COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, May 24, 2012 10:40 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN BILL GREEN COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN JAMES KENNEY COUNCILMAN DENNIS O'BRIEN COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO MICHAEL A. DECKER,
Good morning, everyone. We'd like to start now. We're running a little late. Thank you. We have established a quorum. Council shall come to order. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell, our very own. I would ask all members and guests to please rise. (Members and guests rise.)
Thank you for the privilege and opportunity to provide invocation, Mr. President and members of Council. Heavenly Father, we thank you for bringing us here this morning. We thank you for the gift of service and recognize what an important purpose it is in our lives. Heavenly Father, we ask that of Council. Bless those like me who have been here a while and all of those who have come to try to do the people's work and try to serve people, all people, your people. And Heavenly Father, we ask that you bless their families. Help them as we deliberate on hard issues like taxes and schools. Help us as we deliberate issues on services to other people. And Heavenly Father, we will continue to give you the praise. We ask that you this morning bless people who are in nursing homes and boarding homes. Bless people who are in hospitals and people who are ill. Bless people who live and sleep on streets and don't know where their next meal or their next paycheck is coming from. And we ask that you bless us as we try to consider all of these things in this world today. And now unto him, who is able to keep us from falling, able to present before the presence of his glory and majesty, dominion and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen. (Amen.)
Thank you so much, Councilwoman. The next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the meeting -- folks, please. The next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, May 17th, 2012. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, May 17th, 2012 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The Journal of the meeting of May 17th, 2012 stands approved. The next order of business is requests for leaves of absence. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the majority, there are no requests for leaves of absence today.
The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair now recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Mr. President, on behalf of the republicans, there are no requests for leave of absence today.
Thank you, Councilman. with the regular order of business to thank everyone who has come here today. We hope your experience here is a pleasurable one. I promise we will be on our best behavior to assure that you come back. So thank you all for coming here today. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco, who will present a resolution honoring the Philadelphia Cultural Fund on its 20th Anniversary. Would Sara Garonzik and those accompanying her please join the Councilwoman at the podium. We have Councilman Kenney and Councilwoman Brown and Councilwoman Bass also joining the Councilwoman.
Mr. President, may I note that Councilwoman Joan Specter was here earlier and wanted you to know that she was here for this presentation and had to leave.
Thank you. Thank you. I would have loved to have seen her.
Thank you. Good morning. We can't believe 20 years passed since we implemented this program, but we stand here to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, which was put into place to kind of take the place of Class 500. And those of you who were around remember the controversy about that, but at the end of the day, it worked out real fine. So I'm here as one of those people who voted on this and was a charter member of the Board, I believe. Honoring the Philadelphia Cultural Fund on its 20th Anniversary. Whereas, the establishment of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, which Cultural Fund, was guided by an Ad Hoc Committee on Cultural Funding that was comprised of various arts and civic leaders and this Committee was led by the late John Allen, Artistic Director of the New Freedom Theatre, Cathryn Coate, Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Helen Hayes, Executive Director of the Coalition of African American Arts Organizations, and Portia Sperr, the Director of the Museums Initiative; and Whereas, considering the work of the Ad Hoc Committee and the significant role that arts and cultural organizations and activities play in the quality of life of all Philadelphians, on May 9th, 1991, former Councilmembers John F. Street and Joan Specter introduced and passed Bill No. 1424 that authorized City officials to file articles of incorporation to establish a non-profit corporation for the purpose of providing funding to arts and cultural institutions, organizations, and activities within the City of Philadelphia; and
And I cannot stand here and pass on the opportunity to offer my own personal testimony. This is one community, this is one economic engine of our city that I completely absolutely adore. And it was Councilwoman Marian Tasco who reached to me long before I came to City Council to ask if I would serve on the Dance Panel, and, of course, that gave me a peek into this side of government. And so to now be here and celebrate this institution where it's proven now, based on research done by many far and wide, that this community stacks exceedingly high when it comes to being the glue for all of us who come from different parts of the world. And so with that, whereas, the Cultural Fund is an independent, community-focused -- whereas, through the Ad Hoc Committee, a report was issued guidelines for grants that the former -- forgive me; from the proposed Cultural Fund and, on February 18th, 1992, former Mayor Edward G. Rendell and former Council President John F. Street signed as incorporators and successfully filed the articles of incorporation for the Cultural Fund with the Commonwealth; and Whereas, the Cultural Fund is an independent, community-focused, non-profit corporation, with a mission of supporting and enhancing the cultural life and vitality of our city and its residents and its goal is to provide arts and culture as engines, as engines of social and economic development in Philadelphia. The Cultural Fund is governed by an 18 member Board of Directors of which the Mayor appoints four members and City Council appoints four members and the remaining 10 members are community directors;
I'd like to Street for appointing me as a charter member of this organization. Whereas, the Cultural Fund is managed by a lean staff of a part-time manager and a part-time clerical assistant and its office space, computer equipment as well as printing, mailing, and administrative services are provided by the Commerce Department and, considering this lean operation, the Cultural Fund's administrative budget has remained minimal over the past two decades, comprising 7 percent of its annual operating budget; and Whereas, the Cultural Fund is committed to an open and peer driven grant approval process with grants being made by a peer review panel through an open application process and, through this process, over 33 million has been invested into Philadelphia's arts and culture community over the past two decades and last year alone, over $1.8 more than 200 organizations;
And whereas, the Mayor and City Council have consistently funded the Cultural Fund, from 440,000 in 1994 to a peak of 3.2 million in Fiscal Year '10 and, in that year, the Cultural Fund established a new initiative entitled Youth Arts Enrichment Grants for projects that enrich the lives of young people through individual grants up to $50,000; and Whereas, the recent economic and cultural renaissance of Philadelphia is a testament to the long term investment in the City's rich cultural life and, over the last twenty years, Cultural Fund grants have empowered a rich variety of arts and cultural groups, ensuring that the City of Philadelphia and its residents have accessible and diverse cultural opportunities; now, therefore, be it
Now, therefore, be it resolved, by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that we hereby honor the Philadelphia Cultural Fund on its 20th Anniversary. Further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to representatives of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body. This is a certification of a true and correct copy of the original resolution, adopted by the Council of the City of Philadelphia on the 17th of May 2012. Signed by President Darrell Clarke, introduced by Tasco, Reynolds Brown, Kenney and sponsored by all members of City Council. And we like what you do. We support what you do. Each of us who have served on the Board support you and will continue to support you as you do the work to provide funding for our cultural arts in Philadelphia. (Applause.)
