I would have to look to make sure that in the budget DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. detail -- I think it's specifically split out so that you can see it. I'll make sure that it is.
And the question is, what's actually going to be accomplished this year that it can't wait for next year's budget?
The question is, what's actually going to be accomplished this year that it can't wait for next year's budget?
I think what we are trying to accomplish this year, figuring out what the standards are that all departments should meet so that we can then go through the process of making sure all the data systems can link.
And these are four new hires for things we have not determined what we're going to do yet? These are four new hires of people, and DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. what they're going to do has not fully been determined yet?
That's what they're going through the process of doing right now.
I'm sorry. They're going through the process right now?
The testimony was just that you were the only employee in this office.
I don't know if that's what we said in the testimony. We asked for --
No. I understand. Just now in response to Chairman Goode's question --
Chairman Goode asked when the office was established, DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. and so in order to answer that question, we thought of when Saskia was hired, because she's leading that effort.
I'll just wrap up and go back to Councilman Green. Since the last budget process, the Administration decided to create an office and hire four people for specific reasons yet to be determined?
No. I think the specific reason is clearly set out, that there's a big problem within the City that's existed for years and that we're trying to create much more efficiency, which will be a really big improvement.
So the specific reasons, I meant specific reasons in terms of short-term reasons. I understand the long-term reasons for doing it, but we're in the process of going through reassessments right now, going through an Actual Value Initiative right now. These are funds that are DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. being invested this year for some purpose I'm not quite sure of.
I think in terms of -- maybe we're not doing a good job explaining to you what the Office of Property Data will do, and so maybe it would be helpful to you if we provided you something in writing or provided you more information about what Saskia's group is doing so that we can better communicate to you what the effort is and the benefits to it. So maybe that would be -- if that would be helpful, we'd be happy to do that.
Thank you. I still don't understand -- so 148,000 covers a shortfall in the Office of Director of Finance this year, when you've already had four people working for six, nine months, a year for the Director. My question is, what will the cost be next year? This is three months' DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. worth of expenditure, this is six months' worth of expenditure? What? And while she's getting that information, I don't understand why we need an office of four people in the Department of Finance to figure out how to share data among departments. We used to own -- I don't know if we still do -- software called Mindshare, which allows us to go into every different database and collect the data. I understand that people have to figure out how that is. We have to undertake business process flows in every department in order to make sure that the same data is going in every way, that we're eliminating unnecessary work in each department, et cetera. That's not going to be done by the four people in the Department of Finance in the Office of Property Data. So why is there this expenditure in the Department of Finance with respect to only property data when we are trying to accomplish what you are DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. describing for the entire City? In other words, if --
I think it's spearheaded by Saskia out of Finance, but it is to fix the problem through the whole City. It's not just to fix the problem in Finance.
We've got lots of data that has to be combined associated with particular accounts that has nothing to do with property data.
Actually, the way we're defining "property data" is all of the attributes of a piece of -- so that's the address, the parcel, the history, the occupant.
And they all live in different data sets across the City all in multiple departments, and DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. until this office was created, there wasn't a single source that had its responsibility was to look at all of those departments and all of those data sets across the City and figure out how to make them link. Each department is responsible for managing its own data to deliver its own specific service and hasn't had the charge of trying to figure out how to make it link to other places. That's specifically what we're doing. It is citywide, it's cross departmental. We're the coordinating effort, but certainly there will be work going on in every other department to implement the fix once it's determined.
But you don't know what the fix is; you don't know what data you want to combine?
We know that we need unique identifiers, which you've already identified. We know that we need to make sure that we can track history on DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. the property. We know that we need to make sure you can have a one-to-one and a one-to-many relationship, you can have multiple addresses on one parcel, multiple addresses on a building. We know the answers to those questions. What we have to figure out now is what the standard is by which we're going to make all those different links.
So why is this in the Department of Finance as opposed to the relevant department, which seems to me -- does it include a business that's a renter --
-- in the Office of Property Data? They don't own the property. Would it include them?
