We will do all the easy ones first. And then the third question is, I understand there is a lot of rethinking going on about the shelter at 21st and Clearfield Street. Is that an ongoing process?
The shelter system is 2592 BILL 980003 not part of our budget, so I wouldn't be familiar with that. But if you have a question, I can make sure that it gets answered by Michael Nardone.
I am not one of the people favoring it. I was at the Zoning Board, and all of their activities in opposition to it from the neighborhood point of view. But I am also very concerned with respect to the kind of service it will deal with. It just did not seem to me to be fit for women and children, after having examined it. But I would like to know I don't want to beat a dead horse. If it is a dead issue and it is not going to rise again, fine. But I would just like to know what the level is of interest by the Administration. That's the one that I understand the original proposal was for something like $750,000. And it looks as if by current estimates, the cost would be tripled. And I would hardly think it was 2593 BILL 980003 worthwhile. Sometimes you have to cut your losses and take them. But if you could look into that and get me an answer. The last one is, on the question I think the Chair raised with you before, about one of the three units in your office. My question may be a little different than Councilwoman Verna, because she is very ladylike, and I am often not gentlemanly-like in the question. I want to know when is the money going to be paid. I wouldn't say I could care less about negotiations. But negotiations is an ongoing process, and I hope they are successful from both ends, management and labor. But I don't think that negotiations has anything whatever to do with the payment of that 3 percent raise. And all I want to know today is, is there an agreement to pay it, or do I introduce -- what's today? Wednesday? Tomorrow is Council day. Councilman Ortiz, I would appreciate it if you paid attention, because I am going to be 2594 BILL 980003 calling on your staff for assistance if the answer is unfavorable, and they may have to work late tonight. Or do we have to introduce the resolution to City Council and call for public hearings, as we did on the Register of Wills and the Sheriffs in order to get them paid? Because we just think it is totally unreasonable to withhold that wage increase from this group of roughly 35 people, mostly women, mostly minority, while you negotiate other issues. Whether the union is right in charging that you are trying to take rights away from them, or whether you are right in saying the union is, you know, unreasonable in its demands, that, you will just decide through negotiations. But we think that holding that pay increase hostage makes no sense, and it is a policy that I think this Council would disagree with totally. Now, we tried to do it easy and soft. We have raised this issue now it is well over a month. So I would just like from you one 2595 BILL 980003 answer. Is there agreement that the money should be paid right away, or is it still the policy -- oh, I raised it with the Personnel man when he was here for your department. Or do we go ahead and do what we have to do? We just think it is just dead wrong, no matter what the other issues are, to hold this 3 percent increase, or whatever the figure was, hostage.
We all agree with the economic terms of the D.C. 33 agreement, including the pay raise. But let me be clear, we need an executed contract. I think we all agree on that. And the way to a contract is through satisfactory completion of negotiations. Now let me --
Is your staff ready for tonight? I don't want to go into discussion because I couldn't disagree more vehemently. And it is getting late in the day, and there are other witnesses, otherwise I would be ready to proceed at length. But we don't think you really have 2596 BILL 980003 any right. I think, John, it is disgraceful to try to put pressure on the union to come to terms the way think it ought to be, because you're management in that case, really. When you are dealing with this group of people, you know you are going to have to pay the increase, because it was negotiated, and you are trying to eke out another pound of flesh, apparently. Maybe the union, this would lead me to believe that probably the union is right in its characterization of what management seeks. But all I want to know for this purpose is, is the matter going to be resolved the right way, or should we go ahead? I just want to know because tomorrow is a Council day, and you are saying that you are not prepared to okay the payment of that 3 percent increase.
We agreed to the so-called signing bonus of $1100 months ago, without any request from Council or any pressure from anyone, without a contract. We agreed to that bonus, and we paid it. 2597 BILL 980003 Several months ago, without a demand for from anyone, we agreed to the Veteran's Day holiday, and we observed that. After each of those concessions, there was no response from the union in terms of a modification to their position. We have twice submitted our position in modified form to the mediator; the union still has not responded. Granting the pay increase --
You mean they don't talk to you, or they haven't bent their knees to you?
They don't talk to you? I thought there was a meeting last Friday.