Thank you. This is really quite an honor to accept this on behalf of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund Board, in that it represents two decades of achievement and commitment to the well-being of our city's greatest asset, which we all know is our cultural community. There are so many people in this room today responsible for laying the foundation and providing the visionary leadership that has allowed us all to stand here and take such pride in accepting this resolution, and I wonder if back in 1992 the founders of this Fund ever thought that it would accomplish this much good. Thirty-three million seven hundred and thirty thousand dollars, 435 impressive, and it was just mentioned, this just from a small fund of $400,000. Over the last two decades, the Fund has weathered many economic storms, always landing on its feet, always adhering to its core responsibility to conduct its grants-making through an unbiased peer-review structure. The Board is now completing its strategic planning process that will take us through the next four years, and what we have all come to realize through this process is that three of our greatest assets are this peer-review process, which we have burnished until it shines; our dogged insistence on the Fund remaining as an independent, impartial entity; and our steadfast devotion to making general operating grants -- and we know how rare they are these days -- to organizations of every size, in every neighborhood and in every discipline throughout Philadelphia. be nowhere without the individuals who dreamed it as well as those who continue to support it, some of whom are with us today. I know they've already been shouted out, but I'm going to do it again, because we can't say enough to thank them. And I just have to say for a moment that standing here on the podium with all of these leaders who have contributed to the well-being of our cultural landscape for the last 20 and even 30 years is so moving for all of us, and I think we're all feeling that right now. Together, leaders in City Council and community leaders and artists have all joined together to make this happen, and it's a rare and beautiful thing. I'd like to again recognize some of those dreamers too; in particular, again Helen Hayes, who is right with me, and Cathryn Coate to my left. In 1992, Helen was the Executive Director of the Coalition of African Cathy was the Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. I remember sitting on her Board. And they were leaders in the independent Ad Hoc Committee of Civic-Minded Individuals you heard about today, who came together to create this organization. And their focus and energy were the engine -- talk about engines -- working in collaboration with Councilmembers Joan Specter and John Street in creating Philadelphia City Council Bill No. 1424. So let's once more give everyone a round of applause. They are our founding leaders, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. (Applause.)
I'd like to also recognize some other Cultural Fund leaders whose time, energy and vision made important contributions. Please hold your applause until the end. Unfortunately, so many people came that so I probably won't be able to mention everyone, and I beg your forgiveness for that. I'd like to mention Bill Parshall, formerly of Hunt Manufacturing, who is in the back there. Bill, raise your hand. And Penny Bach -- I don't know if you're here -- Executive Director of the Association of Public Art. They both sat on that Ad Hoc Committee on Cultural Funding. Karen Davis, who was Executive Director of the Arts and Business Council, was important in working through BVLA in drafting the legislation. We have two past presidents here, Kevin Dow and Nancy Goldenberg. Where are you? Amazing. Kate Moore, formerly of PNC, was on the Board. Of course, Portia Sperr on the original Committee, who was, as we all know, founder of the Please Touch Museum, and look where they are Isa here today and Bob Campana. And please forgive me, anyone else that I might have missed. And the following Councilmembers, current and former, who served on our PCF Board: the late David Cohen, of course. I don't know if Happy Fernandez is here, who is not a Councilperson, but where are you? Or, yes, she was actually. James Kenney, Angel Ortiz, of course Blondell Reynolds Brown we just heard from, Juan Ramos, Jack Kelly, Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Frank Rizzo, of course Joan Specter, who I hope is here today, but I'm not certain, John Street and, of course, Marian Tasco. We have with us some current members of our Board, not on City Council. Don't know if he got here yet, but there's David Young, the Executive Director of Cliveden of the National Trust; Germaine Ingram, an independent artist; Lois Welk -- raise your hand, everyone -- Executive Director of Dance USA; and Nina Zucker, independent marketing and press consultant. If I missed anyone, I'm sorry. Please continue talking to me at the next Board meeting. A shout-out to Gary Steuer of the Office of Arts and Culture and Creative Economy, who, by his seat on the Board, makes major contributions. And also Mayor Nutter, because in his capacity as a member of City Council, supported the first allocation to PCF in 1993-'94. And I would also like to thank our invaluable fund manager, June O'Neill, right here. So from all of us on the current PCF Board to all of you who made it happen, thank you for your amazing legacy. We owe it all to you, and we're going to continue strong. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. We'd ask that as you leave, please keep your voices down. We have another presentation. Thank you so much. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson, who will present a resolution honoring Patty Jackson. Would Ms. Jackson and those accompanying her please come to the podium. And we also have Councilman Goode, Henon, Jones and Councilwoman Tasco and Bass and Councilman Squilla.
That's much better. It's always pleasant when I'm honored and privileged to have this opportunity to present a citation to a young lady who is not only my friend but also someone who I consider an icon in the entertainment industry here in the City of Philadelphia. She also had been born and raised in the great part of the City which is known as South Philadelphia, particularly the Point Breeze area, and so it's always fitting to have someone who has grown up in the same neighborhood that you have grown up and who have gone on to do some great things in our city and never forgotten their roots. So at this particular time, the resolution reads: Honoring, recognizing and commending Patty Jackson for her thirty years as an acclaimed and beloved broadcaster who has graced Philadelphia with her iconic voice and undeniable talents for the last three decades.
Whereas, Jackson, a native South Philadelphian, was born on November 14th, 1963 and attended South Philadelphia Motivation High School and the American Academy of Broadcasting before embarking on her illustrious radio career at WSSJ in Camden, New Jersey; and
When I ask people what's the 411, they say what's that? I said, Don't you listen to Patty Jackson, the 411? Whereas, her diverse career has included country, urban and pop formats, including Power 99 FM and Q102, but her warm and soulful voice found its true home with adult radio listeners on WDAS-FM; and
I had to make my way through all of Patty's fans here. Whereas, Patty's conversational style has kept her audience connected throughout her broadcast career which has of entertainment's biggest names such as Quincy Jones, Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry, Smoky Robinson, Susan Taylor, Iyanla Vanzant, and Lee Daniels; and
You know I like the part about the South Philly gal. Whereas, her talents extend far beyond radio; Patty has penned a weekly entertainment column in the Philadelphia Tribune for over 10 years and her columns have been circulated nationally through the Internet; and
Whereas, Patty is also the official voice of welcome and information at the Philadelphia International Airport and travelers from all over the world are greeted by her inviting tone; and
Whereas, her tireless dedication to the community is evidenced by her involvement in the annual AIDS, Diabetes and Race for the Cure walk as well as National Woman's Campaign; and
Patty's highest ratings come from West Philly, though. Whereas, Patty has received countless honors and awards including the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists honoring her for outstanding community service, the Communicator of the Year Award from the National MBA Association, the March of Dimes A.I.R. Award for Milestones and Achievements in Radio, and a nomination for Billboard/Airplay Monitor Radio Award Local Personality of the Year; now therefore
Resolved, by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that we hereby honor, recognize and commend Patty Jackson for her thirty years as an acclaimed and beloved broadcaster -(Applause.)