We would include any relevant data that's attached to that particular property.
So how would DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. you know who is renting a property?
You would know who is renting the property only if there's another City service attached to this renter. For example, if that renter has a water account or --
So if somebody has a BPL, that will then be attached to the property that they're in?
Right. And right now that information -- the City has that information; it's just not living in any place where you can pull it into one central source.
And we need a staff and a specific office to combine the data or do we need a staff and a specific office -- because once the processes are set in place and it's done and the departments either through the implementation of the new technology plan or through cobbling together the data sets through Mindshare or some other software program, once we have all this DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. data, what will this office do?
Well, I think somebody still has to be responsible for making sure that the standards are identified, met, kept, maintained over time.
Four full-time employees? We're talking about electronic data.
Well, somebody has to input that electronic data and somebody has to make sure that that data is accurate.
So why do people have to input data if the data comes from the departments? Why do people in the Department of Finance input data?
I don't know that we would be inputting the data, but somebody has to make sure that whatever data is entered is entered accurately and in the standards that we have set.
So we're DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. creating an office that is a custodian of data in a database of four people?
Councilman, if I can just interject here, I think the office is being created to fix a big problem and I think that it's at the beginning stages. I think Saskia is at the beginning stages of identifying the solutions to these problems, and I think what might make sense is if we sit down with you and walk you through what the ideas are and then we can talk about what your ideas are as well. But I think that it's the beginning of fixing a significant problem.
I'd be much more comfortable funding a task force than an office, because offices never go away. Once the data is gathered and it's all collected, there will be a new mission that they send themselves on, because that's what happens, and offices expand.
Well, why don't DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. we discuss that, because I think that -- I mean, I understand your question there, and I think that Saskia is at the beginning process of fixing a problem. And I see -- I understand what you're saying, so I think, though, that it might be better if you would agree if we could continue the conversation offline.
I'd be happy to, but I want to agree with the Chairman that all of these should be separate items, because I would not approve this today.
Yes. Could you ask Mr. Abernathy and Mr. Ilia to come up to the --
Oh, they are? Well, my question is, is this an evolution of a study that was being DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. conducted by the Redevelopment Authority and I believe you, Mr. Abernathy, to try to figure out how we track properties? I remember that a couple of years ago. Is this some way an evolution of that?
Councilman -- I'm sorry. Brian Abernathy, Managing Director's Office. My understanding the study you're referring to is the vacant property study that Econsult did with the RDA. The work is certainly related, but I don't believe it's an outgrowth of. And so certainly I think my personal goal of what the work that Saskia and her office would be doing is to give us a better ability to track vacant property as well as provide some indicators of where vacant property might be without doing a physical survey. So I think that data actually leads directly into a number of other services that we don't currently have in order to identify properties. DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC.
And I don't mean to jump out of line, but your study that you and the RDA and others conducted by way of property acquisition, trying to make sense of the whole system, where did it wind up?
I'm not sure -- the study itself made an argument for us to deal with vacant property and to make an economic argument so we understood the impact of vacant property on both our budget as well as our services. That has been extremely helpful as we have looked at a land management policy citywide and --
I guess my question then is, how does that land management policy impact your new office? Is there a connect?
There is a connection, yes, sir. And I don't know if you want to...
I would say DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. those things are all related. I think that anyone who worked on the vacant property study could tell you that one of the issues they had in conducting that study was even identifying where the vacant properties are, how to figure out what those indicators are, which department holds the pieces of information that might give you an indication of where data is without actually having to physically go, send staff out to identify a property as vacant. So I would say the vacant initiative is a symptom of one of the problems that our department is trying to fix.
Okay. So out of the study came a recommendation for this type of service?
I don't believe the study -- the study isn't directly correlated to, but I believe, as Saskia said, this is the vacant -- many of the DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. problems we saw with vacant property are a symptom of our larger office or our property data issues as a whole. Property data affects almost everything we touch, and our property data is struggling.
