Well, my question is, how will this deficit affect the City's budget?
It does not. With this transfer we intend to settle the deficit that currently exists. We're paying bills from the FY '04 budget currently. And what we will do is reimburse the Class 200 FY '04 budget when the transfer occurs from the surpluses generated in FY '03.
L&I. Under L&I's testimony you referred to the City-wide Lot Greening Program. Could you forward a list to the Committee of the number of the greened by Council districts so far?
Greetings, Councilwoman. You have a question? 53 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030771
Yes, I sure did. Where you talked about the greening, we would also like to know what's the process for inclusion for that. I had like to know, my lot -- maybe you can do it for other areas as well -- for the removal of or pruning trees, what's the process for that? Also -- I can ask all three questions now, right? Also, although I missed part of the testimony. Forgive me. I have other questions under DHS. We wanted to know the status of the family support centers. I know I have them in my area at McMichael and Huey Schools and Monica Washington and they've been threatening closing. I've been hearing that. We're interested in the answer for the family support centers. And finally -- I'll ask all three at once. We've been told that -- in fact, we have an experience where a member of the vacant lot crew didn't have medical benefits. So if they're cleaning a lot and somebody gets hurt, what happens? What happens if they're 54 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030771 harmed on their job? Those are my three questions. I'm happy to have them respond to the Chair.
Okay, we'll respond to the Chair. We'll get your answers in writing.
Jut a couple L&I related questions. I did not completely understand this testimony because I either cannot figure out where this money is going or why it's going where it's going or what the department has to do with it in the first place. So you've got, "The Department requires a transfer lot cleaning appropriations in the amount of $2 million and is a transfer of surplus contracted services funds of 62.9 to the Department's payments to other funds appropriation. This transfer will allow the Department to make a General Fund contribution of $3 million to the City-wide Lot Greening Initiative."
This is money that's 55 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030771 going to go Grants Fund to go over to OHCD to use for the Lot Cleaning Program and it will be contracted with the Horticultural Society.
Why is L&I involved in this? Why are any of their funds involved in this?
It was money that was originally shown in their budget so we're moving it out of their budget over to OHCD.
Because L&I has so much money that they don't in any more service to provide to anybody and they have excess money to send to other places?
This was money that was put in here that was intended to be used for this purpose. It just did not get used through L&I; it's getting used through OHCD.
Because L&I is not in the vacant lot business anymore?
Because the contract -- the most appropriate place for this contract was OHCD.
But that is my question is L&I in the vacant lot business 56 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030771 anymore?
Bob Solvibile, First Deputy Commissioner of Licensing and Inspections. The Department still supports all the vacant lot cleaning programs by the issuance of violations. We support the MDO's lot cleaning program. And also our employees in our Clean and Seal unit will do some lots, but the majority are done, in fact, by the Managing Director's Office.
So how many different departments or how many different units are doing lot cleaning in the City now?
Lot cleaning, the basic cleaning of lots, removing of trash, two.
A citizen calls, says, "I got a vacant lot down the street; I'd like somebody to clean it up." Who do we call?
They complain the Department of Licenses and Inspections. We issue a violation, and the Managing Director's Lot Cleaning Program would handle the removal 57 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030771 of the trash and the cutting of the woods.
And how does the MDO's office know that there's trash to be removed?
We work with them constantly. We have a program where we go ahead of where their crews are going to go and ensure that the violations are written. And then through coordination the MDO's office, they will then follow in our inspector's footsteps and then clean the lots that debris ladened that we have already written the violations for. That's basically how it works.
So L&I has a team of people that clean lots and then the Managing Director's Office has a team of people that clean lots.
Our lot cleaning, Councilman, is very, very limited at this point. If we're on a block cleaning and sealing a house which we're still doing and there's a lot next door, we will clean that lot versus having them come. We cooperate 58 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030771 with the MDO on a daily basis to accomplish the task.
I believe that the MDO's Lot Cleaning Program is under Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, but that would have to be asked of either Mr. Conway or Ms. Jones.
Okay. With regard to fences, who's the appropriate entity to contact about fences? L&I used to be in that business. It seems not to be in that business anymore. Who's in that business now?
The Neighborhood Transformation Initiative program involves the placing of fencing when we demolish buildings. Any request for additional fencing would still be -- I believe, the ordinance passed by Council calls for a letter to the Commissioner of Licenses and Inspections making the request. Then the Commissioner makes the determination if fence can be placed.
But I thought 59 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030771 L&I wasn't in the fence business anymore.
We're not, but the ordinance states the Commissioner of L&I, and then what we're doing is putting that request through the NTI to Mr. McCullough saying there's a request for a fence to be placed and seeing if their funding can handle that problem.
He's a Deputy Managing Director. He manages the Neighborhood Transformation Program for the Managing Director. It's basically Jay --
Well, the day-to-day operations for lot cleaning and demolitions, 60 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030771 Pat Smith is overall in charge of NTI. But Jay is managing the day-to-day operations of the NTI Program.
Maybe this is more appropriate to Ms. Jones representing the Managing Directors Office. Could you to the Chair an organizational chart?
NTI, L&I, fences, lots, who to call, who interacts with whom. It gets a little difficult over time to keep track of who's responsible for whom. We shift around responsibilities to these different units.
Absolutely. I will put together an organization chart and give it to the Chair.
That would be great. Thank you. So who's the contracting agency -- this is Pennsylvania Horticultural Society?
So would we ever have occasion to call them directly or we call 61 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030656 someone else and then they contact them? How does this work?