-- who has iconic voice and undeniable talents for the last three decades. Further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Patty Jackson as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body. I just want to personally say congratulations and we love you.
I can truly say that God has blessed me with a remarkable talent. I always thought I would be a singer, but I wound up being the one on the radio. It is my pleasure and my honor. I am so humbled. Thank you all. I know so many of the Councilpeople for working. I am glad that I am able to be a public servant radio. As those standing behind me can attest to, we are all working for the betterment of our city. I'm a true South Philadelphia girl, true Philadelphia girl, and what we can do together to make our city the greatest city in this country is how we should all come together. I thank you all. I am truly humbled. I stand before you as a mother. I've got my family here, my mother. I'm a caregiver for my mother, who has Alzheimer's. I stand here for her, but, you know, we kind of like do it all when we juggle our families, when we juggle our work, but it's really how we can come together and be a blessing to somebody else. If we could go forward with that every day, those blessings, they wind up coming back to us. This here today, this is a blessing. Thirty years strong, and I thank God for every single day. And I all, and I truly appreciate it. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
Thank you. The next order of business is communications. The Chair requests that the Sergeant-at-Arms deliver the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. Mr. Decker, would you please read the messages from the Mayor.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, pursuant to Sections 4-604 and 2-307 of the Home Rule Charter, I am today transmitting to the Council the recommendation of the City Planning Commission regarding the following bills: Bill No. 120275, 120277, 120299, 120323, 120325, 120334, 120335 and 120345; and I am pleased to advise you that 23, 2012, I signed all of the bills that were passed by Council at its sessions on May 10, 2012 and May 17, 2012; and I am transmitting herewith for the introduction and consideration of your honorable body two resolutions appointing new members to the Board of Directors of the Center City District; namely, David Marshall, Harold Epps and Greg DeShields; and Also, a resolution approving the sale by the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development of 6975 Norwitch Drive, in the Eastwick Urban Renewal Area - Stage "B" Industrial, containing approximately seven tenths acres, to FDA Car Rental; and An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation to execute a lease with the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, obligating PAID to execute a sublease with the Zoological Society of Philadelphia, under which the Society would construct, manage, operate, maintain, and repair a multi-story parking garage and related streetscape improvements along West Girard Avenue; and Also an ordinance authorizing a license agreement with a term of up to twenty years and other related agreements, between the City of Philadelphia, as licensor, and the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, as licensee, for certain land and facilities located in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park and the Marian Anderson Recreation Center, to be used to establish, conduct, and operate the Philadelphia Phillies MLB Urban Youth Academy; and An ordinance authorizing real estate transactions necessary to permit the City of Philadelphia to acquire property needed for use by the Philadelphia International Airport Lindbergh Boulevard, North of Mario Lanza Boulevard and Southwest of Eighty-Fourth Street and Southeast of the Philadelphia Airport High Speed Line, Northwest of Bartram Avenue and Southwest of Eighty-Fourth Street; and An ordinance naming and designating the juvenile detention facility located at 91 North 48th Street "The Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center"; and An ordinance removing certain properties located on the ground bounded by West Thompson Street to the North, North 31st Street to the East, West Girard Avenue to the South, and certain railroad tracks and North 32nd Street to the West from the Philadelphia Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone, subject to the request and consent of the owners of said properties, all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you. Do you have any other communications, Mr. Decker?
Thank you so much. The next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
An ordinance amending Chapter 19-3100, entitled "Attorney Fees in Collection Matters; Retention of Private Attorneys," by giving the office of the Inspector General jurisdiction over delinquent accounts suspected of involving fraud or tax evasion.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I introduce four bills and two resolutions. One of the resolutions is co-sponsored by Councilwoman Maria Sanchez and Councilman Curtis Jones.
An ordinance establishing a no tractor trailer parking regulation on the 800 Block of South 53rd Street, from Baltimore Avenue to Whitby Avenue.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by 38th Street, Ludlow Street, Chestnut Street and 37th Street.
And an ordinance naming and designating the juvenile detention facility located at 91 North 48th Street "The Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center."
And an ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation to execute a lease with the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, obligating PAID to execute a sublease with the Zoological Society of Philadelphia.
And a privileged resolution recognizing KeVen Parker and the Spread the Love Campaign.
That resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution authorizing the City Council Committee on Public Health and Human Services to hold hearings concerning the Philadelphia Department of Public Welfare practices against Master of Human Services graduates of Lincoln University.
That resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. On your behalf, I offer five bills and four resolutions.
An ordinance amending Section 19-1806, entitled "Authorization of Realty Use and Occupancy Tax," to further authorize the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia to impose a tax on the use or occupancy of real estate within the School District of Philadelphia.
And an ordinance amending Section 19-1806, entitled "Authorization of Realty Use and Occupancy Tax," to further authorize the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia to impose a tax on the use or occupancy of real estate within the School District of Philadelphia.
And an ordinance authorizing real estate taxes for the City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia for Fiscal Year 2013 and thereafter, by amending Chapter 19-1300 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Real Estate Taxes," to provide for a tax and tax rate on real property; and by amending Chapter 19-1800 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "School Tax Authorization," to further authorize the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia to impose a tax on real estate within the City of Philadelphia.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance authorizing real estate taxes for the City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia for Fiscal Year 2013 and thereafter, by amending Chapter 19-1300 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Real Estate Taxes," to provide for a tax and tax rate on real property, for exclusions, and for an established pre-determined ratio.
And an ordinance removing certain properties located on the ground bounded by West Thompson Street to the North, North 31st Street to the East, West Girard Avenue to the South, and certain railroad tracks and North 32nd Street to the West from the Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone, subject to the request and consent of the owners of said properties.
And a non-privileged resolution approving the redevelopment contract and disposition supplement of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Brewerytown Urban Renewal Area, identified by house numbers and street addresses as 1237 North Thirty-First Street, 1239 North Thirty-First Street, 3010 Baltz Street, 3011 Baltz Street, 3014 Baltz Street and 3007 West Stiles Street.
That resolution will be placed on next week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution approving the redevelopment contract and disposition supplement of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Model Cities Urban Renewal Area, designated as Parcel Nos. 703, 704 and 705.
That will be placed on next week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution approving the redevelopment contract and disposition supplement of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the New Kensington - Fishtown Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 439 Belgrade Street.
That resolution will be placed on next week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution approving the redevelopment contract and disposition supplement of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Strawberry Mansion Urban Renewal Area, designated as Parcel No. 17.
That resolution will be placed on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have two bills, one co-sponsored with Councilman Greenlee, one co-sponsored with Councilman Green, and one privileged resolution.
An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by revising the definition of the pending ordinance doctrine; amending certain procedures and requirements relating to Civic Design Review; amending certain provisions and requirements relating to stream buffers; amending and modifying parking requirements in certain districts and making certain technical changes.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending Title 19 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Finance, Taxes and Collections," by providing for the inclusion of notices regarding Housing Inspection License requirements in certain City tax and utility bills.
And a privileged resolution recognizing and honoring The 10th Anniversary of the Gary Papa Father's Day Prostrate Run.
That resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I have two bills and one non-privileged resolution.
An ordinance authorizing a license agreement with a term of up to twenty years and other related agreements, between the City of Philadelphia, as licensor, and the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, as licensee, for certain land and facilities located in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park and the Marian Anderson Recreation Center.
That bill will be placed in the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance authorizing real estate transactions necessary to permit the City of Philadelphia to acquire property needed for use by the Philadelphia International Airport.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a non-privileged resolution approving the sale by the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development of 6975 Norwitch Drive, in the Eastwick Urban Renewal Area - Stage "B" Industrial, containing approximately seven tenths of an acre, to SDA Car Rental Limited Liability Company.
That resolution will be placed on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Sanchez.
A non-privileged resolution calling upon the School Reform Commission to acknowledge the vital importance of SEIU 32BJ 1201 School District employees to public education and our local economy by bargaining in good faith with SEIU 32BJ and quickly resolve the negotiations to prevent the layoffs of 2,700 school district employees.
No; for next week's Final Passage. Thank you, Mr. President.
That will be placed on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Mr. President. No bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Brien.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have one privileged resolution co-sponsored by every member of City Council, and I ask for its consideration at today's Council session.
A privileged resolution urging the restoration of the proposed devastating 20 percent cutbacks to the State's human services budget by Governor Tom Corbett. This is a non-privileged resolution.
Councilman, you're going to ask for a suspension of rules at the appropriate time or you want to do it now?
Yes. I'd like it for today, and I respectfully ask for suspension of the rules, Mr. President. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. That will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. No bills or resolutions this morning.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have one bill co-sponsored by Councilwoman Brown and Councilwoman Tasco. I have four resolutions, three on your behalf.
An ordinance amending Title 11 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Streets," by enacting a new Section, requiring the street address to be displayed upon the curb of certain properties.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a privileged resolution honoring and celebrating the Parkside Saints Football Team on winning the unlimited weight class Junior East Coast Football League by defeating the Mastadons from Vineland, New Jersey 19 to 6.
That resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.
And a resolution appointing Harold Epps to the Board of Directors of the Center City District.
That resolution will be forwarded to committee.
And a resolution appointing Greg DeShields to the Board of Directors of the Center City District.
That resolution will be forwarded to the appropriate committee.
And a resolution appointing David Marshall to the Board of Directors of the Center City District.
That resolution will also be referred to committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
An ordinance amending Chapter 12-2800 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Administrative Adjudication of Parking Violations," by providing for an additional fee to be added to the cost of each parking ticket.
That ordinance will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
An ordinance establishing a parking regulation on Carlisle Street, west side, Tioga Street to Ontario Street.
Thank you. That bill will be referred to committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. I offer one bill co-sponsored by every member of Council.
An ordinance amending Chapter 19-2600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Business Income and Receipts Taxes," by providing for a tax credit for employment of veterans of the armed forces.
That bill will be referred to committee. That concludes our introductions. The next order of business is the reports from committee. Jones for a report from the Committee of the Whole.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee of the Whole reports one bill with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded the rules of Council be suspended as to permit first reading this day of Bill No. 120343, after Mr. Decker reads the title.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee of the Whole, to which was referred Bill No. 120343, entitled "An ordinance renaming and designating the Criminal Justice Center located at 13th and Filbert Streets as the 'Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice,'" respectfully reports it has considered the same and to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. That will be on the First Reading of Council today. The Chair now recognizes Councilwoman Bass for a report from the Committee on Parks and Recreation.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Parks, reports one bill with a favorable recommendation.
The Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, to which was referred Bill No. 120250, entitled "An ordinance renaming and designating Hetzell's Field located at Thompson Street and Columbia Avenue as 'Dave Dougherty Field,'" respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill 120250. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The rules of Council will be suspended this day to permit first reading of this Bill 120250 on the first session of Council. The next order of business is the consideration of the Calendar. I note that the -- before we proceed with public comment -- I'm sorry. I'm getting a little before myself. I'm moving a little too fast. The Chair recognizes -- I note that the bills just reported from committee with suspension of rules have been deemed to have had a first reading. These bills will be placed on the First 2ND READING Reading Calendar today. There are no additional bills on the First Reading Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up for Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar today: Nos. 120441, 120447, 120448, 120450, 120106-A, 120015, 120213, 120051, 120168, 120178, 120211, 120212, 120249, 120277 and 120300. All other resolutions and bills are being held.
Thank you, Councilman. Now it's time for public comment, but before hearing the public comment, I'd just like to lay down the ground rules. You will have three minutes to speak on a bill that is on today's Calendar. In order to ensure that everybody has an opportunity, we wanted to have somewhat of a limit. You will see a device on the podium. There is a light that will come on. If it's green, it means that it's your time to speak. When it turns yellow, that means you have 30 seconds, and when it's red, your three minutes are up. If there's anyone in here who wishes to testify on anything that's on today's Calendar, please go to the table to my left and sign up. Mr. Decker, please read the name of the first individual to testify.
Jenny Robinson, commenting on 120106-A. (Witness approached podium.)
I'm Jenny Robinson. I'm with AAA Mid-Atlantic in Philadelphia. As the region's largest organization of motorists with 79,000 Philadelphia members and thousands more in the region, AAA Mid-Atlantic is speaking out in favor of this bill to allow online and mail appeal hearings for parking tickets in the City, and we're glad to see that disabled motorists will have an option to have their appeals by phone as well. In Fiscal Year 2011, there were more than 1.6 million tickets issued in Philadelphia, with 17,000 parking ticket appeal hearings each month. Right now all those folks have to trudge into Center City, spending the day in purgatory at the Parking Authority instead of enjoying all that the City has to offer, and many other motorists decide not to bother because they can't afford to lose a day's pay or productivity, so they just go ahead and pay the $26 or much more depending on the kind of ticket you get, even if that ticket was wrongly given in their belief. AAA believes this measure is long overdue. Many other cities already have online and mail options for parking ticket appeal hearings, including New York City, Boston and Washington, DC. It's time to bring the City into the 21st century and let motorists have a fair chance to exercise their rights when they fight the parking wars in Philadelphia. Thank you to Councilman Green and other members of City Council for introducing and supporting this sensible and fair bill.
There are no other speakers on the public comment list, Mr. President.
Thank you. We will now consider the resolutions and bills on the Second Reading and Final Passage. 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution No. 120441.
A resolution approving the redevelopment contract and disposition supplement of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Model Cities Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 1815 North Gratz Street.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
Those opposed? (No response.) 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120447.