There was a meeting last Friday. And when we presented our modified proposal for the second time, the union president said that it could not be considered until it was submitted in writing. Now, this is never done in serious labor negotiations. And that sends us a message that there is a need to have some remediation. 2598 BILL 980003
John, that's because of the totally arbitrary an ununderstandable position of management. Now, I am not going to say that the union is going to agree to management's position. I would fight to the end that they understand they don't have agree to any of management's position, except through the normal process of negotiation, which I hope both parties come to some agreement that's in the interest of both parties. By it has nothing to do with an agreed-upon wage increase that all other city employees, as far as we know, have received that increase. Right? The only ones we had heard about earlier were the Register of Wills and the Sheriff's.
The 3 percent increase goes with an executed contract. And that is my goal, an executed contract that is fair to everyone.
Okay. Wanda, I would like a resolution tomorrow along the line of the Register of Wills, agreed, and working with 2599 BILL 980003 Julie. It will be my staff, as well. Okay. There is no sense pursuing it any further. Because, John, you can't have a policy different from the rest of the city. You can't have a policy which says you have a right to withhold wage increases until a whole contract is negotiated, while every other employee of the City of Philadelphia covered by that agreement, you know, covered by the agreement with District Council 33, I guess it is?
That's right. That would be a very compelling argument, if our agreement with Local 1971 were identical to that with D.C. 33, but it is not. It is very different, and we have got to straighten that out. And that is our aim with negotiations.
Well, you have all the time in the world to straighten that out. But you shouldn't be using those employees as hostage. Because it tells us something else, John, about your attitude in Housing, your attitude toward employees who work for you. You know. I am very serious about 2600 BILL 980003 that. These 35 overwhelmingly black women, if your feeling is that you are going to put such pressure on them, that they are going to be forced to yield, you will probably find me, if they ever decide, on a picket line, and some other Councilmembers, too, out on the picket line with them. Because that's not the way a government ought to show any kind of good leadership. It is just the wrong way. But let it go for tonight. You have answered the question, because I had to know what to do for tomorrow morning, and we will proceed. One last question. PHDC, is that under your jurisdiction, or is that an independent agency.
We fund it through a contract it is an independent agency, but most of it is funded through a contract with the Office of Housing.
Madam Chair, at the beginning of these budget negotiations some weeks ago, it was agreed by the President that any agency that any Councilmember wished to call back to further hearings would be called back. 2601 BILL 980003 And I am making the request for PHDC -- I want to make sure I have it right -- Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation to be called back for a public hearing on the budget.
They appeared, I think, a couple of weeks ago, and some matters have transpired since that I think would be very appropriate to have them back before Council.
Thank you very much. John, rethink it tonight. We will assume you are not changing your mind, and we will go ahead unless we hear from the contrary.
Thank you, Mr. Kromer. At long last we are now up to public testimony. Do we have anyone here from the victims service agencies? Identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony. 2602 BILL 980003
Good afternoon, Madam Chair. I am Frank Sarbone, the Director of the Support Center for Child Advocates. We are the volunteer lawyers program for abused and neglected children in Philadelphia County. And with me is Deborah Downey the Director of Women Against Abuse, Legal Center, advocates for victims of domestic violence. Here today with us are some of our colleagues from the victims service community, Allison Sprague from Victim Witness Services of South Philadelphia; Phyllis Gibson from West Southwest was here earlier and left; Dan McElhatton of Northeast Victim Services; Alberta James from East Division Victim Service; Steve Bane and Commissioner Alex Talmadge were here earlier from North Central. We represent, as I know you are well aware, the 12 neighborhood and citywide victim service agencies. We work closely with the District Attorney's Office and with the community of legal and social service providers who, in turn, we connect with our clients. More importantly, we work with your 2603 BILL 980003 constituents, together our brothers and sisters who are victims of crime and victims, indeed, of the system intended to serve them. You have each received by hand delivery our statement last week. We have documented, I believe we have made the case, for a total need of $554,000 in victim services support. We want you to know that we are all doing more, as we showed in our statistics. We have increased the numbers of victim we served to over 36,000 people. We have increased the numbers of preliminary hearings at which we appear and staff. We have increased our victim compensation claims and recovery in dollars. And, of course, like everyone else, our costs are up, insurance and rent and all the rest. We want you to know that while most of the recent statistics suggest a certain leveling of crime in the city, this is not the experience of our clients and your constituents. They feel pressured by perpetrators. They feel threatened by criminals who are out on bench warrants. They are frustrated by the court 2604 BILL 980003 process. Certainly few of us know of victims of crime who feel safe. Ms. Downey will tell you now about a client who has been served by Women Against Abuse, who we think illustrates the services that we provide.
Thank you. I want to talk to you this evening about a client named Janet. Janet happens to be --
Do you mind waiting a moment. I would like to speak to you this evening about a client named Janet. Janet is a client of my agency, Women Against Abuse Legal Center. The services that she received through our agency is pretty much an example of the kinds of assistance, advocacy, and provision of services you can receive from my agency or from any of the victim service agencies in the community. Everyone has a different story to tell about how someone has been assisted, but this one is mine. Our first point in contact with Janet was in September of '97. She called the legal 2605 BILL 980003 center where I worked to request information on what legal options she had against her husband of seven years who had been abusive to her, sometimes very severely, throughout the seven years of their marriage. They had two children, a 5 year old and a 3 year old. We ran down the legal options, let her know about the shelter services also provided by our agency. She thanked us, and that was the end of that contact. She called us again in October of '97. She was calling from the emergency room. She had a broken nose, she had injury to the cornea of one aye, and her body and arms were covered with triangular burns from an iron that her husband had used in the abusive incident. By placing one call to Legal Center, we were able to hook her up with shelter for when she was released from the hospital, after emergency treatment, in our shelter system. We were able to put her in touch with the Domestic Violence Officer in the district where she lived to get a warrant out on her husband, who was living in the home and had not been arrested at 2606 BILL 980003 the time of incident. We were able to refer her to our advocates to go to Family Court, to seek and receive a Protection Order that would grant her exclusive possession of the residence on a temporary basis. We walked her through the filing of the Protection Order. Our advocates were present in the Criminal Justice Center, a preliminary hearing room, Courtroom 906, where all domestic disputes go for their preliminary hearing. She was granted supportive services by her advocate in that room, given referrals for counseling, for housing, for any other needs she might have. Eventually her husband pled out for simple assault on the criminal matter. We also represented her with her petition for custody of her two children. Custody was confirmed in her as the primary care giver. Our attorneys also filed a petition for her in Custody Court which would allow her to leave the jurisdiction and travel back to her native North Carolina with her two children. She has since done that. 2607 BILL 980003 Her husband is on probation and, as far as I am aware, is currently having no contact with the children. Basically, all of these protections, all of this assistance, all of this advocacy, and all of this information was able to be put in place by making one call to one of our agencies. I know that our agency, the Legal Center, services approximately to thousand 11 victims of domestic violence in the legal system 12 every year. Our larger agency, Women Against Abuse 13 services, 20,000. We are just one of the statistics of one of the victim service agencies -- ours are citywide, some are community-based -- showing you the kinds of support that are given to victims of crime like Janet in the city when they are able to reach out and access our services.
Members of Council, we raise money from other sources. You are not the sole source of our funding. We, each of us directors, are aggressive terribly overworked, indeed, in trying to fill out the total needs of our staff to meet the needs of this community. But we 2608 BILL 980003 need your part. We need you to do your part. We have asked for an increase. We are still living at 1994 funding levels. Our costs have risen. Certainly there is a need that we have not yet met because we are of limited means. And, so, we urge you to answer the full request for this service.
And the District Attorney is also recommending that you receive an increase?
The district attorney is indeed recommending an increase. It was our understanding that she had used the number that we provided to her. From her testimony today, there appears to be some discrepancy. We are in the $550,000 range, and she was in the $470,000 range. It may be that that gap was to be made up by the Mayor's promise of additional funding; I'm not sure. There appears to be some discrepancy in the numbers, which we are working with several members of Council staff and with Ms. Abraham's colleagues and staff to clarify. 2609 BILL 980003 But she has indeed recommended at least most of the increase on the face of her testimony.
I know I speak not only for myself, but for most members of Council, that your agencies really do a fabulous job. And I remember several years ago, I think, the way you got your increase was by having some of the clients coming in. And that was so impressive, it really was. And I think people don't realize what your clients really go through unless they see it with their own eyes. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Fernandez.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I also wanted to note just personally, I am very familiar with the work that all the different groups in your coalition do. And it is absolutely essential for people living in our neighborhoods who have been the victims of crime. I don't know if you were here, but 2610 BILL 980003 when the District Attorney was here, I did ask for some further information about a line in the line-by-line budget that we have that has described other victim services. And it showed a requested increase from $75,000 to $145,000. So once we get that information from the District Attorney, and hopefully there can be continuing discussions, I would certainly hope that you all as organizations, with a very strong track record, that we could make sure that the resources you have requested could be considered and hopefully met.