I think Councilman Green might be right. I'm trying to logically follow this, and that doesn't -- that's on me as opposed to you, but I want to see the correlation to what this value added amount does to make sense of this. If we're adding another piece of an already complicated puzzle, I don't get it, but if somehow by us going to one source we're able to gain information, that makes sense to me, because it expedites the ability to do land assembly to do development.
Councilman Henon. DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC.
Yes. I think -- I just want to expand a little bit on my colleagues. How are you doing, Mr. Abernathy? You know, from my short time here so far this year, I've seen within the RDA and I understand about the land assembly. It's absolutely necessary, but it seems like each department is doing the same thing. I mean, it just seems there's a lot of duplicity, whether it's in OIT -- I'm sure there's a supplement OIT allocation just for these systems to communicate and to manage itself, whether somebody is inputting it or continuing to add data. You had mentioned something earlier about when you first were testifying about adding taxes to it. Is one of that the reasons why you're in the Department of Finance or is that another function, added function?
You had DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. mentioned -- you have, I think, if I'm correct, you had mentioned that to see if there's any taxes assessed to the properties --
-- that you're inputting. So I was just curious, is this an added functionality of the new office that's being created or an extension of the Department of Revenue? In the global sense, is it just property or are we trying to segue into trying to recoup some of our taxes that are out there that are owed to the City?
I think that if we can better collect all types of data about accounts that we bill across the City, it could definitely improve collections. I think that could be a result of it.
Because I've been requesting data for some time now, including back taxes. The process of departments in recouping a lot of the DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. taxes and identifying properties whether they're vacant or occupied and the land management policies and the disposition policies for many of the departments, and it's very complicated. So having something permanent is concerning when I'm not sure what we have now and what the process is and what we're trying to manage now.
Well, I think, again, what might be best, given the level of questioning on this, is for us to provide you supplemental information and probably have a conversation with Council on this.
Thank you. The one question that wasn't answered was what is the budget for this office next year?
Five hundred DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. thousand dollars? Four full-time employees to, once the data is gathered, be custodians of an electronic database?
No. I think that -- I mean, if Saskia -- I'm not sure if we're ready to answer that question, but we're talking about would be about 9 500,000. But I think we should talk with 10 you about what the overall goals and 11 objectives over time are. I think we can 12 flesh it out in a more comprehensive way 13 for you.
Thank you. Mr. Abernathy, stay at the table. You have testimony, separate testimony?
Sure. Good afternoon. My name is Brian Abernathy, Chief of Staff to the Managing Director. The Managing Director's Office is seeking an additional $84,000 in Class 200 funds to maintain current service DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. levels and increase the neighborhoods served by Town Watch Integrated Services. In addition, we're asking for an internal transfer of funds of approximately $112,000 for Animal Control services.
Is someone here from the Fire Department? (Witness approached witness table.)
Good afternoon. Please identify yourself. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER BEATRICE: I am David Beatrice, Deputy Fire Commissioner, Administrative Services. I am here representing Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers. Good afternoon, Councilman Goode and members of the Appropriations DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. Committee. In this mid-year General Fund transfer ordinance, the Fire Department is requesting an increase of $4 million in Class 100. This funding is needed to cover the cost of staffing apparatus at the minimum staffing levels required in the labor contract to the end of the fiscal year. The Department is also requesting an internal transfer of $350,000 from Class 300 to Class 200 to properly reflect the cost of retrofitting bunker gear pants as part of the Rope Rescue Escape System project. This completes my testimony, and on behalf of the men and women of the Philadelphia Fire Department, I would like to thank Council for your continued support.
Thank you for your testimony. Any questions for this witness? (No response.)
Seeing none, DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. thank you very much. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER BEATRICE: Thank you.
Recreation Commissioner. (Witnesses approached witness table.)