A resolution adopting the 2012 Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan as the official hazard mitigation plan of the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, No. 120448. 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Thirty-First Ward of the City of Philadelphia.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla for a motion.
I make a motion to move to adopt the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING ayes have it. Resolution 120448 is adopted. Mr. Decker, No. 120450.
A resolution approving the purchase option agreement, redevelopment contract and disposition supplement of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Nicetown Urban Renewal Area, designated as Parcel Nos. 47, 48 and 49.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.) 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it. 120450 is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120106-A.
Bill No. 120106-A, an ordinance amending Title 12 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Traffic Code," by providing for the adjudication of parking violations contested by alternative methods; all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120015. 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Broad Street, Master Street, Carlisle Street, and Thompson Street.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays, zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, this bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120213.
An ordinance authorizing the Parks and Recreation Commissioner to enter into a lease agreement with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, to continue leasing to SEPTA certain land and improvements located in the area 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING bounded by Ridge Avenue, 33rd Street, and Dauphin Street.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall -- I'm sorry. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. President. I will be voting against this bill today just simply as a matter of principle. This is a small triangular piece of land that needs to be improved by SEPTA. It's a simple transfer. At the hearing I asked a simple question, why the term of the lease was 50 years, why did it have to be that long. The Administration never gave me an answer. Part of the reason the Administration never gave me an answer is because the Deputy Mayor for Transportation sits on the SEPTA Board, which is why I voted against her appointment. As we move forward on larger 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING issues concerning SEPTA, there has to be better communication between this legislative body and the executive branch. We can't have them bringing the larger lease agreement to us without better communication. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. Thank you. Councilman Goode, because this is my bill, I'm going to hold it until you get an answer.
Thank you. So Bill 120213 will be held today. Mr. Decker, can you please read the title of Bill No. 120051.
An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 308 by striking from the City Plan and vacating Spruce Street from Twenty-Fifth Street to the Pierhead & Bulkhead Line of 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING the Schuylkill River.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question is now shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120168.
An ordinance authorizing the plotting upon City Plan No. 321 of a right-of-way for sewer and drainage purposes and water main purposes within the lines of Delaware Avenue from Pennypack Street to a point approximately four-hundred fifty-six feet southwestwardly therefrom.
Thank you. This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 120178.
An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 177 by striking from the City Plan Tulpehocken Street from Ardleigh Street to Crittenden Street.
This bill having been read on two separate days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 120211.
An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING grades on a portion of City Plan No. 269 by striking from the City Plan and vacating the southwesterly footway of East Service Drive from a point approximately eighteen feet northwest of Health Sciences Drive to a point approximately two-hundred twenty-seven feet further northwestwardly therefrom.
Thank you, Mr. President. I will be abstaining on this bill and a related bill, 120249, on the following page. It's actually after the next bill, the second one. The law firm with which I am associated represent a party of interest in these matters. I took no part in any discussions or deliberations on them. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. Let the record reflect that Councilman O'Neill has recused himself. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120212.
An ordinance amending Section 9-213 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Farmers' Markets," by adding a permissible location the sidewalk and west curb lane of the west side of the 1400 block of Ridge Avenue from Fairmount Avenue to North 15th Street.
This bill having been read on two separate days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 120249.
An ordinance 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING authorizing the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, located at 34th and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to construct, own and maintain various encroachments within the City right-of-way on East Service Drive between Civic Center Boulevard and Health Sciences Drive.
This bill having been read on two separate days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. Let the record reflect that Councilman O'Neill has recused himself. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120277.
An ordinance authorizing the striking from the City Plan No. 42-S and abandonment of a right-of-way reserved for drainage purposes, water main purposes, and public utility purposes which extends from the southerly terminus of Galloway Street, south of Packer Avenue, southwardly to 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Pattison Avenue.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 120300.
An ordinance amending Section 9-213 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Farmers' Markets," by removing as a permissible location the sidewalk of the east side of South Broad Street between Porter and Ritner Streets and by adding the sidewalk of the east side of South Broad Street between Snyder and Jackson Streets as a permissible location.
This bill having been read on two separate days, the question is shall the bill pass 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, do you have any additional resolutions on today's Calendar?
A resolution recognizing KeVen Parker and the Spread the Love Campaign, introduced by Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
Those opposed? 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
And a resolution recognizing and honoring The 10th Anniversary of the Gary Papa Father's Day Prostate Run, introduced by Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution urging the restoration of the proposed 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING devastating 20 percent cutbacks to the State human service budget by Governor Tom Corbett, introduced by Councilman O'Brien.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution and request that I be recognized for a few remarks. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you, Mr. President. By introducing this resolution, I'd like to direct the attention of all Pennsylvanians to the eyes-wide-shut pending state budget. Budgets are more than just spreadsheets with numbers and dollar signs. In the end, budgets are really about people, about important government services and programs that the taxpayers and residents of our community rely on 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING every day. As a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and now in my current capacity as a local elected official, I know all too well the human side of the state budget. That's why I find it both perplexing and troubling that Governor Tom Corbett has proposed a massive, devastating 20 percent cut to the Human Services Development Fund, which helps fund essential health and human service programs in counties all across Pennsylvania. As the former Speaker of the House, I'm calling on my former colleagues in the Pennsylvania General Assembly to undo the harm that Governor Corbett plans to inflict on Pennsylvania's most vulnerable citizens. But who am I talking about when I say the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians? I'm talking about the elderly couple down the street whose adult child has an 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING intellectual disability and needs county services to live a healthy and productive life in the community. I'm talking about the relative or neighbor who continues to struggle with mental health challenges or addiction. I'm talking about providing protection and shelter for children, victims of domestic violence, the homeless and many others who are clinging to the barest thread of hope. Counties provide these services because there are real people in our community who desperately need them and because they help make our community a better place to live. As a society, we provide resources to these programs and services because it's the right thing to do. But no county can assume the responsibility of providing these necessary supports without a shared commitment from state and federal governments. Funding these 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING critical health and human service programs is a necessary partnership. Under Governor Corbett's budget proposal, that partnership would be eroded and the services that help the neediest and most vulnerable in our community would be hurt. What's worse, this 20 percent cut was wrapped in a new proposal that shifts the Human Services Development Fund to a Block Grant that gives county discretion as to how to use the money. That will pit all our disabilities communities in a room fighting with each other. But the flexibility of this Block Grant is completely negated by the damage done by the funding cut. It's not just vulnerable citizens who will be hurt by Governor Corbett's budget cuts; it's also the taxpayers. When the state doesn't meet its obligation to fund these services, it falls on local property taxpayers middle-class workers, families and 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING seniors - to pick up the tab. Some may ask why can't we just eliminate these programs? Some may say we can't afford to keep these services for our most vulnerable. The truth is, we can't afford not to fund these programs. Thousands of Pennsylvanians with mental health challenges, intellectual, physical disabilities, autism and addictions could lose the necessary services that help them live successful lives in our community. With Governor Corbett continuing to slash funding for Medicaid and other life-saving human service programs, those individuals will be left with nowhere to turn for help. With no other options, they will be forced to seek care in hospital emergency rooms or they may wind up homeless or in jail. All of these options carry a much higher price tag than if we properly funded the proven and successful county human service programs. Governor Corbett's budget is 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING not only wrongheaded and shortsighted, it is also unnecessary.