There's a planning process that I'm not really involved in, Councilman, with the district councilpeople to plan what will happen in the district using the proceeds, of the bond proceeds. That's all the information I can give you. Anything beyond that would have to come from, I guess, Ms. Smith's office.
Thank you. Are there any other questions? (No response.)
I believe now we'll go into Bill 030656. Do we have someone from SEPTA? (Pause.)
I believe that we have three people here who are willing to testify on SEPTA. Mr. Anthony Hong, Kwang Pak, and Charles O'Connor. Good afternoon, gentlemen. Please state your name for the record. 62 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030656
My name is Kwang Pak, 60th Market Korean American Association President and my secretary.
My name is Anthony hong. I represent Mr. Pak, the president, speaking on behalf of 60th Street Korean American Business Association.
My name is Charles O'Connor. I own Bargain House on 52nd and Market and I'm representing the 52nd Street Businessmen's Association.
I'm speaking on behalf of 60th Market Korean American Business Association. Because of SEPTA construction, we lost -- they lost so many business down to 50 percent their income has been gone and there's no actual plan -- a lot of empty promises about what they're going to be doing for the business but nothing is happening. We don't see anything done about it. So we need some kind of resolution. We need some kind of answer. We need to -- because everybody is 63 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030656 losing their job. Business is closing. There's no more foot traffic. For example, Ms. Rhea (ph) has a newsstand for years on the northeast corner 6 of 60th Market Street. Last year, April 15th 7 L&I came even though she had a business 8 license, they forced her to relocate her 9 business. And because of that, the stand has 10 been destroyed and nothing has been done 11 since. Now it's almost 20 months now and 12 there's nothing is happening. And we need 13 somehow -- now is holiday season and we need 14 some answers from this. We need some help, I 15 guess. 16
Charles O'Connor from the 52nd and Market businessmen's Association. We've lost numerous businesses. People just got disgusted with the lack of business and they've closed their businesses or attempted to sell them. Speaking just for my own business, the first year of the SEPTA project, I lost $75,000 in sales. And projected to December 31st of this year, I'm probably going to lose $125,000 this year. And we just can't stay unless we get some type of assistance.
We're going to have Councilwoman Blackwell make a statement. Right now I think we should hear the other gentleman.
Okay. I think we'd like to hear from Councilwoman 65 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030656 Blackwell.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to thank all these gentlemen for coming and I'd like to Greg Spearman and other members of the community, Mike Tucker here and folks from SEPTA and all who are here assembled. Madam Chair, we've had several meetings in the last year to bring together, along with the Finance Committee and the Transportation Committee had joint hearings to talk about what we could do to try to provide help, especially a business in trouble. In spite of that, we want to thank Mr. Pak who still helped out needy families at the last holiday at Thanksgiving with turkeys even in spite of his great loss and we thank him for his commitment to his community and to people in need. We've had Mr. O'Connor testify as well at all of these hearings. And Madam Chair, we view this Committee as one where we come up with a solid way to begin a process to help businesses financially. And after this, we would still 66 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030656 have to have a Committee meeting to come up with the process about what we do and how we spend a little stipend, but we wanted to come up with some way to help businesses and we wanted this to be the final part of a joint Committee report that the Finance and Transportation Committees are formulating to try to help businesses affected by the SEPTA project. Madam Chair, it's been impossible for me to walk down the street and it's impossible a couple years later when we know this project won't be finished until '07 to even look at people, knowing that these are neighborhood businesses. The people who shop in their business don't come from the suburbs or from Center City. They are neighborhood businesses and they've been suffering so direly since the advent of this project. That's not to say we don't want a new SEPTA project, but as you know, it requires tearing down the tracks, new train, new construction, new everything. And it is just severely negatively affected these businesses. 67 12/3/03 - APPROPRIATIONS - RES. 030656 So we have been so concerned about them that we wanted to try to come up with some way that we can help. Again, this would be part of a report that we want to put together where SEPTA and the City agree on where we go from here and certainly how we help neighborhood businesses. So I wanted to thank you, I wanted thank the Committee and thank the members who are here as well as Town Watch and the SEPTA folks, Greg Spearman who are here to certainly to lend their support to making life better for these suffering businesses and especially during this holiday time. Thank you
Thank you very much. Are there any other questions? (No response.)
Hearing none, that ends our public hearing. - - - - 68 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC MEETING COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS - - - - Wednesday December 3, 2003 - - - - Public meeting conducted by the Committee on Appropriations, held in Room 696, City Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the above date, to consider action on the following: BILLS 030656, 030771. RESOLUTION 030575. PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN JOAN KRAJEWSKI COUNCILMAN MICHAEL NUTTER COUNCILMAN DARRELL CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN BRIAN O'NEILL COUNCILMAN RICHARD MARIANO COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER 69 12\3\03 - APPROPRIATIONS - PUBLIC MEETING
We will now go into our public meeting. Councilman Nutter, for the purpose of the three bills.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill 030656 be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation, a further recommendation that the Rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next session. (Duly seconded.)
Therefore, Bill No. 030656 will be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation with the suspension of Rules as to permit first reading at the next Session of Council. Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam 70 12\3\03 - APPROPRIATIONS - PUBLIC MEETING Chair. I move that Bill 030771 be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation, a further recommendation that the Rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at next Session. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the Resolution 030575 be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation. (Duly seconded.)
That ends our public meeting. And therefore, the Committee on Appropriations is over. Thank you. (Council adjourned at 12:45 p.m.) 71 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of December 3, 2003, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS _________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR