2009 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE OPERATING BUDGET - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, March 30, 2005, 10:35 a.m. BILL NOS. 050001, 050002, 050003, 040789, 040767, 050007, 050008. RESOLUTION NO. 050022 PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNA C. VERNA COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN JACK KELLY COUNCILMAN JUAN F. RAMOS COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILMAN FRANK DiCICCO COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2010 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget P R O C E E D I N G S - - -
Good morning, Everyone. This is the continued public hearing of the Committee of the Whole regarding Bill Nos. 050001, 050002, 050003, 040789, 040767, 050007, 050008 and Resolution 9 No. 050022. We will now hear from Licenses & Inspections. Good morning. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Good morning.
Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: My name is Robert Solvibile, Acting Commissioner of Licensing & Inspections. I have prepared an abbreviated verbal testimony, which I am prepared to give with your consent, Council President.
That would be fine. 2011 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Good morning, Council President Verna and Members of Council. I am Robert D. Solvibile, Senior Acting Commissioner of the Department of Licensing & Inspections. Accompanying me today are key members of the Department's management team. We appreciate the opportunity to present our Fiscal Year '06 operating budget. Fiscal Year '06 operating budget request: The Department of Licensing & Inspections is requesting a total Fiscal Year '06 budget of $64,989,792, of which $28,013,349 is in the City's General Fund and $35,997,641 is in the Grant Revenue Fund and $978,802 is in the Community Development Fund. The General Fund budget represents an increase of $6,735,563 from FY05's estimated obligation, which is primarily due to a proposed $8 million increase in demolition funding restored to L&I, which is offset largely by a $1,093,937 reduction in Class 100. Also note that the Department has added a new Business Regulatory Division to 2012 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget more accurately reflect our organizational structure. While the overall number of positions and budgetary request were not affected, there was a shifting of personnel to the new division. The Fiscal Year '06 request will fund 360 General Fund positions, a decrease of positions when compared to the 10 Fiscal Year '05 filled General Fund position 11 level. The only service impact anticipated is 12 the reduction of the number of clean and seals 13 conducted, from 1,392 clean and seals in 14 Fiscal Year '05 to 1,100 in Fiscal Year '06. 15 L&I will continue to prioritize 16 emergency and public safety concerns, 17 especially those impacting areas around our 18 schools, and will also maximize productivity 19 with current resources. 20 Fiscal Year '05 accomplishments and '06 goals: In Fiscal Year '05 budget testimony, I described several key initiatives for the Department that I am happy to report the Department's achievements. In conjunction with the Fire Department, we have established 2013 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget a Zero Fire Deaths Task Force that is committed to identifying and inspecting housing of the older population in the City. To date, approximately one half of our building trade specialists are fully certified. L&I management also established a new performance measure process that will be adopted in Fiscal Year '06 to better manage resources and ensure greater productivity. In February 2005, fast form permits were made available at L&I's website for credit card purchase. In Fiscal Year '06, the Department will begin imaging building plans to comply with the Uniform Construction Code that requires storage for plans for the life of the building, as well as facilitate other departments' needs. This concludes my abbreviated testimony. I welcome questions at this time.
You mention in your testimony that you have created a new Business Regulatory Division. Can you explain the duties of that division, 2014 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget please? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Basically the business compliance under Deputy Commissioner Dominic Verdi did not show up in our budget as far as being a division. So we really made that to reflect our current operation as to how we're managed. Basically, as an example, housing inspections were under Neighborhood Services. They're now, in our regular budget and past practices, they're now under Business Regulatory. It's just really to align ourselves the way we actually operate.
You also mention in your testimony that you were cut $1.1 million in your Class 100 budget for FY06. I believe that this represents a reduction of 39 full positions from your FY05 adopted budget. Can you explain where these reductions have occurred and their operational impact? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: The Department has taken the majority of our hits with not filling positions and/or layoffs in 2015 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget our clerical force. We have started to build our LICA system, which is a computerization of the Department. We have completed the foundation of that, where all licenses in the City are now on this new computer system, our dangerous buildings are on this system and our inspectional force. By December of '05 -- this coming summer, by September, the majority of our inspectors, if not all, will have been in the new system, and this system will allow us to process our work faster, better, more intelligently, work smarter. As an example, Council President, if called about a particular address, whoever is called will be able to provide the answer, versus before we would have to go to certain units and certain expertise to get it. So that's basically where we have taken the hit so far.
Well, of the 39 full-time positions, how many of them were from the clerical force? Were most of the people on DROP and went out on DROP? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: A lot 2016 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget of people, Council President, were in DROP. And the clerical force, we started to -- when clerical positions were becoming vacant through the last several years, we started in the Department a Needs Committee, where a manager of a unit would have to come in front of this Committee, which was the Deputy Commissioners, and we would recommend if they should in fact have that replacement. We errored on the side of having positions made into inspectors. So if a clerk left three years ago and the manager couldn't prove the need to have that clerk replaced, we then created an inspector's position within that division. So in the last round of layoffs, I believe we had six clerical positions were eliminated, some managers were eliminated and Clean and Seal people, were the majority of what we eliminated, and people in DROP, people that were going to be leaving that were in DROP that we took off the roles. And also of the 39, Council President, we had vacancies that were not filled yet that we just did not 2017 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget fill.
I know, because I'm looking at what you had in your FY05 budget and I think you were being allotted for 398 positions and in '06, I see it's 360. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Correct.
And you feel that you can live with that? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: But a lot of the positions still were not filled because of the freeze. So in actual bodies, we did not lose that many that we had to lay off to meet the '05 obligation.
But you feel that you could live with the 360 employees that you're budgeted for? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I believe, with the computer system we are creating, that we over in past have not touched our inspectors for the last several years. About a year ago -- and I will provide this to Council President and Council -- I 2018 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget asked for the number of people that were in our engineering division, our inspectors, and we're, quite frankly, fronted the way we were ten years ago in that area. We basically took it from other areas throughout the years. As I said, the committee we established was pretty effective for us to control the inspectors being kept at the maximum strength they should be kept at for public safety issues.
On -56 of your detail, you list how you will spend $8 million for demolition. Will you explain for the record what the four line items are and how these funds are to be used, the four line items, if you have the detail book in front of you? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Okay.
Are professional services Line 250? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Right. Professional services would basically be the asbestos investigations that must be performed prior to the demolition. Under federal, state 2019 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget and city law, any building that's now demolished must have an asbestos inspection to determine, number one, if there is asbestos and then, two, to oversee the removal of that asbestos. The Line 260 --
Line 260. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: -- repair and maintenance charges is stuccoing of party walls and the barge boards that we now place, which, as I testified about two years ago, we improved the barge board along the roof line; whereas, before, Council President, I'm sure as you've seen in your district, it used to be the bent metal. Now it's professional barge board with wood, and it looks a lot nicer and it preserves the party wall a lot better. That's part of the repair and maintenance on that line. Then obviously the demolitions.
And then we have abatement of nuisances. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: 2020 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget Hazardous chemical removals. Council President, in the professional services part where they identify the asbestos, the abatement of nuisances is the removal of hazardous substance, and some of this money may in fact be able to be used for demolition. We estimate that we'll need this, but it's only an estimate. And if there's like PCBs that are in the building we demolish, that's part of the money that we'll need to have them professionally removed. It's more for the HAZMAT type of activity the Department faces in demolition.
Understood. Very well. Can you tell us how many buildings you anticipate will be demolished in FY06? At the same time, I would like you to give me a cost estimate per demolition. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Roughly 287 buildings will be demolished, imminently dangerous buildings, and our average demolition will be $22,119 a demolition. 2021 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget
I'm sorry. $22,000? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: $22,119.
And I recall when L&I would come in and we'd ask that question, if my memory serves me, I believe it cost $8,000 to demolish a single family. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: You must have been reading my mind yesterday. When I was going over this budget, I thought the same thing yesterday.
Why has the cost increased? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: The asbestos is huge. It's a huge increase for us.
But didn't we always have that issue of asbestos? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Several years ago asbestos in single-family houses was not required because it was the assumption that it was not there. Now we add 2022 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget asbestos removal investigation and any asbestos found in every demolition. Also, the Department has been more aggressive in its oversight of what is left in the hole in demolitions, and also dump costs have gone up dramatically. As an example, Council President, the cost of stucco has more than doubled, and that's within that cost that we gave you.
Well, when we were paying $8,000 for the demolition, I also recall that we only had one person throughout the City that was stuccoing the buildings once they were -- COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: That's correct. And we've since now have three contracts, two different contractors but three different areas that we identified for stuccoing, and that seems to have been working out rather well for us with keeping up.
You indicate that there will be 287 demos in '06? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes.
How 2023 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget does this compare to the NTI demolitions? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: NTI demolitions are a little less. Our per average -- I believe they're $21,500 roughly -- that's a guesstimate. It's not an exact number -- average cost per demolition. They tend to do more volume, and ours are -- we're taking down the worst of the worst buildings, the imminently dangerous buildings.
The imminently dangerous? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes. And that's always been more expensive traditionally. And we're no longer doing string demolition in L&I. We're taking down an imminently dangerous building, and if a building is either vacant and a nuisance property or dangerous and attached, we'll take it down, too. But we're not taking down any large number of buildings with the money we have now.
Thank you. On -60 of your detail, you're 2024 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget requesting $35 million in Class 200 for NTI. Would you please explain how these funds will be spent? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It's a pass-through from us to NTI, and NTI will, as per the regulations, spend the money per the council districts where it's going to be allotted for and work with the Council people on what and what happens with the money in their areas. L&I is being used to pass through and --
For demolitions? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes. And we oversee the demolition and we in fact lien and bill and do all the functions that we do in our own demolitions for that.
As we're agonizing over this budget, I guess we're all looking at different ways of how we could possibly generate more revenue. Would you know or could you bring us up to date as to how many billboard permits are issued a year? Does anybody go around to 2025 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget ascertain if a billboard has been permitted, how many of them are illegal? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We are in the process of working with PennDOT. We met with them about two weeks ago, and PennDOT has entered into a contract with a private contractor to survey all the highways, the state highways and within 65 feet, I believe it is, of the highways, identify all of the billboards that exist there. Roughly, I believe -- I'm using my memory, Council President. I'll get you the exact figures. Roughly 550 locations, addresses, were found with about 800 signs, because the sign faces were counted, too. What's interesting about this study, it allowed us to, with PennDOT working with this contractor, it gives you the street address; whereas, before it's a rather intense investigation to determine what the address of the sign is located. And as you're aware, our databases are all address driven. And then they are coming into our shop to work with our personnel to determine which of the signs are 2026 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget legal and which are illegal. And that study should be done by the end of this month, which we will share with Council when it's done. Last year --
The end of April? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: The end of April. I'm sorry. Yes. I forgot what month I was in. The end of April they expect to have it done. I believe they're coming in on two Saturdays. They were going to come in this Saturday and next Saturday to work in our file, because, as you know, our zoning room is so busy during the week, that we could never service them. So we have a couple people to work with them and provide the files and let them determine the signs by the addresses that are legal. We expect to be able to give a better answer to your question, but right now we estimate that last year we took in $83,000 2027 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget in licenses from these sign companies.
Are they to be renewed yearly? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes. Now, what makes this difficult is, as I stated, without the addresses and knowing where they are and without intense research on our part, it's difficult to determine which signs are legal and illegal. And also, we're working with the Law Department to come up with a policy on how we're going to react to signs. At the present time, we've sent etch-sheet (ph) signs that are sort of like a picture on walls that you see throughout the districts that advertise in neighborhoods mostly. There's 895 etch-sheet signs. We determined that none of them are legal. We've sent a violation to the owner ordering the owner to remove the signs immediately or to make them legal, and we gave them 30 days. We're working now with the Law Department to see where we go next with that. If they don't do it, we have the option of 2028 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget removing the signs ourselves or going to court to make them remove the sign, which is what I prefer. I prefer they do it, because it should be removed.
What is the cost for a license for a billboard? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: $150 per -- I'm sorry, Council President. $250 per sign structure. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Point of information.
The Chair recognizes Councilman DiCicco for a point of information. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: $250 per sign structure regardless if it's a single or double-faced sign? And it sounds that way when you say the structure. I just want to be accurate on that.
Good morning, Madam President, Members of Council. My name is David Perri. I'm the Chief Code Official for the Department of Licenses & Inspections. The current fee schedule is based 2029 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget upon what's defined as sign structure. So there could be multiple faces on the sign. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: So it's 250 regardless of the number of faces on the sign?
It's actually 150. It's 150 per sign structure. So there may be multiple faces. We charge them 150.
I'm sorry. I was distracted. What was the cost of the license? 150 or 250?
It's 150 per sign structure. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Regardless of the number of faces?
So it doesn't matter if it's double-faced, it's still 150?
Okay. I'm trying to calculate how many -- COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: I've done some research myself. I'll talk to you a little bit later about some legislation I was 2030 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget considering introducing.
Well, I have been also thinking about doing something, so we'll work together on it. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: I'll give it to you and you make that decision. Okay. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Council President, there's some confusion, non-clarity. When Bennett Levin was the Commissioner of L&I, he entered into an agreement that people would pay X amount of dollars. And people are - not everybody -- a lawsuit came out where a license may not have been required and people that are paying are paying voluntarily at this point. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Madam President, I don't know if you heard that. It's very interesting. You should hear that.
Yes. I was distracted. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I'll repeat it. Basically, when Bennett Levin was Commissioner, he entered into an agreement, a unilateral agreement I guess they called it in 2031 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget the courts, quote/unquote, that anyone that paid a set amount of money would then become legal grandfathered in. It was appealed and the courts ruled that a license wasn't required. So at the present time, anybody paying is only paying voluntarily, and the Administration is working on having a new sign ordinance with the Law Department and us and the Mayor's office, are working on having new legislation placed about the licensing of signs and the cost.
And when can we anticipate receiving such an ordinance? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I would have to ask the Law Department to respond to that. We'll get back to you on that with -- we'll send you a letter, a memo.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
Thank you, Madam Chair. 2032 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget Good morning, Commissioner. Let me start off by saying this to your staff: My office has a lot of activity with yours and we appreciate the prompt follow-up that your office provides, and it's greatly appreciated, because people that are dealing with issues, the constituents that deal with issues that involve L&I, are normally timely, and, again, your timely response and your staff's response is greatly appreciated. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Thank you very much.
Now, you know I have an interest in a couple issues that I would like to follow up on with you here, take advantage of a few minutes that we have with you publicly, is the fact that satellite television has made a significant presence in the City of Philadelphia, and I understand that many of these subcontractors that work for the major providers may not all have the proper documents to perform work in the City of Philadelphia. And I know we're 2033 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget looking at the bigger picture about what tax revenue that possibly could be derived, but at least for now at the licensing portion of business privilege areas, do you have a feel how we can get our arms around it to find out who actually is installing these dishes? Are they properly licensed? Because some of the work that they're doing is real shoddy, running wires through windows, over lawns instead of being buried. It's really now starting to look very, very terrible, and the installations are obviously done by people that aren't very professional. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: First of all, it's interesting that this time of year in May, it's usually in April, it's building safety week and we will have a big push for people to only hire licensed contractors, that they should be licensed. Now, we're only as good as what we can find going on. Unless an inspector can run across the installation while it's going on, it really just happens. There's so many of these dishes. 2034 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget Now, also, in the very near future, if not already today, L&I's website will list all of the contractors that are licensed in the City of Philadelphia. That's something new that's coming out now.
Maybe I'm not making myself clear, and I want to stop you before you go further. Commissioner, when you order satellite television, you don't call a subcontractor. You call an 800 number that's some place in another part of the United States and three days later, a truck pulls up with a magnetic sign on it to install your dish. You really don't know who the contractor is, where I don't think people are honestly going to care. They take advantage of what's a free offer, free installation. You call Direct TV Dish Network. My point is that we've got, from what I understand, dozens and dozens of contractors that are coming into the City from Delaware, from New Jersey, from other places to do this work that may not have the proper 2035 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget documents. So can we communicate with these providers, asking them to send us the names of the contractors that they use and make sure that the subs are appropriately licensed? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We have sent to the three known satellite providers a letter asking for business privilege licenses from them, from the company themselves. One, I believe, EchoStar, responded the other day saying that they did have a business privilege license under a different name, which escapes me right now, which I will provide to the Council President.
But that doesn't extend to the subcontractors. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: No. I understand that. Again, it's impossible for us to get our hand around who these contractors are. I have staff attempting by dealing with the main providers, and then we'll get dialogue with them and ask who is providing it. As an example, Radio Shack, my own 2036 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget son got the installation. Radio Shack offers a free installation if you get the satellite, and the contractor that came, I was there and I asked him for his license, and he did have one. He in fact did have one. So it's a matter of, I think, getting our hand around who is doing the installation, and we're attempting to do that, and also educating the public on not letting any contractor who is not licensed in their property. A contractor who does in fact get a license, at least at the point in time when they're getting their license, they show us their insurance policy, so we know they're an insured contractor, and then it names -- it also states that if the insurance is cancelled, the insurance company is to notify us. And we depend on that happening. Whether it happens or not, you never know, but at least you know at one time this contractor when he's licensed was insured. So we really -- it's a matter of -- I agree with you that somebody is getting 2037 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget something for free. It's the old adage, if it's for free, it might not be what you really want. Educating the public.
