of an already existing ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 58 cleanup where we have supervision there and available, I think the answer is it's much easier to do it that way.
Is there a ratio, supervisor versus community service presence to be like one supervisor for every ten or twenty people?
So there is a ratio. All right. Okay. All right. I'm just -- just a thought. I'm trying to figure out, you know -- I mean, we have a lot of -- like I said, we're working on this other program to try to have a diversion process as it relates to some of --
Yeah. But from my prospective, I think it's a great point when you talk about when we go into an area and do a cleanup, whether ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 59 it's through PhillyRise or one of our other service areas, there's no reason why the bandit signs can't be part of the initiative about cleaning that neighborhood up.
So whether it's the folks that are doing community service or the volunteers in the community that we have in the community out there doing that, I think the bandit signs are, you know, fair game when we're doing that.
Yeah. Just tear them down while you're there. COUNCIL PRESIDNET CLARKE: Okay. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
My suggestion for getting those signs ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 60 down would be to -- when we have the cleanup on the 14th, one way, in addition to using the community service staff, that we should get some of the old-fashion heavy rakes -- you know the rakes?
-- and just pull them down. It doesn't take that much time. You don't have to stand there. Just rake them down. Call it a raking day and just take them down because we -- are they're all over my area, particularly the ones about if you want to sell your house. So that would save time and -- because you're concerned. Taking into consideration the time, first, I want to say thank you to the office for responding to the calls we make to you and to find a way also always responding to what we -- some of the problems that we have. The main concern that I have ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 61 is -- I have several. Logan. There needs to be a better coordination with entities who are contracted to cut the grass. I think the Horticultural Society does it. But what we end up with, we don't have anybody taking care of weeds, so you get all this growth and it becomes a safety issue for people who are getting off the bus on 9th Street or over on Wyoming Street. So we need -- because that area, I'm mean, we're still struggle trying to figure out what to do with the 34 acres of land. It is in a neighborhood that, you know, people deserve not to have that blight, and it should be controlled and it's on a major thoroughware -- thoroughfare, the Roosevelt Boulevard. So -- and we -- also for a moment, there were cameras to get people who were short dump -- short dumping. They stay a couple of minutes, and they go away. The areas ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 62 that the cops were surveilling, and we have a guy who comes up and the weekends, and he just spreads his tarp and he puts out junk to sale. He doesn't have a license. It's not a vending area. The police will come and they don't do anything. He doesn't have a license. He doesn't have a license and, then he shouldn't be there. So these are the complaints that we get. We have the Logan CDC that's working very hard of there to maintain that area, so we need better coordination of how you control the weeds and the shrubbery over there as we try and work to figure out what to do with that land. Okay? The other thing is the 3-1-1 reports which I read, I look at the 9th District and I see there's a large -- the most complaints I get are about abandoned cars, and we need to figure out how you better control that or ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 63 respond to that. It's always been a problem. When I first came into council in 1988, I introduced legislation to get rid of abandoned cars, so it's an ongoing problem, but it seems to be in the District a 7 major problem based on the charts that 8 I get from 3-1-1 in terms of the calls 9 that I get in my district. I also see that on the PhillyRising it does have -- come into 9th District in the Lawncrest District area. There is an effort by DA to open one of his --
Community offices. Is there a way you all could coordinate the services and maybe like PhillyRising, also use that site as their point of operation?
I'm not sure. I know the DA is looking to do that. I'm not sure exactly of the location ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 64 for where he's looking at and whether that lines up with where we are in Lawncrest, but I'd be happy to look at that because we coordinate and talk to the DA on a regular basis.
Okay. It's next to the library and the rec -- next to the rec center in a little complex. Yeah. I think there's a lot of City offices in that area.
The other thing is I don't see -- what are you going to do about Town Watch? I see that the Urban Coalition had the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 65 contract and that is not in the budget this time. What's happening with Town Watch?
The Town Watch contract, we intend to provide Town Watch services and increase those services by, I believe, 200,000, but the contract and how it's run will be put out to bid.
Okay. All right. Now, I just have one more question and I'll be done, and I'll take advantage that the President is not here. I talked to Jazelle, and we're going to meet for one of the most frustrating issues that I get ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 66 from my constituents: The whole new policy around block parties and blocking the street. Last year, a lady rang my bell. She was very frustrated, there Stenton Avenue was blocked off a whole day -- two days of block parties, and she can't do her one block and there -- there doesn't seem to be any consistent response or answer to how the decision is made on what blocks can be closed and what blocks can't be closed, and then the rational that I've gotten just doesn't make sense. And I'm not saying I talked to Jazelle about it. I -- she e-mailed me, and I told her we were going to meet, but there has to be something that -- because the neighbors are very frustrated. It's very few things that people do in the summertime and that block parties are a Philadelphia institution, and that's what they use to clean up the block, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 67 develop relationships with their neighbors, apply for -- provide for a place for their children to be in the street, not to worry about a bus or a car, but we need to be very clear on what the policies is going to be, and you need to tell the people up front. We didn't know that there was a change in how you gave out permits for block parties, so we couldn't answer. And I don't know if there is still an answer. I'll meet with Jazelle and she'll tell me, but it has to be clear in terms of what's happening. Could you answer that or respond actually?
Good ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 68 morning.
As it relates to block party permits, I don't personally handle them. They are done by the Streets Department. I do know that they take certain streets into favor as it relates to the major arteries. They have a computer software system, and as they get addresses or applicants that want to close a block they make sure they gridlock the neighborhoods and communities. I can't specifically answer why one street versus the other, but I will absolutely talk with Clorena --
-- and we can get an answer. We're going to meet, and I'll make sure that someone from Streets comes here.
Thank you very much. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 69
Thank you. I think that's all of my questions right now. It's not a lot. That pretty much serviced the 9th district. Thank you.
Good morning. Thanks for being here this morning as well. First I'll start off by the commending the folks from the PhillyRise Program for coming to South Philadelphia. I've been a community organizer in South Philadelphia since I got out of college in 1995, so I have seen administrations come and go as young community organizer and working from a ground level with community groups. And so, you know, I ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 70 was inspired when the program came to Point Breeze to not so much create -- I want to make I put this the proper context. I was inspired when PhillyRise came to partner and build on some of the things that we were already doing but really enhancing and brought city government out to the community, so I do commend you on that. And we had a good time working with you guys on cleaning up Woodland Avenue, and I want to follow up on that one. I want to start oft with public safety. Of course, I want to the stay on top of the crimes prevention initiative that the Mayor is unveiling. It's going to be a million dollars geared toward community groups that want to focus on new-found initiatives. I want to get an idea of how that's going to be rolled out, how those organizations ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 71 actually qualify, is it performance based, and so I really want to get an idea how that's going to be rolled out. And separate from the million dollars I also have another question regarding there's $200,000 that's going to be geared toward witness relocation which I think is great. My question is: Why would it go through the Managing Director's office, and why not -- and why wouldn't this be something that would go toward the District Attorney's office? So somebody can answer those two questions.
Sure. First on the million dollars and the -- the violence prevention.
We're going to start with the Mayor's community dialogue which City Council will be a ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 72 part of.
What we hope to do during that meeting is bring the state collars together who are actively involved in anti-violence work around the city. What we want to stop is the day when dollars were given out and contracts were given out without an ability to not only coordinate and be strategic around where we're spending those dollars but measuring the performance and the success of those programs in a tangible way. So whether it's through partners such as Cease Fire or the Interrupter's Model which is something that has drawn a lot attention recently or whether it's the Deputy David Kennedy approach, you know, we want to have a conversation around what are the best practices, who is doing the best work in this area, how do we coordinate because ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 73 there are some great groups doing a lot of great work in some neighbors that may or may not be the most violent, right. So part of this is getting the right folks in the room 7 and having a conversation around best practices, making sure that we're coordinating them in a strategic fashion, and then developing some performance-based matrix around how we know those groups are making a difference to impact public safety you know in a real tangible way. So that's where we hope to go, and that's where -- and we hope the RFP will definitely reflect that and that intention and that will be at the end of the month.
Have you reached out to the Philadelphia Antidrug Antiviolence Network which is an organization that's around since the '70s under the old Crisis ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 74 Intervention Network and has been doing outreach throughout the city as a whole? Are they a part -- have they been a part of this conversation?
Yeah. I don't know whether they have been reached out to specifically, but I know that Everett and Mike and my office has been working to identify as many folks as possible.
I do want to recommend them for them, you know, for the record primarily because they already have a track record. I'm quite sure they have performance or measurement data on the actual youth violence list that have been doing. So I want to make sure as we roll out these initiatives we don't overlook those organizations who have a proven track record and address the issue of youth violence. But the $200,000 for witness relocation, how did you that play into ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 75 the Managing Director's Office under public safety and not the District Attorney's Office?
We're certainly in an administrative function there to manage that money. It's not unusual for our office to serve in an administrative function for other departments, and that's really what it is.
Yeah. All right. Cool. Something I also will follow-up on is also -- I know I have to taste my gums on youth and gun violence initiative, and thank you for their support. My chairman, Councilman Curtis Jones, I want to take a look at --this was under the prior administration's Managing director's office. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 76 We had curfews, and I guess depending on who is providing the data, some would say they were successful or there were some questions around, but I know for a fact the 17th Police District, we had a strong partnership with the 17th District Police Officers, DHS and the community group. The community kind of rallied around getting young people off the street, and then DHS came and did the behavioral service -- behavioral health component seemed to me to be very successful. So I'm going to put that out there as a model that you might want to take a look at because I think when you focus on getting our babies off the street and really give them the actual social service support that they actually need that goes a long way to reduce the issue of youth violence. So those two things I wanted to actually put out there put ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 77 from a violence standpoint. And the question I'm asking you are things that we talked about offline, so it's no need to, you know, try to, you know, come at you sideways while I have you in front of me.
Sure. COOUNCILMAN JOHNSON: The CLIP program. I'm going to be hosting hearings coming up on litter enforcement and short dumping and really enforcing some of the laws that are actually on the book. When we came out and we cleaned up Woodland Avenue, what had dawned on me when I got finished cleaning up Woodland Avenue -- and thank all of you for coming out as well -- was that we just cleaned up a business corridor of private private owners. And so I'm like, that didn't really make sense. And so what the hearings are going to do is now we can be supported ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 78 in ramping up the effort to keep our, one, business corridors clean and then, two, go after those who illegally short dump. And I know y'all helped out cleaning up the tires off of 71st and Woodland Avenue. So I want to see how can we be supportive as the Council to help ramp up the issue of keeping Philadelphia clean by specifically enforcing what's already on the book?
Yeah. I think it's a couple of things we can do there. We talked -- on the short dumping issue, we've talked about some of the things we can do which we hope to accomplish in that area which is obviously also a PhillyRising area. The other thing I think we can do which we need your help on is one of the efforts that we did that day was, and the days preceding that event, was reaching out to those business owners door to door to get as ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 79 many of them to cooperate and participate as possible. Quite frankly, the community came out. The business owners did not. And which is, I agree with you, is odd because they have a vested interest in that business corridor and having it -- having it do well. You know, I think we need a concerted effort both from my office and through Council to get some of those folks to understand that whether it's tying into the Safe Cam issue with cameras for public safety reason or with helping us with around the quality of life around their buildings and their business it's really in their best interest, and we need their help.
I just want to make sure that's stated for the record because sometimes take the carrot and stick approach but, you know, at this particular point in time, you know, I'm with the stick ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 80 approach just primarily because it doesn't take much to pay a young man to come clean up in front of your business, and at the same time, you receive most of your funding, your bottom line, from the neighborhood in which reside in. A lot of business owners don't even live in the neighborhood and so they probably feel as though we leave, we go home, we don't have a vested interest. But I believe that if you provide a business in the community they help you meet your bottom line, and you need to be a partner in keeping that business corridor clean. The illegal short dumping component, elaborate on your efforts in terms of aggressively going after those who illegal short dump. I think part of the research we did from the hearing that we have coming up there's like a hotline. I don't know if the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 81 greater public knows about the hotline. Before we decide to increase the funds, we wanted to see how -- I mean, the fines, we want to see how do we enforce what's already on the books. Just elaborate and let's see how we can help the system addressing that issue.
Yeah. I think there's a couple of things we can do, and we've talked about some of this. And Councilwoman Tasco and I had this conversation where we targeted some specific short dumping area in -- around Logan last year. We had the ability with some limited funds, but we do very effectively whenever we do it. And Tommy really is -- Tommy Conway is really the champion of this effort to set up mobile cameras to capture folks -- pretty good resolution. We capture people's license plates and set up ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 82 shop there sometimes under well-lit areas. If it's not well-let, we'll put a light on there temporarily to get -- to get some pictures, and Tommy has had some success. He's walked into my offices and showed me pictures of some of the vehicles that we've -- that we've tracked down during the short dumping, and then we track those people down and start enforcement proceedings. But more importantly, we clean everything up and try to keep that going on on an ongoing basis. Those are some of the things I think we can do. Obviously, it's a resources issue. The more resources we have the more ability that we have to coordinate with you, the more affective we can be around those issues.
And you have my support. And the last question: In ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 83 regards to the cleaning up the abandoned lots, now, at one time in the City of Philadelphia we -- the City provided gates. If you tear down a property, you put up a gate rather it be wooden or rather it be a tall fence, but you didn't just put tear down property and leave a vacant lot. How do we address that issue from a public safety standpoint? People get high in these lots. The drug dealers run through the lots. Prostitution takes place in the lots. And when I'm out in the community and I'm addressing these issues, they say how come we can't have a fence, so there's like a discrepancy. Some people say it's because it's fire hazard, the police -- you know, firemen can't get back there, we don't have the funding anymore. At one time, I think it was the Fairmount Park Commission provided the wooden fences, and then some areas ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 84 you'd go in you have wooden fences and some areas you don't. How can we address that from a public safety standpoint.
The Horticultural Society still does put up wooden fences they can see through, and they're spotted fences. There is a significant public safety concern if you do put up a fence. You -- to your point, folks are going to do the unsavory things in vacant lots. If we can't see, them we can't stop them. And it provides a public safety risk to our police officers and to our fire fighters.
Councilman, do you mind if I take the time to put that on the record.
Sure. One last one, all right, Mr. President? We got him sworn in, and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 85 he said he would be hard working like John Street and fair like Ann Verna. Just give me one last one. All right. I just definitely want to see how we can follow up on the gate component, and I'd also like to acknowledge the great work of the Commissioner that helps us put together our community festival, Ms. Jazelle. For the record, as a State, she's always made sure we had a great community day in South Philadelphia. I'd like just to tell her and her team to keep up the good work. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. Councilman, real quick, in response to the termination fences that used to be put up, first cyclone, and subsequently they were wooden, and now -- it was basically as a result of cost. The cyclone floats were quite expensive, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 86 and the City made a decision to basically stop doing them because we couldn't continue to pay for them. That's the real reason.
I would like to respond because if comes down to an issue cost, I think we need to be revisit it as a city because it's definitely a public safety. How do we allocate the transfer of $960,000 from one department to the Department of Parks and Recreation for tree free removals? I think this is -- this probably warrants more of a priority than removing the trees. That's just what I think from the constituents in South Philadelphia and Southwest Philadelphia, so I will respond with that for the record if it's an issue of cost and not public policy.
ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 87 Well, I remember when it was eliminated --
-- and I think I had a little better connection with the people that made that decision --
Let me echo the koodoos offered by the colleagues around the team building ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 88 that was clearly evident in the handling of Occupy Philly --
-- and the leadership that had to be in place that comes with that. I want to move to the grants portion of your budget, the 3 million dollar grants that come to your department based on testimony if I read that correctly. What would you say as the leader of your operations department, what are the benefits or advantages that come with getting grants?
I think the general benefits are obvious, right? It's additional money often around an important issue that we are trying to make progress on. So I think if you look at the grants that we receive, whether it's through our public safety initiatives, there are things that we care about that are high priorities ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 89 and it's money that's outside of the general funds, operating funds, that allows us to do -- to do more.
And what would be the benefits or advantages on the staff level when it comes to the recruitment, the hiring, identification of professionals? It's a leading question.
I guess certainly we're able to provide -- to increase our staff based on the grants. Our Office of Emergency Management, for example was almost --
I'm sorry. The Office of Emergency Management, for example, is almost entirely grant funded. The Mayor's Office of Sustainability at one time had significant grant funding that was -- allowed us to bring on significant staff to provide those -- those core ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 90 services, and then finding ways to maintain those staff going forward. I'm not sure if that's getting to the gist of your question.
Okay. Having done what you do, once programs is based on grants, you really do get the flexibility to ensure that you have a staff that is richly diverse, and in this legislative body it's no secret that there are many of us who care about NEB, WBE and DBE participation at all levels including staff levels. We also, as far as the leadership, making it clear and making it plain that is it what you call, Mr. Managing Director, a core value. And so when you look at those departments that have largely grant funding, the rhetorical question is, do they look like Philadelphia when you have the flexibility to hire professionals that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 91 come from richly diverse mixed backgrounds. That's the rhetorical question. To the Office of Sustainability, that is now a part of government, meaning it funded out of the general funds and not grants.
There's a mix. Some positions are funded out of the general fund and some are funded out of the grants fund.
Now, let preface by saying that my office is working very very closely with the Office of Sustainability and have around a number of environmental sustainability measures. That is separate from having an agency that looks like Philly and so give me -- give me the breakdown of the Office of Sustainability.
Alex Dews, Policy and Program Manager, the Office of Sustainability. Our current staffing is Katherine Gajewski, Director of the Office of Sustainability; myself, I'm the policy and program manager; Adam Agalloco, who is the energy conservation coordinator; Sarah Wu who is the outreach and policy coordinator; and Theresa Driscol who is the assistant to the director who is the cyst.
And currently, they're all funded positions or general funds positions.
As of this year, they're all general funds. The director's position is part of the Mayor's office where the remaining positions are part of the general -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 93 the MOD's budget.
Then you know that this is not the first time I've raised this question with the Office of Sustainability?
And so the ask is, as we look to next year across government where you have grants, I believe, it is -- it behooves the leadership to make it clear and make it plain: My department should look like Philadelphia for women and people of color because if the leadership doesn't make it plain it's not going to happen.
Understood. And I'd be happy to provide details on all of our contracting that we've done with the grant funding --
-- in support of that. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 94
We've talked about animal care and control. Councilman Goode has spoken to the Office of Procurement. So the bell has rung, and I will honor it. Thank you for your testimony.
The Chair thanks the councilwoman and now recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just one more questions I had. Could you provide a little bit more detail about the function of the Facilities Management Task Force and kind of what the goals are and that kind of thing?
Sure. I'll ask Bridget Collins Greenwald who chairs that and knows it far better than I do ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 95 to respond.
Good morning. Bridget Collins Greenwald, Managing Deputy Director. Good morning to everyone.
The Facilities Task Force kicked off -- the Mayor signed an executive order in August of last year. So we kicked off with our first meeting in January, and Tom Knox is the chair of that committee as I think you're aware. What we're doing is we have have a three-prong commission. We are looking at the utility bills in the city and how we pay them for noncity agencies. We're developing a more transparent policy on when and when we do not pay for those bills. And we're actually in the -- in conjunction with that developing working with the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 96 Mayor's Office of Sustainability on actually some -- some -- like kind of reining in on our facility costs and things of that nature. That's one prong. The second is we are looking at our facilities, and we're actually studying whether there's room for consolidating some facilities, merging some, actually expanding some of what we need. We've been working with -- the Planning Commission has been heavily involved in that. And the third prong is looking at our leases. We're looking at some of our current leases and looking to see if we're -- if we can get our savings in renegotiating. That's it in a nutshell what we're doing. We meet once a month. And on the off times when we're not meeting all of the people on the committee are actually doing work behind the scenes and working on all ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 97 of three different areas, and then what we do is we meet monthly and figure out our next action step. So what we hope to accomplish by the end of the 18-month period I think we have about left now is, to come up with a transparent policy on the utility -- that will actually be done before the months -- come up with a real 10 consolidation plan for our facilities, 11 and then renegotiate some of our 12 leases, and that's actually going on 13 right now. 14
The 17 the EO expires August of 2013. I 18 might be off by one month but.
Just one more follow-up. What you said about utility bills, you said what we pay and what we don't pay. I don't --
We pay utility bills for noncity ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 98 agencies. For example, some Boys and Girls Clubs which in theory sounds like a good thing, but if we didn't for the utility bills that they'd go away, and then what do those kids do.
Exactly. So -- but what we're doing is actually looking at everything we do in that nature because there are some that we're not exactly sure why we entered into some of these agreements, what good they still are doing for the community, and things like that. So we're just looking at that and what we're developing is in the policy. It will be transparent. So if you meet those criteria, yes. It makes sense for the City to step in and help you out. If you don't, then you're kind of on your own.
And ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 99 some of those recommendations coming out, are they all going to come out August 2013?
No. 5 I think the utilities piece will come out before that, and the leasing piece is ongoing. So as we're renegotiating leases we're actually -- like 1101 Market is a good example. We're renegotiating that lease. It -- we're starting conversations about that now, so this Facilities Task Force will serve as something like an arm of support for us actually as we're going through that process.
Because I think a lot of the Council members would be very interested in some of those issues.
Absolutely. Councilwoman Sanchez and Councilman Kenney sit on that committee, and Councilman Henon as sent his staff to that committee, too, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 100 so.
And we'd also be willing I think at some point once we're in -- a few months into this to do a council briefing and kind of let everybody know where we are which --
Yes. We can give you a progress update. Absolutely.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair now recognizes recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 101 you, Leader, Chairman. Gentlemen, thank you for coming in.
You're welcome. COUNCILMAN HENON I believe you started off with PhillyRising because I got a better understanding of -- of what kind of resources are put together in addressing the quality of life issues and safety issues collaborative with other departments in the neighborhoods. If your testimony, Mr. Negrin, it states that PhillyRising will be expanding to neighborhoods 16 by the end of FY12. Can you please 17 forward to the chair the twenty 18 neighborhoods and what budget -- 19 operating budget costs that are 20 associated with that?
Sure. I'd be happy to do that, recognizing that whenever we do that it's a snapshot in time. So one of the ways that we ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 102 decide where we go next is heavily dependent on what's happening in terms of the crime data and in terms of the quality of life issues in those neighborhoods. So we don't just have a concrete etched-in-stone list today. We look at that list anew every single time we make a decision of where we're going. So there's a list as it stands today. That will be a snapshot of the time as to where in one of those neighborhoods that we can go 14 into right now, but it will evolve 15 slowly over time. 16
It slowed 17 down a bit, and I expect it will 18 especially with the way that the 19 police department with it's force and 20 operations. I do have CLIP predominately in my district which I'm proud of and want to give a shout out to Tom Conway and his group. Good job. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 103 You know, CLIP is, if I'm not under -- I may be wrong, but is CLIP -- it appears to be city-wide on certain -- in certain aspects of his functions and more, I would say, district specific or more, you know, specific in geography; is that correct?
Yeah. I mean, it's needs specific. So CLIP is just not going to be in areas where their services are nonrendered or needed. So they look at where the need is, and they try to apply their services consistent with that.