We now know that the money available to properly fund Human Services Development Fund, Pennsylvania's newly formed Independent Fiscal Office earlier this month reported that the Commonwealth is expected to have 815 million in higher-than-expected revenues for this fiscal year and next fiscal year. That means there is more than enough money to restore the cuts to human services as well as to other important budget priorities, including our public schools, our state-owned and stated-related universities and improvements to our roads, bridges and mass transit system. 2 million, but that's still a significant and harmful cut that is simply not necessary. The bottom line is, the money is there, so we 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING should fully fund these programs. I am asking Governor Corbett and all 253 members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, please don't lose sight of the faces of this budget. Remember all those people behind the numbers and do what's right for them. They deserve to know that someone is fighting for their interest in Harrisburg. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. Councilman, move for the adoption again.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Been moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
Those opposed? (No response.) 5/24/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
And a resolution honoring and celebrating the Parkside Saints Football Team on winning the unlimited weight class Junior East Coast Football League by defeating the Mastadons from Vineland, New Jersey 19 to 6, introduced by Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
Thank you. That completes our Calendar for today. Are there any speeches on the part of the minority? (No response.)
Are there any speeches on the part of the majority?
Thank you, Mr. President. I truly love my republican colleagues in this Chambers. They are a special kind of colleague, conservative as many of my democratic colleagues are, but very special, each and every one, to me. And I just want to particularly thank them for not accepting Mitt out to my district. Unbeknownst to many people, he was there this morning at Bluford Elementary School at 57th and Media, and he was espousing his class sizes don't matter. And everybody knows, or at least they know internally, that size does matter. And we say to him that -- class size. Come on now. And, furthermore, that as we start to look at the seriousness of the undertaking that we're about to go and some of the complex problems not just budgetarily, but issues of class size, issues of school violence, I want to report something to you that was favorable. Many of my colleagues and their staff sent staff to Chester, Pennsylvania where there is a program called Youth Court, where I watched something truly marvelous, that young people were dispensing justice to young people, dealing with issues of truancy, class disruption, things that you hold near and dear and have discussed during the education hearings that Councilwoman Blackwell has. And I watched young people take the justice system seriously, not only those who violated rules but those who are there to enforce rules the bailiff, the legal counsel, the judge. All of them looked at this with serious eyes, and afterwards there was a restorative justice. They weren't asking about just what you did, but why you did it. They weren't saying you're going to get punished, but we're going to help you with tutorials or anger management, and it was holistic in its nature and I just swelled with pride. We have a model of it, I believe, in South Philadelphia where we're going to take a look at it, but one of those programs needs to be implemented in the Philadelphia School Reform Commission's agenda. of youth violence, the Ray-Rays of the world, you have prior a history of violence, you have drug and alcohol addiction, you have delinquents that don't go to school, you have people from poor families and people who are underachieving in classrooms. All of these are predictors, predictors of violent behavior in the classroom. All of these issues can be dealt with peer to peer through Youth Courts. I'd like us to consider it, and I appreciate your indulgence with that. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Mr. President. I think it's been a very interesting week for us here in City Council. It's been a week of more and with respect to the budget and the Actual Value Initiative, there's a little bit more clarity. We have a basic acknowledgment from the Administration that the aggregate value of all real estate in the City is going to be around $90 billion. We have a basic acknowledgment that there will be a $200 million property tax increase applied to residential property owners only and a $100 million tax decrease applied to commercial and industrial properties only, for a shift in our tax burden of $300 million. We've learned that if we raise $94 million for use and occupancy instead of through real estate taxes, it is only a 10 percent increase in the use and occupancy rates currently paid as compared to a 25 percent decrease in the commercial and industrial real estate taxes in the aggregate that will be applied to businesses. apply to their properties at a $15,000 homestead is approximately 1.5 percent under the Administration's proposal and 1.4 percent or 10 mills lower if we collect $94 million in use and occupancy tax that will benefit all homeowners. We learned smoothing hurts more people than it helps, based on the Administration's testimony. I think we have the same uncertainties. We do not know if a formulaic approach is legal, and I hear more and more from respected members of the legal community that it will not be. That essentially means that we are going to have to, as a body, set a default rate. While we have some guesses about the aggregate value, we don't know it exactly. So we're going to have to set a default rate far higher than the rate we would have to set it at if we knew the aggregate value, just to make sure we collect enough money for the City and The Administration yesterday suggested, although they're going to get back to us with final numbers, that that rate should be around 1.7 percent applied to the value of your property. The public is not aware that the City is looking at applying millage rates of 1.5 to 1.7 percent because it's been widely reported since March that it's going to be 1.25 percent. I think the public needs to be aware, needs to start paying attention to this and needs to see how this is going to impact them. So where are we? Yesterday a reverend, whose name I don't recall, came in and testified on the various amendments that were proposed earlier this week, and she said, My mother always told me don't jump into the water if you can't see the bottom. Mr. President, the water is not clear. It's far more dense and hard to see through.