I've talked to some of my colleagues. The way that they're being installed, they're being installed with plastic strapping to people's railing that live in apartments. They're running wires through windows, drilling a hole in the -- I mean, it's just a disgrace of what is going on. And many of these are rental places where the resident isn't really worried about the quality of the install. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Right. And also, in most cases, a permit is not required if it's a two-inch dish. It's really not even a permit required. The only thing required is for in fact the contractor to have a business privilege license. It doesn't even require a contractor's license.
Commissioner, the other issue that we've talked about -- and I believe, and I just want for the record, you told me that you have no 2038 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget regulatory responsibility or oversight -- is the proliferation of the cell phone sites that are all over. They're attaching them to buildings that are abandoned. They're attaching them to almost everything that can provide a mounting spot for an antenna. Have we gotten that under control? Because the City is just overwhelmed now with these antenna locations. Not that that's a bad thing, but I think that there should be some revenue, there should be some awareness of where they are and how they're installed. I know that they look heavier than they are, but what are we doing about it? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I'm going to ask Code Official Perri to respond.
Councilman, Dave Perri from Licenses & Inspections. There are several laws on the book that do regulate cell phone towers and antenna. They're all required to have a zoning permit. They're all required to have a building permit at the time that they're installed. 2039 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget There is currently no licensing requirement, and I believe that goes back to the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Federal Government gave cell phone providers a broad latitude in setting up facilities and basically undermined local authorities' jurisdiction to have much control over them in terms of licensing. So there is currently no 10 licensing requirement for a cell phone tower.
And you're telling me we could not move in that direction or you're telling me we're prohibited from going in that direction because of the Federal Communications 1996 Act?
It's my understanding -- I'm not an attorney on this issue, so I'm not going profess to be an expert.
We certainly can. We will ask the Law Department and we will share their response with Council.
That's 2040 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget great. Thank you again and appreciate all your Department's good work. Thank you, Madam Chair.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman DiCicco. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Thank you, Madam President, and good morning. I just want to go back on the sign issue again. I believe, Mr. Solvibile, you testified that your Department collected $83,000 last year for sign fees. Is that for the 800 signs? I think you testified that you've identified 800 signs? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: That was for billboards, and it's roughly 630 companies were voluntarily --
I'm sorry. You're going to have to speak into the microphone. I don't think the stenographer can hear you. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I'm sorry. 630 companies are voluntarily paying, 2041 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget and that's where the $83,000 comes from. The majority, I would say a lot, are not paying anything. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Go back to your statement where your Department is working along with PennDOT and you've identified addresses where these sign structures are located. There's a number on some billboards, there's a 567 digit number. What does that number represent? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I think the sign companies use it to identify changing of the sign face. I'm really not sure, unless Code Official Perri would know, what that number signifies.
The Commissioner is correct. The number that you see on these billboards, that's the number that the company identifies. It's not an L&I tag or identification. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Does L&I have any identification system number? When someone comes in, if I come in and I want to erect a billboard and I get approvals, 2042 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget whatever, from the community and there's no 3 opposition, what happens? I mean, how do you know to follow up with me to collect the annual fee? What is the process? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: If a sign is legal and you get your license, it's an annual renewal and the bill goes out automatically annually for your license. One of the things that we're doing in the Department, Councilman, to get our hand around the sign, which is huge undertaking, we're in the planning stages, Code Official Perri and myself, are in the planning stages of creating a Sign Unit. Their function will be to inspect, approve, process. Right now if you go into the Municipal Services Building for a permit on your building and you need signs, it's a whole other process that you have to go through, and we want to take that away from the building approval end, which is in itself all encompassing, and have this unit deal with signs only, so just for that reason that you're asking, so we get a control on the 2043 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget signs. And then also with working with the Law Department to come up with the policy as to how we're going to enforce against these companies that aren't legal and get them into what needs to be legalized is a huge undertaking that I believe should be undertaken, and get rid of the signs that shouldn't be there, like the etch-sheets -- they're, I believe, a blight on Philadelphia. They're graffiti. They're graffiti that people get paid to have -- and legalize what's there. I think we'll go a long way towards improving the landscape and bring in revenues that will help. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: The number that Mr. Perri spoke of, the identification numbers by the companies, I assume, the assigning a number for their purpose of identification. So would it be correct to assume that those billboards that do not have any numbering on them are not affiliated with a billboard company and they basically just have been put up at random? Is that a fair 2044 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget assumption?
I think that's a pretty fair assumption. Most billboard companies are going to try to identify their product with a number, so if anybody wants to advertise there, it's commonly known what they're referring to. But I don't think there's 100 percent correlation between those that don't have numbers being ones that are completely illegal. So I don't think you can make that as a complete statement. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It will be very interesting, Councilman, I believe it's the next two Saturdays, where PennDOT will be in our offices working with our people to determine the signs that are legal and illegal. There's 500-and-some locations they discovered that will give us a better opportunity. Also, one of the things that I've discussed this morning with Mr. Perri was to also get with Conrail or with the -- Conrail basically and get an inspector, along with maybe hiring the contractor to do along the 2045 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget rail lines, because that's where the other part of the signs are, along the railroads and on the highways, because obviously the more traffic, the higher the cost. So that would give us the total picture of signs that are in the City, and then we can really get our hand on a forensic enforcement effort against these companies or working with the companies. I mean, the ones that are legal should be there. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: I want to share with you, a couple of days ago I met with two developers who are proposing to do some high-rise development in my district along Delaware Avenue at the site of the former club Gotham and the 8th Floor, those two buildings. Their proposal is to tear them down and build luxury high-rise condos there. They indicated to me that there's a billboard, I think, on that building that is not legal. I mean, they buy the building. They're going to tear the building down anyway. Over the years, that building has 2046 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget had a number of different tenants in it who needed to come to L&I for licenses to operate their businesses. I'm wondering how many other buildings in the City have uses within the building but have billboards on the roof that are not either legal or we're not collecting a fee or fees from. I mean, if there's activity in the building, should that not be part of the process -- and I don't mean this in a critical way; just as a suggestion -- to make sure that whatever is attached to the building is legal before any other permits are issued for activity within the building? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I think it's a great thought process that we should enforce and that we will -- I'm not quite sure how we would get there to the point where we could enforce it, because if a person comes in with a plan and doesn't show that there's a sign up there but then if there's a plan, there's an inspector going and if the inspector sees it, then he has to question is the sign legal. And with this new Sign Unit, 2047 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget we'll be able to take that from an inspector who is there for the building activities who really isn't into what the sign is and give it to that unit and let them determine the legality of the sign. Also, I think that what may be helpful to us, it was in the paper Sunday, the Pictionary -- is that -- pictometry. I'm going back to my childhood in games. Pictometry. I've seen a demonstration of it and it's really neat, that you see from above what's there, and the signs and illegal additions and legal additions, all that will show us, without actually going to the property, what's there. That will be a big help to this unit, too. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: And I appreciate that, but I just have a final thought on this sign and I'll get on to another issue, and you can respond, Mr. Perri, is that I would assume that there are a number of buildings throughout the City of Philadelphia that either have billboards on the roof or the wall signs. I think you 2048 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget described them as something else.
COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Etch-sheet signs. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Etch-sheet signs. That the owner of the building has a license to do whatever it is that that building does, whether it's an apartment building, whether it's a manufacturing building, and assuming that the owner of the building, the landlord, renews his or her license annually, couldn't that not be part of that whole process, is what I'm saying, as opposed to having a separate unit go out? I mean, what is part of the building, and if an inspector goes out to check to see what the proposed new use of a tenant is in the building and sees that there are signs attached to the building, couldn't that not be part of the license renewal process? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes. And that's what I -- it's an intense research in the zoning file to determine what is and isn't legal in buildings. Some of these files are, I'm sure you've seen them, are thicker 2049 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget than our budget books and you really to find out -- COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: We don't have much money left. That's why the budget books are getting thinner. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: And you really have to go through each piece of paper, because there could be a piece of paper in the beginning legalizing that sign. So that's why the unit needs to tell the inspector in the field whether it is or not, and then the inspector in the field could then enforce it, but there needs to be a group to research that for us, and that's why we're going in the direction we're going in.
Just to respond to your earlier question, when a new tenant comes in and they're proposing accessory signs, the zoning unit under Deputy Commissioner Eileen Evans, that unit reviews all the signage on the building and will not issue a permit for new signage unless all the signage on the building is legal. We'll either get the building owner to legalize the signage that's 2050 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget on there or in some cases we'll issue violations. But there is a check at the time when a tenant comes in for new signage, we do review all the signage on a particular building. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: I could appreciate that, but what I'm talking about is the 8th Floor building, as an example. I'm sure there are many other buildings out there that are in the same category. These are not buildings that owners come in to get additional signage placed on. These are buildings that primarily were factories, manufacturing plants, whatever, and over the years, the owners, for economic reasons, decided to rent the space or put a sign up on the building and rent the sign out. So they didn't come in to you saying, We want to add additional signs. They just kind of appeared. So if there's other activity within the structure that requires an annual renewal of the license or licenses, could that not be part of that whole process? Could the application read, Are there any signs attached 2051 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget to your building? MR. Perri: Let me address that a little bit. There's many buildings in the City that the tenants within the building do not need a renewable license. For instance, if a building houses law firms and real estate firms, there's no annual license that's required either to have the building or for the tenants to continue to operate within the building. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Excuse me for interrupting, but doesn't the owner have -- my sons and I own a triplex. We have three units, triplex. Don't we have to get an annual license to rent the property out?