And the quality of life is the end result for every citizen in the City of Philadelphia where, you know, they feel safe and to be ridden of blight and a lot of other quality of life issues, the short dumping and, as Councilman Jones had mentioned, you know, the bandit signs, you know, just to add to it a little ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 104 bit. Is there -- is there additional resources that CLIP could have that would supplement some of -- of the issues that PhillyRising is dealing with that would help address some of the safety issues in some of the priority areas or some area that may be experiencing in little spike in crime and blight and some of life quality issues that we -- that we deal with --
I'll let Tommy answer that question more specifically, but I know one of the great parts about CLIP is how well it partners with PhillyRising. So, I mean, the two -- the two organizations are almost, you know, unrecognizable from each other -- separate from each ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 105 other. So -- and I think we also, you know, took into consideration when we developed the budget for this year with the fact that that was going to continue and that CLIP was going to be an important partner of everything we were doing around PhillyRising, but I'll -- I'll let Tommy --
-- prioritize that climate of a successful program or adding to another program that is in coordination with other -- with -- well, I'll say CLIP?
My name is Thomas Conway, Deputy Managing Director. And yes. I would like more money. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 106
Was that a surprise? Okay. We can go home. Was that a surprise to anyone?
With regard to resources, obviously, the economy is bad and all that kind of stuff, but we -- what we're trying to do is realign the resources for different areas. For instance, like Councilman Clarke -- Council President said, vacant lots are a big issue in his area, so that's what we focus on in his area. It's more quality of life issues in yours with regards to exterior property maintenance issues. We have graffiti issues in different other areas of the city -- actually, city wide. So what we do is just try to make them -- you know, make them basically result oriented for the different neighbors.
Well, you take into consideration that the -- you know, budget allocation, you know, per area like to help supplement. So ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 107 you're going to spend more resources in cleaning up vacant lots and short dumping than you would -- let's just say, I don't know how many inspectors you have for the entire Northeast --
-- but I'm sure that priority -- you know, prioritizing inspections is much more effective as a result; is that right?
Basically, with regard to our funding, the Vacate Lot Program takes the biggest share of the budget, and then it would be the Anti-Graffiti Network; Bankfoot would be the third, and then the Community Services Program and Community Partnership after that. There's roughly about 2 -- we'll say, 2.5 inspectors assigned to the Northeast, and then there's right now -- well, one just resigned, and we're looking to replace her. There will be three inspectors for the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 108 Vacant Lot Program.
All right. Hurry up. You know, we've got some summary coming. I think there's going to be a lot more --
It's going to be a lot more activity. I have one final question, Mr. Chair, for this round here. It's in regards to the Facilities Task Force. I absolutely agree that there needs to be a mechanism where properties and the data is centralized. I'm a little confused on -- and I'm glad we're taking the steps to do so. I'm a little confused, or are you collaborating and coordinating with other departments in the City because, you know, you have the Office of Sustainability that seems to be doing it, there's a new department in the Finance Department ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 109 that's doing it, Public Property doing it and several other departments seem to be spending a lot of OIT resources in trying to do the same thing. Are we trying to get -- are we all working in conjunction to get to the same end as far as shared data on our public property and resources?
Yes. Actually, we are. We're working -- the Planning Commission is taking the lead. We have Public Property on the committee, the Mayor's Office of Sustainability, Finance is on there, Budget, the Streets Department, the Water Department, someone from the airport is on there. Almost everybody that's -- that has an operating function and deals with Public Property is part of the committee. What we're actually doing right now -- it's very interesting that you brought that up -- is we realize that Finance has a database, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 110 Public Property has a database, Fairmount Park has a database, all completely separate on what types of facilities we owned and what data is in. So Planning is taking the lead on consolidating all of that data. Actually, we have a meeting tomorrow, I believe, to go over everything that we found. And what we're collecting is things like current use, square footage, occupancy of the building, the number of floors believe it or not. Some of that information we don't really have at our fingertips, so we're actually -- it is a very consolidated effort, so we're not doing double work. I know what you're saying. Like, we all --
Let's do ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 111 duplicity and the multitude of vacancies that are eventually -- you know, when we're trying to consolidate our resources, you know, and be a little more efficient on the cost, cost savings, you know, benefit. You know, I'm hoping that somebody is in charge of coordinating with the different departments.
And so I look forward to have -- well, obviously, you know, having a stamp there, but look forward to, you know, getting an update on the Planning Commission's meeting tomorrow as things --
Yeah. You -- and you're coming to one of our upcoming meetings on --
-- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 112 on that, too, so you'll -- yeah. And I'll definitely be in touch with office --
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Good morning. I think it's still morning. Let's see. Yes, eight minutes let. I do have questions that I'm not going to ask today that I'll ask when Records and Public Property and other people are in here about the commercial off-the-shelf database that has been promised to me for three years that would list all properties that the City owns, what it uses, that would start a list of maintenance ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 113 needs in each single property and stuff like that. I mean, I -- for years I've been told that's coming and thought it existed today, so just to give you a heads up about that. With respect to the PhillyStat, the PhillyRising collaborative and Global Philadelphia, what are the problematic cost of these programs?
Roughly 750. I can get the -- get the specific break down. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 114
750,000 staff dollars in the Managing Director's budget?
Okay. That's not my question. My question is: What are the problematic cost of PhillyRising? So, by that I mean, you apply additional police resources to an area and you apply additional L and I resources to an area, you apply additional Streets resources to an area. What are the problematic cost of all City dollars spent with respect to PhillyRising? That's the question.
We don't have those numbers with us today, Councilman. We will do our best to make an estimate. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 115
Okay. How do you judge how effective the program is on a cost versus benefit analysis if you don't know the cost?
Well, I can answer that a couple of ways. First and foremost, one of the great things about PhillyRising is it's a doing things smarter coordinating strategic effort that should not drive up substantial cost so that the -- that's the first answer. So we can figure out and try to broke out some of those cost specific to the PhillyRising neighbors, but these are things we're already doing. So when you -- when you look at the police for example, the police -- there are no additional police officers, and therefore, additional cost as a result of PhillyRising coming into an area. What happens is there's better coordination, and police are in ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 116 the community and changing the model on the approach on how they deal with folks which is -- it's a coordinated strategic effort, not an increase value resource finance cost issue.
Well, I would say that -- that you don't -- that if you're not measuring the cost, certainly there's no cost that you have to report. But of course, there are lots of costs. There are police overtime cost. I have no idea whether or not L & I overtime cost, et cetera. I have no idea whether or not the additional resources required for PhillyRising results in cost in other departments that aren't on your books. For one example, you've got -- I think PhillyRising is a great program. I just think we ought to know the problematic cost so we can --
Yeah. And I think the answer to that is that it's primarily cost neutral which is one of ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 117 the great things about the program. So the cost that Mr. Abernathy just mentioned are really around staffing and the coordination within my office. The -- the -- the cost are that are there, there's no additional overtime being spent as a result with respect to PhillyRising.
Well, we don't know that because we know resources are applied to PhillyRising neighborhoods, and we don't know what decisions are made in the police department to cover where the police are not otherwise that day because they're dedicated to the PhillyRising neighborhood; in other words, there's certainly an opportunity cost for every other neighborhood that's not a PhillyRising neighborhood in terms of resources not being available to enforce the laws there whether it's L & L or Streets or police, et cetera, because you've dedicated resources to ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 118 ten neighborhoods.
I just think we ought to understand that, and I would just ask you to provide in writing to the Chair the resources from each department dedicated that are applied to a PhillyRising neighborhood, and you can take the 10 that are already in affect, and provide that detail for those 10 to the Chair.
Yeah. We can certainly try to do that, but I can tell you it's one of the beauties of the model where when we have decisions and recommendations in terms of where go that are made by the police, it's the police telling us this is a priority based on part one crimes, based on shootings and where we need to be. So the police are already going to be expending those resources ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 119 in terms of how they distribute police officers into that area.
Great. I'm not arguing with the program. I just want to know what the cost are. So if you could just provide that to the Chair I'd appreciate it.
To follow-up on your other questions, Councilman, about PhillyStat, there's no 14 additional problematic cost. It's a management tool. And then for Global Philadelphia there are problematic cost through contracts, and I'll get you a break down of those contracts.
Councilman Green, it was one of my pleasures up here to be able to call you on five minutes, but you adhered ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 120 to the time. You didn't make it any fun.
Just a couple of questions I had. The first is on, as we discussed, public safety, and it says the budget contains a -- contains funding to maintain programs of the Office of Reintergration Services providing ex-offenders an opportunity to learn job skills, et cetera, et cetera. Can you talk about those ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 121 programs? What are those programs?
Sure. I'm going to ask Mike Resnick -- Ruth Resnick to answer those questions.
But look, obviously, this is a situation that Everett and I talk about on a regular basis. It's something that's near and dear to your heart. I'll let Mike talk about the details, but we believe that these programs are not only incredibly necessary but that'll -- it's part of our plan to help folks turn around their lives while also utilizing them. We use Rise folks. I've had folks in my office who have been turned -- in my office from many of those programs who have come in and done a fantastic job. You know, I think if you look at our administrations commitment across the board, whether it's Ban ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 122 the Box or -- or -- or how we utilize many -- many of our former offenders, which is a term I don't like because they're no longer offenders, is -- is -- is -- is -- is -- is the goal. But you know, it's -- it's -- there's an ongoing commitment at the highest levels in our administration to not only keep these programs going but utilize them in a way that makes everything we do in the city better so.
I'm Mike Resnick, Director of Public Safety. Rise, the reintergration for ex-offenders, the Mayor's Office for Reintergration for Ex-offenders, runs a -- a -- now I'm drawing a blank. I ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 123 can't think of the name. But we manage our partners who perform reintergration services for the folks who are enrolled in the program. So we start behind the walls developing what are called soft skills for individuals who may have never had a job before. We work with the Center for Literacy, we work with the Philadelphia prison system in obtaining GED's or high school diplomas for the folks that are currently incarcerated. We utilize the same computer software that they do inside the jails as we do at the Rise office at 34 South 11th Street. So if an individual is working on a GED or improving their literacy, when they leave, they can come to the Rise office and pick up where they left off on the same -- same equipment, the same software, the same programs. And then what the Rise office does is they have case managers ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 124 who will do an intense intake. They will evaluate a person's needs, do an assessment, determine whether or not they need to continue with their education, whether they need drug or alcohol training, whether they need to develop more soft skills or whether they just need just work force placement, and they will attempt to provide those individuals with those sources. We don't provide direct services, but we have partners who provide those services, and we will make those connections, the -- and then we will monitor them as they go through the program. And as they are completing one, we'll determine with their assessments are, what their needs are, and provide them with the opportunities to develop those skills at other locations. And then we have job placement and job development services.
Okay. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 125 And can you talk about the job place services, how much of your budget goes to that, how successful has it been, does it -- you know, what additional resources may be needed?
We have a job developer on staff. He's salary. I don't know off the top of my head his salary. I can provide that for you. That would be our cost. We do have a grant with -- I think it's winding down -- it was three years -- with Good Will. So we have individuals who are placed at Good Will to learn warehousing skills, forklift operation. They get certified in that. There was a contract that Good Will had with Comcast to reservice remotes, remote controls. We provide people with training in cabling for, you know, running cable, computer cable and television cable. They work at Comcast. They work at other entities ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 126 that run those cables. We have -- we just placed close -- close to 100 individuals with a contract that does janitorial and cleaning services down at the -- at the stadiums. We did place close to that -- that number with Comcast, and the exact jobs were varied. So I -- I can provide you with a list of those as well.
And I can get you the list of them, the last couple of years, of all the individuals we placed, the retentions, and jobs that they've had.
That's great. Can you break that down by council district so that other members could --
-- just to give us an idea -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 127
-- of how effective it's been? And what's the total overall budget would you say that's allocated towards reentry and --
The bulk of the Rise budget comes from the Philadelphia Prison System. That's about 1.2 million dollars. There's about half a million in grants and other subsidies that the office gets, and they're consistently applying for grant opportunities.
So it's about 1.2 million plus about a half million --
-- in grants? Okay. And -- okay. Any other details on reentry or anything else that you think could be helpful to us? You know, in my obviously life, I worked in ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 128 constituent services, and I remember one day someone coming into my office -- actually not that long ago, last year -- someone coming into my offices and saying, two gentlemen, that they had just been released from incarceration consider and they needed a job or else they were were going to go back. And so how do you, you know, address that? How do you -- you know, short of being able to hire them on the spot, which obviously I'm not able to do, you know, it becomes a very difficult situation because, you know, you want to make sure that people have an opportunity to better their lives and have an opportunity to be productive citizens in society, and so I think that this program is just really critical. When we talk about crime and all the issues that you're having in Philadelphia, this is something that I ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 129 think, you know, a 1.2 million dollar budget, you know, it doesn't -- in my opinion, it doesn't speak to the need of what's happening in our streets.
I think the -- the biggest impediment we face, public attitudes and public perceptions, not just the -- you know, folks on the streets, but also employers. So if we -- and we try with Ban the Box and we try with some other tax incentives to change the mind set of employers but, you know, if an individual has committed themselves to coming to the Rise office and going through all the programs that we have available in terms of education and developing soft skills and job training, that individual has made an obvious commitment of time to turn their life around and that individual should be given another opportunity. The important thing to realize is that, that these aren't folks that are just ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 130 coming to them called off the street. They've already come through the programs that we provide. They've been supervised --
-- they've been case managed, and they're, you know, ready and willing to work, so they should be given a chance.
Councilman, to give you one anecdotal story that I thought --
-- talks about changing the attitudes in the community, when we first decided through our Philly Rising Program that we were going to utilize some folks who were currently incarcerated to clean up some neighborhoods there was some resistance by some folks, and we made a decision that it was something ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 131 that was -- we thought was worthwhile; that it was about dignity for us. I want to share a story of an incident that I saw that was both inspiring, but I think helps to -- to move the needle in that regard. We were in the Swampoodle of Philadelphia doing a massive clean up. There were a number of offenders wearing their orange jumpsuits cleaning with us all day long doing a great job, interacting with the community in a very positive way. I think those types of events go a long way when you see the enthusiasm, when you see the difference that those folks made that day. There was a moment where we were talking, we were winding down at the end of the day, where those folks got back on the bus, and they were going to go back to a facility that evening.
Right. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 132
I'm happy to say the community stood, several hundred people, and gave them a standing ovation for what they had done that day in the community. And it was a moving situation where you could see the pride in the face of those offenders as they got back on that bus because they knew had made a difference in that community. I think things like that help set the tone for where we need to go.
Thank you. And that's actually a great story. I'm actually from that neighborhood even though it's in Councilman Jones' district now.
But just a couple of other questions. Really briefly, I noticed you mentioned in health and opportunity that you have two -- two staffers that are assigned to Parks ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 133 and Rec, and I'm just wondering why is that? If you could give some detail about that.
That -- those two staff members, the first is Michael Degaradenis. The second is his assistant.
Okay. Okay. No explanation needed. All right. Are there any other Managing Director employees that are assigned elsewhere?
It is commonplace for managing -- for employees of the managing director's office to be detailed to other departments. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 134
Okay. And Philly 3-1-1, I notice that you said you had a high customer satisfaction rate. What is rate?
91 percent. It's been consistently in the 90's. You know, we -- we're -- we're having to look at setting that target because they've been a fantastic staying in the 90's job. The target was 85 percent last year, so we're going to be looking at whether we increase that. That's also, by the way, done by an independent third party. It's not done by 3-1-1 in and of themselves. So they randomly select a -- a sample of folks and call them back and do a formal survey in a manner that -- that gives them a number. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 135
Okay. And my last question. I just wanted to circle back to Councilman Brown's earlier comments regarding the Mayor's Office of Sustainability and just the diversity numbers because I heard a listing of the staffers but not a break down in terms of what the ethic background was of those staffers. I was wondering if that could be provided?
The break down is one African-American, one Asian-American, the three Caucasian.
One African-American, one Asian. And what was that, three --
Okay. Is that in line with your goals in terms of staffing goals or you think that's -- do you think that's an acceptable --
I would defer to the director on that question because I wouldn't be responsible for setting those goals but happy to take that back to her.
Okay. Well, thank you. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 137
Just as -- for the record, Alex Dews four years ago was an intern to this body and you had the good sense to hire him as a result of this experience with City Council. So just a shout out to all the interns that, you know, you could -- you too can be on the other side of the fence. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Oh because I don't see Councilman Squilla.
Okay. Thank you, Chair -- Chairman. Good afternoon, Managing Director.
I just had some questions about, you know, the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 138 economic development portion of your responsibilities. And I understand the majority of it falls under the Office of Sustainability. Are there other initiatives that you are planning or currently working on? I understand there's some announcement coming up in June?
I'm sorry. I missed your -- the last part of your question, Councilman.
Yes. I thought there were some additional initiatives going to be announced in June?
I would defer those questions to -- to our Deputy Mayor of Economic --
Yeah. Alan Greenberger. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 139
Okay. So my question then is that, under your office, one of the seven areas of responsibility that you articulated was economic development and the majority of it falling under the Mayor's Office of Sustainability, and does that fall under the Managing Director's office as opposed to the Commerce Department?
Administratively, it falls under the Managing Director's office.
The direct line of report is Ms. Danaski reports to the Mayor.
Okay. So are you in some way responsible or in a supervisory position over the Mayor's Office of Sustainability?
The budget is about 4 million. To carry out the programs of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability, the goal is to make Philadelphia the greenest in America by 2015 I believe?
Okay. In terms of economic development as opposed to sustainability, could you tell me what your goals are and how ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 141 that's coming along?
Absolutely. So greenworks is the sustainability framework for the city that was introduced in 2009, and the framework breaks out sustainability into five lenses which are energy, environment, equity, economy and engagement. So one of the goal areas is -- is economy and economic development, and within that, the goals are all framed around trying to develop Philadelphia in a way that takes advantage of the inherent infrastructure that we have to drive sustainability and to -- to drive economic competitiveness. So whether that's through work force training that's focused around sustainable employment opportunities or making Philadelphia a more livable city for the types of residents that we're trying to attract, those goals are -- there are three specific goals in that economy section. They're all ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 142 framed that way.
In terms of alternative energy, and specifically green industry, are there any plans or efforts to accommodate those type of industries in Philadelphia?
Sure. On the clean energy side, the city opened its first city run renewable energy production facility at the Southeast Water and Pollution Plant, excuse me, last spring, and we have a goal as part of Greenworks to purchase or generate percent of our electricity 15 in Philadelphia from renewable 16 sources. So by setting that 17 commitment that -- that shows that we 18 really are -- are serious about 19 promoting this industry and promoting 20 it locally. And one of the things that we're looking at as part of our midway update to the Greenworks report is to not only support the purchase of renewable energy from anywhere around ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 143 the country but to try to focus that around regional purchasing and, as much as, possible local -- local purchasing. As far as the business growth and job growth within Philadelphia Proper, the Greater Philadelphia Innovation cluster down at the Navy Yard has been a great source of new business growth around the clean economy. A lot of businesses have located there since the Department of Energy made their grant award to that consortium which is focused on doing energy efficiency research in particular on existing buildings, and that's particularly important to us we think because in a city like Philadelphia most of the buildings that will be here in 30 or 50 years are already here, so we really need to put our research into finding ways to -- to reduce the energy performance in those buildings ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 144 and to increase their -- their asset value.
In terms of competitiveness of Philadelphia to other U.S. cities and cities around the world, have you come up with ideas about the tax incentives or tax reductions or regulations or lessening regulations?
I think that this is the case where we would agree with the -- the President's approach of the -- all of the above. We need to do everything we can to try to be competitive against other major cities in this country and around the world on sustainability and that is through one of the things like tax incentives. So we have a Green Roof Tax Credit that was an initiative of Councilman Kenney, and we have a Sustainable Business Tax Credit which will go into effective for the first time this year. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 145 We also coordinate through our office a number of programs designed to help homeowners and business owners reduce their -- their energy use in their homes and help them save money and reduce their environmental impact.
Okay. Thank you. I would just, you know, at a later date like to go a little deeper into that around the idea, at least from my prospective, and I certainly would like your, you know, input on it, but there are -- there's sustainability and there's businesses that are involved in sustainability. There's economic development which has to do with, for example, production of electric cars or other things that have to do with business manufacturing and, you know, technology and those type of things that tend to separate the two, and I'm very interested in what you may have ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 146 planned on the latter more so than the former subject?
Sure. I'd love to have that conversation and can tell you just quickly that this week we'll be distributing a survey to the region to try to gauge, again, at this point in the Green Works implementation time line, to gauge the number, the size, the scale, of jobs that are in this clean set -- businesses and jobs in this clean sector so that we can continue to try to support them as best as possible.
The Chair thanks the Councilman. And now recognizing Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Will the budget director and direct OEO join the Managing Director ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 147 at the table. Mr. Negrin, while they approach, can tell me what the total Class 300 request is from the administration for Fiscal Year 13?
For the entire administration? Class 300 total for the entire administration.
Hi. Rebecca Reinhart, Budget Director. I have to pull that out.
What portion of that -- there's two ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 148 different terms in the budget documents; one is Services, Supplies and equipment and one is materials, supplies and equipment. Is there a differentiation between the two in terms of requests?
Between Class 3 and 400, yes. It's broken out but they're interchange -- the departments can use Class 300 and 400 funding mentioned.
And does all of the Class 300 and 400 funds fall under the managing director?
No. Does the entire city's Class 3 and 400 fall under the managing director?
I think Hugh could speak to that more directly, but ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 149 I know that they -- they do most purchasing, but I don't know the exact answer to that.
Okay. In terms of services, supply and equipment, that all falls under Procurement; is that correct?
Procurement purchases for the city but, again, I'm not -- I am not positive. I think Hugh could answer better than me on that.
Okay. This next question, I'll just jump into it. What is the diversity goal specifically for the services, supply and equipment.
Please ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 150 state your name for the record.
Angela Dowd-Burton, Executive Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity.
What is the diversity goal for the city-wide buying for services, supply and equipment?
I know the overall goal is percent. I don't 15 know how that's carved down per need 16 for the purchase of equipment. 17
That's - 24 that's -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 151
Yeah. We'd have to look that up. I don't -- I don't know what that is off the top of my head.
Yeah. Hugh Ortman will supply it. Hugh -- Hugh Ortman is probably the best person to answer.
If you're asking what Procurement's goals are in competitive --
No. I'm asking a specific question: In terms of Class 300 and 400, it's about 70 to 80 million dollars spent.
Of that, I believe that is roughly 50 or 60 million dollars for services, supply ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 152 and equipment. That's a lot of money. The question is: What's the diversity goal?
Oh. I see what you're saying. I'm not sure how that's set up, so Hugh can answer.
The goals are determined by the number -- by the scope of the work, the people in the registry, and the history of previous contracts. The --
You must be joking. Ms. Dowd-Burton, would you approach the table.
And Council, I have to admit I couldn't hear everything because of the hearing problem I have.
Let's just show a -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 153
Mr. Negrin, please don't direct me how to question people.
I asked the same question of you in my previous line of questioning. Everyone knew this was coming. Ms. Dowd-Burton, we spend 78 million dollars on materials, supply, equipment, of that is a separate category, service, supply and equipment which is roughly 43 million dollars. We all know what this is. It's a city-wide buy. It's a lot of ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 154 money, hundreds of transactions. In Mr. Ortman's testimony, it will say that there were hundreds of people involved. My simply question was: What's the diversity goal for that big pot of money that's spent?
There are goals -- there are goals set as contained in this document for all the different departments. Get down beyond -- beyond the 42 departments, there is a line item for city-wide SSE, Service, Supply and Equipment. It has a participation rate of 10.4 percent which is about 5 million dollars out 51 billion dollars spent for Fiscal Year '11. And then where the box for a goal was set, it is blank.
