COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, March 19, 2015 10:40 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN ED NEILSON COUNCILMAN DENNIS O'BRIEN COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO MICHAEL A. DECKER, CHIEF CLERK
We're going to get started now. Can I have quiet, please. Members will take their seats and visitors and guests please retire behind the rail. We have a quorum, and we will get started. Thank you. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Elder K. Rose Samuel-Evans of Metropolitan Baptist Church. She is here today as the guest of Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. I'd ask all guests and visitors and members to please rise. ) ELDER SAMUEL-EVANS: Giving honor to our God, a God who sits high but looks low. I stand here, oh God, in the name of God the father, God the son, and God the holy spirit. com) this appointed time through your servant leader Councilwoman at-large Blondell Reynolds Brown, and for this privilege I say thank you. I stand here, God, at a time and moment in history in this month of March on this 19th day in the year 2015, in which the accomplishments of women are being acknowledged. Therefore, thank you, God, for women who help to lead this City and serve on this Council, women in the personalities of Marian Tasco, Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Cindy Bass, my Council representative Jannie L. Blackwell and, of course, Blondell Reynolds Brown. Then, God, because there are heart prints and handprints and footprints that have left a legacy of leadership in this City, I lift up the spirits of the Council of Ethel Allen, Happy Fernandez, and Augustus Clark, women whom I had the privilege to admire and learn from. com) God, now you know I stand before a Council which consists of ten elected district representatives, seven at-large Councilmembers. God, I ask your blessings on each of them, for they are your chosen servants to lead this City, who is in dire need of strong and righteous leadership. And then, God, I stand before the people who come week after week on this Thursday morning with the hopes of knowing that you are still a God who sits on the throne. They hope with expectation and anticipation that this Council, whom they have given their vote of confidence, will enact and pass bills with godly consciousness. God, I know this Council is charged with building a first-class city, where all mankind, irrespective of race, religion, gender, creed, sexual orientation, can live together in peace and prosperity. com) proclaimed, let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. And then, oh God, I pray that the politicians and the preachers and the law enforcement entity can sit down and work together for the betterment of the City, for they have all been charged with the welfare of people. Now, God, I know and understand that according to your word, the poor will always be among us on this earth. Yet, God, I pray that equal attention, resources, and opportunities be given by this Council to neighborhoods such as the one that I come from called Mantua and neighborhoods all around the City be given the same attention as what is called and known as the center of our City. com) Now, God, I stand with the knowledge and understanding the work of Council requires the skills of negotiation through dealmaking, but, oh God, I pray that your righteousness abides in the heart of each Councilmember in such a way that when they make deals, that they'll make deals where poverty is reduced. Let them make deals where jobs are created and livable job wages become a reality.
Let them make deals where homelessness ceases and hunger goes away, that also ends drugs that will transform innocent children from turning into street thugs, because instead of seeing hope, they see dope and they get roped into a pipeline of prison. Oh God, I pray that when deals are made, the Council will hear the voices of children that say they require and need a first-class education. com) of children, that they remember when they were children. If it were not for someone who loved them, guided and re-guided them, showed them unconditional love, where would they be today. God, let every Councilperson remind themselves that they did not make it on their own, but they made it because of a God that will have his way. God, you know even after I enter and exit from this prayer, the problems are not going to go away, but, God, I ask that you have your way that this City of Philadelphia will see brighter days. God bless you all. )
Thank you. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you very much. Thank you. The next order of business is of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, March 12, 2015, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, March 12th, 2015 be approved.
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, March 12th, 2015 stand approved. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the Journal is approved. The next order of business is absence, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the democrats, there are no requests for leaves of absence today.
The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the republicans, there are no requests for leave of absence.
Thank you. The Chair thanks the gentleman. At this time, I would like to take a moment to welcome and thank everyone who has come down today to witness their government in action. We appreciate your participation. We really appreciate the fact that you view this important enough for you to take time out We hope that your stay here is a pleasurable one and a knowledgeable one, so much so that you come back again. Again, thank you so much. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman O'Brien, who will present a resolution recognizing April 2015 as Autism Awareness Month. Would Karen Krivit and those accompanying her please join the Councilman at the podium. And joining Councilman O'Brien, we have Councilman Henon and Councilwoman Bass and Councilman Oh. (Councilmembers and guests approached podium.)
Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to start off by just thanking Darrell Clarke, the President of City Council, and all my colleagues in City Council for their Autism Project. It is now going to enter its second phase. The first phase represented a conversation of over 130 individuals who came up with 119 recommendations that was supported by the Administration in their welcoming of four different agencies that are working cohesively and comprehensively to devise the first municipal response to this ever-growing epidemic known as autism. I'd like to thank the ASERT Collaborative, which stands for Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative. We launched the first census that exists on any disease malady in the history of the United States, and I will always repeat these numbers rather than dwell on idle statistics. By the year 2020, we are going to have 20,000 adults crash the system with no services, 20,000. That's when the bus stops and the parents are home and the children who are now adults go. That is a statistic that mirrors every state population in the United States of America. The autism conversation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is ten years ahead of every other state. We should be proud of that, but through the Philadelphia Autism Project, we are recognizing Philadelphia-specific autism needs and responses, and I'd like to thank everybody that was involved in that conversation; specifically, the Library of the City of Philadelphia, Siobhan Reardon, Sara Moran, and Nate Eddy. They are developing strategies around sensory story time. They're going to disseminate Philadelphia autism-specific information, and they will create physical hubs where individuals living with autism and their families can go there and experience a very positive environment. Karen Krivit, who you're going to hear from, has been wonderful in services in this conversation through Elwyn, who has always been a leader in early intervention and programs for individuals living with all disabilities but very, very successful in the field of autism. And I'd like to also recognize our Builders Owners and Managers who are going to light this city up blue in the autism awareness conversation going forward. So with that, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to begin to read this resolution. Whereas, April is National Autism Awareness Month. Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), describes a complex neurological disorder that affects, in varying degrees, language and social skill development, characterized by challenges in communication and social interactions, repetitive behaviors and movement; and Whereas
In 2014, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 1 in 68 children, that is to say 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls, in the United States of America will meet the criteria for ASD diagnosis; and Whereas, the Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative (ASERT) released the Pennsylvania Autism Census Update in 2014 and found that in Philadelphia, the number of individuals with autism receiving services has more than doubled from 2005 to 2011, and despite increased awareness many adults with autism remain undiagnosed, misdiagnosed and are not receiving services; and
Whereas, Karen Krivit, a licensed social worker and the Training and Resource Specialist at Elwyn's Philadelphia Early Intervention Program, has been a leader in outreach to underserved individuals families, through her direct community based practice and by providing training and consultation to day care centers, and community and professional groups; and Whereas, Ms. Krivit's demonstrated commitment is evidenced by her development of the A-List Annual Resource Guide, the Philadelphia Autism Network Workshops, the Philadelphia Professional Autism Networking workgroup, and more recently her video series that addresses cultural differences and other roadblocks that prevent individuals and families from accessing needed services; and
Whereas, the Free Library of Philadelphia, under the leadership of Siobhan Reardon, is actively working to ensure that their libraries are welcoming environments for individuals and families with autism, including efforts to develop sensory story time and other programming that is of children and adults living with autism; and Whereas, the Free Library is working with the Philadelphia Autism Project in our efforts to create accessible physical hubs throughout the community to disseminate Philadelphia specific autism resources, promote awareness initiatives, and serve connecting sites for individuals and families living with autism; and
Whereas, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Philadelphia warmly embraced the idea of Philadelphia to Light It Up Blue, to raise awareness of autism; and Whereas, BOMA has worked with their members to make this celebration a reality so buildings in Philadelphia will light up blue on World Autism Awareness Day, Thursday, April 2nd, for the first time ever in Philadelphia; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, the City of Philadelphia, that we hereby recognize April 2015 as Autism Awareness Month in honor of individuals living with Autism, their families and those working to improve the quality of life for the entire Autism community. And further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Karen Krivit of Elwyn, as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body. Karen, I would like to present this citation and welcome you to City Council to offer remarks. (Applause.)
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Ms. Krivit for remarks.
Thank you. I can only stand here today and hope with all my heart that in another 20 years, the programs for people with autism that actually no longer be needed. In the meantime, I will keep creating, helping, teaching, advocating and, most of all, collaborating with all of you in this City. It is a thrilling time for me to be recognized and to have the support from the City Council to create culturally sensitive, family-friendly videos that will be featured at community library outreach events in the next few months. I want to thank the members of City Council and Denny's team for this honor, and I want to thank my agency, Elwyn, for allowing me to be innovative when resources are scarce. Autism is a controversial field. There's no cure and there's no known cause. So information about this syndrome can be distorted, and finding good services and programs can be confusing. Therefore, I strive to help all families and especially the underserved. I am honored to be recognized for my work, and I'm pleased to say thank you to everybody. (Applause.)
Thank you. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson, who will present a resolution recognizing the Reverend Dr. Napoleon Livingston Divine and Mr. Dahn Kepayea Dennis. Would Mr. Dennis and those accompanying him please join the Councilman at the podium. And shall I say joining Councilman Johnson, we have Councilman Oh, Councilwoman Bass, Councilman Greenlee, and Councilman Goode and Councilwoman Blackwell. (Councilmembers and guests approached podium.)