Good afternoon, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER SLAWSON: Good afternoon, Councilman Goode and members of the Appropriation Committee. My name is Susan Slawson, First Deputy Commissioner of Recreation and Programs. I am joined by Leo Dignam, Deputy Commissioner for Programs. It's a pleasure to be here with you today. I appear before you to present testimony in support of Bill No. 120169, specifically as it relates to transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2012 of $80,458 pertaining to the Department of Parks and Recreation. This transfer represents a portion of committed DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. resources which will be provided to the Philadelphia School District in order to continue providing high-quality winter programming at School District facilities and gyms. As has been previously communicated, due to the Philadelphia School District's current financial challenges, to help reduce operating expenses for the School District, the Department consolidated programming groups into larger school gyms to reduce the number of school gyms that were open. In addition, with leadership from Mayor Nutter and City Council, we will also provide financial support to the Philadelphia School District that kept programming running through March the 17th of 2012 at 48 School District facilities and gyms. This helped to preserve a wide variety of programming for over 12,000 children and families. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this important issue with you DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. today, and I look forward to any questions you may have.
Thank you, Commissioner. Are there questions for this witness? (No response.)
Thank you very much. Office of Inspector General. (Witness approached witness table.)
Good afternoon, Councilman Goode and members of the Appropriation Committee. I am Amy Kurland. I'm the Inspector General. Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony regarding the Office of the Inspector General's Fiscal Year 2012 mid-year transfer request. In the proposed mid-year ordinance, we are requesting $5,371 to be transferred from Class 200. This would be allocated in the amount of $2,421 for DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. Class 100 personal services to cover a shortfall caused by a large payout to a long-time City employee. Additionally, we request $2,950 for Class 300 materials, supplies and Class 400 equipment needed to carry out our functions in an efficient manner. I welcome any questions.
Chief Innovation Officer. (Witness approached witness table.)
Chairman, Councilmembers, I am Adel Edeid, CIO, and to my left is my CFO, Chris Donato. Happy to be here. We are requesting the transfer of FY12 appropriations all relate to DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. services, materials, supplies and equipment associated with the management and support of the citywide 9-1-1 system relative to the functions that are provided by OIT, the Fire Department and the Police Department. The breakdown by major class is as follows: 200, 4.6 million; combination of Class 300 and 400, total of 3.2 million; for a total of 7.9 million. Happy to answer any questions to the extent that I can. I have, of course, Chris with me who can probably add in.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Does this expenditure include any expenditure related to the citywide WiFi network we purchased indirectly from EarthLink?
To the best of my DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. knowledge, it does not.
And so when you say the 800 megahertz upgrade project, what are you referring to?
We are referring to the combination of two projects that the City undertook several years ago, combination of re-banding where Sprint Nextel is involved, as well as an upgrade of the City's radio backbone, all running on the spectrum of 800.
Are you familiar with the proposal that was generally widely accepted in the City that was an expenditure of $15 million of E911 funds to create a private City WiFi/WiMax network to allow for Police Department Mobile Command Centers, other things where realtime data could be available in the street to our first responders and that would also prove to be a digital backup for voice should our regular radio go down? It would also allow intergovernmental communications on DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. via WiMax within the City limits with state, federal authorities, et cetera, when we're all responding to the same event?
I've heard some of that, and three weeks ago I started to dig into a little more, try to understand the history, whether it's Wireless Philly, Digital Philadelphia.
No. This is a specific proposal of what to do with those assets.
I understand. So I have started to look into those and try to understand the history, the motives and the current status of that.
Has the City heard any discussion from the State of Pennsylvania that if we do not spend our E911 funds, we will lose them, they will be taken away and spent by other -- given to other counties or jurisdictions?
Chris and Rebecca could chime in, but I'm not aware of a DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. situation where we are under-spending those dollars.
To that point, Councilman, this is actually -- there has in the past been balances that have somewhat accumulated. This is actually a positive development, that we're requesting the 7.9 million. Basically what this means is that we are now spending faster than planned and we are spending down that money on projects of importance to the City of Philadelphia. So by asking for this additional appropriation, what we're doing is asking for the money to be transferred from the Grants Fund over to the General Fund and for the money to be spent at a much faster rate than originally planned. So this is addressing what you're bringing up right now.