The goal -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 155
Okay. The goal that we depart in terms of decision making on each of the transactions that run through the operating departments, including Procurement as well city wide, is 9 percent. And when we look at the 10 scope of the contract, the duration of 11 the contract and that -- which is on 12 the demand side, and on the subside 13 side -- 14
I'm going 15 to be very clear with this: In Fiscal 16 Year '11, 10.4 percent was achieved. 17 So was the goal 25 percent -- 18
So you 24 came nowhere near the goal? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 156
The goal 6 is still going to be pursued at 25, 7 but we're also looking at -- 8
How are 9 you going to get from 10 percent to 25 10 percent? Somebody just answer that 11 question for me. 12
Yes. What 13 we're going to do, and you see it 14 beginning in the first quarter report, 15 is look at what are the transactions 16 within that pot that we can, in fact, 17 achieve participation on and which 18 ones can we not, for example, water 19 treatment chemicals at about 23 20 million dollars or petroleum products 21 at 20 million. We're taking those out 22 of that pot. We're putting them 23 visibly over to the side and saying 24 what's left in this category we're ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 157 going after the 25 percent goal. And we're also encouraging companies, whether they're local or national, who are in the area of selling products and services where we have few or no 6 companies to provide those products locally, to come to Philadelphia to do business --
That question actually wasn't for you. It was Mr. Negrin --
-- and/or Mr. Ortman. But what you just say to me is: You're going to change the way you calculate participation. That's what you just said.
What I said exactly is that we're going to look at what's a denominator and an ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 158 enumerator.
-- so we won't be measuring apples and oranges. So when I talk about how the goal was percent for Fiscal Year 13 '11, you only achieved 10 percent, 14 and how you're going to move from 10 15 to 25 percent, what you said was, 16 we're going to change the way we 17 calculate it. 18
Let me 20 ask a different question. 21 The question now is: Why 22 did you fall short in Fiscal Year 23 '11? If the goal was 25 percent, why 24 was only 10 percent achieved? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 159
Because of the lack of companies that provide products and services that are in our registry.
Well, right now we're looking at percent 10 participation for the second quarter 11 year to date and so -- 12
My 13 question is: What will the goal be 14 for Fiscal Year '13? 15
The Chair thanks the gentleman and now ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 160 recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Yes. Thank you. I'd like to shift gears a little bit and also thank from the Managing Director's office Tommy Conway and Brian who I've dealt with the short I'm here who have been very good to work with. As far as the alley cleanups, what is the process or how -- is that something that we are doing as a city or are we still not doing that?
Thomas Conway, Deputy Managing Director. With regards to alleyway clean outs -- cleanups, we work with the community on this. It is the responsibility of the property owners that abut the alleyways. But what we're trying to do is work with them, create a cleanup day, bring some community service offenders, bring the supplies with us ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 161 as long as the neighbors are willing to partner with us and help clean up the alleyway.
Okay. So, then, if we -- if we get groups of neighbors who want their alleys clean we could organize a day and have them come out and help you -- you guys can help us actually complete the alleys. All right. Also, with the lot cleanups, now that we -- we do go and do abandoned lots and we actually clean them, and a lot of them are privately owned lots, what is our process as far as, I guess, going after the owners to recoup that cost?
The majority of the vacant lots throughout the City of Philadelphia are privately owned. Roughly -- if there's 30 to 40,000 vacant lots, probably three-quarters of them are privately owned. What we'll do is, we'll send ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 162 a violation notice to the property owner. We'll obviously have an inspection of it first, take the picture, send the property owner a violation notice. We allow them a two-week compliance period for them to comply and clean up the vacant lot themselves. If the don't, then we do send City resources out to clean up the vacant lot and then build them for the cost associated with it. If they don't pay the bill and nuisance claims it, a tax to the property.
So what is the procedure then? Once it's liened -- I guess may be not the Managing Director's Office but to -- we don't really put a lien against the property? Is that where we're going here?
There's a nuisance lien put on the property, but I don't know the processing to that.
And ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 163 then we would -- when that money is actually paid or that lot is sold, does that money go back to the Managing Director's Office?
All right. It would be nice to see that if all the cleaning that the Managing Director's Office does and the liens that go forward and that money maybe able to go back into the Managing Director's Office so we can get more resources to do more cleaning with. Is that something that we can look into as Council or is that something that --
Yes. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 164 Wait a minute.
I won't take up your time, but on a lot of these lots we can't identify the owners.
We can't -- so you can lien a piece of land, but you don't have anybody yet to go to -- you know, you can't identify the owner.
Okay. And that's a good question, too. But when -- say, the City ends up getting the land, controlling the land or disposing of the land and selling it, that lien would still be on that property and have to be paid by the person getting the lot or a developer ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 165 getting it, and I think the money that was -- the lien that was put on by the Managing Director's Office should be put into a separate pot that we can use to fund it because we -- we have a lot of issues out throughout the community, especially quality of life issues, as far as even cleaning alleys, lots, graffiti and everything else, and the more resources you have, like I said yesterday, it's kind of nice to reward the people who are doing good jobs and that would be way to reward them, by giving them the money back that they're actually spending to do this. So I would like to look forward to doing something like that in the future to see if it's possible to do. You mentioned the Safe Cams, the cameras initiative. Has there been, I guess, a -- they were going to come up with some kind of specifications for cameras that may ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 166 work. What I'm trying to do is -- a lot of the zoning issues, when people are putting provisoes in, we're requesting the businesses to actually put cameras as part of that, but we haven't really got specifications on what would work or not work with the Safe Cam process. Is that something that you have in place at this point?
Yeah. We can reach out to the police and give you specifics around what are the optimal. They can basically almost use any camera, but obviously, the better the resolution the better the information and the more likelihood that it's going to lead to impact public safety. But we can reach out to the police and make sure that you understand what's the -- the requirements are.
I just think it would be nice to have that -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 167
-- so when we're asking that mostly, you know, put the camera up with these specifications --
Thank you. Councilman Kenney, did you speak the first round?
Thank you, Mr. Majority Leader. First a compliment because I ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 168 know you sit up here in a lot of these hearings and don't get many compliments. But Tom Conway, just walking away from the table, CLIP is -- should be the paradigm department of every public service interaction with the public in -- throughout this government. They -- they not only do their job, but they do it in an enthusiastic way because they love to serve the public. And there's not a better group of people in government to deal with than them, and I think you ought to send all of your interact -- people who interact with the public over to them for some training because that -- they need it. Coming to public service and public interaction, the Municipal Service concourse. We ever -- have you guys ever looked at the possibility of rearranging and reconfiguring that concourse? When you walk through there, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 169 you see people standing in line, you see people sitting on bolted chairs like they're at Curran-Fromhold waiting for a visit. They get sent from one department to another. And the way I want you to think about is: When you go into an auto dealership, first of all, someone comes up and greets you, they offer you a cup of coffee, and you sit at their desk, and you don't leave until you buy the car, if you want to buy the car. Why -- why do people have to go to multiple lines and be treated as if we're doing them a favor as opposed to us serving them a nice golf shirt, a pair of khakis, a nice place to sit while you're waiting, maybe a little screen, a little music, a nice environment where people can actually feel like they're -- they're welcomed as opposed to their going through some kind of polodaro, you know, experience ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 170 that somehow we're doing them a favor?
Have you look at how that place moves and what we do over there?
Okay. Yeah. I mean, before I turn it over to Dave, I mean, as you know, I -- I'm always interested in looking at ways so we better focus on customer service. Right. So for the first time this year we've appointed Rosetta Lewis as one of -- our chief customer officer. I think things like that, that they can help impact the customer service experience, are exactly the kind of things that we're doing and talking about at PhillyStat. So I'm -- I'm more than happy to look at the details of reconfiguring the concourse and whatever that situation is, but I think we've made a lot of progress in that area in the last few months ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 171 looking at customer service matrix across our departments and actually making some substantial improvements, not just in 3-1-1, but in other departments including L & I.
-- when you went up to the counter and the guy, you had to give him a number, and then they disappeared into the back and they came out with the bottle of vodka or the bottle of wine? And then we went to a different method where people would actually go around with a shopping cart and can shop and they -- it's that kind of -- when you go in there and stand there and you look at the faces of people, they're not happy. They're just really dragged out. And maybe we would do better from a customer service prospect to provide that experience for people as ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 172 opposed to what we provide now even though it's improved.
I know, but the whole environment is not. I mean, you're just lined up on metal chairs that are bolted to the floor. I mean, it's not exactly conducive to wanting to do business with the city.
You're right, Councilman. And it's -- it's an suggestion that is duly noted, and we'll move forward with that. I know in the past, in the last couple of years, we have done some things relative to the flow of how we streamline the flow of individuals access counters and things to that extent, but we'll go back and address this with Revenue and L & I.
This is not your fault. I mean, this -- that place has been in that -- in that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 173 configuration for as long as I've been in government and probably before I was -- before I was here. But it just seems to me that that would be a welcome change to people's experience with their city government. I've got a question on public property relative to the Verizon building --
Before you go off of that, for the record, you're not suggesting we have a little libation while we're doing down there?
Anything is possible. Starbucks, you know, or a little something; a bunch of treadmills, and people could workout with TV's and stuff. Public property, relative to this pace of the Verizon cable contract build out, do we -- do we have any information relative to the percentage of build out that they've ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 174 accomplished and where they are and what neighborhoods they're building out in? And I've been -- I've been asked to -- to issue some questions relative to where they are in their whole process. Does any know or could you find out --
Yeah. We could answer that now with Adel. I think it's in the realm where we -- you can do that this afternoon with him.
We'll -- we'll need to get back to you on that. We -- the -- Innovation and Technology will get back to you.
Okay. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 175 Fine. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Oh. He did it on time? Are you serious? Good job. Good job. We're on our second round. We're down to three minutes. Everyone has had a turn, correct? (Yes.)
Okay. I'm going to forgo my turn, and I don't see Councilman Johnson either, so it goes to Councilman Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm happy to restrict my questioning to two minutes as long as it's two minutes of my time asking questions and not dependent upon the length of answers from the administration. At any rate, so just with respect to PhillyRising, I think the reason it's important, and any ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 176 program, the reason it's important to know the cost is, assuming it's true and, of course, I think things have cost and it's impossible for it to be absolutely cost free, I don't think taxpayers -- I don't think that's a true statement -- but assuming that was true, eventually, if go to 9 neighborhoods or 50 neighborhoods or 10 70 neighborhoods because it's 11 determined that the program is really 12 working well and we want to expand, 13 it's having a huge impact on crime, on 14 other things, to expand it we have to 15 know what resources are required from 16 each department because there wouldn't 17 be the resources to put in from the 18 departments in 50 neighborhoods. And 19 so understanding that it's very 20 important, and that's why I ask the question. Can you just tell me how much this -- PhillyRising, I remember the Reform Initiative under Dr. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 177 Barnett basically had police service areas, and they were going to try to coordinate departmental responses, assign departmental people to specific PSA's, have them focus on that area, whether it be one or two or three PSA's per L & I person or per Streets, depending upon the resources available and what's needed for that PSA. Is PhillyRising sort of an extension of that initiative that came out the reform plans?
You know, it is. It started with looking at the good work and really a small handful of PSA's and in -- we started to ask ourselves, some the PSA boundaries are much larger than P -- than PhillyRising neighborhoods, so we talked about having -- in order to have a sustainable model is having smaller neighborhood divisions which -- which I thought made more sense. So the strategy was really ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 178 around -- and I can have John Farrell some of this as well -- but the idea grew out of that effort. That effort was incredibly successful, the PSA effort, but we don't want to mix up PhillyRising neighborhoods with PSA's. We still have PSA's across the city. The difference is the PSA's are primarily a police-driven effort on-site with some City intervention. The difference here is the City is not just an equal partner but is -- it is driving many of the major initiatives inside of our PhillyRising neighborhoods.
But -- so the question really was: To what extent have -- have we -- have we abandoned to philosophy of assigning people via PSA's so that there's the same, sort of like, community court?
The same ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 179 DA is dealing with the same neighborhood, the same L & I official is dealing -- via people or whatever measurement or method you want to use, to what extent has that as a policy of the departments you manage --
Yeah. The PSA's are the still in effect. That model is still working across the city.
Okay. Could you -- and are you measuring the effectiveness of that compared to the previous? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 180
No, but we can get you that. I mean, L and I I'm sure is doing that as an as-is, the other departments who are involved and the PSA effort. My focus is really on the PhillyRising component.
Okay. I'll save that for the departmental questions. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The Chair thanks the gentleman. And now, on the record, I don't see Councilman Johnson, so we'll go to Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a question for the Mayor's Office of Sustainability.
Alex, good afternoon. Thank you. The Greenworks Philadelphia initiative that the office is ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 181 managing, how do you coordinate with the other departments, one, being the Water Department? And how do you tie in specifically to prioritize the greening of certain areas in conjunction with the stormwater runoff?
It's a question that we have ongoing with the City because I've heard from many, and I say, many businesses, that has been put out in a report from your -- from the CSA report that states there is -- that recognizes there's a thousand losers. So how do we mitigate around those thousand losers, so to speak, as far as the additional cost and increase of their stormwater management with your program?
Sure. So the first question is about coordination ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 182 with other departments. And just generally speaking, in 2009 the Sustainability Working Group was established which is coordinated through our office. I coordinate that, and that has representatives from City departments, all City departments. Anyone who wants to be at the table to discuss the initiatives that are in Greenworks, that's part of the way that the Greenworks plan was developed, was through input from departments on what they were already doing that we could further leverage into the plan. Specifically, on stormwater management, target eight of the plan is to be in compliance with the Clean Water Act. And as I'm sure you know, part of the effort with CSO, Combined Sewer Overflow, with the water department is to get us to compliance so that we don't continue to pay the hefty fines that go along with ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 183 violating the Clean Water Act. So in order to support the parcel-based billing efforts the water department is phasing in over five years. One thing that has been set up already is through a partnership with the Water department and PIDC, the Stormwater Management Incentives Program, which provides financing to those large property owners who are negatively effected with the increased stormwater billing. The flip side of that is that there are a number of properties that are also going to see reduced stormwater cost because they're a larger building on a smaller footprint.
Well, I think that you, in your statement, you say, or we're going to have to pay. You mean, you know, the businesses and the residents are going to have to pay, in the most part, because of -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 184
So under the scenario and parcel-based billing, instead of paying a stormwater fee that's based on the size of your water inlet, you pay it based on how much stormwater you actually generate.
Well, I just think, you know, and I'll end with this, providing low interest loans or a no interest rate loans from PIDC or -- you know, or the Commerce Department, or the Water Department more specifically, someone -- you mean they're paying. So I hope there's better coordination with, you know, some of the folks that are going to be impacted the most with -- you know, which I think is a good initiative. I think that Greenworks is a great initiative, and I understand, you ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 185 know, it's end goal, and I believe we're going to achieve it. I just hope -- I'd like to see that we're prioritizing where we're greening and have a lesser impact on those who are going to be paying more for stormwater vacation.
Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Johnson is next, and then Councilman Kenney. We're going to have Procurement which is next, and then we're going to break.
Thank you, Mr. Leader. I just to go back. I had a couple of small questions as ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 186 well. I'm echoing my colleague, part of the gang of six, Ms. Cindy Bass, regarding the Rise Program over single ex-offenders and the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership. I think I can get the answers to the Rise program totally separate, but just elaborate on where we're at with the the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership, and also are there any numbers? Are there any type of statistical numbers in terms of the performance of the Rise program like benchmarks, how many people have been trained, how many people have been employed, job readiness, GED, simply stuff, birth certificate, ID's.
All that -- the Rise has all of that information because that's part the intake. So they do an extensive intake for any client --
Can I get a copy of that report if you don't ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 187 mind --
Along with what I think is probably the most important stat, which is the recidivism rate for the folks who participated in that program.
That will be provided along with the information that Councilman Bass requested.
All right. Thank you. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 188 The Youth Violence Reduction Partnership?
The YVRP, Councilman, is operating in several police districts. Obviously, the -- the -- the ability to expand that program into more districts is -- is hampered by the amount of funding, and it's -- it's a partnership between -- the YVRP, the pants, the street workers, the Juvenile Probation and Parol, the District Attorney's Office of course, and its intense supervision of individuals who have been identified as -- based upon their -- their offense and the -- the probation office who is supervising the individuals who are likely to commit a violence offense or who have committed a violent offense in the past. So those individuals are placed on the -- this case load. They're supervised intensively. They have street workers ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 189 who go out and visit them, visit them in their homes, will visit with their families. They go with police officers who also make the visits. They're, you know, encouraged to continue with their education, look for employment, continue with their -- their GED if they're not in school. So that is essentially why the YVRP. The YVRP is also being currently analyzed by PPV, Public Pilot -- Public Private Ventures, who is taking a look at the efficacy of the program and going to make recommendations to us as to what aspects of the program are working and worthwhile, what aspects of the program maybe not so much and might need to be altered, and we anticipate that within the next couple of -- couple of months I believe.
There's a juvenile enforcement team under Family Court. Is part that a part of ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 190 this partnership where you actually provide intensive case management for those who are on probation who are --
It's part of the team. Okay. Awesome. Okay. All right. And 3-1-1, just a couple of questions regarding 3-1-1.
Before you ask -- the representative from 3-1-1 comes up, one of the things that we are doing under public safety is having -- reestablishing our monthly meetings on the weekend. Council can bring that up in that time so that those reports are centralized and they're distributed to respective Council Members on statistics that are important, whether it's crime instances or prevention efforts or rises. We want to codify it, and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 191 we'll send it out to the members, Council.
And that's the point of those as you know those meetings. So whatever the committee members are interested in we can have that information available for you at the meeting.
We're going to have before you leave here one of our staffers schedule that date day and make available to all the members.
We want to thank publicly Councilman Green for his efforts in CJEV that preceded me being on Public Property. I want to thank him publicly for that.
Great. 3-1-1 -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 192
-- just real quick, the Citizens Engagement Academy, just elaborate on that. I have been invited to come a lot of times to actually actually visit 3-1-1. Unfortunately, I haven't, but -- so I don't believe in trying to come at you from the mind side when you invited to see the 3-1-1 program. But a couple of specifies I do want to see and do want to ask is the Citizens Engagement Academy, and also the coordination between the Philadelphia Police Department and the application where they can actually refer to data, quality of life data to 3-1-1. Can you just focus on those two components of 3-1-1 for me?
And I see it's in the 26th so, of course, I'm advocating for the 17th and the 1st as a part of this conversation. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 193
Okay. Good afternoon. I'm Cheryl Johnson, Operations Manageer for 3-1-1. So in reference to the Citizens Engagement Academy, that's actually part of PhillyRising, so they can -- they can speak better to that. In reference to the Mobile Data Computer Project, it's actually now expanded beyond District 26. And we used that district as a pilot and it was successful, and so now we are in the process of training the entire police department and expect that by the end of 2012 that approximately 3000 will be trained.
Yeah. There are currently -- they're currently 1000 officers. It started off as a pilot in PhillyRising neighborhoods, but that's going to city wide. So the officer will have the ability on their mobile data terminals inside of their ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 194 cars to directly submit 3-1-1 requests not only from citizens they see in the street who will want to do that, but themselves on a daily basis. So as they are our eyes and ears out there on the street they can submit reports for graffiti, and likewise, abandoned cars. To answer the question around the Engagement Academy, it's really an effort in conjunction with Philly to create and knowledge inside of the neighborhood so it shows up, and we have a commitment from the part of the leaders in the city. So you'll have, whether it's the District Attorney's Office present, their Nuisance Task Force, Beth Grossman will be present, the U.S. Attorney's Office and their community efforts will come in because basically I think it's a -- is it seven weeks now? I know it was six at one point. I think it grow an extra week. It -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 195
It's eight now? It's an eight-week program. We're on a weekly basis inside of those neighborhoods. We basically take folks to school, and it's the City of Philadelphia 101 where we educate them on how our departments work and how they can best utilize City services in an effort to kind of get educated. Folks enjoy that program. They see it as -- you know, as an academic setting either in a community group or a library. They get a certificate upon completion. They coordinate really well with -- with 3-1-1. They learn how to use the City services in a manner that works. They get a certificate at the end. They actually had a graduation ceremony at the end that helps develop pride
That's it. Thank you very much. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 196
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is for Procurement and Sustainability. Has anyone in either Procurement or Sustainability examined the potential use of concrete for paving of city streets versus asphalt, petroleum-based asphalt, on a couple of different levels? Number one, the environmental level, you no longer have the leach aide of petroleum product every time it rains into the stormwater system. You get a longer lasting paving. It's easier to access for utility work. You get a better lumin's value for your nighttime overhead street lights system. And the information I understand as to why we don't to it or why we haven't moved ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 197 in that direction is because there's an initial increased cost. But do we do lifetime life cycle analysis processes that we do to see whether or not, in fact, it is worth it? I know every time you open a street for utility work and you pave it back, between the weather changes, that street wides up being pot marked and pot holed. And the other issue on the Sustainability side is impervious concrete. Would that -- it's not -- it doesn't have the PSI needed for streets, for trucks and cars, but it is okay for pedestrians, would that help some of these businesses that need to come up to our stormwater standards by having concrete that is able to take the water out of the sewer -- out of the stormwater. So I attend that hearing at some point in time during the year, but I wanted to get your initial ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 198 reaction both from Sustainability and Procurement. They also could make the concrete any color you'd like. So if you want to have a special color street you can do that, too, but that's a minor issue.
Let's speak first on the sidewalks, and I -- I'm going to defer that question to Streets. I know that's something that they've been looking. They've been looking at all kinds of alternatives.
And also the leach aid from the petroleum product. That's the environment side, too.
I know that they've already implemented a pervious street. It's our first curb-to-curb end-to-end street that's entirely pervious.
It -- it's ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 199 pavement, yeah. It's not concrete.
It's actually an alleyway. It's a very small street. I was -- yeah.
Correct. It was the -- it's the pilot, but it's -- it's been proven to be very effective at managing stormwater. And your other question was whether or not pervious paving or concrete can offset stormwater cost. And, yes. Absolutely. That is one way to earn stormwater credits.
Right. But we -- have we given that information to business people that they know when they've been -- they've ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 200 been sticker shocked with that water treatment? And we -- do we -- can we move towards requiring it and promoting as opposed to just knowing about it?
As far as reaching out to the business owners on it, the Water Department does have a manual for how to achieve stormwater credits and staff available to -- to walk business owners through that process.
And is there anything in response from Procurement on using it as opposed to asphalt because I don't -- we can very much lose to take care of -- update -- the cost of petroleum now is -- is going through the roof obviously so.
I understand what you're saying. For the record, Hugh Ortman, Procurement Commissioner. Councilman, we -- we can buy ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 201 whatever Streets wants us to buy. We can't tell Streets what they have to abide by the laws that we're governed -- for which we're governed. So they will tell us we want concrete, and we can pay for the concrete. We will do -- and we'll get specs from that and go out and bid it to the public or bid it to the vendors or contractors, and we will get the lowest response -- responsible price for what they have spent out.
Councilman, are you asking is it cost effective? I thought --
I'm asking if we do life cycle analysis when comparing the cost of one product to another. So, for example, on the face of it, asphalt, petroleum asphalt, may be cheaper, but on a life cycle of it how many times it's ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 202 replaced in a ten-year period as opposed to concrete --
I understand. I understand the question. I think it's a fair question. I think when the Streets Department comes up I think it's more appropriate. We'll make sure they're ready.
So Procurement's position is, if you tell us to buy it, we'll buy it?
Yeah. I think Procurement is going to take the direction from the experts in the area which is -- which is -- which should be the department in this case.