Yeah. If it's an apartment building, there is an annual -- COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Commercial building there's no annual?
For just being a generic commercial building or a generic commercial tenant, there is no license required. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Wait a 2052 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget minute. I own a 40-story office building in Philadelphia and I have law firms, accounting firms in that building. I'm the owner of the building. I'm not required to have a license to rent that space out?
When you're talking a high-rise building, we do have a high-rise inspection fee, which is essentially a license, but that's to do a fire and safety inspection within the building. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: But there's no fee to me as the landlord for renting out that space, but I own a duplex in South Philadelphia or triplex that I rent three apartments and I have to pay an annual fee for each unit?
Everyone that's in business needs a business license, but you as the renter, the renter of rental properties, residential properties, needs a license; whereas, if you were renting out commercial properties, you would not need a license. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Wow. Wow.
We 2053 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget learn something new every day. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Listen, I know it's not your fault. That's the way it's been. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Actually, having 33 years in this job, I learn something new every day, too. The Department amazes me as to the things that we control and -- COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Well, there will be new legislation next week, I can tell you that. Brian, get to work. Get to work.
How about the large apartment buildings? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: They all have to have a license for each unit. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Because it's residential as compared to commercial. So if I took the triplex and I made the first floor into a storefront, I would only need a license for the other two units as opposed to the storefront? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: 2054 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget Correct. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Even though I'm generating income for all three units? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Correct. But you have a business privilege license and you have to show the income as far as your taxes that you pay to the City. That's the reason for the business. That's a lifetime license.
Excuse me, Councilman. How about the sign that you may have outside of that commercial portion? I thought that that was an annual renewal license.
In some buildings that have rooftop non-accessory signs, that is supposed to be a renewable license, to have the non-accessory sign.
I think we're going to have to have a conversation on this. There are other Council members that would like to be recognized, however. 2055 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: I do have other questions unrelated to signs.
Before I recognize you, Councilman, I was just going through the budget and brief and I just don't seem to be able to find the $83,000 shown for revenue estimates. Can you tell me where that would be? I'm on and I just don't seem to find it. Can you tell us where that would be? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER BURNS: Good morning. My name is Fran Burns, Deputy Commissioner for Administration. I'm pretty sure that that fee is wrapped into the revenue "other licenses and permits." We don't break it out. It's not broken out in this budget and brief.
I'll tell you, I think it would be very good if you could break down the amounts of fees, and you can do that in writing. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER BURNS: We'll provide a further breakdown of the revenue. 2056 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget
And send it to us, because it doesn't look like it's very much money in fees. Councilman Rizzo, did you want to --
Thank you, Madam Chair. While on the sign issue, and I think what I'd also like to have -- if my memory is serving me right, somehow we're involved in a lawsuit. But how many outdoor advertising companies are licensed with the City? Is my memory right that there was a lawsuit and two of the companies, I think it's Steen and Crane, are not paying us anything because we haven't made a decision yet on the judge's ruling or right now it's kind of in limbo? But how many outdoor advertising companies are there and is it correct that we've got two that are not giving us any revenue? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It's correct that some are not paying anything because of the litigation that took place. We'll have to get back to Council President 2057 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget and Council on the number of companies, because I'm really not sure. I believe there's three or four, but I don't want to guess. We'll get you the names of the companies.
What's the delay then in this court case? Because I believe the judge said that there was a decision required, and I think two of them haven't given us any revenue. When was this lawsuit? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I would have to get back to you, Councilman. I'm not sure at all.
Is there anyone here that knows that can fill us in on this? Because if we have two companies that aren't paying us, that's not a good situation.
Councilman, Dave Perri again. The lawsuit was in the early 1990s. Basically what happened was, there was an ordinance passed that required an annual sign license and it required the same fee whether 2058 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget you were an accessory sign or non-accessory sign. The Department felt at that time that they didn't want to burden small businesses with the same fee that a large billboard company should have to pay for a sign. So they arbitrarily set up a two-tiered system where they were charging billboard operators a higher fee and the accessory sign owners, meaning like your local grocery store, a lower fee. What the court found was that it was illegal to have a two-tiered fee structure. So we lost our ability to collect fees at that time. We have worked on a new piece of legislation that would specifically require fees only from the non-accessory signs because, in essence, they are their own little business enterprises that pop up throughout the City. So we can make a case that we can charge for a specific sign license fee for each of the non-accessory signs. 2059 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget
So are you telling me that we may have X numbers of outdoor advertising companies, some are paying and Steen and Crane are not paying?
It's my understanding that those two companies have not been paying.
Well, like I said, we're preparing legislation to come up with an equitable fee schedule for all the sign companies. The other companies that are paying are paying voluntarily, so there's not much we can do about a company that is not paying a fee that they're not required by law to pay in the first place.
Commissioner, you're talking 15 years now. You said early '90s. This is 2005. And we have allowed two companies -- I mean, I don't know too many companies that pay fees and taxes voluntarily. Again, I just can't figure 2060 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget that we have some people paying and two not and we're allowing them to get away with this. Something doesn't sound right here. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Councilman, I believe -- I'm relatively sure they have business privilege licenses and they are in fact paying whatever taxes would be from the income that the signs are generating. What we have, working with the Law Department, is in getting a handle on the license cost. In fact, they do have business privilege licenses to do business in the City.
But that's apples and oranges. We're talking now, and I'd like to provide to the Chair, what kind of revenue are we talking about here? We need to know how many companies we have that are licensed, A. What's the revenue from those that are doing what we ask them to do and how much revenue we've lost as a result of these two companies, which are major, that have not been paying for 15 years. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We will provide the information to Council 2061 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget President and Council.
Let me ask you something. Is there any way of expediting what PennDOT is doing so that we can get a much clearer picture before this budget is passed as to how much more revenue we could possibly be collecting? Because I'll tell you, even with the signs, I mean -- COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We could estimate the number of signs in the City that are presently there.
I'm not just talking about billboards either. I want to have a meeting with Mr. Perri after this hearing, because I think it's very, very unclear as to what we're doing -- COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We would be more than happy to meet with you, Council President.
-- and the amounts of revenue we could be losing. And if we're going to ask people to just pay 2062 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget on a voluntary basis, I think that's extremely, extremely unfair. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I cannot disagree. As far as the PennDOT study, it's a contract that's not really with us. We're cooperating with them so we get the information. They first came into our office the week before Easter and they couldn't over Easter in fact work on it, you know, Holy Saturday before Easter. So they're coming in this Saturday and next Saturday to go through the files and pull the records of the companies of the addresses they have found the signs for.
This has been a long-going issue. I don't know why we have to wait for PennDOT. I know PennDOT is involved in it now, but, in my view, we should have been doing this independently a long time ago, A. B, I understand that there were aerial shots that were made of the entire City so that L&I could ascertain if there was a 2063 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget deck on a property, did they get their permits. Is that true? If you could find a deck, I'm sure you could find where billboards are located, and if in fact they have been paying a license fee, if they're legal, if they're illegal. We're sitting here, as I said, agonizing over this budget. We're seeing our libraries are being closed for most of the day and yet we're here practically sitting on money and nobody is even making an attempt to find out how much it is that we're actually losing. I think that we should have information, and, Mr. Perri, I want to see you after this hearing about these signs, because I'm totally, totally distressed over this. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I understand. Council president, if I could add this though: Legislation is at the Law Department and it's pending their review before proceeding.
I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. 2064 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We have a draft of legislation in the Law Department now that's pending their review as far as signs.
We sent it over with our legislative priorities for the second half of this year. So I would say it got to them sometime around the first of the year. I've just been informed it's been two or three months.
Councilwoman Tasco, maybe you'll do a little better than we did.
Probably not. Good morning. I'm not going to talk to you in detail this morning about mutual industries.
Councilwoman, I don't think the stenographer can hear you.
Thank you. 2065 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget Because we're going to be meeting about that. But I just want to ask you about, what is the time period for reinspections after the initial code violation has been issued? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It varies. An inspector will go out and determine if it should be an immediate -- anywhere from immediately reinspect to 30 days for compliance with the code basically, is the rule of thumb. Now, if an owner after we in fact have written a violation contacts us and says they need an extension or further time to comply, we may give them an extension. It's a case-by-case decision.
What is the current staffing levels for inspectors and does the level -- well, I guess first tell me what's the level, and do you have enough staff inspectors? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: 110 inspectors are in the Department presently.