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. President. I've watched over the last several weeks that some have tried to frame debate over property taxes and School District funding, changing the focus of the debate, the purpose for the debate and sometimes even their position within the debate. But the issue is not really debatable. Properties will be reassessed and some money will go to the School District, if Harrisburg cooperates. If not, we have options, but that's not my preferred option. The real issue is that there will be winners and losers. Some might want to trick you into looking at the aggregate burden of certain taxpayers and comparing it to the taxpayers to determine what's fair. But you don't get an aggregate bill; you get an individual bill. So why would anyone look at homeowners as an aggregate when the impact on individual homeowners vary so greatly? Lost in this discussion until recently has been the fact that a full reassessment should mean a lower tax bill for a majority of homeowners. We know that some homes are currently overassessed and some homes are currently under-assessed. That means some people are paying less than they should be and some people are paying more than they should be. What does that mean for the homeowner with the median home value or less in Philadelphia? If we offer the right homestead exemption, it means that the bill will go down. In fact, if we offer the right exemption, the tax bill goes down for many homeowners, if not most. to make thousands of homeowners wait for a tax decrease? No. They have shouldered an unfair burden for years. Some say let's continue the temporary tax increase for everybody for another year and take away that tax cut for thousands of homeowners. Some say let's raise another tax for schools and take away that tax cut for thousands of homeowners. I'll be voting for a tax cut for those homeowners. They deserve it, fair and square, here and now. Hundreds of thousands of homes are worth less than a hundred thousand dollars, so with the right exemption, the tax bill will go down. That needs to be said loud and clear. In the end, we can't let people trick thousands of homeowners out of their tax cut with spreadsheets and media spin. They deserve their tax cut, fair and square, here and now. Fair is fair. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to make an announcement, but since this whole issue about tax reform has been on the table, I don't know how -- and I understand my colleague, Councilman Squilla, has some legislation that says we wait until we get everything done, and it seems to me that makes more sense than anything. The Senate hasn't moved. The House doesn't have anything to vote on to allow AVI. We don't have answers from the Administration on what rates, what numbers we're talking about. I don't know how we move forward without information and without numbers. So that's my two cents on the issue. But actually I wanted to remind everyone that we have the President of Hospital, Dr. Altschuler, across the hall. We have a briefing by Children's Hospital that is due to start now at noon, and lunch will be provided. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. Many of us get an opportunity in our office to hire young people whereby they can be a sponge and we can be mentors, and I join the many in Council who take great pride in giving those type of opportunities for young people, because I too was one of them. What I often say when I get a chance to speak to young audiences is that, are young people going to carry on what we have started? They will sit where we are sitting and, when we are gone, attend to those things we thought a Council may adopt all the policies we please, but at some juncture, these policies are going to be carried out by them. They're going to move in and assume control of our cities, our states and our nations. They're going to move in, move up and take over our churches, our universities, our corporations, our schools and our government. All of our books are going to be judged, praised or condemned by them. I think President Barack Obama said it best that if you want to make a difference in the life of a nation, in the life of a child, become a teacher. With that in mind, today I want to shine the light on a young woman, still early in her budding career, and I say with mixed emotion that this staff person, Candice Woods, has done what she stated she would do two years ago. When young people come to my thinking about graduate school, if they breathe it, then I expect them to deliver. Just as Joe Meade came several years ago saying he wanted to complete his Master's program in public administration, he got it done before he left my office and Joe Meade is a superstar. Today, Candice Woods, after much deliberation, consternation for the past year, fear, hesitancy, after studying diligently for the GREs and successfully passing the GREs, after completing the arduous task of applying to several different graduate schools in the region, she has been granted admission to Villanova University Graduate School of Education. So I expect, Mr. President, that Candice Woods will one day sit as our Secretary of Education or sit as the next Superintendent of our schools, starting out first as a principal, which is a short-term goal, and I will say have and that after completion of her Master's degree, she will complete her Ph.D. in education. So join me in congratulating and saluting Candice Woods, who will be leaving us and pursuing her graduate degree in education at Villanova University.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. First, I'd like to on a positive note, if there is one in the AVI discussion, I'd like to thank you, Councilman Squilla and Herb Wetzel, who have all helped me realize something that 24 years and hopefully with the support of this Council with an amendment to the bill that we're dealing with on AVI, the ability to protect long-term homeowners in our city that have lived in neighborhoods that have, for want of a better term, gentrified or improved around them, primarily with real estate tax abatements that they were not able to take advantage of, and most of the folks who live in these neighborhoods are in your district, are in Mark Squilla's district, are in Councilwoman Blackwell's district and Kenyatta Johnson's district. These are some folks, for example, in the 2300 block of Christian Street where new construction and renovation are going on all around them. A person who bought a house in 1972 for $50,000, that house is now supposed to be or is going to be worth or assessed at about $450,000, and that kind of tax burden is unbearable for people like that. seen so far, whether you accept it or whether you reject it, is that many neighbors in the City, as Councilman Goode tells us, are going to go down. Some will go slightly up. But that 30,000 households or so that are experiencing that potential of a 200, 300, 400 percent increase in their market value, with the support of Councilman Squilla and Herb and you and the work that we're doing, will allow us to protect them regardless of what happens down the road. That is a 24-year issue. In 1988, when I worked for Senator Fumo -- and I would give him all credit for getting this done -- there was a state constitutional amendment that was passed giving Philadelphia the ability to offer long-term residents property tax relief. For one reason or another over the 24 years, we've not been able to do it. The one good thing about AVI is it's forced us to actually offer that potentially. So I do want to thank you all for your help. I thank you for tasking me and Councilman Squilla to do this, and I thank Herb for his diligence. He's amazed me with his diligence and knowledge of housing stock and housing values in the City, and I look forward to having the support of our colleagues in at least passing that particular amendment, even if we don't go forward with the full AVI. Again, I thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Brien.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to be recognized as a point of order to correct the record. Mitt must have misplaced my phone number, an invitation, but if the Majority Leader would like to extend an invitation to me to visit that school, I would welcome it. Thank you, Mr. President.
Councilman, I'm sure he'll be back. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
I'm not going to do it. I just want to recognize Nakia S. Campbell, who was the founder of Pink Ladies Youth Mentorship program, who came to see democracy in action today. If she will stand, we can welcome her so she can take that back to some young ladies who aspire as Councilwoman Brown talked about. (Applause.)