Good question, Council. The Chair recognizes ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 203 Councilman Squilla.
I just wanted -- thank you, Chairman. I just wanted to piggyback on Councilman Johnson when he spoke about the enforcing of littering and short dumping and stuff like that. Do we as a department look at different ways to enforce littering? I mean, I don't know of anybody that I've seen or many people never had a ticket for throwing trash in the street or even picking up after their dog, and these are big quality of life issues that we face. Is there something that the Department is looking at to try to enforce these issues?
Sweep officers actually are in charge of enforcing littering. We can -- I would certainly make sure that Streets ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 204 is prepared to answer that question when they come.
All right. I understand Streets -- I mean, Sweeps does that type of enforcement, but I'm -- like, the individuals that you see throwing trash around, if we have some type of enforcement, you're not going to have a Sweeps officer walk up to a guy and say here's a ticket for throwing the trash. Do they do that?
The short answer is, no. They don't -- don't currently do that, and your point is taken.
Thank you. Councilman Kenny, your light is lit. Are you --
Yeah. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 205
Oh. Wait a minute. I'm sorry. Councilman Green. Out of order.
Thank you. I think I'd like to see a -- find out the cost of paving our streets in gold again like the good old days and see how that goes. So your testimony indicates that 3-1-1 launched a pilot program in the 26th Police District to give officers real-time access to the 3-1-1 system through their mobile data computers. Have you been tracking the referrals made by police officers?
Yeah. That's certainly -- we -- we were tracking the number, the number that were received, but that's being expanded as we speak. So we're in the early phases of extending that city-wide. I'll let Cheryl Johnson talk to the details, but the -- the answer is ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 206 that's exactly what we hope to do. We hope to not only be able to track activity of the part of the police officers but also measure the progress we're making in those areas over time.
So, at this point, we have the input of approximately 2000 service requests since we launched the program.
Yes, for the officers that have been trained and certified by us.
We can get you that information. I don't have that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 207 here.
Okay. And I -- I assume there's plans to expand that to our -- all of our on-the-street work force, L and I, Sweeps officers, et cetera? Are there plans to expand that?
And I think it's -- it's really two questions. The police have a technology that we saw inside of their vehicles in order to do that directly. The hope would be with the rest of our city employees that they understand how the system works and they're able to do those things, whether that's calling 3-1-1 directly or putting in service requests themselves either online. One of things that we're talking about, and Adel Ebeid has been working on this since he arrived, is doing a 3-1-1 mobile app that as we develop the plan for technology and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 208 have the new CRM for 3-1-1, we're going to have the ability to utilize the mobile app both in terms of our city employees and our citizens eventually to have the ability to do just that, Councilman, to be able to -- to see things, put in service requests, and actually directly impact the quality of life.
Well, that's good because you went where I was going because for three years I've been asking at every budget hearing --
-- for citizens directly to be able to put this information and in --
Yeah. So how long do you think that that will ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 209 take? I mean, there are -- there are -- many cities have that. There are third-party service providers that do it. With an RFP and $15,00, we could have an app for every citizen today.
And so when are you going to release an RFP for that. Just introduce yourself.
Sure. Adel Ebeid, CIO. Councilman Green, the request was put out roughly six weeks ago. Four vendors have responded. We're in the process right now of short listing the two vendors, and I'm confident that we'll make a selection by the end of April.
That's awesome. That's great news. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 210 I'll -- I know other people have questions. I will come back.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate that. Managing Director, does your office -- I know this may be a Procurement department issue -- deal with communications with police and fire vehicles? Is that under your bellywick or that more department-by-department issue?
It's more department by department, but to the extent it falls under public safety, Mike Resnick can address it
One of the things we've been finding is that since the police department has done total NDT communication with auto accidents that it's cut down on the police side from the road towers that are endangering our citizens and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 211 racing to the scene to tow somebody's car. They are now using fire radio to response to calls for rescue squads to vehicles. Is there some way to go in that same direction in eliminating this information coming out over -- over the air and being done in a rescue squad between 9-1-1 digitally because I'm still trying to figure out ways to box these guys in and kind them out of --
Mike Resnick, Director of Public Safety. As you know, Council, and that's the reason why we started to dispatch over the NDT's so that the towers wouldn't be intercepting the radio communications and wreck chasing to the scenes, and that has cut down on that issue. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 212 The problem is that not all of the Fire Rescue vehicles are equipped -- are similarly equipped. So those calls where the accident is severe enough it requires a medic have to go out on the radio, and that's where they're intercepted. So the plan is then to place NDT terminals into the Fire Rescue vehicles, and then they will be similarly dispatched.
Okay. And the other issue relative to 3-1-1 is the criticism, and I'm not as critical as some relative to the resources that have been provided. The issue of advertising and making people aware of it, have we looked into various alternative forms like -- like billboards? Maybe we can ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 213 do public service billboards, things of that nature, that are -- that are lower in cost but still get a pretty good -- I mean, at our sports complexes on Panavision, on wherever it's possible to get gratis advertising, have we looked at those possibilities.
We've been walking a very fine line with the awareness of around 3-1-1 and our capacity to deal with volume. So when you look at the fact that we've gotten 4 million calls faster than any other major city, the technology system we're utilizing for 3-1-1 is the phase one in the infant -- the infancy phase system. If we were to make everybody in the entire city aware of 3-1-1 and have them all utilize it to the maximum capacity right now, it would crash our system.
Well, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 214 that's probably not possible. I mean, hypothetically, yes, but we need --
If we were to substantially increase our calls, that would create a problem in terms of our ability to provide service. So what we hope to do is over the next -- to answer your question sustinctly, the answer is, yes. We're looking at not only ways to do some cheat advertising but also how to partner with private partners and public private partnerships to try to get the folks like the Comcasts of the world and like some of the other folks who are out there and have air time, some of the radio stations, to actually do some public service and emphasize 3-1-1. We're having those meetings and conversations now. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 215
What -- how much can you increase participation or use of the -- use of the program and still maintain your ability to service?
I -- you know, I think we can do two things walking side by side, so the plan for the new CRM in our capital budget is there this year. We've engaged the project around having a new CRM and hope to have that long along the way by the end of this fiscal year, you know, leading into the next fiscal. So I think as we -- as we -- as we do both of those walking hand in hand we'll be better positioned by the end of this physical year to -- to do that kind of advertising in a way that think we can handle it from a capacity standpoint.
Thank you. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 216 I'm going to ask a couple of questions, and I'll end up with you guys. I'll kind of let you guys go in a little bit, but I wanted to talk about very briefly something that -- my staff has sent out letters to both you, the Police Commissioner and others in reference to my role as Chair or the Public Safety Committee, and what we wanted to take a look at is the location or geography of criminal acts and to take a look at it with fresh eyes to say, in or around a rec center how many felonies, acts of crimes, have happened in where -- in or around a school? How many arrests and/or assaults have happened within a block or so or on the premises of; how many acts of violence, crimes, committed, whether it's cellphones being stolen or what type of crime happens on or in SEPTA facilities; how many act of crimes at universities, you know, if there's a problem. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 217 There was one university that was a couple of years back it might have even have been a decade ago, that was -- there was one corner singled out as the number one crime corner in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Now these were smaller crimes, you know, robberies purse snatchings those kinds of things, but we were able to take a look at that and do a creative coalition addressing it so what I'd like to do, and I've sent out letters to this affect, and as we get down to the brass taxes of the departments have them address this issue. So I wanted to foreworn you that that letter as gone out and that we are anticipating a response to that. And the reason why is not to have got you moment but closer to we get it moment where if we're deploying resources that's one thing about the Philadelphia, but if we can coordinate ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 218 better with the university police, we can coordinate the SEPTA police, then we need to take a conserted effort and divide that information up among the district council. So I just want to give you ahead up about that and I think that that's an important part. And I wanted to then flip to some of our grants that you are receiving and kind of give me a sense of -- I thought it was about a half dozen of them -- just the source and use of those grants and with an eye towards when then expire and if we are -- if they are worthwhile activities are we planning to reapply, those kinds of things. There was a section that your department went after. Was that you?
There is a Davis Bacon wage monitoring grant for $435,000, PHA Reimburse -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 219
And what is -- wait a minute. Before you go, what is that?
Councilman, the Davis Bacon Grant is a -- we have a staff of seven that goes out and monitors city-funded contracts to make certain --
I'm familiar with Davis Bacon, but what's the source of the grant?
I want to know the source and use of the grant and a brief description so that the members might know and what's the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 220 longivity? Are we going to get it again is it something one time that kind of codification of the funding.
The Davis Bacon Grant is a reoccurring -- well, I should put it this way. It's a reocuring grant from the housing Authority, the Philadelphia Authority. So this is work that our -- that we do to monitor the certified payrolls for projects that go on in the Philadelphia Housing Program.
There's a -- similarly, there's an ARA Prevailing Wage Compliance Monitoring Grant, also federal, in the amount of 50,00. There is a Office of Leadership and Investment which is a local grant for -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 221
Councilman, because of the number of grants in our -- in our budged it may -- with your permission, if we can get back to the Chair --
What I would expect, it's not so much -- I mean, just to give us a better sense --
Of whether or not they are recurring grants, is this something that we can anticipate in the five-year plan or is this something that like the stimulus money that is coming to an end --
-- and is that activity worth continuing. And ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 222 if so, how do we plan to replace those funds.
The strateging -- the strategic marketing fees initiative which was related to street furniture I think was projected to generate 1.4 this fiscal year. The operating budget in brief indicates that it's not expected to generate -- it's expected to now generate 0. And this a 0 and next which is disappointing. Can you give us an update on this project.
The Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities will respond.
Good afternoon, Councilman. Andrew Stoffer from the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 223 Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities in Consultation with the Budget Director that was actually moved we believe the the Public Property's budget. We did very well this, in fact, on our street furniture we brought in for the calendar 1.1 million dollars more than doubling what we had earned in the previous year. We did that by rebidding out -- rebidding that contract bring on a much more agressive contractor who in addition to almost doubling the revenue the City brought in has substantially improved the maintenance of the shelters.
We believe so. But I can tell you that we earned 1.1 million dollars for the calendar year. We can get it for -- the fiscal year is obviously is not complete yet. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 224
Okay. So in the operating budget, in brief, on , that's incorrect, that's going to be 0 this year in FY13?
Councilman, there's just a reclassification of where we showed that. So you're saying on -- I think we left a line there because that was in the original '12 budget, so that's why it's -- it's not -- it was there in the original so we didn't want to completely not show it.
Right. But I think that it's been moved. I have to double-check on where it's been.
It's in Public Property in something called -- I'm sorry. We can't find it in Public Property. There's something called refunds in property which is 1.1 million, but that was already budgeted ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 225 also and so we're wondering where this revenue shows up.
Yeah. Let me double-check on that. I do remember that we moved it because we thought it was improperly coded but I can easily check on that and get back to you.
Thank you you can provide that information to the chair. So on the budget detail, supporting detail, professional services section 41 , there's questions about some outside contracts. There's a $180,000 contract in FY12 and $179,000 contract in FY13 for, quote, sustainable energyinitiatives for which the vendor is listed as TBD. Have these funds been incumbered for FY12 yet?
They have not? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 226
I may have been incorrect. No, I was correct, sir, that those have not been incumbered.
I believe those are to be determined if it -- if they are, in fact, funded at all in the system so theory we have $180,000 we can use to put up fences around lots or any other thing we would choose to transfer money on.
You have appropriation power, Councilman. I don't feel like -- that was a rhetorical question I'm assuming?
ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 227 Obviously, there's money in the budget that we're not spending for this fiscal year of $180,000 and so to next year's budget does -- I assume because it's there this year that next years overall carryover amouth does not include that 180.
Okay. And that would be the case for anything in this budget that we haven't incumbered this fiscal year that's still reflected as potentially being spent in the remaining three months.
I'm not in a position to give a -- to give that broad of an answer.
If you could just provide an answer to the Chair. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 228
The budget detail indicates that the Philadelphia Solar City Partnership Grant has an award period of June 2008 through April 30, 2012. The budget detail goes on to show a 245 increase in this grant for FY13 for a total of 365. Is the grant being renewed beyond the end of this month, and what's the scope of the work covered by the grant?
Councilman, I can speak to the scope of it, and I'll confirm for you whether or not it's being renewed. The Civil American Cities Grant is a grant from the Environmental protection agency to the city. We were selected among a few dozen cities to promote solar activities. In -- in the city, it funded technical assistance that we've used for the development of the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 229 Southeast Water Pollution control facility for the solar guide book that we've put out that helps residents in commercial businesses put solar on their homes and will streamline that process with L & I and has also served a coordinating function to promote solar installations on institutional -- institutional facilities in the -- in the region.
We'll get back to you on whether that's being renewed or not.
Are there any other questions for the panelist? Seeing -- yes. Councilman Green.
Thank you ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 230 Mr. Chair. As in past years, I've asked at the five-year plan hearing for each department planning to fill a vacant -- a currently vacant position or create position to come to it's budget hearing prepared to discuss those newly filled or new position. My undertanding is the department will be providing this information prior to their hearing but we don't have it yet for today's hearings. If you could just, and I -- for the sake of time, please provide the response for that in writing. I'd also like for your department and for each department that reports to the Managing Director's Office prior to their hearings to receive a list of all Class 200 or contract spending that has not been incumbered as of today. Thank you. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 231
We truly appreciate your presence. Are there any other questions for the panelist? (No response.)
Seeing none, we will -- take a break until 2:15. Thank you. (A break was taken from 1:20 p.m. through 2:15 p.m.)
Will the next group come up, I believe it's the Procurement Department. Will all members be aware that the Commissioner is having a problem with his hearing devise, so we need to be real clear about our questioning so as he's able to respond to it. Can you hear me?
I was just making the members aware that you ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 232 have a hearing aide and for us to be considerate and make sure heard the question before we --
I appreciate it. It's working fine now, but it's been going on and off. I'll get a new one by next year.
That's fine. All right. Can you state your name for the record and begin your testimony, please.
Certainly. Good afternoon, Council President Clarke and Members of City Council. I am Hugh Ortman, Commissioner of the Procurement Department. With me is Deputy Commissioner Mary E. Stitt. As you know, we have submitted our budget testimony to the Chair for review and by the members of City Council. The contents concluded a break down of our funding request ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 233 for FY13, additional discussion included our general mission statement, the final implementation of an electronic purchasing -- purchase order imagining system, as well as a cooperative purchasing process, and a future implementation of reverse auctions. Other topics included our ongoing partnership with the Office of Economic Opportunity, a break down of each division within the Procurement Department, and a brief summary of a local business entity program. Not included in our testimony was a last-minute directive to provide details on the makeup of our upper and mid-level management class -- management team. We currently have thirteen employees in these positions. There are five men and eight women, four are Caucasian, two are Hispanic, six are African-American, and one is classified as other. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 234
Mr. President, I understand the council has reviewed the testimony. We will be happen to answer any questions you or the other members of City Council may have.
Well, for the record, I'm not Mr. President. I'm Mr. Chair.
-- and so a couple of quick questions. What -- in your testimony, you state the electronic purchasing order system imagining system is now operational?
That particular topic I'd like the turn over to Mary to respond.
And my question becomes: What is the amount of cost savings realized from this initiative?
I just have to get something. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 235
Mary Stitt, Deputy Commissioner of Procurement. Can you hear me?
Great. So the cost savings that will come from the purchase order imaging system annually is about $8500. I know that doesn't sound like a whole lot, but we are saving on paper. We're saving on envelopes and things of that sort. We're also able to reallocate some of our -- some of our staff members to do other duties. So little by little we're just trying to become more electronic with the resources that we have.
How has ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 236 the reallocation of employees in different areas of work increased performance and efficiencies within the Procurement Department?
Many times they can respond to inquiries more quickly. This has been a great customer service initiative for our departments because now we no longer have to wait for the purchase order to be printed, distributed, things of that sort. So it's a great customer service initiative, but specifically when it comes to staff members, inquiries, data entry, other clerical type of staff assignments.
Now, on your electronic purchasing, isn't it true that you cannot do business with the City of Philadelphia unless you can electrically receive an invoice and receive payment? Is that still the standard?
That's correct ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 237 with professional service contracts. That's not correct with what we do.
So with construction contracts you don't have to be automated?
No, sir. If we certainly appreciate it if you can take e-mail, but you may come pick up -- you literally have to come and pick up the package. It's so complicated it's -- we don't have the technology to send it up electrically yet so --
By way of invoices, by way of payables, is that all electronic now?
I don't -- I don't handle invoice or payment, so I can't really comment on that the question.
Okay. It's out of your department? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 238
Please explain in more detail the implementation of reverse auctions and how it benefits the City of Philadelphia.
Okay. A reverse auction, as I described in the testimony, is just the opposite of a regular auction where what happens is that a bid will out on the street and the bidders will have to start at a certain time, say, 10:00 on Tuesday morning. They then start to bid electronically, though this is -- the electronic is not set up yet, but they would bid electrically. Let's say it's a fire engine they would start out with a million dollars, but the other biders wouldn't know what that was. They would just know that their bid was not the low bid at this point, so they don't --
So it's ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 239 not -- I'm sorry. So it's not like EBay where you see the highest bid?
Absolutely not. Only our -- only we would know what the pricing was. So the -- another bider can then throw in his price at -- say, he puts in a million 2, they're going to say, yup, you know, you're not low even at a million 2. So they'll in and he'll try maybe 9 million 5 -- 905 -- 950,000, and they'll know that he's -- he'll know that he's low, but the other bider that now bids a million won't know that he's -- he'll know now that he's high. So he may come in and bid a lower price. He won't know it's 950. He can try 975 and they're going to say, sorry, you're still not the low bider, so he has to keep trying until he gets below whatever the low bid actually is. And then at 10:30, if that's the deadline, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 240 that's the end of biding.
In a regular, if you auction a piece of artwork, the most important -- the highest bid is going to get the bid. In our case, it's going to be the lowest bid. So at 10:30 we cut off the auction unless somebody bids right at 10:30. Then it's extended for three more minutes, and then other people have a chace to try and beat that bid. If somebody bids, it will be another three minutes until they stop bidding.
So in another life I understood the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 241 procurement where we had big room 2 where we opened the bid publicly. How do we -- how do we deal with the transparency issue online as it -- how do you address that?
Well, the Controller's office will have the -- he has to attend, or at least, use his computer on his desk to review the entire process. We haven't gotten all the little kinks nailed down yet, but the public won't know except what the lowest bid is. The public will be told what the low bid is, and that will be it.
And what are the services or contracts that you're going to put on -- on that system?
Historically, our experience has been around the country, it's almost always a very little bid -- bid. It could be a requirements bid if it's -- if high ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 242 enough requirements, in other words, basically, $100,000 and up is kind of the rule of thumb which is why I brought up fire engines because they're always above that particular total. But like -- and it has to be individual discrete pricing for individual items. It couldn't be like office supplies because that's 500, 600, 700, 1000 items. So the -- they're limited most of the time to one item, maybe two, and the award we made to the lowest bidder for those two or three or whatever item, whatever they be.
Under -- in your testimony, please provide details about how capital projects are bid and if there are charges for timely completion maybe against someone's bond, and who implements that part?
The procedures for the entire capital project's ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 243 requisition to award, the notice to proceed is about five-page long. I can provide it to the -- to the Chair you'd like. There is a penalty built into the standard terms and conditions of every construction contract.
Is that you or the law department that goes after that?
Well, that's -- I'm almost there. It states that it's -- it's a percentage based on the amount or the initial award. Then, what happens is that the department's manage those contracts. We don't manage them once they're -- they actually -- okay? So the department has to either let us know there's problem and we'll go after the vendor and say, hey, you're ten days late, this is the deal. The vendor -- the contractor may have a specific reason for it, and the City may be willing to accept that reason. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 244 We don't deal with that part of it. If they can't -- they reach an impasse and the contractor and the City can't agree, the department would contact Procurement to go from there. Would we get vol? Certainly, if they be. We've done it a couple of times in the past, but usually the department somehow usually settle these on their own. We haven't had -- we've had very few actually go after -- that I know of, actually go after liquidated damages.
Sure. Just give ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 245 me a second to get my notes. One of the vacancies is a Clerk Typist 1, it's clerical position that supports the department. There is also a administrative technician technical supervisor, and that's an supervisory position that oversees clerical work, inquiries, things of that sort. There's also the Procurement Inspection Services Officer. This position goes out and inspects the services and goods that the City contracts. So, for instance, if we seem to have a complaint regarding landscaping, he would go out to that area and find out if the specifications of the contract are being met. And then we have a Public Works Special Services Manager. That's a vacancy also. They would oversee the public works in the Special Services Unit which includes ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 246 inspections advertising, surplus disposal, and inventory. Those are our four vacancies at this time.
Are we -- okay. How many of your employees have signed up for DROP?
We have 11 current -- currently I believe, and we have about 50 employees. I believe 46 at this moment or 44 at this moment. So we do have a significant amount of individuals who are signed up for DROP percentage-wise when it comes to our department.
And are they in senior -- and to your knowledge, in senior positions or in clerical positions although important? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 247
Right. Some are mid-level and some are, you know, more of a clerical position; however, they're very important. A lot of them are technical positions.
And so how are you planning for those eventually vacancies?
We've been working with the Personnel Department with a secession plan. What we're trying to do is bring people in and hire people actually before the person leaves so that they can pass on that training and that knowledge to that person. But if we're unable to do that because of resources, we do transfer that knowledge to someone who is already there, and then we can back fill at that point.
Can you explain how Procurement was able to cut it's advertising cost by half a million? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 248
I don't believe we actually cut them. We had to, I think, actually get an appropriation during out midsession.
So is this based on legal responsibilities to advertise?
Almost all of the advertising that's condemned -- that's paid for by the Procurement Department are mandated ads. There are adds that the departments themselves pay for that are not mandated, but that's the way it was originally set up in about 1982, and it's still pretty much set up that way.
Political -- not political, but the election campaign advertising, advertising for ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 249 Procurement ads themselves, which is actually a very small part of the budget.
This is my last question, and I'll turn it over to my colleagues. But are -- how are you dealing with piggyback purchases at the federal and state level, and what economies of scale are we getting based on that? What commodities are we looking at?
I'd like to bring my operations manager who is really the nuts and bolts of that particular program, Trevor Day, and he can explain everything in very good detail for you.
Good afternoon. My name is Trevor -- Trevor Day, Assistant Manager. I'm waiting for a piece of paper that I gave Mary earlier.
That's ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 250 fine. When you speak to these things, kinds of give the members a sense of what commodities this sense versus the ones they don't and whether not -- for example, gasoline--
Currently, we have eight contracts that we piggyback off of the state contract -- or the state, and we do not piggyback back off of any federal contract currently. Those eight contracts include things like IT software and hardware, rock salt, sodium chloride for Streets, some equipment, vehicle equipment and tires are what we've used generally in the past and what we're using right now.
And I ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 251 didn't hear fuel.
My question is: Why not? What -- have you looked at it and does it for one reason or another not make sense to do?
Sir, that would be a decision that Fleet Management would need to make up front and tell us whether they found a contract that they think they can save money on, and then they would have -- they have to send in a written justification which has to be approved by both the procurement commissioner and the finance director, and they would often do that. If they -- if they are at this point, they're -- if they're satisfied with the price that we have, and I think they are at this point, then they would not seek another ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 252 contract.
You're saying that they are because we procured a really good deal that locked us into a price?