Is that 2066 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget enough for what we need to do based on the complaints you get? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It's the same level we've had basically for the last ten years. Is it enough? You could always use more, but I think that we have managed the way we're managing the Department presently, we're sufficiently staffed to handle all life safety issues and code issues.
Do you want to take a minute to get yourself together? Take a break. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It's not going to go away really. I think I'm now okay. Thank you. Basically the way we're presently staffed with inspectors, I'm comfortable. Within that also you have to weigh the engineering, the people that process the permits downstairs for us. And we've been constantly staffed at the same level for, as I said, the last several years. Under Dominic Verdi, our code enforcement efforts, Dominic has taken the 2067 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget Commercial and Industrial Unit and the Housing Unit and combined the management of that. And we're presently cross-training people, so if there's a problem, we're able to respond to it quicker. And with the management practices and the new computer system we're creating in the Department, I think that we're able to handle what we need to do.
On , you talk about that you all are reengineering the customer service module for your unit that handles citizen complaints, trade and business license, and these have been implemented. And building permits and zoning processes will be implemented by the end of 2005. This question is a joint question between Councilwoman Donna Miller and myself. We want to know, because sometimes we look up and find a business in our district and we didn't know that they're coming in. I mean, certainly if the facility is zoned for business, they have a right to get a permit to go in that business, but we'd like to get an idea before they go there what's going into a 2068 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget location. Will we be able to access that information? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Absolutely. When we're finished creating the database, every Council person -- presently you have available to you our LIMS information system in your offices, but this is just so much better, because with LIMS, you have to go into different parts of it to find out different things. And the truth be told, I've never learned it because I never liked it to begin with. There's other people that always get that information for me. But with the new system, you put in the address, you put in 2401 anything with that street and it will list right now -- and we've only put the dangerous buildings and the licensing, because the licensing is our foundation in the Department. It will tell me every complaint that we received, all the licenses that are in that building and also if there's a dangerous building or not. So when we get there by the end of 2069 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget this calendar year, we should have all the inspectional, everything, and you'll be able to just access by address, find out everything that L&I is doing.
Well, would it show that someone has applied for a permit for that building? That's what we're interested in, the permitting process. If someone or somebody wants to add on to their property, will we be able to access and request for a permit to add on or take any activity on that in the zoning request? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Well, zoning requests, all zoning permits are e-mailed on, I believe, a weekly basis to each Council district, which I'm told by some that it's worked rather well and it's decent information that's needed out for the Council staff to deal with. Also, it will tell you that if there's a permit in the system being processed when you go to this. It will tell you if there is a permit that's been approved. And, more importantly than if there's a permit, 2070 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget what I like, when we dealt with Council and we gave you what legal zoning was, what I liked about that is that say we approve a restaurant for ten sit-down tables and people would then, instead of having sit-down like a restaurant, make it all takeout. The community was under the impression that's what L&I approved or what was zoned. Now the community knows that in fact they're supposed to have ten seats there and can help us better enforce when they don't have the ten seats for a regular restaurant. So we made the step in the right direction. Now without us sending you that, you'll be able to get it right off the computer by the end of this calendar year. We're a quarter of the way there. We put in the licensing information, which was the critical part for us as far as building the building. As you know, the foundation is always the most important part. And we're next having permit tracking. Permit and building inspections will be computerized next, is our next -- by middle summer we'll be 2071 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget done, mid summer. And then Dominic Verdi's staff with the enforcement end will be done by probably November, and then we'll do -- the follow-up on that would be the board and such after that, the appeal process. You can't do that until you have the inspection part done. So it works. It's a hard, long, arduous -- believe me, every day it's all that I deal with mainly, is making sure that that's going to be done and on time. And the staff, the IT staff and Fran Burns and her staff, the IT staff, has really been doing a great job for us and we're going to get there, and it will be a great tool for everybody, Council and us.
What role does the Department of L&I play with the Nuisance Task Force, the DA's Nuisance Task Force? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: The Nuisance Task Force -- I'll let Dominic Verdi come up and explain that. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER VERDI: Good morning. Dominic Verdi, Deputy 2072 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget Commissioner of Licenses & Inspections. We have a seat on the District Attorney's Nuisance Task Force. We work closely with the DA's Nuisance Task Force, the Philadelphia Police Department and some Liquor Control enforcement and also some agencies on the federal level in reference to nuisance locations. What we do is combine information along with those agencies who handle the criminal end of it and we deal with all the civil end of it in reference to the building and code issues.
Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: And I might add a little bit of, I guess, self-praise here, that Dominic's people did go out. The Nuisance Task Force really does a tremendous job. As an example, Watson's Pub, that was a disaster waiting to happen, and by working with the Fire Department, as I mentioned in my testimony, Zero Fire Deaths, 2073 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget if there was a fire in that building that night, there's probably 200 people that were dead. So it's really a great, great thing we're doing with this task force.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. Good morning. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Good morning.
Have either of you by way of background had a chance yet to review the Commerce Department's newly released economic blueprint report, et al? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I have not.
I only mention that because there's a section of the report that speaks to reducing the cost of 2074 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget barriers to doing business in Philadelphia and they cite a number of places in those few pages the role of L&I. So before I get to my question, in 2002 I understand the Managing Director's Office established a task force to study our City's business regulatory process. So I'm concerned about where L&I is with the recommendations that came out of that report. Is there anything currently underway to streamline our City's regulatory process specifically with regards to start-up and new businesses? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: As I stated, we're in the process of computerizing the Department, and that in itself will go a long way towards helping take the confusion out of what a business needs to do to become a business. We have worked proactively with language access, because a lot of the new businesses starting are --
Language 2075 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget access, okay. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We've hired a consultant to work with us through Commerce, a Ms. Shin Ju, who is with us here today. We've tried to remove barriers to make it easier, and with the computerization of the Department, I think that where -- as an example, a lot of information that you had to come to the MSB building to get before will now be able to be accessed on computer. Presently you can access the different forms you need to fill out and mail them into us versus coming into us. Also, we've created some of our forms and had it translated to different languages. So it helps, because it's the right thing to do basically.
Is there any talking or interface with other City agencies like PCDC specifically and maybe with the Women's Resource Center, which is in the business of helping small and start-up women-owned businesses so that they know that what the City is doing to streamline the 2076 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget process for the constituencies that they serve? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We work with MBEC, I believe it's called, constantly with Vince Dougherty, and we have a working relationship where when businesses go to Commerce to, in effect, get started, we work with them and advise them as to what we can do to be helpful. So there is a relationship. I just have not read the report, but L&I was in fact a part of creating the report. So there is in fact a relationship.
Yes. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode for a point of information.
I've actually asked this question in the past of maybe you and other L&I Commissioners dealing with the same subject and the response has always been that you're computerizing, that you're improving technology, and now you're 2077 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget also talking about improving language access. I guess one of the questions that needs to be asked, are you also streamlining the business regulatory process? Are you requiring less licenses and permits? Are you creating a process by which people as they're trying to open businesses can handle the number of licenses and permits that they need in a streamlined fashion? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Councilman, absolutely. We didn't want to computerize what we were doing. We wanted to look at what we were doing, the practices that were going on, to make sure that we streamlined the process the best we could. As an example, to get a certain permit, I believe it was an explosive permit, which more are issued than you would think in the City, the gentleman in our Concourse, everybody had to go to this one gentleman and nobody could tell us in the process why. So we eliminated that step, which is -- but throughout our whole process, the deputies, the managers would meet and we would go over 2078 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget step by step. We created an as-is what we presently do and then what we want it to be, and then it came to approval to us. And now Deputy Commissioner Burns's unit is now in the process of getting all this and making it up and running. So to answer your question, we did cut out parts that we thought were unnecessary that we could that weren't part of code to --
I guess a simple question is, do people still have to go to many different places to start a business? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes. They still need -- there's still approvals. To start a restaurant, you --
I'm sorry. How is that process going to be reformed? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Well, when we create this system, we were just yesterday talking about creating interfaces with, let's say, Health. To open up a restaurant, you need to -- when you apply for a license, we really wait for Health to come and tell us, Yes, they meet certain parts and 2079 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget it's clean enough for them to open, the health code is being met. And in that process, if we create interfaces, it will stop the applicant from having to go from place to place and the interface will do the work for them. So, yes, we are working on having that made simpler for people to do business, to make it easier for them to come to do business in the City.
So if someone is starting a business, they're getting a business privilege license. Information will be entered into a system. It then will tell them they need X, Y and Z and, again, be handled a streamlined fashion; is that what you're saying? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Right. And right now presently through the Revenue's website, you can get a business privilege license online paying with a credit card.
My question is not so much that it tells them every place they have to go, but do they have to go more than one place and how many places will they 2080 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget have to go? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes. When it's built, it will show them what they need for approvals and what they need to do. We're hoping that the interface itself when they applied to us, because it starts with us, will be able to just send the application -- or the applicant needs to go to, let's say, the Health Department, because there are certain questions that Health needs to have answered. It will a part of the process that we build into it once we're done building our system.