"Than originally planned," I don't know what DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. that means.
Because we haven't really spent any E911 money for the first four years of the --
That's not true. I mean, we are spending money and we have spent money. And when I said "originally planned," the adopted budget.
So what is the available E911 funds to the City and how much is put in that bucket every single year through the fees we all pay our phone companies?
Chris Donato from OIT. I believe the current cash balance for all the 9-1-1 funds, which is wireline, wireless and voiceover IP, is about 45 million.
Forty-five DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. million dollars.
About half of that is going to be transferred over to -- well, I'm sorry. About million is to 6 be transferred over to the General Fund 7 to cover personnel costs. 8
Right. And then there's an additional about 11 million of wireless funds that are going to be transferred to the wireline account for wireline expenditures that were actually wireless eligible in prior years. So that will also be made available primarily for the 800 megahertz upgrade project.
I'm sorry. So of the $45 million available, you're planning to transfer 11 million from wireless to wireline?
Well, PEMA's concern is mostly geared toward the wireless funds, and so we're trying to DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. accelerate that spending so that the million of wireless funds will be going towards --
So why not 6 just spend it on a wireless project that 7 has already been scoped out, that the 8 departments on the street all wanted and 9 that is written instead of moving it to 10 wireline?
Do you need a transfer ordinance to move that to wireline?
We actually have, just to expand upon the process, we have internal --
Do you need a transfer ordinance to spend it or budget authorization to spend this money?
We need the appropriations in the General Fund and the Grants Revenue Fund, yes. DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC.
Okay. Thank you. The answer to the question, I take it, Ms. Rhynhart, is yes?
The state has said that they'll potentially take away money --
I have not heard that directly, but I have heard that we need to speed up the spend, which we have instituted a regular meeting that Everett and I meet with the departments that are involved here, so Police, Fire and IT, and we have a plan to spend down that money, and we have -- and we can show that to you with the projects that are being prioritized. We have a prioritization meeting where we move through this money. So this request for the 7.9 million is because we are spending this money much faster on projects of importance.
So DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. indirectly the answer is yes?
You've heard this indirectly through your superiors in the City?
Councilman, I have heard that we should spend the money faster. That's what I heard.
I am a City official, yes. DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC.
Just checking. I have a few questions. Help me to understand the difference between Bill No. 120169, 120170 and the allocation of surcharges. I know the EMS prioritization project. Describe that a little bit.
Primarily it's a Fire Department initiative in order to, as it states, prioritize the calls as they come from 9-1-1. Some people will call with a lesser injury than someone who, say, a heart attack and it will allow the Fire Department to dispatch appropriate personnel in a more efficient manner.
And so the surcharges, what does that mean? DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC.
Well, the 9-1-1 surcharge is and fees that you pay on your phone bill, a dollar for the 9-1-1 fee, that's those fees.
And this new equipment, the 800 MHz upgrade, can you describe that a little bit?
Sure. So the 800 megahertz is a spectrum that allows for -- it's a frequency that allows radios to talk to each other.
Is this my former colleague Frank Rizzo's issue of being able to communicate underground? Will this allow us to do that?
Whether it's indoors or outdoors, we're tackling the entire --
So post 9-1-1 in the subways we will have greater coverage? DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC.
I'd rather check into that detail before I give you an answer, but if that's a question of yours, I'd be happy to come back to you with that.
That is a question of mine. What I would like to also know is, are we buying this equipment, are we leasing this equipment, and what's the life -- technology changes. By the time you do the iPhone this, six months later it's the Hachitachi 10,000 next. Is that true for this type of equipment, and are we buying it or leasing it, and is there a value after its life expectancy?
So we are buying it. It would not make good sense to lease, normally because this is not traditional technology equipment. The useful economic life of equipment like this is more like 10 to 15 years.