So I guess I will would hold that for Fleet Management. But I would ask you, in these tough budget times, you said eight commodities, I have to believe there are probably another half dozen to a dozen that might make sense if there's --
And I would not argue that point. It's a matter of we just started -- we were just able to our first contract in place last October, probably last October, so we're still taking some baby steps stakeing and trying to get done it right. It took us a while to get the first one done right because we had to be very careful not to break any laws ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 253 or break any local ordinances, et cetera, et cetera so that we -- as soon as the department, once they have identified a commodity and they know they can save money on, especially IT, they're come to us every day, they will -- we will go out and try and find from the -- one of the cooperatives -- because there's more than one cooperative out there, we go out and try to find the best contract for that particular commodity as, again, it all still has to be justified.
I appreciate that, but I want to, for the record, know that you will explore items like asphalt. We just talked about because of it being a derivative of oil products it has to be going through the roof by way of cost. And if, indeed, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has Henry Avenue as a State highway and that's the same ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 254 asphalt on Point Breeze, then I don't understand why we're not exploring the opportunity to look at their asphalt purchase under a requirements contract and piggyback and -- because they're buying a lot or asphalt than we are.
Councilman, just to add one thing to that, fuel costs and other overhead costs, we are hiring and outside consultant, and overhead cost consultant, to come in and look at some of the costs that you're mentioning to see if we could possibly do it in different way or see how to maximize purchasing across departments. So your point is well taken, and that's something that we are working towards.
One other item, commodity, is energy consumption by way of electric?
They fund and light a number of buildings. We ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 255 are a major purchaser.
If we walk in the door together, we might find some synergy that reduces costs for taxpayers. So what I'm putting on the record now is that we'll look at some big ticket items --
-- that we both purchase in common and at least explore it. If it does not make sense, if there are distribution and supply issues fine, but at least let us explore it. We're looking for quarters in the couch to pay for a candy garden so -- so we can kind of explore efficiencies at the state level. I'm going to turn it over to Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon, Commissioner ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 256 Good afternoon, Deputy Commissioner. Returning to the area of services, supplies and equipment, which I will now refer to as SS and E because I'm not going to keep saying services, supplies and equipment, what is the largest SSE contract you will award in Fiscal Year 13?
And what firm holds that contract for this physical year?
Because of the -- I believe it's last -- it was four ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 257 years, a little longer with extensions.
Well, it's pretty everything at the airport on the -- from the tarmac out to the street, all the management services of the airport, the cleaning of the bathrooms and the walkways and the windows and snow removal. As I said, it's on the out -- the tarmac out.
And Elliot Louis is not dis -- a certified disadvantaged firm?
Elliot Louis is not a certified disadvantaged firm. Does it contract with disadvantaged firms?
What was ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 258 the contract participation goal in the RFP?
I don't know what it was in the RFP, but I do know what the actual participation was which was -- 7
Can you 8 forward to the Chair what the actual 9 goal was in the RFP? 10
The current 14 contract that's on the street right 15 now or the one that was awarded for it 16 years ago? 17
The one that's 20 on the street now it's a combination of bid and RFP. Some of the work went out outside of Procurement as an RFP, and some of the work that could bid a little from a service, supply and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 259 equipment standpoint is a bid contract. The ranges are to percent MBE -- I'm sorry, yes, MBE, and to percent WBE. 5
Those are the 8 goals in the current contract bid 9 that's on the street. 10
That's not the question. The question was: What was the largest contract --
What was the goal within the RFP, and then what was the goal within the contract?
The goal within the RFP I just referred? As an RFP, as I said, that went out -- outside of Procurement, and there was a bid that was done within Procument.
Can I jump in? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 260
So the goal for the perturnic contract of the -- the services that are needed, the goal was for the current contract, and 6 that's Minority Business Enterprise, 7 and then 5 percent for women, WBE. 8 For the RFP, I do not have that 9 information, but we will be happy to 10 forward it. 11
I believe 12 I asked that question last year. 13 How has the participation 14 goal changed during the contract 15 period? 16
How has the goal 17 changed during the contract period? 18 We would have to do some research on 19 that. I'm not sure we have that 20 information with us today. 21
There is a ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 261 time it would be -- for instance, I'll give you an example, the roofing contractor that was one four years ago, there was only one in the OEO registry. Most of them were -- there's more than one in the registry, but most of them were residential. We needed nonresidential or commercial. The person that won that part of the contract never did any roofing work, never showed on file, went out of business.
My question is is not about participation. My question is about goals set within the contract because it was approved as a one-year contract with three one-year renewals?
At the point of renewal, I'm asking have the goals changed upon renewal in any of those years? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 262
We can ask them vendor to try and do a better job. We can ask them to find --
My question was: How have the goals changed during the contract period?
All right. So what subcontract opportunities exist within the contract?
What subcontract opportunities exist within ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 263 the contract?
Any work that's done at the -- at the airport outside the tarmac, whatever -- and snow removal. There has to be -- there's some there. As a matter of fact, snow removal does have 5 percent MDDE.
I guess my question is real simply: Have you identified new subcontract opportunities at the point of renewal to explain to the contractor, even though you don't remember what the goal was in the RFP, you did set a goal in the original contract, you are renewing the contract from year to year, and so are you going through the process of identifying new subcontracting opportunities and possibly expanding the goals? That's the simply question I'm asking.
That would be up to the department or to the Office ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 264 of Economic opportunity. All we can do is renew the contract with the exact language that was awarded the day it was opened. It's a sealed -- it's a sealed bid which we can't change.
Councilman, do you want the OEO director to come to them?
Angela Dowd-Burton, Executive Director for the Office of Economic Opportunity. The standard protocol for evaluating the level of participation in terms of goals set are driven by the Office of Economic Opportunity and the using department to identify the major components of that contract, and then to identify those minorities and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 265 women within the OEO registry that can provide services for each of those components. Based on that analysis the goals are set. Once they are set and bids or a request proposal come in, a contract is put in place, those goals are not changed unless the contractor request a substitution which has to be approve by OEO. Currently, we have a -- a -- an opportunity to manage the performance on contracts by exception, that is, if a contractor comes in and says an NBE is or WBE is not performing and they would like to request a substitution --
Ms. Dowd-Burton, what my question was: Have you looked at new subcontracting opportunities as you renew new the contract?
And what ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 266 was the result? Have you found now subcontracting opportunities?
Before you answer the question, I met with Elliot Lewis after last year's budget process. They realized they weren't meeting even their percent goal, 10 and we talked about how we meet that 11 goal and whether they were actually 12 going to look at identifying new 13 subcontracting opportunities. 14 And so the question is: Are 15 you working with Elliott Lewis to 16 identify new opportunities? 17
We 18 actually worked with the operating 19 department. 20
And so 21 what's the result of working with the 22 operating department and finding new opportunities within the contract?
Well, the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 267 goals were set and the request for proposal and bid were put on the street.
What's the result of trying to identify new opportunities within the contract? Did you find new opportunities within the contract?
So they're going to do what they've always done. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, how are you how? I have a few questions. What is the process in ensuring the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 268 integrity of the materials supplied for a bidder and contracts whether they are LBE or NBE or WBE, disadvantaged companies? Is there somebody in your office that vets and researchs and, you know, make sure that they qualify for that -- you know, for the designation?
The Procurement Department spends many, many hours and a lot time besides that on investigating the LBE applications we receive. All of the OEO applications will go all -- completely through the Office of Economic Opportunity.
Does your -- does the Office of Procurement or the -- or that individual, the inspection officers, do they check with -- cross check the reference with other departments within the city whether it be Labor and Standards, Revenue or the Controller's Office --
They go through -- oh, no. They go through to the Revenue Department. They can -- we actually can't approve them until we have proof that their taxes are paid up to date and that the BPL is in place.
The system won't even allow us to approve it until that's been done.
Okay. So what if you find somebody who is disingenuous on the information that they provide, do the -- the next step, are they fined, penalized or are they disbarred? Is there a --
It's not a problem with the contract if they ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 270 were --
Right. We'll send -- if we have any doubts at all, before we even approve them the first time, we'll send our inspector out to look at their location. We find people that put their garages in there as a location, mother-in-law's house, et cetera. Well, they don't get it. But initially, that probably wasn't done as well as it should have been, and it's done much better now. And we caught people that received contract because of it, and about two or three of them have been -- the Inspector General then starts to investigate but the Inspector General will investigate if they find if somebody has been awarded a contract. The penalty is 10 percent of the value of the contract, so it's kind not -- what I'll do is, if I just don't like the looks of a -- the bidder's application or something I've seen, maybe something in some ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 271 report from another vendor another contracting ratting somebody out, I'll send my guy out, take a picture, bring it back. And I have -- I have actually thrown out six, seven -- no, six people off of the program after they've been in it for a couple of years because they didn't qualify, but they haven't don't anything overly illegal except to give us false information because they didn't receive any contracts. So that it's -- it's a question of the IT --
If they're providing false information on -- on a contract, I'm sure they're providing --
-- false information in other areas of their business here in the city.
I agree with what you're saying, but I can't do much with that. The Inspector General ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 272 is the only one who will do -- to go after someone who has a contract. As I said, there's no penalty built into the legislation except for percent 5 of the awarded contract. 6
And how 7 many contracts do you -- on a normal 8 -- right now, how many contracts are 9 you -- do you have out on the street 10 or participate in this upcoming FY13?
How many -- how many contracts will we have? We'll probably have about -- hold on one second. Let me see the notes.
Could you break them down by classification, Public Works?
That's fine. If you could break it down and provide it to the Chair, we would appreciate it.
Okay. Sure. For the record, for service, supplies and equipment, there was 151 bids, that was in FY11, and 192 con -- 93 contract awards resulted from that. What happens there is that you could have a bid, but you could have multiple contractors because they may take a portion of the -- of the bid. So that's for service supplies and equipment. We anticipate they'll be pretty similar. Historically, it ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 274 kind of follows that. For capital programs, there were 126 bids which resulted in 126 contracts.
-- is with an office, you know, which could use a few more people as I heard, right? You have some positions that aren't filled?
Do you have all the resources to do the follow-up on some of the subcontractors or some of the partners that we have with that amount of contracts that are on the table right now?
OEO subs, LBE subs 1099's. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 275
LBE is not a sub. LBE is a prime. As far as -- I mean, there is in the legislation the ability to get a contract using an LBE as a stub, but in the eight years that I've been there I don't think it's ever happened, but it could -- it could happen, but it doesn't right now. All LBE awards have been to a prime, used just as a prime, and anything but the OEO -- OEO or if someone makes a complaint, it could certainly go to an IG or the Controller's office, things like that.
But you do coordinate with the Revenue Department when subcontractors are using 1099's for some of there --
We don't -- we don't pay the subcontractor, only the prime pays the subcontractor.
I understand. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 276 Is there any follow-up to -- from your office to ensure that the City's taxes and requirements are being met?
We don't handle that. We don't pay any invoice or any billing, any payments.
We can push the contract and make sure the requirements are met, and then it's out the door so to speak?
And it's the departments that have to manage the contract or Revenue would manage the revenue, and OEO would manage the OEO and so on.
And you do that on -- with every department for the City of Philadelphia?
They would be ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 277 doing that on -- that's their responsibility.
Maybe I'm not answering your question properly, but I'm trying.
I understand. If you want me to spend with you afterwards, whatever you need.
Here's what we can do. What I'd like you to do is provide a flowchart --
-- from request to the Department which shows a process chart. It goes -- the requisition goes to your office, what you do within that time frame, and then once award happens, how it goes back to the department and then ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 278 request for payment are possessed through the Treasurer and Revenue departments and, like, I think that would be instructive particularly for the new members so that when constituents call them and say, hey, my check isn't being paid by Procurement, they actually know it might be in the treasurer's office. There's an schematic that can be produced really easily.
As I said, it doesn't include the billing process because we don't handle billing in any way, shape or form.
What I would like to do is have the Revenue Department and/or treasurer continue that process.
What ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 279 would be helpful is from requisition to actual --
Payment. And so when breakdowns in the system happen, as they sometimes do, we can track them a bit better from our constituent side.
If anyone ever want to con -- if anyone wants to contact our office to help you with that, we can do that as well. We will try. We certainly don't handle it, but we can certainly call the right person who might.
OEO, so I know. So it is difficult because a lot of times people don't know exactly where in the system it is. So I appreciate the offer, but if you do it in a chart form everyone knows it. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 280
All right. And if a vendor does calls us, we don't just hang up on them we just sit there and we try and figure why he's not getting paid.
Thank you so much, Mr. Henon. Council -- Councilman, are you done?
-- Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner. You testified that the Department's electronic purchase order imaging system is now operational and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 281 has resulted in a, excuse me, reduction in paper cost increased efficiency by allowing for the reallocation of employee work hours. Before getting to the details of the savings, could you please describe for us how the imaging system works.
Sure. The way that the imaging system works, Councilman, is that if a department has a purchase order they are now able to go onto the system. They have log-ins ins and things of that sort, and they can actually go into that purchase order and bring up the image. And at that point they can send it electronically wherever they need. They can store it electronically, things of that sort.
Logging in and bringing it up on the -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 282
I don't believe so. Trevor, can you -- I'm going to have our operations manager jump in a bit.
I hate to make you say your name for the record again but --
Good afternoon. Trevor Day, Procurement Operations Manager. The -- it's an image of a piece of paper, but it's not scanned by a manual process. It's basically taken from our main frame financial system and creating an image. OIT created this ad -- the software that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 283 we took advantage of, and so it automatically becomes an image in the system that departments can access.
So it's a purchase order that goes from the City of Philadelphia to a vendor --
-- for a contract -- for which we have a contractual right whether through it's a state contract or through a City contract we've led with water, paper or whatever. So it's actually information that have been entered in fields --
-- that have -- are -- then are placed in the appropriate place in an image?
It's taken from our legacy procurement and financial system and pushed to this imaging system.
So that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 284 we are able to send to third parties an electronic document as opposed to anything on paper?
Okay. So how -- how does this differ from the prior paper process?
The prior paper process, we had to distribute up the nine -- nine copies? I think, it was nine copies to nine different locations, the Controller's office, the finance department, the vendor, the department and so on, all via either snail mail or interoffice mail.
Now there is no paper, and people are putting information into a -- computer systems and automatically that information is being shared among all the departments via this purchase order imaging system?
This is phase one, so currently we went from nine copies ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 285 down to two printed copies. So we currently do not have a database of vendors that we can automatically e-mail the PO, although we do e-mail to the top volume -- use vendors that have the highest volume of PO's is the process that we've implemented but the rest of them still do get --
Did hear you -- just for clarification, did I hear you say that you only send the PO's to a select few?
They still get a paper copy because we do not have a current database that we can push the PO's to.
Does that give the electronic version -- I'm sorry to interrupt, Councilman -- an advantage over the paper snail mail ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 286 vote?
If I know about a procurement opportunity two days to possibly three days before the others, does that give me an advantage?
These are purchase orders we're dealing with. The awards have already been made.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. An important clarification: So explain to me how the current process differs from the previous process in terms of the number of personal required to perform the tasks in each department.
We've completely eliminated distribution within the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 287 City of Philadelphia by paper so that the operating departments no longer get copies.
So what specific steps were eliminated from the old process?
What else? What did the other departments with the piece paper once they got it?
They can now -- now if they want because they can send it to the vendor immediately.
What did ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 288 they do though, there were records clerks that had the piece of paper they had to keep track of?
If they had their own computer system, they had to enter it on their databases. All of that has been avoided through this process?
So what's the overall city-wide savings as a result of going through electronic procurement?
I don't think we have an estimate for the overall city-wide savings.
Within the Procurement Department it's $8500 a year, and then the reallocation of -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 289 of staff time.
They can be responsible for other functions such as responding to inquiries. There may be other clerical functions that they need to pay -- you know, we need attention to and things like that.
So instead of hiring people to perform those functions, people who were doing this process are doing those other functions?
So shouldn't you include the fact that you don't have to hire other people in your savings?
We have considered that, Councilman, but we were being -- we were erring on the side of caution when it came to ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 290 putting a dollar amount to that. But you know, we -- we certainly are saving a -- some salary money because of this imaging system.
How many FTE's are not necessary as a consequence of putting this into place?
I would say a portion of one quite frankly. It's don't think it's a full FTE.
I'm sorry. This machine stopped working for a second. If I may --
Our staff has been reduced over the last four years from about 66 people down to 44 people so -- and we've been reorganizing a lot of people and people that -- like, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 291 for instance, we don't have a person in charge of the mail room anymore. Some of the people who are doing some of this work, that is now something they're doing. One was doing it on Monday, one of them was doing it on Tuesday, and so on. So there's a whole lot of reorganization going on, and it's been a lot easier had -- when they don't have to be stuffing envelopes. That's -- that's the point I think that Mary is trying to make.
But, as you know, I think part of the Freshmen 15 was going to electronic procurement, not just imaging of documents. It's supposed -- it saves cities like New York and private companies between 75 and $120 per transaction. It -- how close are we to ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 292 that idea?
We have been working, of course, closely with the Office of Innovation and Technology, and at this point we have -- there was a priority list that was vetted through that office and other of the -- and other parts of the executive team. We are part of, I believe, that prioritization list. We're part of the ten. So we're hoping that in the next -- the very near future that we will start a full electronic procurement, not even evaluation, but start to a purchase and maybe an implementation; however, we do have to go -- we're driven by the office of -- the OIT, the Office Innovation and Technology.
OIT gave a presentation to Council in which they determined that -- for they showed us that in order for people to ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 293 be part of the ten or be prioritized, part of the analysis and scoring included a return on investment --
-- or annual saving, et cetera, that could be produced as a result of implementing new technology.
I believe that they already had that information based off of years of working with them before the prioritization project to a look at how -- how this would result in savings for the Procurement Department. A lot of the savings will also be customer service driven, but there will be hard savings.
Well, it increased -- increased customer service people not performing tasks within the bureaucracy but perform ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 294 customer centered tasks is the -- is tremendous in terms of value even if we keep the same number of employees because we're serving citizens better.
But what you're saying is, within your department, nothing was provided to OIT at all as part of this process of prioritizing you that talks about any kind of efficiencies with respect to that, whether it's cost avoided, the ability to provide additional service, et cetera.
Right. I would have to look at that research, but we've been working on this for many years before the prioritization project and it was --
Okay. So -- so -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 295
Last year you testified the Department would implement an electronic bid ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 296 announcement system and that would eventually allow the City to do all of its communication with vendors electronicly. What's the status of this project?
At this time, the electronic bidding notification process is in a phase two of the Philla dot Gov project. That's our website that's being upgraded. There needs to be a vendor portal for that to be implemented and that has been reprioritized to phase two. So I'm hoping that early in the new fiscal year they would start working on that.
It was designed and -- the testimony last year was that it was designed. Has it been redesigned?
I don't know. I ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 297 will -- we can provide them to the Chair, but one of them will just be the fact we're -- you know, our vendors can communicate with us electronically now instead of filling out applications and forms, that they had to fill out paper at this time and send it in so.
What happens to the paper that gets filled out and sent to the City today?
It is placed into a database probably by one of our staff members.
So what are the -- don't the saving in the City involve the ability to not have those positions or to reallocate -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 298
We anticipate that if we have a full electronic procurement system we will be able to reallocate a lot of our assignments.
How many people -- how many FTE's would be reallocated?
Did you ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 299 do an analysis to -- with respect to that that you turned over to OIT?
Not -- not particularly with respect to FTE's. We would probably have to work with an implementation team that could be able to give us that kind of information.
So you're designing a process without knowing how you're going to rearrange your internal workforce in advance?
No, sir. We wouldn't -- we wouldn't do that. I mean, we're going -- we're starting a -- we put an RFP out which we had our requirements. We've done a lot of research working with different municipalities and organizations to go find out how they do procurement and how electronic procurement has benefited their organizations.
But don't have to know how to change your internal -- know what your existing ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 300 internal workflow processes are and what you want them to be in the future in order to do the RFP in the --
-- absolutely have that information. And if that's the information you're looking for, we can get that that to you.
Please provide that the Chair. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
You Councilman. The Chair now recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. I yield to Coucilman Goode.
I'm not ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 301 the President.
We're concerned about the same set of issues. I yield to Councilman Goode.
The Chair recognizes I think Councilman -- oh. You want to --
All right. All right. Let's do that. COUNCELMAN GOODE: Just two quick questions. Following up on the other line of questioning, on your largest contract, you said you did not know what the goal is set in the RFP, but the goal in the contract was 19 percent. 20 What was the actual 21 participation rate? 22
I would have to check with the Office of Economic Opportunity on what -- the actual ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 302 participation, or the department. Over the last four years you're referring to, sir?
I told the Budget Director and everyone else that my line of questioning would be around the largest contract. I'm expecting every department to come here with information on their largest contract.
I agree with you. We're fortunate to have the airport's contract, but we still try and work with them and come up with their goals. As I said before, I believe that four years ago the contract and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 303 bid, not the RFP, I believe it came at 29 percent, but I'm sure that that got totally thrown out because a lot of vendors or a lot --
My question is -- my question was: What is the participation rate?
And Councilman, if I may, Brian Abernathy, Chief of Staff and Managing Director. I think part of the -- the disconnect here is Procurement, for the most, acts as a vehicle for departments, and so certainly our departments aren't prepared to answer your questions that were previously provided to the Budget Director. The Procurement Department is prepared for contracts that they service, but not necessarily --
-- contracts that they actually do. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 304
Mr. Abernathy. Departments actually do their own procurement, except for the city-wide buys. My question was: What was the largest city-wide buy in terms of the service, supply and equipment, so it's a fair question if -- if the Procurement Department actually handled the procurement of that contract. If they didn't handle it, then the question is not to them. But my original question was: What is the largest SSE contract that you expect for Fiscal Year 13? So it --
I have an answer to that question, sir. It will be the summer lunch and after school snack program.
So you ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 305 answered the question wrong the first time around?
Well, I thought you just meant the largest contract that we ever handled whatsoever. Now I understand better what you're asking. And that would be the largest city-wide contract. We still --
Excuse me. For the record, how much was that summer lunch contract?
It went to Maramont Corporation which has been the same company for many many years. It's a huge --
I'm not mistaken, New York, but I'm not positive. The biggest problem with ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 306 this contract is it's governed by federal regulations which are extremely hard to meet and must be met or else the cancel the whole thing, and you have no summer lunch.
Am I hearing you say that when it comes to a catering contract --
Allow me to finish. -- that we cannot find in the City of Philadelphia out of dozens of caterers I know exist who are prepared and have the capacity to meet this particular contract you're stipulating? Is that what you're saying?
First of all, I don't really consider it a catering ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 307 contract. This is a huge, huge program which goes to every single rec center twice a day. The food has to be a certain temperature when it arrives. It has to be packed in certain way. And nobody from the City of Philadelphia, to my knowledge, has ever bid this project or is -- if they're capable of it, that's great. I hope they're out there and hope they come and bid but --
So let's flip -- let's flip the equation. If we are serious about making sure that folks who live here, businesses who reside here, citizens who pay taxes here gain access to opportunity, the flip side of the question when it comes to leadership is, and what type of outreach have you done and our agency done to your department done, to make folks aware and to help them move to capacity so that they can take advantage of these ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 308 types of opportunities?
Ma'am, we put it -- we put the bid out on the street and we advertise and we tell everybody, but they -- I'm not sure what else you want us to respond to the --
The reason I raised that, because I share your angst. The largest Procurement contract that our city has goes to a firm in New York. Now, granted --
-- there are certain health issues, certain quality control issues, certain ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 309 temperature issues; in fact, I've delivered in another life summer lunches as a young person in college to different blocks, so there's a certain process. But you're absolutely right that that contract has the same award that when I was at MBEC that we did. Your point is correct that some economic development agency should be saying that that's a contract that should be done here in the City of Philadelphia because there is some firm, if it's nobody but that can do that kind of work with Philadelphia's workforce, so I understand your angst. Thank you for your indulgence, Council.
So it's something called technical ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 310 assistance. When we're -- if we're serious about this vision that we have, then I believe that it is incumbent upon leadership to go into the trenches and not wait for folks to come to so. It means hitting the trenches and going in neighborhoods and sorting out folks who potentially show the capacity and help them move to capacity. So that that would be, what else can we do? Let's get up from behind our desks and hit the trenches and make sure folks are aware of these offers. Has there been any relationship with the American-American Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, any of those?
We -- we've been -- we go to all outreach programs wherever I ask -- that I have to go to that we can find. Once a month we meet with the -- at the chamber -- the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 311 Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce with OEO and Revenue and -- other other departments to explain what's coming up, what's there to look out for, and that sort of thing. The EOP is part of this contract this time around which is a new vehicle to try and get local -- local citizens working. So this is -- hopefully that programs works this time as well because this is the first time. It wasn't in four years ago.
The other thing that we do, Councilwoman, is broadcast opportunities that Procurement has to the African-American Chamber, the Hispanic Chamber, the Enterprise Center and other alliance partners to have them broadcast it out through their networks as well as the operating departments, distribution lists that we have in the OEO registry.
That's ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 312 an important step. That's only a step. There's subsequent steps that come with or after that where you actually get people interested first in a room and you walk them through the process and help them understand the mechanics of the application that they can move capacity.
Do we certainly understand the need to help companies move to capacity and wish we had the resources that we could apply to moving companies in different markets to capacity. This past year we worked on construction, and we're looking at some other markets that we can also target.
Yeah. We want to restore Councilman Goode's time. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 313 But for the record, you've got places like PhilaBundance we've toured that have capacity that if given direction, some direction, they have the refrigerated trucks. They have the capacity to do some of these potential things that they employee Philadelphians.
Now, I understand that's not your job, but what I hear the Councilwoman talking about is a vision leadership that maximizes our own person -- our own purchasing power. That needs to happen.
What I'd like to do, Sir, is contact Maramont Corporation. I'd like to find out how much they do spend locally because I'm sure they having the warm food it has to come from Philadelphia, so I'll try to look into that for you. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 314
And Councilman and Councilwoman, your point is taken, and we will take efforts to address your concerns.
Yes. And hopefully, we'll revisit it the sooner than that.
We visited this last year regarding the same contract, went through the same process when at first you said it was the Elliott Lewis contract, and then ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 315 we found out it was the other contract. But before I get to Aramark, because I'm just going to crazy about Aramark in a couple of minutes, I'm going to ask a couple of very simply questions. What's the total request for service, supply and equipment?
The total dollar request for service, supply and equipment contracts.
Material, supply and equipment is I believe 79 million. I believe service, supply and equipment is roughly 50 -- 40, 50 million. I don't know what the differentiation is. I just know those separate numbers are documented. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 316 What my realy question is for either -- however you want to answer the question and whatever number you want to use, what is the local business participation goal?
As many people as we can get because the -- I don't know what -- there isn't a set goal because I don't know how many are out there. We're constantly --
Let's just cut through all the crap. Is it true that you give contracts to the same people you gave ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 317 them to before and that in many cases you just take the lowest responsibility bidder, and if it lacks a little participation, so what; if it lacks diversity, so what?
Wait. Tell me -- tell me -- I'm -- I'm -- I'm going to --
I'm going the scrap all form of questioning and get down to -- we have you spent "x" amount of dollars on services, supply and equipment?
We'll debate how much that is. Is there a local participation goal, is there a ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 318 minority participation goal, is there a women participation goal? If so, what it is? Where it is found in these budget documents, and just state for the record what is. And if you lie about what it is, the next time I ask you questions it'll to be even worse. So what is the local participation goal and what's the diversity goal?
There is not a local participation goal. There is nothing that is set for that. And I'd like to make clear, that there have been no lies in this testimony or in the future -- it will not any in the future and never been in the past.
I just said the -- I just said, there's no 22 local participation goal, and you said, yes, there is. And then when I asked in what form, you said there ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 319 isn't. What is the diversity goal?
Okay. The diversity for the City of Philadelphia is percent. 6
That's 7 not the question I asked, and that's 8 why this is getting really silly. 9
The only goals 10 that we have are set by OEO for OEO 11 participation goals. Other than that 12 is the best possible job that we can 13 do. 14
Do you 15 handle service, supply and equipment 16 contracts? 17
How much 19 do you spend on service, supply and 20 equipment contracts? 21
What was 24 the goal for that 46 million dollars? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 320 What will the goal be for that 46 million dollars in terms of local business participation and in terms of diversity?
That's not acceptable, and that's a joke and that's the problem.
You just the take lowest responsible bidder, and you generally give it to the same people. And how long has Aramark had the contract?
When it comes to the lowest, for local business entities, there is not a goal that is ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 321 set, so there is no goal. What has actually happened, there is 37 percent of contracts that have gone to local businesses. Okay? For SS and E, and let me -- please indulge me for a moment. When it comes to SS and E, it's city-wide contracts. City-wide contracts are defined as contracts that are used by multiple departments most of the time. So, for instance, furniture, state, you know -- office supplies, things of that sort. There are also some contracts that are so large that we really need to work with the departments so that we initiate them out of the Procurement Department and that would be Facilities and Maintenance; however, those -- those contracts are still driven by the department. We are a vehicle as Mr. Abernathy had said earlier. We are a vehicle, but do we work closely with ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 322 the departments? Yes, we do. Do we work closely with OEO so we can meet goals? Yes, we do. We know that our goal last queer was about percent, I believe, when I 6 came to service and supplies and equipment. 7
The 10 participation rate. Thank you for correcting me. The participation rate was 10 percent. The goal was 25 percent. Do we think that's perfect, of course not, our goal is 25 percent, but are we moving in the right direction, I believe we are, and do we have the same passion and same conviction that you have? We are limited by legislation. We have to go with the lowest response and the responsible bidder.
That's not true. And you call yourself ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 323 lecturing me on how the process works. I know all that. The lowest responsible bidder -- we've had the same conversation the last couple of years. The lowest responsible bidder is not the lowest bidder. The lowest responsible bidder is the lowest responsible bidder. You determine what a responsible bidder is. The responsible bidder should have subcontract opportunities that are made available to disadvantaged business, and you set that as the goal, have a certain level of participation, and then you take the lowest responsible bidder, not just the lowest bidder. There's a different.
And Councilman, I think it is important to recognize that we have awarded ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 324 contracts to companies that had participation goals that were not the lowest bid as well, to your point. So we understand, and I think what Ms. Stitt was saying, was that we are in agreement. We are working towards the same goals.
What was the participation rate the year before Fiscal Year 11.
2 to 5. And now for quarter two of FY12 it will be around 16 percent, so we are moving in the right direction.
Let me ask this simple question to finish up because you're throwing out numbers ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 325 and saying, I think it was percent, I think it was percent, and now it's 10 percent, we think it's going to be 16 percent. We've been having this discussion all day, and you can't even determine who is actually responsible for it. The Managing Director didn't know. Procurement said it's the managing director of Procurement's responsibility. Procurement then said it's the individual department's responsibility, and then Procurement said that we work within the departments in the OEO, but we can't control what they do.
-- because my understand is, is that Procurement handles city-wide purchasing on these matters, but yuo ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 326 put it off on the departments. So if you're not responsible for it, then put it off on departments, and I'll go after the departments.
Procurement is responsible to award the contracts. We cannot manage them.
I'm not asking about managing the contract. I'm asking about setting the goals within those contracts.
Those goals are set in conjunction with the Office of Economic opportunity. If the --
Who is responsible for setting the goals for service, supply and equipment contracts?
Ms. Dowd-Burton, we're talking about 40, 50 million dollars in contracting.
SSE last ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 327 year was 46 million. I believe in this budget it's budgeted at maybe about 50 million. Whatever the figure is, whether it's 40 or 50 million, it doesn't make a difference. Who is responsible for setting diversity goals?
The Office of Economic Opportunity sets the goals on each of the transactions that go out of the Procurement Department and the operating departments in collaboration with those groups.
I'm not talking about a contract-to-contract basis yet. I'm talking about who is responsible for setting the overall goal for what can be done in terms of that line item in terms of city-wide purchasing of service, supply and equipment?
The goals that you see here are a collection of transactions that are set by the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 328 Office of Economic Opportunity.
You've done it for Fiscal Year in 10 collaboration with -- 11
We do goal setting with the operating departments for each year, so we did do it for 12, yes.
Did you ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 329 goal set for Fiscal Year 10?
Let me see. I came in -- I came in in '10, so they were already set I believe with OEO --
The collective goal has been percent 24 driven by our disparity study. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 330
The disparity study says that in terms of service, supplies and equipment it should be percent or that the 5 overall should be 25 percent? 6
-- 13 supplies and equipment. That's what 14 I'm asking about. I asked the same 15 question all day. 16
Okay. We 17 are applying that overall goal to each 18 of the category -- 19
In other 20 words, the disparity study didn't tell 21 you, your work with the departments 22 didn't tell you, what the actual goal 23 should be? 24 If you actually talked to ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 331 the -- each department that's responsible for service, supplies and equipment and what they need and what they think the goal should be based upon vendors they have done business with in the past, you went through that process for Fiscal Year and 8 12, and you talked with all these 9 departments, shouldn't you have a 10 number that's real? 11
When we talk to the departments, we talk about their collective contracting activity which includes professional services, service, supplies and quip, and in some instances, public works transactions. So we're looking at their collective goal based on the activity of those three components. We do not have each department set a goal for service, supplies and equipment, public works --
Then how do you -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 332
How do you arrive at a number when I asked you what the goal is for service supply and equipment --
It's a composite number based on the past three years of activity the Department has experienced in terms of participation as well as a forecast of what their contracting experience is going to be for the next fiscal year.
But the number was the same for the also two fiscal years?
But the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 333 participation.
And they will continue to change based on what we buy which changes from one fiscal year to the next.
So ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 334 whatever we get, we get, and we'll just keep trying?
This is actually supposed to be a more technical process than that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Well, a lot of questions were asked here. I'll be real simple. Can you provide over the last two years a list to the Chair on the percentage and number of local and minority and disadvantaged contracts, whether it Public Works, professional services SS and E for the last two years?
You want a list of the contracts or contractors? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 335
Contracts and local contractors who were awarded the bids?
Well, you want -- vendors that were awarded because of LBE preference?
Well, I know we can provide you with the -- I'm not sure we can -- we can break down what they spend by a ZIP code, which would be a Philadelphia ZIP code. I'm not sure we can break the awards down that way. It's a difference, a big difference.
Can you explain it? The contractors -- the contracts that had been awarded either by public works --
ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 336 Professional services or SS and E over the last two years --
-- and are local business enterprises for disadvantaged minority companies.
And can I -- can I clarify one point? A local business enterprise may be different from a local business because a local business enterprise actually has to go through the certification process. So we certainly can give you the local business enterprises, the LBE's, that have been certified and if they were awarded a contract. We can provide that.
I'll just make a list of the local businesses in addition then because I want to -- I'm trying to get to to local business and do certification process and make sure ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 337 they're taking advantage it.
So if you can just provide that to the Chair, I'd appreciate it. And a dollar valve today?
And when it comes to minority and women businesses, most minority and women business are not awarded contracts as primes. They usually are a subcontractor -- there may -- There may be a handful, correct, Angela? There may be a handful that are awarded as a prime, but most are subcontractors.
Well, I'll defer to some of my colleagues if they want any -- and added information in there. But if you could provide as ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 338 much detail and information as possible --
I'd appreciate that. One last question I have: On your capital budget Public Works contracts, the capital budget Public Works contracts is that -- the new contracts that have been going out have the project labor agreement as per the executive order from the Mayor's Office?
Okay. How do you determined whether it's been authorized? Has the --
It's a bid-by-bid by process, and I'm not ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 339 familiar with any myself, but I wouldn't have to know.
Okay. Well, Strike that. Let re-ask that question. Have their contracts that have gone out that have been authorized?
All right. I have no further questions. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me make a couple of ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 340 suggestions because from my experience as a board member for over years at Independence Blue Cross, which has perhaps one of the best participation rates and employment rates, minorities and women in leadership and in management, and I've sat -- sat on the minority hiring contracting committee for over years, and we meet 10 quarterly, and the terms that they use 11 at the company is spend, not minority 12 participation goals. It's spend. At 13 the beginning of the fiscal they set a 14 number, a financial number, a dollar 15 number, they need to get to that 16 spend. 17 Every quarter folks from 18 various departments in charge of 19 procurement and contracting come in 20 and give us a status report as to where they are in the fiscal year with that particular spending goal, and that's I think -- I don't know if that's done, but that's the way we're ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 341 successful at it because that's the way we do it, number one. Number two, this lowest responsible bidder thing, look. We have to change the chart, and do what what we got to do. You've got to -- you have to do a physical analysis of what percent, percent, 9 percent more if it's stays here means, 10 not just what the contract number is. 11 Now, lowest responsible 12 means lowest bid, but the company 13 needs to be able to perform the work; 14 however, if a Philadelphia company 15 comes in at 10 percent, 12 percent higher and the employees are being paid here, there is an economic analysis that goes beyond just what the taxpayer is spending out of the general fund because you need to figure out the multiplier where it goes back into sales tax, wage tax, all of other things, spending capability, all of that. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 342 The other thing I would suggest, and maybe we need to change a law to do this, too, is when we cannot find a WBE, a NBE, a DBE company to fulfill that contract, we need to have another level of majority contract that has minority employment levels that make it make sense so they can participate through -- maybe through there a majority company, but they're participating because that company is here, it's getting the work, and there's enough of a majority complement and a majority complement of the employees to benefit from it. But unless you do it quarterly and you sit down and go over those number and you hold people accountable and you hold hold them to task and then try to be a little more creative in how you reach minority employee, whether they own the company or whether they work for the company -- and I think Independence Blue Cross is probably ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 343 about 49 minority in its employment complement -- and I think if you follow those models of companies that care about this and that make it part of their business ethic, I think we'll be better off than what we've been doing for the past years that 8 I've been here because this -- I mean, 9 look. I represent the city as a 10 whole. I want everybody working 11 because I think every dollar that we 12 spend negatively on police and courts 13 and prisons and DHS and all that stuff 14 is because people weren't working. 15 It's a high -- too high of an 16 unemployment rate. 17 So if we can attack the 18 unemployment rate either through 19 minority ownership or minority work, I 20 think that's where we should be going. And I get as frustrated as a lot of council members here, but I know people have taken this issue as something that they're going to talk ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 344 about every single time so kind of redefining their niche, but I'm telling you, I don't know how we approach this stuff. We should have one person trying to figure -- well, not one person but one group of people, thinking about this every day, and it's not just minority participation.
It's local business participation. It's state -- it's keeping them -- it's keeping the dollars as close to here as possible and still doing well by the taxpayer and that's not necessarily bid. The lowest bid don't get you there. If the workers are coming from New York to deliver that food, then that lowest bid is meaningless.
I'm aware. We've already had some discussion with your office on this already. I know we're looking at it closely.
But ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 345 that's got to be an integral part of the government's --
We need to buy tires, we need to buy oil filters, we need buy worker's gloves, we need to buy paint where can get it locally -- state -- not -- stateside if not nationally. I don't think it's anybody in the government doing that. I really don't.
Councilman, I'd just like to address the spend issue. One of the things we're doing right now is implementing a system, a B2G Now System, which will be tracking spend from the famous program into the tracking system which ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 346 will allow us to track dollars from primes to subs. So we're hoping to have that system completed by the end of this fiscal year, if not sooner.
What is your -- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. Go ahead.
This is to insure that the minorities and women-owned businesses who have participation roles in the contracts with the City are being paid, so the flow of dollars to insure they're going into the minority and women business community. The other component of the system that we're also implementing is certified payrolls which will allow us to attract those minority and women employees of public works firms to make sure there is a diversity in the employment of those --
But shouldn't they get points for that? Shouldn't that company who does a good job at having a diverse workforce, shouldn't they get points for that? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 347
They actually get the contract for that because they sign that they will comply with our requirements.
Again, I'm not criticizing you. You've been criticized plenty. I'm just saying I think you really need to look at that model or a model like it because I think when you say -- when you use the word "spend" it means money. When you use their percentage, I don't know really what that means, and obviously you've not hitting those goals anyway, so I would look at a spend possibility. Thanks.
Councilman, I've got to think that lunch coming from New York can't be that green by way of fresh and locally produced, so that's another consideration. The Chair now -- speaking of Green, now recognizes Councilman ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 348 Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a four-letter word for anybody who would call this line questioning nesh and, that is, J-O-B-S. This is about jobs for Philadelphia citizens, and there's not a more important line of questioning that we can undertake here especially in this economy. So I just would like to note for the record that if the bill that was cointroduced by Councilman Goode and many others on City Council passes, it would require that employment of Philadelphia citizens be required in order to issue a contract. Right now the bill says 100 percent of the work performed by contracts would have to be performed by Philadelphia citizens, and I guess it's our view that a percentage requirement like that is an appropriate constitutional standard, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 349 and I'm just wondering how you would enforce a provision like that through your RFP process. What would be the process of putting that into place?
Until I actually saw the final finished product, I don't know whether I can comment on that. We can -- with make awards now based on the legislation that's out there, the LBE legislation for instance. We make the award based on that legislation, and we have to go by the rules. So if we saw the new rules we would have to abide by them as far as the award is concerned. After the award, now it has to be put out for something -- somebody can control. We can't control it.
And you have the ability in the system I heard -- I think I heard through previous testimony of -- maybe it was another ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 350 department. I can't recall if it was this department or not. You have the ability to monitor payroll to determine whether or not the people employed by the contractors and subcontracts are Philadelphia residents?
In the capital budget hearing last week, I told each department that I'd be asking with -- if they were being funded with the ongoing 120 million dollar IT investment, be prepared to talk about whether those projects would result in future dollar savings. One of the city-wide business application identified by OIT is, quote, Admin Modernization Phase 2 Procurement Speed and Ad Picks ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 351 Replacement. This is in the handout provided to OIT -- by provided to OIT to Council in it's 2/19/2 229 briefing -- briefing. Can you describe what this project entails?
I think you're going to get a much better explanation from OIT themselves in a few minutes, Sir.
Well, as I said ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 352 in my previous testimony about the E Procurement system, we have been looking E Procurement, and that's what that is. That would cover it.
No. 10 Thanks. So can you describe what this project entails?
Well, what is called in the handout to Council on 2/19/12, quote, Admin Modernization Phase 2 Procurement Speed and Ad Picks Replacement, whatever that is.
So there was a -- an initiative formerly known as "ERP" that was on the table prior to the prioritization process. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 353 When we went through the piroitization process, we wanted to truly maximize the success of each initiative and make sure that the few dollars that we have are spent to handle the most urgent need.
So question is: Please describe what the project I just identified entails?
So we divided ERP into three phases; phase one being workforce management; phase two being the systems that supported the City's procurement process, which speed, ad picks; and phase three involved the financial management system.
So what does this project, phase two, entail? What will it mean? What does it do? How is it implemented?
We would ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 354 ultimately write a -- an RFP to bring in someone who will either modernize, replace, the current systems.
So you haven't identified a vendor or a protect for this city -- phase two of this city-wide business application initiative yet?
We haven't identified implementation vendors for any of the eight projects that you have.
Are they going to be completed during the FY13 fiscal year?
When would you project that this would be ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 355 completed?
I'm -- I would be speaking before even seeing the implementation responses, but a system of that size, scale and scope, I would imagine a two- to three-year-time horizon would be the time frame when we would expect a lot of these large city-wide systems would be completed from start to finish.
So I guess you can't answer this question: How much will it cost?
We have a range in mind of what a typical system for a city of our size would cost. I would -- I would ask that you don't push me there because we would then be supplying information that might --
That's fine. How will this project change procurement practices? How will what we do as a city differ in terms of workflow flow processes? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 356
Yes. That's a good question. Clearly, we don't even talk about this projects being technology projects anymore. We really talk about these projects being business transformation projects. So the goal there is to try to automate as much of the process and -- as possible, make it as paperless as possible, automate all the interfaces and minimize the number of interfaces; make sure that if there's any public facing component to it, it's as intuitive and user friendly as possible. So, at the high level, those are universal goals for almost all the projects, the capital projects, that have been put on the table.
You've asked that question last week, and my response was ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 357 that these projects are failing. I don't have the discretion to decide whether I should let them run for another year or a couple of years or move on to another system. We're addressing these systems because they could fail any day, so no 7 ROY, per your definition, has ever been done in any of the systems. These systems run the core processes of city government. We have no 10 choice. We have to replace those.
Whether or not we have a choice, don't we have to do an ROY to choose competing systems in order to put together an RFP? Shouldn't --
-- you be responsible to do this without having done an ROY in advance?
You're correct, and that -- that is a future phase that will come. Right now.
Thank you. That's great. I appreciate it. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 358 My time is up, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
Teach or tell me when it appropriate to debundle a contract?
That's -- do that at a departmental request normally. I know we debundled some computer information, IT information, not too long ago. Did you have a particular compact -- contract in mind.
Procedurally how does that work when you debundle a contract -- and let me ask it different. What might be the trigger -- what might be the trigger for you and leadership along with the head of OEO to say, it is most appropriate that we debundle this contract? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 359
Well, we try to debundle snow removal not too long ago. We got to and get --
We tried to do that probably four years ago, I guess. We brought in smaller contractors and we brought in landscaping people who would not be able to landscape in the winter, they would have their trucks doing something else. And they all said great idea, great idea, and then when it came time to bid we never heard a word from them. To sum it up quick, sure, we do it. We tried this.
It was a leadership decision. The head of ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 360 the department decided to do that?
Oka. And you went through the process, and what happened?
We talked to a lot of the smaller vendors, and they all said, yes, we will do it, and then didn't do it; or a lot of them were not interested because they -- they are other contracts with smaller parking lots, things like that, that they're able to get paid faster, that they -- they're just not job jobs, and they can handle little -- that's sort of reason were give to us, as many of them have ongoing contracts with these smaller places they've had for years and years and years, and they don't want to jeopardize those by going with the City contract for one year, and then maybe not have it for the next ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 361 year.
I see. So, again, for the record, because I'm still struck by the -- was it Maramont? Maramont, what is the name of that contract?
The total size of that contract, the total amount of that contract, 3 plus?
What would be an appropriate reason to ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 362 request that that contract should be debundled so that we could put "x" number of -- of caterers, for lack of a better word, who have a capacity to get $500,000 contracts which would equal --
I'd have to talk with the using department and find out more about what it is they do and what the requirements are. I know the requirements are very strenuous, and I don't know them of all off the top of my head, but a large portion of it is governed by the federal and state government, so they have to have fund -- if it's even possible to do that. I will to talk to Maramont myself and just find out what their break down is now. They may use a awful lot of local companies that we don't know about, and it's already debundled sort but just not by primes.
Then the ask will be provide detailed ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 363 information about that contract, do they use local company?
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The terms of contracting opportunities, service, supply and equipment and beyond that, do we know how much is being done by privately held companies?
We don't track that at all? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 364
In general, I guess the concern is that with privately held companies there's not enough access to information, public information. If we are not tracking that, if we're not cognizant of that, I guess we're also not asking for their employment practices or any of the type of information. So, I guess, the thought is that if we're deal -- if we're giving City contract dollars to privately held companies, how do we hold them responsible for the type of business ethics that we put in place?
They're required by law to do that. They're required by the terms and conditions to do that. And if they're not, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 365 somebody would have to let us know or the department would have to be aware of it somehow. I don't know how that would be.
So we're doing it certainly for the terms and conditions?
Okay. So if there are living wage and benefit requirements within the terms and conditions, how is that information accessed by someone in the public whether that company is complied?
If the City wanted -- if the City wanted do that, by -- again, in the terms and conditions, the contractor must open up his books.
So the only way to access it is through contractual relationship with the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 366 City?
The only way to access it is through the contractual relationship with the City?
I assume so. I don't know how. Me, as a worker, to be able to go in and say to my boss, I want to know what everybody is getting paid, if they're being paid properly, is that what you're asking?
The concern is -- the concern is actually raised by a constituent that raised a question with me about not just the fact that we contract out and, in some cases, we contract out too much, but the thought that we also contract some in cases with privately held companies that don't live up to certain standards.
We wouldn't ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 367 know that.
Okay. Thank you. Just lastly on the same contract we've been talking about, because I didn't run through the list of questions for that but ran through it for Elliott Lewis, I guess the question is: What subcontract opportunities are available that you have identified that did not exist when the contract was first bid?
I'd have to ask to department about -- they work on a day-to-day basis I don't -- I don't know all the services that are involved. I just know it's a general, as I said, this time side of the tarmac type.
I'm not ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 368 asking about Elliot Lewis. I asking about the other contractor, the food service contract.
What subcontracting opportunities have been identified since the contract was first let?
I wouldn't know ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 369 what contracting opportunities are available because I don't know what the details of the contract are that they --
Used by all departments? Was there any department that does eat?
Used mostly by recreation, and so you allowed you recreation to determine the goals?
So it's a city-wide contract simply because it's being used by more than one ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 370 department, but it's being used mostly by Recreation.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Some quick questions about outside contracts. There's a $65,000 contract -- this is Section 23, 16. There's a $65,000 contract in ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 371 FY12 and FY13 for, quote, consultant, for which the vendor is listed as TBD. Have these funds been encumbered for FY12.
You're going to spend $65,000 between now and the end of the year?
It may not be $65,000, but we are putting together a miscellaneous purchase order for a business analyst to answer actually some of questions that you've been asking when it comes to.
Because we do want to be ready for a new electronic system. We want to see -- you know, we would like outside information on how we're doing, how others are doing, and what changes we ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 372 might have to make, and what changes we're willing to make, which I think we're willing to make a few changes to become more automated and electronic and save some time and effort. So that -- that's what we're looking to use part of tht money for. I don't know if we'll--
Yeah. Maybe, you know, just to analyze our entire business process and certainly workflow and see what other municipalities are to go doing. We've done a lot of that on our own, but we would like the expertise of a company that -- that does that on a regular basis.
And the decision to do this is left up to departments individually? How did this end up in your line items instead of, say, OIT's or.
Well, for this ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 373 particular discussion with our -- we're under the review -- review of the Managing Director's Office. So we worked with them and talked about it and what the needs of the department are, and that's one of things that we're hoping that we'll be able to bring. In just Rebecca had referred to there being an efficiency review of many services throughout the city, this is probably a smaller review.
And they'd probably be able to find out, as they should, and as Mary said, to answer some of your questions, like we -- we have no one in our office that can say what it cost to put a rec together into an award. In between, there was a lot of work being done, but we don't know how to put that together. We don't have the expertise. So we hopefully get somebody like that so some of your question can be answered.
I guess my -- my question not for you is, is why we don't do this on a more broad scale.
And I'm not sure -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 374
I'll ask that of other people. I won't ask you to speculate and get you in trouble. So you're intention then is to try to find a vendor that will be the same person in and 13? 7
Okay. 11 And have you done and RFP or is this 12 going to be --
We don't anticipate it being over $30,000, at least we hope it's not. So we have not put that together, but once we do we'll be happy to send it out.
I've also got the same question for the $15,000 line item for employee training in FY12 and 13; have they been incumbered?
We're looking for training, some basic electronic training, some basic, you know, Microsoft and Excel. We're looking into purchasing training that we might be able to work with to develop some of our technical staff. Looking at how, you know, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 376 Procurement has changed over the years, I think in the past because of budgetary constraints we have not been able to focus on that, so we're hoping to be able to use that -- that budget to -- just to kind of bring our -- our -- our staff up to date.
Are you finished, Councilman Green, because nobody else is in line here?
So has a vendor been identified for that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 377 contract 15,000?
Let's see here. So are you going to be providing vacancy new position information? We've asked that that be provided prior to the departmental hearings. Has that been provided.
We provided it to the Budget Department. You probably -- just like last night, so you probably won't have it yet. But brought it with us and we do have a copy, and they're going to submit a cop. I think the first couple of days are missing if I'm not mistaken.
We have submitted it, and we also had testimony on it earlier. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 378
If you have a copy -- if you have a copy, if you could please submit it to the Chair, and we'll have somebody come up and we'll take a look at it and see if you need a call back. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. Anyone else? Any other questions? (No response.)
Have a good afternoon. Our next department is Office of Information -- Innovation and Technology, please. Good afternoon.
It's a ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 379 long day already. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed. We already have your testimony as I think you know, so if would just summarize --
Thank you. My name is Adel Ebeid. I'm CIO for the Office of Innovation and Technology. While I'm fairly new in this role, I have some of the -- some very capable people next to me. To my left I have Chris Dinoto who is the CFO for my office, and to my right I have Jim White who is the chief operating officer. And not knowing what kind of questions I'm going to get, I have several member of my management team in the audience as well.
You always have to be flexible. We never know what --
If I can't ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 380 answer your questions because I'm new, I'll surely field it to one of them.
I'm going to yield my time to -- COUNCILGREENLE: Okay. Thank you. Let me ask a couple real quick. Now, one is something I came up with, and Councilman Green will be interested in this. The City Directory online seems to be missing a few things and being a little -- have a number of mistakes. I'll give you one example. There is a Councilman Green listed and Councilman at Large Green and under Councilman at Large Green is an employee named William Greenlee and everybody else in my office, and it just makes me shudder to think I'm working for Councilman Green, because I'd have to quit. So I just use that as an example, and I understand there's other departments that it's hard to find. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 381 Now, I don't know -- you know, before we used tis nice blue book, and could look everybody up. And I modernization, but it seems like there's still a lot of things missing there. So I don't know if anybody has worked on that, if anybody can answer any of the concerns for that?
Yeah. I'll certainly take it as a task going back to my office. I'll find out who in my office is responsible for coordinating the across departments, and I'll do my best to make sure that you're not working for Councilman Green.
Okay. I was going to say, work on the one first for me. Okay.
Thank you. You say on page one of your written testimony that the general fund budget for OIT is supposed to realize a 2.8 million dollar reduction for FY13. How will this impact ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 382 services, and what's is the expected impact?
Chris Dinoto here. Some of the reduction is based on some onetime 9-1-1 charges this year that we won't have next year. There is also a reduction in the overall general fund budget reflecting some savings under the Verizon contract and some other cuts in some areas like training and software purchase. And we try to spread out the pain as little as possible so the services would not be terribly effected.
I know a lot of people have questions here, so I'd yield. Councilman Green. Sir.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So at last week's budget hearings with specific reference to the February ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 383 29, 2012 briefing the administration gave to Council, and in that briefing specifically stated what factor they used in evaluating where the prioritized project has been. I was told that it was various factors. Rather than go back on forth on that, I asked a simple question, that the details and scoring or whatever you had, anything on paper electronicly, et cetera, with respect to the prioritization process be turned over to the Chair. Has any information been turned over to the chair.
Hi. Councilman Green, we're just compiling the information in the budget office in order to provide all of the answers to you from the five-year plan hearing and the capital budget hearing to go the Chair to so part of those responses are their IT response as well.
Okay. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 384 Great. I'd like IT's actual responses to you in addition to whatever you want to provide in whatever in whatever format you would like to provide presented to the Chair. When will that be provided?
We're just it putting together now. It should within in the next few days.
I think Friday is holiday. But I mean, if not tomorrow, then Monday or Tuesday. It should be coming pretty quickly.
In the legislation passed by Council in May 2010 the Board of Ethics was required to develop and deploy an online lobbyist registration reporting system. Have there been various updates provoided at various ethics board ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 385 meetings with respect to this? The registration requirement came into affect in January, and the first month quarterly reports are due I believe are this months. For reason that are hard to understand, the Ethics Board does not yet have a functioning system and instead registrations and upcoming reports are being submitted on paper forms that the Ethics Board are then having there to input to a stop gap data. At it's public meeting, the Ethics Board is described being promised repeatedly by OIT that a functioning system would be available by a date certain and each date coming and going without a system being available. Council passed the bill 15 with the full expectation that the Ethics Board would have an online system ready to go when the law came into affect, in fact, there was a significant delay in the implication process. So the OIT had more time than was originally contemplated. At the time, I suggested the Board contact the state department -- Pennsylvania Department of State which runs the state lobbying legislation that our bill was modeled on and just procure their ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 386 software. I'm not sure what's happened, but I'd like to understand where we are with this today?
Sure. So I walked in the movie halfway on this one, but the bottom line is, two weeks ago they -- the software was turned over to the Board of Ethics for testing. We continue to go through testing of the software and the functionalty. Almost every day I get a daily status of how that's going. I think we're maying much better progress than last year. At the end of the day, we're really waiting for the Board of Ethics to give us the -- the number of issues that they believe are show stoppers. We will back and facilitate those with the vendor.
I'm -- I'm not -- I don't know how much was spent so far, but I can tell you since November, we brought in the vendor back, and they've been ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 387 working on their own nickel to revise the system to meet the original set of requirement.
Thank you. I'll come back to this. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Right now I don't see anybody else listed to question. Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. You had mentioned several times in previous briefings that you're upgrading the infrastructure and legacy programs. Will the City departments have the software soon where they'd be able to communicate with each other in a coordinated effort to share data; in other words, would the Hanson system be able to speak with Revenue or be able to talk with the BAA or the OAR? Will the system able to talk with the court system or any other departments?
Sure. So when you say departments communicating with each other, I take that to mean physically from a ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 388 physical network prospective. That's not what you mean. You mean from a programmatic prospective.
So one of the general principals that we've outlined for all that, or at least the eight systems that are going to be modernized, one of universal requirements is that ability for data integration and for the ability to -- for the data to flow freely across systems. Surely, the proof is in the pudding, but going into these modern-- the modernization initiative, that is one of our top goals so that we could, at least, eliminate the point the point-to-point integration what we have today in city which take a lot of resources to try to keep updated.
How long do you think it will take for that system or network to be implemented for realtime use? I'll give you an example. Just on the simplest of examples, there's been a lot of talk about, you ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 389 know, just identifying properties, all right, vacant land and properties that the City has and whether there's liens attached to it, whether there's citations or property maintenance violations or taxes, real estate taxes, owed to a particular property in addition to -- just a regular inventory. So you have the Mayor's Office of Sustainability, Public Property, you have a new office of data property, stemming from the finance department, and other multiple departments throughout the city are all kind of doing the same thing. Are you developing or working on a system or network, a network, a program, where they -- the -- you know, were we were told earlier today that it's going to be housed -- centralized from the Plan Commission. Is that going to be all integrated into a program where everybody can communicate and share data --
-- along those lines? This is short simple noncomplicated, you know, technical question. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 390
The goal is, yes. In the out years, we would hope to have more better date integration than we have today. That's the goal. Absolutely.
So based on my years of profession experience, systems of 10 this size are not developed over night; however, 11 I see a lot of positive coordination that's 12 going on in the city, which is almost a 13 prerequisite before we start to modernize these 14 systems. 15 So when Ms. Soskia Thompson, 16 for example, from OPD about trying to coordinate 17 data, how it's administered, how it's captured, 18 how it will be saved, how will we define, the 19 semantics around data; when I find Ms. Judy 20 Castle doing something very similar along the 21 same lines of administrative systems, Bridget 22 who spoke this morning thinking of doing the 23 same thing for vacant parcels, those are the 24 kind of conversations that should be happening ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 391 right now before we modernize any of the systems. So I'm very -- I mean, I feel very confident that everybody who's got the -- their heart is in the right place. We're having the right conversations about data integration, and those are the kind of things that need to happen before we spend any money to modernize the systems. So based on what I've seen in the last twenty-five years these are systems that take two, three, and possibly my four years to developed. These are not systems that get developed over night.
Well, in fact, and I understand, you know, it must be extremely complicated to -- you know, to craft, you know, an old system to what our needs are, but -- and you're trying to save -- be cost effective as well when you're implementing, but aren't, indeed, we spending the money now in each separate department in trying to upgrade. So we're having -- what I'll saying is we're updating our systems ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 392 now while we're just starting -- you're just starting to have these discussions; is that correct?
Yeah. I'm aware of -- no. We're not upgrading our systems now. I think what's happening is where the dollars are spent is to maintain those point-to-point interfaces that I keep talking about or supporting a manual process just the make data, normalize the data and have it sync up with each other so-- I'm afraid that some of that stuff is going to have to continue until a brand-new system is in place. But the issues that you've identified are issues that have been shared with me. People are aware of them, and they're taking some great steps frankly to begin the dialogue and to coordinate cross agencies which is exactly the kind of dialogue that needs to happen before we spend serious dollars on modernizing the systems. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 393 The 120 million dollar in capital is -- my guess is that it's only going to happen once in my lifetime, so we want to make sure we spend it a wisely as possible.
As long as the conversations include what did the -- you know, separate departments are doing now and how it falls into your transition in the-- you know, the bigger picture.
Yeah. Rest assured that I am actively engaged in just about every conversation that requires -- that involves data integration. I'm very passionate about that, got a lot of experience in it, and consider myself as a support process for a lot of what's happening.
We don't have a long line, so go ahead. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 394
In the capital budget on FY14, 15, and 16, there seems to be in excess of 60 millions dollars of expenditures. Are they're earmarked for specific projects that you have in the coming years?
I believe they broke down. The number that I can recall is and 19. 18 million 18 dollars for infrastructure, securing and stabilized infrastructure; and 19 million for the -- to begin to business application modernization.
From your testimony? You're identifying your testimony. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 395
So over the five-year plan -- in the five-year strategy you plan on spending 120 million capital improvement for OIT; is that right?
It's not enough which is why we're trying to prioritize and put a lot of governance around making sure that the dollars go to the most needy systems. The answer is, yes.
Thank you. Just finishing up on the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 396 Board of Ethics, I really, having -- since I'm on every Board of ethics meeting and knowing what their expectation were and the many multiple dates they were given, I really don't think it's reasonable to throw sort of where we are in the lap of the Board of Ethics who received another copy two weeks ago and were told to evaluate it for errors. I don't think you meant it that way.
That's not what I said actually all. Yeah. I said, we're working with them to test a copy of the software deliverable that the vendor gave us. We've been doing that for the last two wokes. The goal is to arrive at two lists, a list of show stoppers that must be fixed by the vendor versus a list that's going to get best effort on the second time.
So I'd like you to provide the Chair with the wall costs associated with this project. I'd like to ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 397 understand why we didn't, as suggested to your predecessor, and the board simply try to license the software that the State of Pennsylvania already uses with respect to very similar reporting requiremens.
I believe in a meeting that I had with Mr. Rich Glazer and Netta, they actually went to see the system in Pennsylvania, and they did not like it at all frankly and they thought it was pretty archaic, and they did not within to adopt it for Philadelphia. I'm pretty sure that that was the report facts.
This is spend that's being passed through on our budget -- I mean, it appears on our budget.
It appears on your budget. Okay. All right. Well, I look forward to getting this up and implemented as quickly as possible as the law required. It should be in place today.
I share the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 398 urgency.
Thank you. These questions may or may not be entirely on point with respect to what you're doing, but I'd like to hear from you about the project -- the progress of public safety applications as it relates to the city's wireless network.
As long as you appreciate that I'm just starting to look into this issue, so I'm willing to share some early observations with you.
Well, let's -- you know, I think I'll save that for departmental callbacks then because I'd rather have you have the opportunity to fully look it and -- not spend everybody's time with speculation, so I will come back to that.
Were you able to locate the document I was talking about that was in the presentation to Council I think?
I was not. I did communicate with your chief of staff over ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 399 the week, and I think she pointed me to someone who might have a copy and I'll be -- I will do that.
Okay. Great. On contract spending, I guess my final question that I'm to going want to know with respect to this, I'd like to -- it was my understanding that the implication of many of these things would be eligible for 9-1-1 spending, and I just -- so I'd to know, of what was in that report, what is 9-1-1 eligible and what's not?
Well, it's our stuff. It's no longer wireless Philadelphia, but yes. Those assets. During the five-year plan hearing last week I asked that each department provide a list of all contracts over 50 it plans to enter into in the coming fiscal year, descriptions of the specific services provided to citizens under those contracts and an explanation of how the department monitors the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 400 contract to ensure the citizens receive value from it. Do you have that information available with you today?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have two -- two questions for information. Can you explain to me the open data, what Open Data Philly is? And does the City pay for the organization, and who is responsible for the data that is given to the organization.
I'm going to ask someone from my staff to come in and chime in, but I'll certainly start the response. Open Data Philly is a certainly a movement that we support to encourage transparency and the publishing of ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 401 government data that otherwise would end up in the public domain. So this is public data. I am not aware of any dollars that -- that the City pays for, but we certainly benefit quite a bit from the coordination from the local tech community. Either Andrew or Stewart, can you chime in?
Stewart Baltor. Good afternoon. About a year or so ago we started out an organization called Open Data Philly. We don't spend any money on it. We're working with Comcast and several other partners out in the city. So the purpose of it is to prodoes open data. It's an issue that is really become large throughout the country, actually around the world. So Philadelphia decided to take a different tact and work with partners and publish more than just government data. The purpose of it is, the tech community in Philadelphia was actually extremely active and interested and civic minded ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 402 wants start producing data sets and apps that make sense for the government and the constituents. So there's a website out there that has, you know, Comcast data, all other kinds of data about the city. We are partnered in that that we're producing our own data sets, mostly GIS based, because that data was already made public, so it's just -- it's just a consolidated source of all the data available to the city.
Could you provide a list to the Chair with the known partners that you deal with please.
Before you leave, could you state your name and title again for the stenographer.
In your challenges looking forward to the future, you mention self-service for every transaction that was does not require face-to-face ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 403 authentication. Could you elaborate a little more on that please?
I'm not sure it's a challenge as much as I think we listed it as a planning assumption. One of the things that are trying to do is basically build a set of universal planning assumptions that should apply to how we make decisions and what we do moving forward. And I think planning assumption E Government or E Services is that anytime we are trying to -- that we have a transaction that does ont require somebody coming in into -- walking into and agency providing documents or authenticating themselves over the counter, that that transaction in and of itself should be an excellent candidate for internet or E Gov type of service. So think the challenge that we've given ourselves is that we're -- we're trying across city government that any transaction that doesn't require a face-to-face interaction we -- the goal should be to deliver ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 404 that through an another channel such as internet.
Any transaction that doesn't require face-to-face to interaction.
Okay. And then one of the examples that you have here is to provide constituent self-service anytime anywhere. Is that -- that's all -- it's basically the same type, a big type of --
Exactly. It's a forward looking statement of how we would like to see the kind of design and near systems that we build rather than dragging citizens downtown to an office.
I couldn't agree more with you, and I ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 405 think you're on the right track. I would assume though it would be a ten-year goal. Is it a five-year goal and looking forth?
You know, actually I think it's the kind of thing you'll see much sooner that. Some things have already been delivered some examples. There's three or four examples. And I would like to get into the habit of providing two or three services every six months over the internet or even more if we can.
Councilman, are you trying to put us out business with technology?
No. I'm trying to successfully get a time line for when the technology is going to be implemented.
All right. Okay. Business is not done ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 406 fax to fax, it's done face to face, right?
It certainly is, Chair. If I may, I just have one last question.
In the plan, we have -- you noted that we have 70 neighborhood community technology centers, and that was -- that was because of the ARA money,, recovery money; is that correct.
Where would these 70 centers be? Could you just provide a list to the Chair and --
We can certainly provide a list. Mr. Andrew West is also is --
And -- and services that they provide. I mean, if you want -- if you want to ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 407 speak on them, that's great. At the end, if you could just provide a list to the Chair. And are they going to be ongoing or we going to be maintaining them and are the services still needed, and are people taking vantage of of the services that you provide.
Andrew Buss, I'm the director of public programs at OIT. There are going to be 77 public computing centers, and I'm actually -- I'm trying to stop referring to them like that. I'm trying to call them technology enabled community centers because I feel it's a little more exciting frankly. The use these has actually been overwhelming, and I provide you the list where all the sites are located in all the neighborhood. And I think the reason I'm trying to not just think of them in terms of, sort of putting technology in a location, is really ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 408 because it's much more than that in that it's the infrastructure physically. It's the human infrastructure, and then -- so there's a lot this training and open-access hours that's involved as well. So a staff person at each of the sites.
Okay great. So, in other words, you're providing broadband or internet or technology services in potential neighbors that they may not have ready and available?
Yes. The idea was to provide access and training in areas of low connectivity in Philadelphia.
Can you describe for people that may be listening what -- when someone opens the door to one of these centers what they should experience, expect or ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 409 receive as services?
Well, I think the key with the program is really that there is a welcomeing staff person there and that staff person is -- we've really got some excellent people in that they're able to do kind of that customer service part of this, help the person as much as they want to be helped. It's -- they're all nice clean, centers, nice new technology and I think it's -- one of the interesting things that's really been happening with these is they're creating sort of communities on their own just because people like to come into the centers. You know, sometimes they use the technology, frankly sometimes they don't. Sometimes they just come in because they like to speak the same language with other people, so it's kind of an interesting thing we're seeing.
Will there be services for those of us who are technology challenged?
They're open for everyone? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 410
They vary by organization really but they are generally about between to hours a hours a week. A lot of 9 that time the given to open-access hours and 10 some of it is given to programing. 11
Thank 18 you, Mr. Chair. 19 I have the same question for 20 OIT, unincumbered Class 200 professional contract funds that I've asked of other departments. How much is unimcumbered in your FY12 budget? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 411
There is approximately percent of our general fund class 200 that has not been encumbered.
How much 6 of the balance can expect to incumber 7 by June 30th? 8
The rest of it 9 actually. A lot of our contracts 10 renew throughout but not necessarily 11 January 1st start dates. 12
I don't 13 understand that. Are you paying -- 14 are you renewing and then paying for 15 services that have already been 16 performed or are you -- 17
No. It's the 18 contract cost for the fiscal year. 19 For instance, if we do them now, we'll 20 pay for April, May and June using this 21 year's funds, and then nine months of 22 next year because it's a one-year year 23 contract. 24
If you ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 412 could provide detail about those that are unincumbered and who, you know, how they're going to be incumbered to the chair, I'd appreciate it.
So are you familiar with the open government paper that my office prepared, I guess, last year that calls for all data that is subject of public record laws be made available on the internet and open extensible, searchable, database to the public.
I am. And you should be proud. We're doing quite a bit of that.
Are you familiar with the laws we introduced this term about a month ago that would require the City to have that up and running?
How long will it take before you would actually ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 413 be able to incumber that if we were to pass that law?
I haven't looked at the bill from a physical impact prospective or -- I haven't viewed it tat way.