Thank you, Councilman Goode. When you say you are currently engaged in looking at this issue with regards to MBEC, talk that through. What does that mean? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Could you repeat that?
You mentioned that you're currently interfacing 2081 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget and working with MBEC. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Well --
MBAT or -- scratch the acronym. Spell it out for me. Is it MBEC or MBAT? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: MBAT is what I meant. When I call my children, I call my daughter Bobby and she looks at me with her hand on her hip and says, Don't you know who I am? I'm horrible with names, and I apologize for that.
That's quite all right. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Daily Vince Dougherty is on the phone to me or one of the deputies or the people in our department daily asking -- or Sharice Wynn, is asking daily like what we can do when we meet with them daily. We meet with them, their staff, and explain on a quarterly basis what we're doing and new things that we're doing and answer their questions and just general have an ongoing dialogue to bring business in 2082 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget the City. It's part of what we're here for, is to make it as easy as possible for people to want to do business in the City. One of the things that is a little bit different but in the same vein is the BIA, the Building Industry Association. We're working closely with them with the Managing Director to make it easier for people to build houses in the City and get rid of all of the roadblocks and to be there for them and have a dialogue on the roadblocks. But we're finding out now it's like -- what I'm finding out, actually, is that people will say, Well, L&I is saying you can't do this now. Then when it comes to me, it's turning out that really it's a misunderstanding between the parties, and what we're doing is building an information dialogue back and forth with Building Industry and business so information is known and, as Councilman Goode asked, it's clear what people have to do. So it's not like this only a certain few people know how to get you through. So anybody can go in the system 2083 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget rather effortlessly and do what they need to do as efficiently as possible.
Is there a brochure that speaks to exactly what you just said? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes. There's brochures that we produced in several languages, which we will make available to Council and Council President.
Please. I, among other others, I'm sure, would be interested in that. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Absolutely.
Finally, does your office along with MBAT present workshops of sorts to small emerging start-up businesses to educate, if you will? Because the blueprint also talks about initiating a Business Education Campaign wherein you enlighten and inform prospective business owners about what's required to become legal. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Deputy Commissioner Verdi? 2084 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget DEPUTY COMMISSIONER VERDI: Dominic Verdi, L&I. We do have workshops, and one of the workshops that work out really well for us right now is the day care workshops that we operate approximately every two to three months. They seem to be very informative, very well accepted. We also have areas in which we will go out with the Zoning Board and do more or less information meetings or information sessions with different communities that would request us to give them information in reference to zoning. We also are involved now with, I think it's, University of Penn and a couple of the local colleges whereas when we have students come in from outside the City that don't know -- we have problems with some student housing or some of those issues. We're able to meet the parents and tell them that buildings that are legal, what they should be looking for, and we have a brochure that's basically a brochure that's Partners in 2085 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget Good Housing or Housekeeping that basically gives them all the information to that. So we're working a lot towards more information ahead of enforcement.
Okay. I'd be interested in the workshops for child care. We no longer call it, just an editorial comment, day care. It's known as child care. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER VERDI: I'm sorry. I made a mistake.
That's the politically correct way to -- we take care of children, not the day. Just joking. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER VERDI: We'll have a package of information sent over to Council.
If you could do that, I'd appreciate it. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Councilman, Dominic and I both have that same problem. We forget names. We know what we're talking about, but we forget the exact name of it.
As you 2086 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget plan and do workshops going forward, could you please inform members of Council? I'd very much be interested in coming. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Absolutely. The next one, we'll make everyone know the whole schedule for the coming year.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kelly.
Thank you, Madam President. Good morning, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Good morning, Councilman.
I just want to follow up on the Council President's questioning regarding going back into the billboards. Is it possible if we can identify the companies that are involved in this and the amount of billboards that are unlicensed or don't have the proper permits and whatnot? 2087 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget We're talking about a lot of revenue that we've been remiss in collecting from these companies. I just wonder, can we make this retroactive? Because according to Councilman Rizzo, that this has been going on for almost years, that these people have been getting 8 away with murder literally. I just want to 9 know if there's any way possible that we could 10 go back and -- 11 COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We 12 will ask the Law Department to advise us and 13 share that answer with Council President and 14 Council. 15
Because these people at least have been paying some kind of a payment, I'm sure, to the people who own those buildings per month, per year and whatnot. We could probably find out how many years that billboard has been on their property and then make some kind of a settlement. I think this is a good way to recoup some of the money that we've been missing. The next thing I'd like to do is -- 2088 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget
Excuse me. On that vein, if I may, I just want to say it's not only unfair to the City, but it's unfair to the billboard owners who have been paying and others who have not, and in view of the fact I am assuming that the ordinance that has been sitting over in the Law Department was prepared by your office? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Correct.
Would it be possible for us to have a copy of that draft so that we could review it? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes, Council President.
And could we have that before the end of the day, please? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Absolutely.
Thank you. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: If anyone is listening in my office now, I'll ask 2089 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget them to bring it over.
That would be wonderful. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: If they have availability.
They're listening, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Well, I don't know if they have availability where it is.
I would like to get back to -- I know that you sit in a very, very difficult seat, and I commend you for probably trying to walk a very, very tight line, because in Council, I know Council offices, I've been on both sides of the issue. I call your office and I complain about people who don't have the proper permits, who are doing work that don't have the proper licenses to do the work and doing shoddy work and doing a lot of this thing, and your people do take action on it. 2090 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget On the other hand, I also get complaints that you people take maybe too much action in certain areas, where you could go in and close down an operation for not having an exit sign or going in there and a building may have a sign on their premises for maybe ten or years and you're going in there and you're 9 going in there like almost with the effect of 10 closing them down more or less, and there, I 11 call your office and try to get some kind of a 12 compromised settlement. 13 Is there any way that we could 14 like -- maybe Deputy Commissioner Verdi could 15 answer this more so -- that is it possible that they could be more business friendly when they do go in and find some type of infraction? This is one of the things that I get complaints from business people, that they buy an operation, they buy a business and the sign has been up there for ten or 15 years, they have no idea that they don't have the proper permits for it, and they go in there and they almost threaten them to close them down and to 2091 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget do this and do that. What I would like to see, if they can go in there and explain to the people and what they have to do to make it legal. Now, they may exaggerate some of these things, and maybe they do, but I would just like to pass this on to you, that if there is a way that you could tell your enforcement people that go in there with an attitude of, Look, we're trying to make things right, this is the way to do it, go in steps A, B, C and D, whatever it takes. I know in certain instances that has not been done, and I would just like to address that problem. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I would say I would love people to treat others like they want to be treated, and from that, I will turn it over to Mr. Verdi, who I'm sure has a spin on that, too. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER VERDI: Councilman, in some aspects, what people don't understand is, we won't close a business down because it doesn't have a license for a sign, 2092 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget but the issue is with lawful occupancy signs, the issue is with exit signs, the issue is certain issues with emergency exit lights. These are fire code issues and they're major issues. These businesses do understand what needs to be done. In certain cases, we will give people time to repair those issues. In other cases that are extreme, we don't have the ability, nor do we want to take the responsibility of a dangerous condition hurting someone that goes into that building, and that's why cease operations are initiated. A lot of times when issues with licenses and things of that nature, we have a procedure and we do tell the person prior to any intent to cease letters, prior to any administrative hearings what they need to do. The unfortunate part is, people don't seem to want to take the advice that the inspector gives. In the cases where you say the enforcement officers do go into those locations, fire and electrical violations are 2093 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget very serious issues, and the unfortunate part is, even though if someone buys a building and it has defective fire equipment, it's not the inspector's intention to close down the business just because that person bought it. Again, it's always an issue of what the extreme is.
Well, the point that I'm trying to make is, if a person has had that same violation for maybe ten or years, there are instances where they go in 13 and they have a cease operation immediately on 14 that when you can just look at it and common 15 sense will say, Well, we'll give you three days to repair it or we'll give you two days to repair it since you've been operating this way for ten or 15 years. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: If, in fact, Councilman that it's a fire code violation that we consider serious, we will in fact do immediate cease irregardless of where, who or why.
Commissioner, I think we're -- 2094 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: If it's not --
Where we're differing on is, you're making the judgment of what you consider critical and what may not be critical. I don't know. Who makes that decision? Is it your person that you send out there, your enforcement officer or is it -- COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: The inspector will -- to do a cease, the inspector has to talk to his supervisor, who has to then talk to the manager, and ultimately Deputy Commissioner Verdi or myself will weigh in on it, and we do not take that responsibility lightly. And, as I said, we really do an immediate cease where public safety, health and welfare are critically at risk.
No. I appreciate that. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Otherwise, we have a letter that we call an intent to cease, where if a person is not within compliance of certain things, we will send a letter that we intend to do a cease 2095 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget operations and call them in for a hearing. So we try, and we are, in my estimation, fair and if we err, we'll err on the side of public safety and people's actual life that we feel could be threatened by the presence of the conditions in the building.
Well, as I said before, you're in a very difficult seat, and every once in a while, I guess you could -- COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: As an old supervisor of mine told me when I first got the job 33 years old, he said, Son, you're walking in as a referee and half the people hate you and half the people love you.
Right. Well, since we're on both sides of the issue on the Council, I'm sure you can appreciate that. But you do have a difficult responsibility, and as far as I'm concerned, you're doing a commendable job in doing it. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Thank you very much.
Could you 2096 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget tell me what the new performance management system that's going to be adopted in '06, could you tell me a little bit about that? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I'm going to let Deputy Commissioner Burns explain that for me. Council President, can I take a short break?
Certainly. We'll stand in recess for five minutes. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Thank you. (Short recess.)
Councilman Kelly, continue with your line of questioning. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Thank you, Council President.
Commissioner, resuming our hearing today, I 2097 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget just wanted to know what that new performance management system that you're going to adopt in '06, could you go over that a little bit? DIRECTOR COLLINS-GREENWALD: Good afternoon. I'm Bridget Collins-Greenwald, the Administrative Services Director for the Department of Licenses & Inspections. Deputy Burns was going to touch on this subject, but she's in disposed at the moment, so I'll give it a shot. The Department has embarked on an ambitious campaign to actually track and map our performance. In the past, we had always submitted performance reports based on historical data and whatnot. This year what we are doing is, we've met with every unit in the Department. We've mapped out a strategic plan for each unit. We've actually met with them and come up with what they think is worth measuring versus what we think is worth measuring and come up with some really good concrete means of measurement. April 1st, tomorrow actually, is our goal for implementation -- to start 2098 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget implementation of the program. What we anticipate doing is mapping out exactly where we're going and what we're doing, where we do our inspections versus where our calls may come in and things of that nature. So we anticipate being able to track our performance measures much greater than we do now. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: And, Councilman, when we are completely computerized, it will just make it so much easier for a manager to track himself without management overseeing him. It will be a step in the right direction. And it's sort of -- I'll probably get in trouble with the two ladies to my left for saying this. It's sort of like the Police Department's CompStat where all the violations that are coming in or complaints coming in are up on the screen and we'll say, Hey, what are you doing about this.
That's interesting, because I know -- COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: That's the goal we're trying to get to.
I know there 2099 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget are districts that you go into. Probably you do one -- for instance, whether it be a business strip and you'll go in there probably with not only L&I but you'll go with the Health Department and other departments, the Fire Marshal. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: In business --
Do you do that periodically or is it just every once in a while? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We haven't done it for several years. We used to go in and check out all of the different businesses and the zoning for them. It's an intense effort that, quite frankly, we haven't done, but we individually will do it, but not on a whole strip.
Do you have the personnel to do it? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Personnel is not there to do it. The zoning file, it's so busy during the day to take more activity in it. It's one of the reasons why 2100 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget we wanted to create the Sign Unit. As an example, because there's so much activity with signs and so obviously interest, that to get a handle and have someone manage that for us is needed, and the same with the business census. We did it for a few years and haven't followed up on it since.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ramos.
Mr. Solvibile, we heard testimony a few weeks ago from MBEC and the Administration concerning a Mayoral directive, an Executive Order, on the minority participation in the government, and I know that this will affect all City departments. Has this information 2101 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget gotten to your Department, and, if so, can you share with us how are you proceeding to implement and abide by this Executive Order? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes, it has through via e-mail, and I shared it with my staff. I believe last week it came out. The Mayor signed it, I believe, within a relatively short period of time. Our Department has always been rather active with MBEC because of the demolition end, and myself personally, because I was in fact in charge of demolition. So we worked closely with MBEC throughout the years and making sure there was participation, working with contractors to get them eligible to be able to bid. What we found out with demolition, say, Councilman, there was a lot of people who could do it, but didn't have the business sense or the experience to get bonding, which was a pretty tough bond to get. It's the second highest risk factor in Pennsylvania. Coal mine is the only thing that's more -- has more risk than demolition, is coal minding. 2102 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget So it was tough for business people to start out in the business. And I'm rather proud of the fact that last fiscal year, 39 percent of our, L&I's, demolitions were in fact minority and female-owned companies. That's a lot of effort, and I take pride in it. As an example, we're attempting to hire someone to do some publications for us, and I was talking to the staff person last night that's in charge of that and I told her to reach out to MBEC to find out if companies, plural, that would be interested in doing that work for us. So we are in fact and have been meeting with MBEC, giving them our quarterly reports, and I'm very proud of the effort we have put into it.
39 percent is very a respectable percentage. It shows that you have made a significant effort to make this equitable for all people in our City. Have you set up a goal of bringing 2103 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget 39 to 49? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It could be 100 percent. Our goal is to get every company that can participate to bid. As you know, we're to award demolition to lowest responsible bidder, and the critical part is "responsible" when you're demolishing buildings. And when I say 39 percent, I don't mean like subs. I mean direct contract with companies, 39 percent MBEC, minority and women-owned companies that we contract with, not just -- not counting subs, because there could be subs in that too to bring the percentage of minority firms working higher. And with our stucco, as Council President asked me in a question earlier about having one company, we now have three areas in two companies and one of the companies is in fact a minority-owned business. So I'm real proud of the effort that L&I has and will put into the future in getting participation.
Have you compiled any statistics over the years? And, 2104 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget if not, one of the issues that always comes up with companies, and even if they are minority-owned companies, is, if they are hiring people from the local community. Any way that you've been able to gauge if the contractor that you give the stucco work to is actually hiring people from that community where they might be doing a particular job? Are we making sure, in other words, that the Philadelphians get an opportunity if they're unemployed in particular to work for a company in their own neighborhood? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I believe it's tracked. It's not by the Department. I would have to get back to you. I believe there's an ordinance that Council passed that the Procurement Commissioner -- I'm not quite sure how that works. I'd have to get back to you.
Okay. Also, in light of the minority participation aspect, something that you alluded to earlier, I know that you have and other City departments have started to look into the limited-English 2105 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget proficiency issue and how departments are handling constituents that are in fact limited-English proficient. This is not something that anyone made up, but it turns out that this was something that was part of the Civil Rights Act Bill and was not being implemented. They're probably not being implemented in many other places in many other cities in the country, but this Administration at least had the foresight to go ahead and take a look at this, and an Executive Order also came out a couple years ago, I believe, on this issue of limited-English proficiency. Can you tell me just a little bit of how you have addressed this and what stories you have to tell about it? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Well, we created a Steering Committee and then also the Department in October of last year established a language access policy which was distributed to the Department. We also implemented a telephonic translation service where if someone walks into our public service 2106 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget concourse and speaks one of, I believe, 125 languages, they can converse directly with the person that's trying to elicit information from them. We have --
How does that work? Because I've heard good things about it, but I've heard also that because it's not a person talking to you in the language of the customer, that it's somewhat of a problem. But I've heard good things about it. What has been your experience with the telephone marketing type of approach? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Our staff likes it because in fact it takes away the frustration of trying to deal with someone who does not understand you and it let's them in fact serve that client a little better. And I appreciate the need for that because my father, who -- my grandparents were from Italy and neither of them spoke English, and my father would have to be taken out of school to go with them so they could get basic services, 2107 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget because my father was the only one at that time that could translate. So we appreciate the need. I personally appreciate the need for this service, and our staffers, from what I'm being told, appreciate it because it let's them in fact more efficiently deal with the client that needs the service.
Do you -- COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It's a step in the right direction, let's put it that way.
I follow you. Do you in any way -- and I've asked this of at least one other department that comes to mind. We have always in this country, in Philadelphia particularly in the last seven, eight years, had a wave of new immigrants into Philadelphia. As a matter of fact, we have an Immigrant Bill that's been introduced in this Council. Are you able to have an idea, without getting too into the persons -- too 2108 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget much into their background or their business, be able to determine how many immigrant people we are seeing as customers coming through your public service floor? Any way of determining that? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I don't believe we can presently, but in our LICA system that we're creating, one of the questions will be "what is the language of your choice" on the computer on the application. So we'll be able to track how many different languages and what language the applicant speaks that we can better arrange to serve them in the future. Going forward, that will be online for us.
Is that in place now or it's something that you're working on? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It's being created. For licenses it's in place. Right now when you're filling out the license, it'll ask you the language of your choice. Matter of fact, that was one of our problems when we transferred our license information 2109 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget from our old system to our new system, was created because that field obviously wasn't filled in, what your first choice of language is. And going forward, it will be a great tool that the Department will be able to use and share with whoever needs that information.
And so for next year, God willing, we'll be able to get that information, right? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes, for new licenses and for renewals. Next year we'll have more and better information.