The only thing that DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. would change are software upgrades, which would be handled as part of the overall scope of the project. So this is equipment that is not here today and goes end of life in four years. This is equipment that's going to be around for at least 10, if not, 15.
Okay. And this is pretty much a sole source contract. There's not a lot of vendors that provide this kind of equipment; is that correct?
I wouldn't use "sole source." However, it appears that the City is standardized on a Motorola platform.
Right. And if you recall, some of you might recall the Motorola lease financing we did a few years ago for the 9-1-1 system upgrade, so I think -- with Motorola, and there were a lot of contract questions at that DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. point, and this is the same contract.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Why are we spending money we can use for non-capital expenses? In other words, can't we use the capital budget to purchase this equipment and have much of the $3 million available for other purposes that are not capital eligible? In other words, if they last 10 to 15 years, we don't have to use what we can use for purchase of services or other things that would be beneficial, that we can pay for the equipment over the life of its useful life through capital budget borrowing? I mean, why are we making the decision to just purchase this and not do that?
I think that the idea of using funding -- and it's called DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. pay as you go -- from operating funds for something that's capital eligible is a good financial practice. So I don't think there is a negative to a spending revenue source like 9-1-1 funds that are eligible on the type of Motorola equipment that are being addressed.
There's a negative in the sense that the money is not available for other things that we could spend it on. So I would like to get to the Chair the planned E911 expenditures so that we can take a look at that in the context of the budgets that we're going to have to approve for next year.
Can I add a little bit to that? It's very common for any jurisdiction, state, county or municipal, to use the E911 surcharge as the source to fund radio projects. It's a very common practice. Certainly of all the systems that I've built in the past in DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. the State of New Jersey, that was always the source of funding.
Thank you. And we could use E911 money for that purpose by appropriating it to the portion of the payment that's necessary to make -- we can use that money in the context of capital also, sort of like we use the HUD money I think for payments on projects that take ten years as opposed to going in grants and things like that. I'm not certain that's possible, but I imagine there's a lot of financial engineering we can do to make sure we have the dollars available for other important projects. But that being said, I will look forward to the planned expenditures for E911 funds.
Seeing none, thank you very much. DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC.
Planning Commission. (Witnesses approached witness table.)
Good afternoon, Councilman Goode and members of the Appropriation Committee. I am Gary Jastrzab, Executive Director of the City Planning Commission. The City Planning Commission is requesting an appropriations transfer of $5,000 from purchase of services, Class 200, to materials, supplies and equipment, Class 300. This transfer will reallocate departmental operating funds for the current year from Class 250 expenses, professional services, to the more critically needed category of materials, supplies and equipment. Specifically, expenses for copier and printer toner DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. have run higher than expected this year due to the production of materials related to the new Zoning Code, the adoption of the Philadelphia 2035 Comprehensive Plan and the civic engagement activities of the Citizens Planning Institute. This concludes my testimony. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Thank you for your testimony. Are there any questions for this witness? (No response.)
Office of Housing and Community Development. (No response.) DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC.
Sure. I'm happy to. I am here today to present testimony in support of the proposed ordinance to authorize an internal transfer of appropriations for Fiscal Year '12. The proposed ordinance will transfer $154,045 to support the acquisition recycling program. This program recycles certain proceeds of compensation paid for condemnations by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. When the Authority condemns land, it is required to pay the owner the equivalent of fair market value for the property. In the absence of the owner, these funds are paid into court. If there are any municipal liens on the property, the City is able to draw on these liens to -- sorry; on these funds to satisfy the liens. The acquisition recycling program DiscoveryWorks Global 888.557.8650 www.dw-global.com 3/21/12 - APPROPRIATIONS - BILL 120169, ETC. specifies that funds paid by the City into court for condemnation would be recycled to be repaid to the City to fund additional acquisition activity. This is accomplished via a payment from OHCD to the PRA, which will then acquire additional properties. This ordinance 9 authorizes the payment to the PRA of Fiscal Year '08, '9 and '10 recycling receipts. I will be happy to answer any questions.