welcome, sir. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Yes, Mr. President. I wanted to let the Majority Leader know as well that I learned about it on KYW driving in this morning, as he did, and that's the usual case when something like that happens with a local government official. But Councilman Green mentioned several scenarios of the new millage, and the one that is in law right now would be the one -- the millage that renders the City revenue neutral. That is then-Councilman, now Mayor Nutter's bill that passed unanimously. And I understand that in the legislation the Administration sent up to us on AVI, there is a repeal buried in that legislation of that bill. And a lot of people talked about a separate vote for any real estate tax above and beyond. That really should have a separate vote nothing less. The public deserves nothing less than transparency. We have a city law that prevents us from doing something. Let's vote to get rid of it if it was a bad law that we all passed, which the Mayor was the chief sponsor of. It's a very serious issue, and it has a lot to do with whether it's 1.2, 1.25, 1.5 or 1.7. And where a lot of people may have been getting decreases or at least being able to breathe when it comes in, that differential, whether it's between the 1.2 and the 1.7, could be the reason they can't breathe anymore financially. And we should be way out front whenever we do this that we are getting more than we were supposed to get if we decide to not be revenue neutral. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to agree with most of what everybody has said about AVI. Certainly it is important to put protective measures in place, and you took the lead on that by presenting four bills, deferrals and gentrifications. We know there are issues with means testing. And certainly I don't want to, through a bill, give a millionaire the opportunity to have a gentrification deferral. And so I know we're working -you're working through all those issues with our state colleagues, and I want to thank you for that. And obviously we should protect people who need protection as we make this -- as we consider a shift to AVI this year or a shift to next year. Secondly, I want to agree with Councilman Goode about everything he says about what the impact of AVI will be. I completely agree, and I completely agree a higher homestead, it's going to help people with lower-value houses to an even greater extent and lower their taxes to an even greater extent, and I hope they'll support one of my two amendments to the Mayor's budget to do just that, to increase it to 40,000 in one case. So I'm not disagreeing with anybody's premise. What I'm saying is what should be the -- how do we take into account the effects of AVI and how do we help people even more than is helped under the proposed bill. Everyone's individual bill is their proportionate share of the aggregate amount. That is why the aggregate matters, because that's how your bill is determined and sliced and diced. If we use use and occupancy tax or any other tax to decrease the amount we collect in real estate tax, as I suggested $94 million, we lower the home, as I've suggested, by 10 mills, which lowers even more the amount of real estate tax we would collect from low, middle class and high-income earners. So I hope that on the basis of that, I can get support for that as well. What I'd like to talk about is a few things that we haven't talked about, which is I'd like people to consider a middle-income family who wouldn't qualify for a deferral or gentrification relief or any other relief, who lives in Wynnefield or Roxborough, who will see their tax bill go up by several thousand dollars if the millage is set at 1.5 and 1.7 and who is living paycheck to paycheck, both spouses work, they reach to buy their house. That family doesn't have the three or four hundred dollars a month that their mortgage company is going to require that they add to their mortgage payment every year to pay the tax bill at the end of not prepared for this because there has not been public disclosure and preparation of what the millage rate is going to be that's applied to the public. There are many unintended consequences of this, and some of the unintended consequences will include people whose mortgages require them to put aside on a monthly basis the amount of their tax bill, and that is going to increase dramatically for some people, and for people on the edge, for people who reach to buy a house, it could make a difference between them keeping their house or not. And so there's a lot of factors at use here, and I don't think, without knowing a millage rate, being able to discuss it with the public, it's a very difficult conversation to have, because it's theoretical and it's policy and it's not applied on the ground. So I guess all I would have to is, for people who are prepared to proceed without more information, I certainly hope the water is deep enough. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to switch gears for a brief moment and thank and invite to stand the seniors from the 2000 block of Bellevue Street in the 8th Council District who are here with us today. If we could have you stand and just -- we appreciate you coming down. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
As we talk about important issues like AVI and schools, I just want to reiterate how important it is to have our constituents be involved and be engaged. much for coming down, and I look forward to talking to you about these issues after the session. So thank you so much for being here today.
Thank you, Mr. President. So let's provide some more information. There are about 16,000 homes valued less than $20,000. There are about 38,000 homes valued between $20,000 and $40,000. There are about 68,000 homes valued between $40,000 and $60,000. There are about 50,000 homes valued between 60 and 70. And when you begin to add all this up, there are about 250,000 homes that fall at the median value or below. About 75 percent of homes in Philadelphia are around median an overwhelming majority of homeowners. That's the truth. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Mr. President. I completely agree that those are the home prices that exist for those number of homes. I represent people who live in every kind of home, lower, middle and every income class. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
The at-large members of Council do represent all the citizens of Philadelphia, not just the majority. But people have not made it of the homeowners will get a tax break under AVI, whether we do it this year or next year. People did not seem concerned for years and years when those taxpayers were overburdened and had to pay more than their fair share while other people didn't pay their fair share. Now they seem to be ultra-concerned about those who have been under-assessed. The question is, are they going to give the money back that they didn't pay? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. President. This is a very important issue, and it is important to move to AVI. I agree with Councilman Goode completely in that regard. That is why this body, over objections from the Nutter Administration three years ago, created the Office of Property Assessment. That is why for came in here, many of us asked questions about why we didn't go to AVI, why don't they provide us the data so that we can set a millage that is lower. In other words, act with full information, as Councilman O'Neill points out Mayor Nutter suggested when he passed Section 19-1308, which requires us to do just that. So the question is simply this: Do we jump into the water without knowing how deep it is or should we act with full information? Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank you and ask you for your continued patience as we work through the very complicated and very serious nature about what we are about to represent a district where many folks, as Councilman Goode mentioned, have been overassessed and will be paying less, and unfortunately for us, we can only do what the tools the state gives us to do around protecting folks and providing income-based relief to citizens across the City. What I do know is that by June 30th and hopefully by June 7th, this Council will put forth its best efforts with what we have at that time to make the decisions that all the citizens of Philadelphia elected us to do. So I look forward to some resolution. And if this is not perfect, because this process is not perfect, next year we have an opportunity to make it better. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman
Thank you, Mr. President. I will end with this. Councilman Green can go again if he wants. Clearly we've been overtaxing a majority of homeowners for years. What we're saying to them is, we don't have enough information, so we're going to overtax you again. That's the message you're sending when you put it in that context. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. Just for the purposes of attribution, the line about jumping into the water without knowing how deep the water is is Mrs. Squilla's comment. Mark person who first brought that up. So I want to just make sure she gets the attribution. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Mr. President. I will agree. I will end by agreeing with Mrs. Squilla.
There being none, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you indeed, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, May 31st, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. m. Thank you. ) CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on May 24, 2012, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. MICHELE L. ) A Ad 8:3,15 9:25 advise 28:25 Amen 4:5,6 108:25 110:6 AAA 57:23 58:4 17:6 18:12 Affairs 54:2,9 amend 67:3 127:2 128:7,24 59:2 add 127:24 affirmative 66:22 amending 32:18 apply 109:2 abandonment 130:22 69:15 74:9 77:4 33:23 35:23 138:20 88:20 added 50:12 79:20 85:21 36:9,22 37:2,15 applying 110:9 abatements addiction 98:8 91:9 94:5 41:2,5,7,9,16 117:15 119:10 107:6 afford 58:20 48:6 50:8 51:15 appointing 11:3 ability 119:5 addictions 100:11 100:5,7 64:10 83:8 29:9 48:25 49:7 120:20 adding 83:10 African 8:11 91:14 49:13 able 3:24,25 18:3 91:19 16:25 amendment appointment 26:25 119:11 additional 50:12 agenda 106:25 119:4 120:19 70:24 120:23 124:13 56:3 94:8 aggregate 108:8 121:13 appoints 10:21,22 128:20 address 39:23 108:24 109:20 amendments appreciate 28:2 absence 5:9,15,23 48:8 60:11 109:24 111:24 110:19 126:7 107:15 129:18 absolutely 9:10 addresses 38:19 112:2,4,6 American 8:11 approach 109:14 abstaining 80:13 adhering 15:8 126:18,19 17:2 23:5 approached 82:8 87:19 adjourned 136:23 ago 116:24 117:5 amount 126:18,23 57:17 Academy 23:6 137:11,14 132:24 127:4 128:12 appropriate 33:2 30:20 ADJOURNME... m 1:7 136:24 Bellevue 129:15 Billboard/Airpl...