You said but it appeared right now in what application where you have a block for language of choice? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Any license. Any license for the Department. If you're getting a business privilege license --
Do you have any of those numbers compiled, how many were Spanish speaking, how much were Russian speaking? Could you get that for me? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Not yet. I can research, but I'm positive we do 2110 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget not have that information available, but going into the future, we will have that information.
But if you already have this in one form of application, can you take a look at those applications in the last year and add them up for me, see which ones were Spanish speaking, were Italian and so forth? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Actually, we just really went live with it after January 1st. So it's so relatively new.
So that's relatively new as well? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It's that new.
Can you take a look at it in the next days, weeks? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Absolutely.
Just give me an idea. We have a Bill coming up. I don't know when the sponsor is going to bring it up. I think that information helps us take a look 2111 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget at this issue a little deeper. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Not a problem. Whenever a new license has been issued, I'll ask for the language of choice and the breakdown for you and send that to Council President.
You mention you had 280-some inspectors? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: 110 inspectors.
280 was the number of demolitions you were going to do? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: That was the number of demolitions.
How many of those inspectors are bilingual, and in this case, I'm referring to how many of them are Spanish speaking? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: I can give you a departmental breakdown. Do we have it for inspectors? We don't have it for inspectors, but we can give you the breakdown by race in the Department, by gender and race. 2112 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget
But not the inspectors? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Not the inspectors themselves.
Can you get that information for me? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Yes. Absolutely.
Because I know the one thing -- what we have seen in Philadelphia in the last particularly ten, 12 years is that you have mom and pop stores springing up all over the City and they happen to be mostly, not exclusively, by Spanish-speaking people or people whose primary language is Spanish, and I being the only person of Hispanic descent in the Council, I get a lot of folks that come to my office with issues, inspectors are coming here, and I must say that your Department has done a very good job, and my office has a very good working relationship with all of your people over there, but sometimes I get the calls of, I couldn't understand, and I have 2113 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget a -- I learned a lesson a long time ago. I was in New York City walking on Canal Street and every other store had a sign that said aqui se habla espanol, and what it said to me, among other things, was that when you want to do business with people, you really don't care what language and you do anything you can to be able to make your business grow and get those dollar bills into your store. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: As long as the money is green.
I understand. So I just want to make sure that if we have these mom and pop stores that have sprung up, not just on the east side of Broad Street, which was where they were seen before, which the east side of Broad Street has had for over 30 years a significant Hispanic, Spanish-speaking population, but now these merchants or these entrepreneurs have gone on throughout the City, and I just want to make sure that they as taxpayers if -- there you can't go into your telephone system to get an 2114 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget interpreter. You're probably going to need someone, an able body, that speaks their language as well. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER VERDI: Dominic Verdi again. What we've done is in Business Compliance, I have three Spanish-speaking inspectors that work the areas where there are predominantly Spanish-speaking businesses. If other inspectors are in need of those people, they will call. If we do not or if we're not able to get a bilingual inspector out to that location, we also utilize the Police Department, which nine times out of ten has someone that speaks a language or dialect of that area. And if that doesn't work, we have Human Relations to fall back on, and they've offered help to us when we have those issues. But we do in fact have, just in that Business Compliance Unit alone, has 19 inspectors, three of which are Spanish speaking.
Is it enough? 2115 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget DEPUTY COMMISSIONER VERDI: It seems to be enough. I've asked if there's any problems in those areas, and the reports that I get back is that we don't have any complaints. The complaints will go directly to the managers in reference to that or it will come to my attention. If there were any problems at this point, we would address them.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. I'd like to continue the line of questioning to the Commissioner with regards to MBE, WBE participation. You mention that currently you've reached the goal of 35 percent for demolition with MBE, WBE participation, correct? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Last 2116 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget fiscal year, that's what we -- yes, 39.59 percent.
Would the figure be different for NTI emergency curbside demolition? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Well, that is NTI emergency curbside demolition. Curbside demolitions is what L&I oversees, and then the NTI demolitions, which L&I is a part of, is a different level, but that would -- I believe Ms. Smith is going to testify and they'll have that percentage. I do not know it, what the NTI regular demolitions are. One of the things that the NTI regular demolition program has done has created a training program for contractors managed by the African American Chamber of Commerce that has been successful in letting us get, I believe, three new contractors in our list that came from that program. But Ms. Smith will be able to better fill you in on all of that.
I agree with you that that is a program that is 2117 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget working or at least meeting its desired intent. What would the figures be with regards to services, supplies and equipment purchases? Do you have those numbers? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We'd have to get back to you on that with a breakdown by that, but as an example, as I stated, we're now, with Mr. Williams, reaching out to MBEC and getting -- when we have a need for a contractor, we'll reach out to get some people to be able to bid professional services for us for engineering, for various things that we may need to do.
Just for my own knowledge base, how does that happen? Is it via an e-mail, via a memo, via a sit-down saying, This is what we need? Is a list that's sent that covers a certain period of time? Is it standard operating procedure in which that happens? What is the relationship? How and what does that happen? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: We meet with MBEC quarterly, myself, Deputy 2118 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget Commissioner Burns, and we go over what we did and where we're going basically. We discuss it. Basically that's the effort. The other effort that has been throughout my career is that any contractor coming in that wanted to in fact be eligible to bid on our services, we would work hard with to get them the rules and regulations. The one stumbling block has always been the bond, as I said, but getting them the knowledge is an important thing for contractors, and as soon as they can learn how to do it, you find they're successful. Our stucco contractor is successful. We've been a year and I believe that we have not gotten many complaints, if any, to myself. I'm not sure about Deputy Commissioner Evans, how many complaints she's gotten, but it's working out well, and, in fact, from being no 21 minority to 50 percent is --
Substantial. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: -- substantial. 2119 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget
Knowing that bonding continues to be a hurdle, what measures, proactive or planned initiatives, or efforts are underway with the appropriate departments or agencies to deal with the issue of bonding? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Well, that's part of what NTI did by starting the contractors -- I'm really not sure of the name. Contractors to bring in emerging contractors, and in fact, L&I is part of the presentation in the classroom activity. We go there and -- the bonding end and we go over that. And really what we found -- what I found through most of my career is that most of the companies had in fact the expertise to demolish a building. They were failing with the business end of it, and that's where the Chamber greatly enhances in going over -- getting their credit report and things like that. And because of that, myself, when a contractor comes in to meet directly, I'm able to tell them, Look, to get bonded, you need to have a good credit rating, 2120 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget which I guess I realize, but never really thought of in the context of getting a bond. You really need that, and it helps, because instead of dealing with middle men, we're dealing with the direct people doing it, which is great for us because it brings down the cost of doing business, which is the goal. As you can see, with the rising, escalating cost of demolition, we need to do everything we can to get the goal -- keep it low as we can.
Well, we will look forward to receiving the additional back-up information regarding the percentages of MBE, WBE contracts in the area of services, supplies and equipment. And can you move to make that a practice every year, because you'll be asked every year about those percentages? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Not a problem. I have a little cheat sheet here and that's one of the things that -- we made a bet. I made a bet with staff how many questions wouldn't be in our cheat sheet, and 2121 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget that's the first one.
How are you faring with that? Would you give yourself a B plus, or what? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: It makes me seem intelligent, which is not easy to do. So it works.
Thank you, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Thank you.
Are there any other questions or comments from Members of the Committee? (No response.)
Seeing none, this will conclude the testimony from the Department of Licenses & Inspections. COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: Council --
Our next hearing will be the Board of L&I Review. Yes? COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: 2122 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget Council President, this is the ordinance that you asked for, except there was only copies 4 and we're making more for you. I apologize. 5 But they'll be in here shortly, but this is 6 what you asked to get. 7
Fine. 8 Thank you. 9 COMMISSIONER SOLVIBILE: But 10 here they are, Council President. 11 DEPUTY COMMISSIONER BURNS: 12 Good afternoon. This is Fran Burns, Deputy 13 Commissioner for Administration. I'm here to present the testimony for the Zoning Board of Adjustment's Fiscal Year 2006 operating budget request to Council. The Zoning Board of Adjustment is requesting a total Fiscal Year 2006 budget of $442,118 in the City's General Fund. The General Fund budget represents a decrease of $59,290 from Fiscal Year 2005 estimated obligations. This decrease represents the elimination of one full-time employee in Fiscal Year 2006. The Fiscal Year 2006 request will fund five full-time General Fund 2123 3/30/05 - Whole - Budget positions, a reduction of one authorized General Fund position. Are there any questions on the Zoning Board before I proceed?
The one position that's being eliminated, was that someone who was on DROP? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER BURNS: No. 10 That was a layoff in Fiscal Year '05 with the recent reduction in staff, a clerical position.
And was the person that was laid off a clerical person or what position was it? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER BURNS: It was a clerk typist 2.
And was she able to get another position with the City? DEPUTY COMMISSIONER BURNS: Her name right now is certified out to another department. We're not sure if she's been hired or not.