During some time ago last year, we as a city and specifically members of City Council wrapped our arms around the Liberian community after a fire where there was a loss of life of particularly two young babies, and as we advocate in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, we want to continue to support members of the Liberian community, members of the African and Caribbean community. And today we'll be honoring two individuals who are leaders of that community who played a significant role in making sure that the members of his community was supported through that tragedy. I would be remiss if I wouldn't acknowledge the leadership of my colleague Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, the plate and began organizing and working with me to make sure that the members of the Liberian community receive all the resources and necessary support that they needed on behalf of the City of Philadelphia. So I want to thank her for her leadership, working with this community but also, most importantly, partnering and working with me to make sure that we supported the family as much as possible. And I thank all my colleagues for joining me during this presentation. And the resolution reads: The Council of the City of Philadelphia is pleased and proud to honor, recognize and commend the Reverend Dr. Napoleon Divine, an ordained Baptist Minister, and Mr. Dahn Dennis, an advocate for the Liberian community, for their devotion to their communities and the people of Philadelphia.
Whereas, both Reverend Dr. Divine and leaders in their communities -- and this we know personally -- and hold advanced degrees; and Whereas, Reverend Dr. Divine and Mr. Dennis serve as leaders of the Liberian community on the local and national level as founding members of our organization, the Mayor's Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs, and are Board members of various organizations devoted to improving the quality of life of Liberians in the United States; and
Whereas, both men advocate for rights of the Liberian community in the United States and in Liberia through offering services such as interpretation, scholarship, transportation, tutoring, housing, cultural awareness and other community-related services while fostering reconciliation among Liberia's warring parties and bringing about peace Liberia; and
Whereas, both the Reverend Dr. Divine and Mr. Dennis have provided relief and support to the victims of the tragic fire that took place in Southwest Philadelphia the morning of July 5th, 2014 and resulted in the destruction of eight homes, the dislocation of 43 residents and the death of four children under the age of 5; and
Whereas, the Reverend Dr. Divine and Mr. Dennis sought to uplift the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of the victims of the fire and helped them to re-establish themselves and improve their states of well-being; and
Whereas, the Reverend Dr. Divine and Mr. Dennis are both married and abide by the Bible passage in Proverb Chapter 3 Verse 5, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in Him and He will direct your path; now, therefore
Resolved, that the Council of the City of Philadelphia, hereby honors, recognizes and commends the Reverend Dr. Napoleon Divine, an ordained Baptist Minister, and Mr. Dahn Dennis, an advocate for the Liberian community, for their devotion to their communities and the people of Philadelphia. Further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Reverend Dr. Napoleon Divine and Mr. Dahn Dennis as evidence of the sincere admiration of this legislative body. On behalf of the City of Philadelphia, we would like to officially present these citations to Dr. Divine and Mr. Dennis. (Applause.)
I want to give a special shout-out to Mr. Dennis, alumni and a student with me as we both attended Mansfield University of Pennsylvania in upstate Pennsylvania. And so it's not too many Philadelphians who actually attended school in the middle of the country, but I do want to say it's a pleasure working with you and being back on the path here in the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Mr. Dennis for remarks.
Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. President, City Council members, my family, senior advisor Dr. Tolbert, and good morning to all of us. I'm very happy to be here in front of us, and a message from the Ambassador, Jeremiah C. Suluteh, to the City Council for this recognition. We won't have done it without the support of the City Council, particularly Councilman Johnson. And to all City Council members who were there for us, for our people, for our community, we want to say thank you very much. My appeal and request to City Council right now is, our community is growing. The Liberian community is growing every day. We have people moving out of state from other states moving to our City of Philadelphia, and our youth population is also growing, and we need to have some programs to keep our youth going and keep them off the street. So my appeal is please help us to get a building so that we can provide programs, after-school programs and some mentoring programs, for our young folks so that they can have a place to go after school. And those who are high school dropouts, we will have programs to help them. Not that they're not smart in school, but they don't have the skills. The foundation is not there. So that we a foundation and also be productive citizens in Philadelphia. Again, thank you very much. On behalf of Liberian community, I want to say thank you, thank you. We will forever remember this citation. (Applause.)
Please do. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Distinguished members of City Council, I'm very delighted to be here to represent the Reverend Dr. Napoleon Divine, who could not make it today due to health reason. I'm sure he's going to cherish this citation. Thank you and God bless you.
Thank you so much. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you very much. Before we proceed with our next presentation, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Council President. In my councilmanic district, I happily have collaborated from its founding day with the Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School in Frankford. Over our relationship, part of what we do is provide internship opportunities for young women and men from Frankford and all over the City. Over the last month, I've had two wonderful young ladies in my office. I'm going to ask them to stand. Come on, Amini and Pastel, get up. (Applause.)