Okay. But you're working towards its goals I guess it's fair to say?
I -- I -- the Mayor believe in open government and transparency. The admission believes in open data and transparency, and I believe in it and have delivered quite a bit of it in my past in New Jersey, so I'm going to do a try do my best to try to bring lot of the things I've done in the past to the City of Philadelphia.
And the goal of this law is to make sure that all of ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 414 that survives this open-government mayor to the mayor to the next mayor, and forever, so that all data is available to all citizens at times.
Yeah. I mean, if open government and transparency is a core value, it should out last all of us.
Yes. And as part of this I guess, the consistently complaint that we have in City Council and that I hear from reporters and other people who constantly try to access data through four-year requests and other request, is that it takes an incredibly long time because the data is not even cataloged in an electronic way. In order to provide data, it has to go through -- you have to go through a lot of paper. How are you trying to solve that problem as you're looking at this in terms of past records rather than just going forward.
I'm not -- I'm ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 415 not sure how much we want to go back and solve the problem that involves the data that's held captive in legacy systems. I can tell you that moving forward the goal is to start with an enterprise architecture plan that speaks clearly about data standards, data semantics, pretty much what Ms. Soska Thompson is trying to do for OPD we would try to advocate city wide. That would make sure that the data that's being generated rated in the future is captured in a consistent fashion, can be easily published, easily manipulated, and that we would actually get in the habit of publishing it periodically over a portal to even eliminate the request processes altogether.
By the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 416 end of the day so that when my neighbor pulls a fence permit, I can sign up to see -- receive an email alert because someone has pulled an L and permit within my ZIP code or on my block? Are you building the system with that kind of -- giving the citizen that kind of power so that -- that they can be as involved in their government and the affairs of their community as they desire to be, have as much information about that as someone who works for the City has?
Just to set expectations, we haven't built any systems yet. Right now are -- we're focused on governance. And what I mean by governance is that, making forward looking statements and going on the record with those looking statements to ensure that the overall vision for open data and open government --
Let me ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 417 state the question in a way that you're prepared to answer it. Is what I just described part of the governance you were going to put in place for the systems that you ultimately, implement the ability for citizens to sign up for alerts, to have full information about permitting and crime and whatever else they want they want to what know about what's going on in their community?
E Government and E Services for our citizens and business is a primary goal and a lot of public facing systems that we're going to be building in the future.
I'll try it one more time. Are we going to build -- is it a governance choice for the systems that we will ultimately implement that will allow citizens to sign up for alerts for any kind of transaction that government does that impacts the ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 418 city as a whole, their block, their ZIP code, their council district, whatever?
I think we're focused on an E Government strategy that I think meets the purpose and the intent and the spirit of what you just described. You just used examples that I don't want to set the one expectation and say yes to those, but the goal is provide more access to data by -- by citizens.
Well, that's a very low bar today, don't you think? I'm trying to see how high that we're trying set the bar.
I think it's a low bar today because much of the data that government collects is held captive in legacy systems.
And on paper, no 24 different than many of the other ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 419 jurisdictions that I've -- that I've seen.
I don't -- I don't want to compare us to anybody else. I want us to be the leader in the country in terms of open government.
I think the forward looking states that we made in our planning assumptions will put us on right path.
Why can't we just set a simple goal. Let's be the leader in the country for open government. Let's make an insanely great system that the rest of the country and want to emulate? Why don't we make that our goal, to be the best and to implement the best --
Because that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 420 might --
Sure. I think that's a worthy goal, but the might involve a budget request we can't handle.
Well, you design by starting with the end, what I'm asking you about is what's the end. What is it we are seeking to achieve in the ending. My goal for this city is to have the best open government platform, the most information available to citizens, and to people in government so that we have the potential to have the most informed and active citizenry of anywhere in the world. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 421
I believe that any other rational person wants the same thing.
So is that our end goal? What's our end goal if it's not it?
We can be more open simply by, you know, taking our legacy systems using mind share and make some of the data available on the internet. That's not more open. What I'm asking the bureaucracy for is a standard that we can be proud of that we're working towards. And if you can't answer that today, please think about it, and I will ask it again at callbacks. Let's see. The -- do you guys have -- basically i asked for vacancy new position information prior to budget hearings. We don't have that for today's hearings. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 422 Do you have that with you.
I have that with me. I believe you asked the MDO this morning for him to coordinate a collection of all those reports. We would be happy to give them that at the end of the day today. I do have a copy with me.
You do. Well, just for the record, I'm certainly happy for him to coordinate it, but I would like the original reports, and he can then put it in whatever format he wants also.
Okay. Thank you. And I will take a look at that, and then go through the information on callbacks. Mr. Chair, thank you very much.
Thank you, Councilman. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 423 The Chair recognizes Council Member Jones.
Thank, Mr. Chair. I have already presented my questions.
With there being none, thank you very much for your testimony today you. We would now like to ask the Department of Records to please come forward.
Good afternoon. Fine. How are you? Okay to begin? I will read my --
Excuse me. Can you hold ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 424 your conversation out in the rear, please. Thank you. Please proceed, Ma'am.
Good afternoon, Council President Clarke and Members of City Council. It's been a long day, so I won't read my testimony. My name is Joan Decker. I serve as the Records Commissioner in the city, and I have with me Jeanne Reedy who is the administrative services director. I'll just read the numbers very quickly. So request is in Class 100 for 2,845,219, in Class 200, 1,083,79 Class 300, $60,520; in Class 400 $18,256, and Class in 500, $1,456. In the testimony, we've indicated the Records Department mission. We've highlighted some of the work that we've done in the past year and will continue into this upcoming year. As requested by Council, OEO ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 425 participation is 52.48 percent. And as for the composition of managerial and supervisory staff in the Records Department, we have eight African-Americans, eight females, two males, seven Caucasians, three females, four males, and one Indian male. And I'd be happy to answer any questions that Council may have.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green -- you know what, the board just filled up. Let me get mine in first. I just want a couple of quick questions. You have 63 budgeted positions and seven positions are vacant. Do you have -- what's going to happen with those positions --
-- are they going to be filled? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 426
And real quickly, on the recent legislation that's been passed expanding the cost of recording the deeds and the revenue subsequently generated by that recording to go towards the Housing Trust Fund, do you have a sense of what those numbers will be? MS DECKER: Do you have the -- it increased by -- Housing Trust Fund increased by $30. And so, let's say, we're at least 100,000 deeds per year, so if you multiply that it's about 3 million approximately.
The volumes ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 427 fluctuates somewhat, but that gives you a ballpark idea of how much money was collected.
Okay. Let me ask you this, and you may not answer -- be able to answer this because I know you're not on the front line in terms of the actual recording of the actual deeds, but from your staff have you heard any response from the public in terms of being a little disgruntled about the additional costs, because that was one of the concerns that we had, this was the second increase in three or four years, albeit for a worthy cause in our minds. Have you -- any staff members indicated that there's any concern raised by individuals recording their deeds with the new increase in fees?
We -- we do hear some comments, and basically they ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 428 pretty much blame me for increasing the fees too much, yeah, but it is not the majority. So there's some complaints, but I wouldn't say it's the majority of filers.
They blame me, yes, that Commissioner Decker, she keeps increasing --
Thank you. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Council Member Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. Good afternoon, Commissioner. So you don't rat us out when they complain to you -- MS. DECKER I do not.
-- and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 429 say it wasn't enough?
We do not, no. 3 No. 4 COUNCIL MEMBER GREENLEE: Thank you. First, I just want to say for the record, I know we've talked many times about thief of property, fraudulent deeds, and I know we haven't always totally agreed on how to go about it, but I appreciate all the efforts and the help you've given over the years. Let me just on -- a very general question on that. Have you seen -- because our office hasn't received the complaints we used to in the past. Have you seen any either up take or downslide on complaints of false deeds --
I would say we have about half, half the number that ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 430 we had in prior years.
Okay. So does it appear that the electronic filing has had any effect one way or the other because I know there was some concern that an electronic filing might make it easier to the steal, but you haven't seen that?
Good. Good, good, good. This other question I'm going to ask, and I don't know totally the whole background, but I was asked about this. Geographical information services -- service position, GIS 2, I guess it's called, what exactly is it? What do you do -- what does that position do?
Well, we -- that is for the legal descriptions of deeds, basically the meets and bounds descriptions, and so we have ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 431 some GIS staff people who apply changes. So when we review deed, if there is a resulting change in the property perimeter, what's known as "the metes and bounds description," where there's either a subdivison or a consolidation, that changes is then drafted onto an GIS coverage, so the actual line, the perimeter of the property, is then modified, and that will show you land coverage for a particular document and a particular date.
Okay. Is there such a thing as GIS3? Is there a position?
I don't know if there's a 3 or if it's a slightly different title. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 432
Okay. Who is the manager of that position or that department -- that section 4 section?
His title is a GIS2 who is paid out of class as a supervisor. He's our private supervisor.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 433 Commissioner, you testified about various automated services initiatives in the department that have been pursued over the last several years. Can you please describe for us how these initiatives resulted in efficiency gains such as the need for fewer staffers or improved customer service?
Uh-huh. Sure. In the -- in the deed, I'll call it the deed recording area, we now do electronic recording, and prior to electronic recording we did transition to an automated system as well. And I think the initial implementation of the system resulted in 10 less staff persons. And with the introduction of electronic recording, I would that our volume percentage of documents submitted electronically is a little over 50 percent at this, it keeps increasing, and that enables us to achieve better customer service. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 434 When a document comes in and it is electronically recorded, the recording -- the actual recording process where we can say legally this deed is recorded of record, takes place the same day in contrast to a deed that might be either mailed in or walked in. We have sometimes -- some title companies prefer to have runners who bring packets of documents in and that turnaround time can be anywhere, but I would say approximately no more than three days. So the -- there has been a combination of a reduction in staff as well as an improvement -- a pretty good improvement in customer service by facilitating the turnaround time. As I said, with electronic recording, the document is returned the same day.
Would there be additional savings from -- except in the case of hardship ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 435 requiring electronic recording.
That's correct. Right. You have to give everybody the opportunity to bring in a document, so we would never do that, no. 11
We can give you the 10 percent, the staff reduction and staff persons.
So with benefits and pension and all that stuff it's 800,000 a year?
Probably about ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 436 that. That's correct.
Thank you you've testified in the past years about -- I'm sorry. We heard in an Appropriations Committee Hearing recently about a proposed new office of property data. What is the relationship between the records department and that new office?
Well, we -- we meet with the office and we participate and provide any information that they require. So when there are meetings, you know, and so on and so forth, we do participate with them and coordinate our efforts with the efforts of their particular department -- their unit rather.
I understand that they work -- are looking at coordination of data across city ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 437 departments.
With the end goal of a better coordination and more streamlined process and I guess better interfaces and, again, coordination, of the information among land record agencies.
Has your staff been involved in developing the office or you just cooperate with it when they request?
And basically, your cooperation consist of providing whatever data they ask for?
Is -- do you have data about every single ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 438 property in the City currently?
We have -- as deeds are recorded, we keep that information so it -- provided the deed is submitted to us for recording, we would have ownership information for properties in the city.
I guess another way to say it is: Do you have it in an electronic database, not in the paper deeds?
And so they started with your database that you keep updated for them?
And then they're just adding information to your database related to each specific property?
And -- okay. I -- thank you, Mr. Chair. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 439
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Council Member Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. Commissioner, what was the date that -- the effective date of the prohibition on outside individuals obtaining caps enforced?
Didn't we have a period of time when the bill 13 was passed and signed, and then it was to go into effect after a certain period of time?
That's correct. It was 45 days. It became effective in 45 days of the passage, and that was when -- I think that was January 20th that it.
What's ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 440 the condition of the room down there now? I mean, what's the atmosphere? I heard it was a bit chaotic for a while.
Well, it's very busy because we're -- you know, we're dealing with actually increased volume. So the staff is very busy, but the atmosphere is okay. I think many of the people understand the reason for the ordinance. We do prepare a -- you know, an information sheet, let's call it, that we distribute to individuals who come -- individuals and companies who come into the department, and to that unit, to try to explain the reason for the law, the changes that take place, and explain what the new process is. So I think most individuals recognize the reason for the change and we have a few people who grumble, but it's -- I wouldn't say it's the majority. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 441
I mean, is the grumbling slowing down or are they starting to understand they can't get it?
-- your insurance company, your doctor and you, your in there, correct?
That's correct. That's correct. It's available to, you know, the -- some -- the agencies that you've mentioned. Law enforcement, we're very cooperative. We try to get them all the information they need when they need it, so I haven't had any complaints about that at all. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 442
Now, in the prior process, were people going in for the records themselves or were your folks having to retrieve it for them? Were they have perusing the accident reports on their own or they had to ask for a specific report or --
In the -- in the prior process, we had individual -- most individuals purchased the report that they needed for whatever reason, either they were the victim in an accident or they were representing someone who was in an accident be it a doctor or a lawyer. There were a group of individuals who were from companies, there were companies who were -- we call them readers -- who were permitted to peruse the reports but didn't necessarily purchase them.
What did you -- what did you -- what were they called. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 443
Because really what they did was they would read the doc -- read the report and transcribe describe information but would not purchase it. So they were permitted -- prior to the implementation of the ordinance, they were permitted to do that. They are no longer permitted to do that. So other individuals, again, individuals, insurance companies, law firms, come in, and they generally will purchase a copy of the report.
How do we authorize -- how do you know that they're authorized for certain to do it? ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 444
We requested -- we require an affidavit form be completed, and that affidavit form actually will have to identify what their capacity is; is it the individual, the victim or a party to the accident; is it a lawyer who is representing a client who was involved in an auto accident; is it an insurance company, and they have to complete the affidavit form and tell us who they are. You had -- when I was here for the hearing for the ordinance, your specific request was that we would be able to provide tracability; that if you wanted to know who purchased that report and which report it was, we would be able to provide that information to you. So this affidavit firm in combination with the standard application form where they identify, you know, the date of the accident and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 445 the particular -- it's called the District Control Number where they identify that -- those two items are kept together, and we keep that information together so we have tracability and audit capability.
And since January, you feel that it's been workable for your folks, this --
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Council Member Bass.
I'm very well. Thank you. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 446
Just a couple -- well, actually, just really one question. One of things that came to our attention -- came to my attention, you know, back in January when we first started, we have a couple of folks in our office who are attorneys and who have dealt with the Records Department in various capacities, and one of the things that came out was the process of banks actually foreclosing on properties and not recording the deeds right away so that they don't, in essence, have to pay the real estate taxes that may be due on the property and also have responsibility for those properties in terms of cleaning and, you know, just maintaining them while they're in the foreclosure process and preparing for sale. And so as I was wondering, ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 447 number one, if you were aware of that and, number two, if you think that there's something the Records Department could do to, I don't know, push or pursue the banks or financial institutions to do the right thing and record those deeds right away so that, you know, they would pay the real estate taxes and that they would accept the responsibility of, you know, having taken back ownership of that property?
We would only be in the periphery of being able to do something because generally we -- we receive the documents, so I would have no way, you know, normally of knowing which banks were going to foreclose; however, we do work with a lot of the other organizations and agencies and, you know, we have participated in some training with the -- you know, Judgment Rizzo --
Correct. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 448
-- and so I can -- yeah. Right. So I can connect a little bit more with her in that issue. We also work in another capacity with members of the Bar Association, both Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, and we certainly could, you know, connect with them a little by better to see -- and also the nonprofits. We have a fraudulent Conveyance Task Force where we all convene and work together. We have two groups, a legislative committee and an education committee. So we have a lot of relationship there, and I will make it a point to work with them and to understand if here is something that we can do to assist in that.
Okay. And we'll -- you know, if we have any ideas or thoughts or suggestions that could be helpful to help move it along because, you know, it could be years before property gets back on the market and again the real estate taxes go unpaid, the lawn goes unmowed, the property, you know, falls ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 449 into disrepair, and so it affects the entire community so --
So you know, we'll be in touch I'm sure and talk about that issue further. And second, I just wanted to make note, I just really wanted to thank you for providing the information in terms of the composition of your staff up front without having to be asked for it. I just think it's -- it's good information. It looks like you -- you know, you do have a commitment to making sure that your supervisory staff looks like Philadelphia. So thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. And the Chair recognizes Council Member Jones.
Thank ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 450 you, Mr. President. Three quick questions and one deals with the -- from five years ago. Basically, Councilman Green and the Technology Committee wanted us to be less dependent upon paper. In your own words, has the needle moved in the right direction? And if so, how?
Yes. Yes. Definitely the needle has moved in the right direction within the department, the Records Department.
Again, we have an automated system for the deeds and the mortgages that we mentioned. We also implemented electric recording, so there's no paper involved in that. Documents are submitted by, we call them trusted business partners, which are generally companies like title insurance companies or law firms that's -- and ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 451 banks that specialize in these types of land documents. They submit the information in a secure way to the department. There's no paper. The payment is made by ACH, Automated Clearinghouse Payments, so there's no exchange or manipulation of checks. And as I mentioned, there's over -- now we're inching up a little bit. Over 50 percent of our documents, our volume is done electrically. We -- we are also responsible -- we work with the Board of Ethics, and we're sort of the back end of processing for campaign finance and financial disclosures, so campaign finance is fully electronic, as you probably know. So that was the change. There's no paper other than an affidavit form that is notarized that is submitted initially to us. The rest of the process, there's seven ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 452 cycles a year, and all of that is done electronically. There's no paper. And also, financial disclosures for elected officials and also executive staff through the administration, and that is also electronic. We accept electronic signatures. Everything is done online. We have a rate of about 75 percent now, and each year we increase that so we get people more and more comfortable with dealing with electronic systems.
Has that realized -- the other shoe to fall on that is: Has that realized any savings? And I -- my whole -- this is not a trick question. Have you experienced savings because of that?
Well, definitely with the automated system for the deeds that I mentioned we initially required ten less staff persons for that system, and we have ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 453 increased the customer satisfaction where the turnaround time is much quicker so people don't have to wait to know, you know, for weeks whether or not their document was recorded and returned. And I would say for financial disclosures, we -- again, our ability to process more quickly, we -- we always had just a few people working on it, and now we're able to have those few people work and turnaround much more quickly.
Are you responsible for the records for our health centers?
The -- that is really under the purview of the Health Department, so you would -- we do have some of their records which --
Which records of theirs do you have? MS DECKER: Well, only their -- they have really moved over -- ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 454 transitioned to electronic records, and we just have a few of their records that are at -- stored off site. But other than that, they really have made the transition to electronic to records.
So did you in any way keep the health records of the people that passed through our health center?
Okay. And do you provide backup service for these departments, like emergency management in case of disaster, or is that done individually by the department?
In the MSB, I remember as a young administrator having to go down into the concourse and look at things ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 455 like Sanborne maps and look at plot plans and did that on actual microfiche, so you know how far back that was. How has that -- and when we actually went in to look at a property to see permits in L & I, you went into a physical file 6 that could go all the way back to, you know, the 1800s. Is -- how have you -- have you been involved in changing, codifying, and then scanning and committing to electronics that process.
Well, L & I has converted all -- I believe all of those things that you mention into electronic data. I don't believe they're working with paper any longer. And from the Records Department, some of the maps that we've dealt with are all electronic, so we don't deal with paper maps either in the Records Department.
Okay. And finally, under the voter ID issue where they're requiring photo ID, is ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 456 there a way for the Records Department to work with the Commissioner's office to try to address some of that, particularly for people who have to validate ID or something like that? Is there a document or some source document when you go to a pole you need two piece -- you need to identify some tip of ID, can we assist them in coming up with a plan that is not catastrophic. We're going to get a beta testing probably in April, but the true test will be when we have presidential candidates and final decisions in the November election. And when we look at some of the lines we had just with the first Obama race, juxtapose that with people trying to scramble for ID, have you worked with them with a plan, whether it's just validating certain information that is held by the City in two ways and then issuing ID or is ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 457 some -- have we --
We haven't been asked to did that, but if we are asked we are certainly willing to work with them and assist in the --
-- okay, because I really we -- we need people who deal with these kinds of records on a daily basis that can say, well, here's a -- proof that a person exists, this is something that we control within the City of Philadelphia working. You may have photographers, you may have other things that if we patch this together we can avoid a catastrophe. And I know this is not your burden to bear along, I really realize that, but when you start thinking about dangling chads and, you know, what happened -- how the election was ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 458 in a lot of people's opinion stolen from Al Gore, you multiply that by 10, the angst that will come if a close election results in some type of defalcation with the process. I'm calling on great minds that might be put to task to avert that catastrophe. So if you could work with the Commissioner --
-- on coming up with a plan that maybe gets beta tested or at least examined in this -- maybe it's a little too late for this, but at least some type of hail Mary plan for November.
Thank you, Councilman. And the Chair ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 459 recognizes Council Member Green.
Thank you, Mr. President. I guess I have one final question and, that is, some of your outside contracts, that's Section 55, , the contract for record appraisal is proposed to increase from just under 6,000 in FY12 to almost 34,000 in FY 13. Can you describe what record appraisal is?
Yeah. I don't think -- if I'm thinking about it -- yeah. I -- national appraisal, what that is, is a company that comes in and -- we have a lot of very valueable documents in terms of the history of the city, as you probably are aware, dating back to the City Charter from William Penn, 1701. We have many valuable land records dating back to the 1600's. We have a tax register, significant documents about ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 460 Philadelphia during the Civil War, the events leading up to the Civil War -- anyway, so many important pieces of information, and we have worked with that company in the past to come in. They actually do appraisals of your collection and also give you a sense of if there was a need to retore that collection or discrete items in it, what that amount would be. So we periodically do a check with the company to have them come in and look at our collection, and that's basically what that company does. It is an appraisal, except it's an appraisal of documents, and specifically of valuable documents.
Who's the curator of those records and makes sure that maintain them in an environment and keep them, you know, appropriately maintained?
We -- we have them as part of the Records ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 461 Department as they're in the City archives. It's an archives for government records obviously, and the -- it's kept -- they are kept in a facility which is -- has certain -- meet certain standards, environmental standards, in terms of temperature humidity, security, fire surpression, and so on and so forth. So it's actually part of city government.
Is everything that is in this, I guess, we'll call it valuable record area, cataloged?
Much of it is. We have it at least the high level. It may not be to every single discrete item level, but at a high level, yes, it is. And there's an inventory, you may have -- your staff may have seen it, it's called Phills, it's on Phills Online, that's part of the inventory, and we try to keep that updated as -- as we can. ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 462
The reason I ask is local museums recently have had a general categorization of what's available in a file or a box or something like that and had items stolen that it -- were not individually cataloged that were in there. I assume there's some security as we're letting third parties into this site and also we know every person that goes into and out of this record area that's cataloged. There cameras in that area or no?
That is correct. It is a secured environment. The public is not permitted to go. And when it -- a patron request a particular document, we pull the -- the staff pulls the document. It's a card key access. It's a secured environment. So our staff will pull the item of interest and bring it out to a reading room ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 463 which -- where there are cameras and where we have staff who are observing the patrons in the room to prevent walkaway theft.
And there are cameras back where the data information is stored also?
Thank you, Councilman. We will -- any other questions for these witnesses? I'm sorry. With there being known, the Committee of the Whole is recessed until tomorrow April 4th at 10 a.m. Thank you very much. And I suggest to my members that you bring lunch tomorrow because it going to be a full day, and you may even have to bring ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 464 dinner. (Testimony concluded at 5:25 ELECTRONIC REPORTING STENOGRAPHIC AFFILIATES 465 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, ANNETTE E. WALTON,