Amini Vance is 17 years old. She's a senior at Sankofa Freedom Academy. She's currently wants to major in criminal justice and business at Lincoln University, my alma mater. Pastel Albritton is age 18. She's also a senior. She's researching teen homelessness and she's planning to major in sports management at Temple University. They've been with us for a month. Tomorrow is their last day. I want to thank them. They came into the office and were willing to do whatever was necessary, and they helped me keep real and gave me some new terminology. So thank them very much, and I look forward to being at their graduation this June.
Congratulations. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Neilson, who will Drexel University Senior Christopher Gray. Would Mr. Gray and those accompanying him please join the Councilman at the podium. And joining Councilman Neilson, we also have the District Councilperson, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. (Councilmembers and guests approached podium.)
Thank you, Mr. President. For years we've been hearing how Philadelphia is an incubator of talent. Many times we don't know that until after kids graduate from school and they're long gone on their way up the corporate ladder. However, we have a distinct honor today in recognizing a Drexel University senior today. He's here. He's created a great application, which we'll talk about a little bit, to help inner City kids and everybody across the country to have the ability to attend college, to look at different things. tread on my resolution, but having five kids and one in high school now getting ready to make that journey and start looking into colleges, this is a great application for him. So without further adieu and -ready, Councilwoman? I'll start it off. A resolution recognizing and congratulating Drexel University Senior Christopher Gray for serving as a role model of entrepreneurship, and on the business success of his software application Scholly, designed to improve access to scholarship support for aspiring college students in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Whereas, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, high school graduation peaked to 3.43 million students in 2010, declining slightly through 2014-15, but is expected to rise again to over 3.4 million by 2017; Whereas, almost 21 million students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions in 2011. The Department of Education expects that total of college students will increase to 24 million through 2021; and Whereas, according to NACAC, only 54 percent of high school student graduates from the lowest income enroll in college, while African American and Hispanic heritage students make up almost 35 percent of the college-aged population. They represented only 29 percent of postsecondary education enrollees; and Whereas, college funding concerns are a reality for most college bound students and their families. While some academic funding is based upon academic performance or outstanding athletic achievements, many scholarships, grants, and loan programs have become based on an income-based component and are critical to making college more students, including low income, who could not otherwise afford to attend college; and Whereas, matching the unique characteristics, strengths, and financial need of individual students to scholarship and financial aid programs can be complex and overwhelming. Some online and published sources offer free information to students on financial aid sources. Many national scholarship databases are licensed only to institutions, while other scholarship software programs are costly; and
Whereas, although Christopher Gray was the child of a teenage mother, he did not let his circumstances define him, demonstrating an entrepreneur spirit at the age of 13, starting his own video game delivery service; and Whereas, still in high school, Christopher Gray expended a great deal of time and effort in finding and applying programs, and by graduation, he had been awarded $1.3 million in scholarships; and Whereas, Christopher Gray is a Gates Millennium Scholar, a Horatio Alger National Scholar and Coca-Cola Scholar, among others; and Whereas, determined to help other students find scholarship money, as a finance and entrepreneurship major at Drexel University, Gray joined with two Drexel computer-science majors to help create Scholly, a scholarship search program that launched in 2013; and Whereas, Scholly has received national attention by publications including Forbes and USA Today. In addition, Scholly was chosen as one of Inc. Magazine's 2014 Top College Start-up programs; and Whereas, Christopher Gray recently appeared on the television program "Shark Tank" where he successfully pitched his business to his application. Since his television appearance, Scholly: Scholarship Search, by Scholly, Inc., is now a top seller on iTunes as a 99 cent download and is available for iPhone and Android devices on the web; now, therefore Resolved, by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that we recognize and congratulate Drexel University Senior Christopher Gray for serving as an exemplary role model of entrepreneurship, and on the business success of his software application Scholly, designed to improve access to scholarship support for aspiring college students in Philadelphia and beyond. Further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Christopher Gray as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body. Certainly I was happy to join with Ed Neilson and happy that this was of City Council. Thank you. (Applause.)
First off, I want to thank the City of Philadelphia, especially Councilwoman Blackwell and Councilor Neilson. I think that this has been a really good experience and I think that -- I've been in Philly for about four years. I'm originally from Birmingham, Alabama, and actually my work here in Philly working with the students between 2010-2013 actually really inspired me to create Scholly. So I'm really happy that the program is now a national awareness, but it's also really been a cornerstone here in Philly and really allowing the app to really help as many students here as possible and also really starting to eventually help students across the world. So thank you guys for having me here, and I really hope that I continue to make Philly home and help as many students as possible. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. Thank you so much. And the next order of business is communications. The Chair requests that the Sergeant-of-Arms delivers the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. Mr. Decker, please read those communications.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, pursuant to Sections 4-604 and 2-307 of the Home Rule Charter, I am today transmitting to the Council the recommendations of the City Planning Commission on the following bills: Bill Nos. 150121 and 150124, and I am pleased to advise you that on March 17, 2015, I signed all the bills which were passed by Council at its session on March 5, 2015.
Mr. Decker, do you have any additional communications?
Thank you very much. The next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you. Mr. President, today I introduce one non-privileged resolution.
A non-privileged resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in Twenty-Fourth and Fifty-First Wards of the City of Philadelphia.
And that resolution will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one resolution on your behalf.
A non-privileged resolution authorizing the establishment of the Cecil B. Moore and Temple University Special Services District.
That resolution will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Council President. I offer one resolution co-introduced with Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez.
A privileged resolution calling for City Council to hold hearings to examine the City of Philadelphia's process and methods for assessing vacant lots and land generally, and to evaluate whether any improvements are needed to increase the accuracy of those valuations to avoid losing crucial property tax revenue.
That will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. And the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you very much, Councilman. There's a Barry White thing going on there.
An ordinance amending Chapter 12-3000 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Use Of An Automated Red Light Enforcement System To Prevent Red Light Violations," by authorizing the installation of red light enforcement systems at the intersection of 26th Street and Penrose Avenue.
And that bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have two bills and one resolution sponsored by all members of City Council.
An ordinance amending Chapter 12-3000 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Use Of An Automated Red Light Enforcement System To Prevent Red Light Violations," by authorizing the installation of red light enforcement systems at the intersection of 2nd Street and Erie Avenue; and An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Front Street, Norris Street, Frankford Avenue, and Oxford Street.
And those two bills will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a privileged resolution recognizing and celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.
And that will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Neilson.
Thank you, Mr. President. You're really giving me a microphone that can't be shut off? I appreciate that. So while I have everybody's attention... I have nothing for you today, Mr. President.
Thank you so much, Councilman. I always try something new in this City Council. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Brien.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
A non-privileged resolution calling on the Nutter Administration to pursue PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) or voluntary contributions from large non-profit institutions to address the City's school funding crisis.
And that will be on this week's -- next week's. (Applause.)
Next week's. I'm sorry. That will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning. I offer one resolution and one bill signed by all members of Philadelphia City Council.
Correction. That's two bills, one resolution and one bill signed by all members of City Council.
An ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter establishing and defining the responsibilities of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Affairs; fixing the date of a special election for such purpose; prescribing the form of ballot question to be voted on.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending Subcode PM of Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code by amending Section PM-308, entitled "Rubbish and Garbage," to add requirements relating to provision of containers for, and disposal of, rubbish, garbage and recycling materials.
That bill will also be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a non-privileged resolution proposing an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for the creation of an Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Affairs, to provide for the powers and duties of such Office, and to otherwise provide for the incorporation of the Office into the City government.
And that resolution will be referred to committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you again, Mr. President. Good morning. I have one resolution on your behalf.
A privileged resolution calling for the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings on the ShotSpotter gunfire detection system and other technologies to explore how they might be used in Philadelphia to reduce gun violence.
And that will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
An ordinance amending Section 9-204 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Sidewalk Vendors in Center City," by eliminating previously designated vendor locations in Center City.
Referred to committee. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
A privileged resolution recognizing and honoring the Northwest Raiders Athletic Association for winning the 2014 Pop Warner Super Bowl Championship for the "Midget" Division.
That will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. And the Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you, Council President. I offer one bill and two resolutions, and may I be heard on the bill?
An ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of the proposal set forth in the Resolution approved by City Council proposing an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to extend the functions of the Department of Streets by amending "Section 5-500" of "ARTICLE V - EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE BRANCH - POWERS AND DUTIES Managing Director and Departments, Boards and Commissions under his Supervision" "CHAPTER 5 - DEPARTMENT OF STREETS AND ITS DEPARTMENTAL BOARD," to impose an obligation on the Department of Streets for streets not owned, controlled, or operated by the City to cause the owner to remediate streets that pose peril to persons or property or to itself remediate the peril to persons or property and to recover the costs of doing so from the owners.
And a non-privileged resolution proposing an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to extend the functions of the Department of Streets by amending "Section 5-500" of "ARTICLE V - EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATION BRANCH - POWERS AND DUTIES Managing Director and Departments, Boards and Commissions under his Supervision."
And a privileged resolution recognizing and honoring the Benjamin Franklin American Legion Post 405 for its dedication to Philadelphia and the United States with its mission of the American Legion.
That will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. And the Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Council President. Regarding the bill, since being elected and being citywide, I've gone to various neighborhoods across our city and have come across very frustrated residents who complain about deteriorating bridges and roads, and they turn out that these bridges and roads are not owned by the City of Philadelphia. They are called orphan bridges or unclaimed roads. And there's been a lot of frustration, and I understand the frustration, but I'd like to see if we can amend the Charter so that the power is given to the Streets Department to pursue whoever owns those roads or bridges or overpasses to repair them or come up with the money to do so. In particular, I'd like to say that I do understand about the railroads and I do question particularly overpasses and bridges that connect either public roads and go over a rail line or are a private property bridge that is a rail line above a public street, that after decades of non-use and deterioration, they've become a hazard and a danger to the pedestrians and drivers in Philadelphia. And I believe that it is important that these private owners maintain these passageways and ensure and otherwise provide some type of funding to the City to ensure that we can operate them safely. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Councilman. That concludes the introduction of bills and resolutions, and the next order of business is reports from committee. And the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco for a report from the Committee on Finance.
Mr. President, the Committee on Finance reports out four bills with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. Mr. Decker, please read that report.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee on Finance, Bill No. 150078, entitled "An ordinance amending Subsection 19-2604, Subparagraph (8) of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Green Roofs' Tax Credit,' to change the requirements for the credit and make other technical changes"; and Bill No. 150144, entitled "An ordinance amending Section 2-305 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Office of Property Assessment; Chief Assessment Officer; Powers and Duties,' by modifying the documentation requirements for real estate tax exemption"; and Bill No. 150159, entitled "An ordinance constituting the Thirteenth Supplemental Ordinance to the General Gas Works Revenue Bond Ordinance of 1998; authorizing the City of Philadelphia to sell, either at public or private sale, one or more series of Gas Works Revenue Bonds and Gas Works Revenue Bonds to refund such bonds"; and Bill No. 150160, entitled "An Supplemental Ordinance to the General Gas Works Revenue Bond Ordinance of 1975; authorizing the City of Philadelphia to sell, either at public or private sale, Gas Works Revenue Bonds, of the City of Philadelphia, in one or more series or subseries to be issued to pay the cost of refunding or redeeming all or a portion of all of the outstanding Gas Works Revenue Bonds and other Project Costs," respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. The Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
I move that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill Nos. 150078, 150144, 150159, and 150160. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bills No. 150078, 150144, 150159, and 151060. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and these bills will be on our First Reading Calendar today. The Chair now recognizes Councilwoman Tasco again for a report from the Committee on Public Health and Human Services.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Public Health and Human Services reports one bill with a favorable recommendation.
The Committee on Public Health and Human Services, to which was referred Bill No. 150090, entitled "An ordinance amending Chapter 10-600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Regulation of Individual Conduct and Activity,' to modify certain exceptions from Subsection 10-602, Subparagraph (3), entitled 'Smoking Prohibited,' and from Section 10-614, entitled 'Electronic Smoking Devices,'" respectfully reports it has considered and amended the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation.
I move that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill No. 150090. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to allow first reading this day of Bill 150090. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and this bill will be placed on our First Reading Calendar today. That concludes our reports from committee, and the next order of business is consideration of the Calendar. I note that those bills just reported from committee have been deemed to have had a first reading. These bills will be placed on our Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. As there are no additional 2ND READING bills on the First Reading Calendar, the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones for the purpose of calling up bills and resolutions on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up from Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars today: No. 150200, 150201, 150202, 140906, and 150122. All other resolutions and bills are being held.
Thank you very much. Before moving forward to a vote on these bills and resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar, we will have our public comment session. The public comment session will go as follows: If you are interested in testifying on a bill or resolution on the Final Passage Calendar today, if you haven't already done so, I'd ask that you please sign up at the table to my left. When your name is called, you will be given three minutes to testify. You will go to the podium in the middle of the Chamber. There's a device. When the light turns green on that device, it is your time to speak. When the light turns yellow, you will have 30 seconds to conclude your remarks. When the light turns red, we'd ask that you please adhere to the guidelines and conclude your remarks. Thank you very much for your participation and your cooperation. Mr. Decker, please call the name of the first individual.
Good morning, Councilman Clarke and other Councilmembers. This bill I'm -- I want to talk about Bill 140906, which concerns Urban Experiential Displays. This bill allows the right to install very large digital commercial advertising signs to be sold for almost nothing, peanuts in the word of Inga Saffron, architecture critic for the Inquirer. If the City needs income so much that it is willing to permit huge advertising signs on Broad Street and at the Convention Center, then City Council should be sure to get the highest price possible for such signs if and when they are sold. City Council needs to be guarding the City's assets very carefully instead of perhaps being swayed by $10,000 and campaign contributions from the developer. This bill allows the goose that lays the golden eggs of advertising income to be sold for the price of a goose, not the much higher value of the golden eggs of commercial advertising. In addition, it appears that some of the legislation was written or influenced by the developer who hopes to profit from this arrangement. Take the measurement that limits how bright these signs are. The 7,500 nits is 50 percent above industry standards, and the note on one draft of the bill as it is being amended said "Thaddeus to supply." Thaddeus would probably be Thaddeus Bartkowski, the sign developer. Nits are very important in measuring digital sign brightness. Foot-candles are the measurement you want to use if you're interested in how bright your living room is when you walk in and turn on the light. You don't usually take off the lamp shade and look at a bulb and say, Hey, that looks too bright. On the other hand, sometimes your computer screen looks too bright. You know this because your eyes tell you when you look directly at the screen. Nits is the measure most like looking at a computer screen and knowing it is too bright. That is the one Thaddeus apparently provided the number for. It is a key to ensuring the signs are not too bright. Sure, nits are not easy to measure. So where is the clause in the bill that says that sign is installed and the scaffolding is still up, a professional should come in and measure while the scaffolding is still there. When I read the bill, I could not even find a limit on how big the overall sign is, only limits for the video area, and that is -- and is Thaddeus the only game in town? Councilman Squilla first said he signs his art. He says to the Rules Committee, if you look at the three sites that we picked, I think you could agree that all three of them don't have tremendous architectural value. We have a parking garage on the Avenue of the Arts. Well, the front facade of that parking garage was designed by internationally known architect and designer Michael Graves, who recently died. Some of us could not agree that it doesn't have architectural value. Please think about it before you vote yes on this bill and sell once and for all the goose that could lay golden eggs for the City for the price of an ordinary goose.
Michelle Sahl, commenting on 140906. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. Thank you, Mr. President, City Council members, and fellow Philadelphians. I'm speaking today on behalf of my opposition to Bill 140906. The City has recently spent millions of dollars refurbishing the exterior of the gem that we currently convene in - City Hall. Down the same corridor as where we are currently meeting, we highlight beautiful examples of art in City Hall. In part thanks to our City's place in history, we will soon be hosting a visit from the Pope and we will be welcoming the Democratic National Committee for the 2016 democratic presidential nomination. Philadelphia should be on the forefront of progress and positive change of value. Greening the City has ushered in new leads, guidelines, expansion of and improvements in parks, mini parks, walking trails, and an abundance of conservation initiatives such as Greenworks for the City, which has made notable progress since 2008 in meeting or exceeding our goals in energy consumption and greenhouse emissions. As Scenic Philadelphia has well stated, our greening initiatives could be set back dramatically by the consumption of energy required by enormous digital signage. Bills such as 140906 that support the increased electricity consumption for digital signage place us one step ahead in the greening race and three steps backwards for energy conservation. Other cities who are actually leading the way in digital signage control include Bismarck, North Dakota; Mobile, Alabama; Kansas City; and various municipalities in Illinois. Do we want to stand behind them in line? I don't think so. We should be ahead of the curve. We should be ahead rather than being at the end of the line waiting to see the lights flashing in our rear-view mirror. Thank you.
Michael McGettigan, commenting on 140906. (Witness approached podium.) MR. McGETTIGAN: Hello.
Good morning. MR. McGETTIGAN: I brought a single LED with me. I can guarantee it's definitely not as bright as anything that people are going to have to contend with if these UEDs go through. At a recent hearing, the guys from the Convention Center said they were worried that people would have trouble finding their facility and thus we needed that sign, which raises the question, A, are they competent; B, why does not the Convention Center build, operate, and profit from their own illuminated sign? Did Bartkowski buy up all the LEDs? Seriously, was this course of action explored and dismissed? If not, we should know why. Number two, in all enterprises, timing is key. Mr. Bartkowski and Catalyst are very late to the party development-wise. Market East and South Broad Street are on the move. Thank you, Carl Dranoff. Thank you, Daniel Killinger. There's no need to use billboard blight as a driver. Of course, the New York Times recently reported that Times Square, while a success at attracting millions of gawkers who buy T-shirts, is not a commercial success. In fact, it's becoming a growing problem for New York's midtown. Our newest Philadelphians, by the way, millennials, are the key to -is this thing distracting anybody? Okay. -- (continued) are the key to Philadelphia's growth, and here too Catalyst is behind the curve. I see a lot of smartphones and mobile devices. That is how millennials get their information, not from TVs on a stick, which is essentially what Mr. Bartkowski III is selling. Recently, former City Councilman-turned lobbyist, Frank DiCicco, said that -- suggested that UED opponents move to Mayberry, implying that billboards are somehow intrinsic to Philadelphia. Does Mayberry have the Liberty Bell, which does not ring and is not equipped with speakers? Does Mayberry have the Rocky steps, which don't light up? These are the core of what brings tourists and businesses here and part of the beauty they and we who live here value. I would like to thank Councilman Kenyatta Johnson for seeing the LED, or the light, in opposing signs in his district, and I would ask that he represent all of us by pledging to vote against these UEDs anywhere in our city. We've talked about who it's going to hurt. Who benefits and how much? This morning I spoke with Ms. Anne Kelly in Councilman Squilla's office. I asked her did she know how much -everybody has heard 5.2 million over 25 years going to our arts groups, which is really a drop in the bucket, and we need money for many other sources, but did she know how much Mr. Bartkowski would make from these TV billboards? No, she did not. I couldn't believe this. I said, Check around, and she said, No, I know as much about the UEDs as anyone in this office, including Councilman Squilla. She checked around, got back to the phone, and told me no one had asked how much Mr. Bartkowski expects to make from these, from selling our public space for his private profit. I think that's a relevant question. Thank you very much. Please vote against this.
Mary Tracy, commenting on 140906. (Witness approached podium.)
-- Mr. President and esteemed members of Council. My comments will be very brief, because I haven't really seen the amended bill, and I have to say Councilman Squilla has done everything under the sun to try to make this a better bill. But the problem with this bill is that it's a terrible bill, and it was terrible from the beginning and no matter what improvements he has been trying to make, it's still going to be terrible when we walk around the corner and we see a huge 1,500, 3,000, 2,500 square foot television screen five, six stories high that's dominating our beautiful city. And I just don't see what the benefit is, and of course, I'm not objective on this. But I did want to share with Councilmembers that we tried to set up -Scenic America tried to set up a gateway for e-mailing you so people could share their opinion, and I think there's a glitch in your system and so they all bounced. And so what we set up instead was a place where people could actually sign a petition, and to date, we have almost 500 names on that petition, and that's just people who have gotten word of it. It is spreading. And the people who -- and I think the other thing is Councilman -- and we know about councilmanic privilege, and we certainly respect that, but our Center City is more than just one Council district. No matter where you live in the City -- and I used to live in West Philly for 25, 30 years, and I always brought my guests, my family to Center City. The activities are in Center City. The restaurants are in Center City. It's the place that no matter where you live in the City, we all take pride in our downtown area. And so I think that there is a responsibility for every single Councilmember to take some responsibility for Center City and not just think of it as one Councilperson's responsibility. And I'll be back next week I think because I know there were a lot of people who were planning to come today 3/19/15 - STATED - 2ND READING and we didn't realize there will be a second reading. And I certainly appreciate if members would think really seriously about this and not vote in favor of it. Thank you.
There are no other speakers on the public list, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. We will now consider the bills and resolutions. Before we do that, I recognize Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to say thank you to also Scenic Philadelphia, Mary Tracy, because I think her input into this bill has really made a difference, and I do think that the mechanism for enforcement and brightness are something that it's 3/19/15 - STATED - 2ND READING going to be second to none than any other city, and working with Councilman Henon on a citywide enforcement is also something that's came out of this. So I really do appreciate all their help and support. Maybe not support, but their help in giving us ideas on how to make this better, and I think now we have the most inclusive bill that we could possibly have moving forward. So thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. We will now consider the bills and resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar. Mr. Decker, can you please read the title of 150200.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain 3/19/15 - STATED - 2ND READING City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Thirty-Seventh Ward of the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 150200 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 150201.
A resolution calling for the Acting Insurance Commissioner of Pennsylvania to find as a 3/19/15 - STATED - 2ND READING matter or fact and law that every Pennsylvania motorist who has health insurance has met the legal requirement of having included in his or her auto coverage a medical benefit of $5,000 and should not be forced to pay for the same coverage a second time.
The Chair again recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 150201 is adopted. 3/19/15 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. Decker, 150202.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Forty-Ninth Ward of the City of Philadelphia.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco for a motion.
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The 3/19/15 - STATED - 2ND READING ayes have it. Resolution 150202 is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 140906.
An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, by amending Chapter 14-500, entitled "Overlay Zoning Districts," to add a new Section 14-516, entitled "/UED Urban Experiential Display Overlay Control District."
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer an amendment to this bill. The amendment has been circulated to all members of Council.
Is there a second? (Duly seconded.) COUNCIL PRESIDENTS CLARKE: There are amendments to 140906. There's been a motion and a second. All those in favor? 3/19/15 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Bill No. 140906 is amended and it will be placed on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. Mr. Decker, 150122.
An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2015 from the General Fund, certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions, the Grants Revenue Fund, the Director of Finance - Provision for Other Grants to the General Fund, certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions.
This bill has been heard on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. 3/19/15 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. Decker, please call the roll.