We thank you for your support both on the numbers and in the emotion of it all. This is a very emotional and draining work. And I will certainly convey to all our colleagues who weren't able to attend today your support. Thank you. On that line, we remain unclear as to the disposition of the 75,000 from the prior two years. And we will be working with Ms. Abraham's office to determine what that means. In fact, the Mayor's budget sheet, as we are talking about it, doesn't jive with our 2611 BILL 980003 books. That's what we want to all have, be working on the same box.
The discrepancy may be the result of an overall discrepancy in the District Attorney's budget of some 345,000, something like that, relating to an audit, an ongoing audit of the City Controller's Office, of the District Attorney's Office. That's been going on for about a year and a half. It is expected to be concluded. So it may be just a paper discrepancy. It is good to find out, but more important to let Councilmembers know what the status is.
I think you have a very strong report. 2612 BILL 980003 I feel like years and years ago programs were born in that portion of the city, and in various departments and have proved very successful. And I join in what Councilwoman Fernandez said and Councilwoman Verna. You are to be commended.
Are there any other questions or comments from members of the committee? Again, I thank you for your patience and all of your good work.
It is my understanding that we did have someone here from the Chamber of Commerce to testify, apparently had to leave. However, the testimony, a copy of the testimony, has been circulated to members of the 2613 BILL 980003 committee and a copy has been given to the stenographer. At this point I would like to recognize Sally Kennedy. And after Ms. Kennedy is Shelly Yanoff.
Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of the City Council. It is an honor and a privilege, as well as a right, to have this opportunity to address at least five of you. My name is Sally Kennedy. And I am Co-clerk of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of the Germantown Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends and Convener of the Greater Germantown Recreation Network, an ad hoc group made up of community representatives of recreation centers and playgrounds and Recreation Districts 3 and 4, which is about 29-plus centers and playgrounds, and members of the Germantown Monthly Meeting. The Germantown Monthly Meeting's interest in the status of the city's recreation centers and playgrounds has evolved from a concern about the violence experienced by too many children in Germantown, often carried out by children in 2614 BILL 980003 Germantown, a pattern repeated elsewhere in different areas of the city. With all due respect for the city's declining crime rate under the leadership of Commissioner Richard Neal and of the expressed intentions of incoming Commissioner John Timoney to attack the crime rate even more aggressively, it is important to recognize that the only real solution to our crime problems is not to grow the criminal in the first place. However, I will not bore you by pontificating about things you already know, and will keep this presentation short. Since becoming exposed to the recreation scene last July, I have learned a lot and have much still to learn. I have learned that, thanks to the creativity of Commissioner DiBerardinis and the dedication of a few staff and many caring volunteers, we have a more vibrant recreation program than the current funding would suggest be possible. I was present during the Commissioner's presentation to the City Council last 2615 BILL 980003 week, and observed that he was a good soldier trying to reassure us that he could be adequately effective in running the department within the funding proposed by Mayor Rendell. This is not true, however, if we are to meet the needs of our young people, especially in the economically deprived communities. We appreciate that the Mayor has proposed increased funding for Fiscal Year 1999, but his proposal does not go nearly far enough. There are a number of centers that you would not send your children to because they look so terrible. The major problem mentioned by center representatives is having maintenance problems promptly and adequately addressed. The Commissioner glossed over the maintenance situation, possibly because of potential union problems. Nevertheless, the quality, quantity, and supervision of maintenance staff seriously needs looking into. Mr. DiBerardinis talked about all A centers having two full-time staff members. Are all the positions filled? 2616 BILL 980003 Whether the center is an A level or B level, two staff members are not enough to have the kinds of activities or coordinate the number of volunteers needed to meet the needs of our young people, especially those neglected or inadequately supported by their parents. The needs of senior citizens and young adults must also be addressed. Recreation centers make ideal community centers crossing racial, ethnic, and religious lines, places where people of all ages can come to know each other, work, learn laugh and eat together. m. , seven days a week. A staff of two cannot manage to coordinate all of this, even if there are additional part-time staff. The centers should not be closed object the days when the children need them most, holidays and weekends, and all day when school is out. We have to get our kids out of the streets and give them something constructive to do, especially activities such as music and art, dance and theater, sports and other things that will 2617 BILL 980003 complement and expand their academic and social experience, including the opportunities for them to volunteer and help others.
For responsible parents to feel secure about their children being at the centers and playgrounds, there must be adequate supervision available. The Commissioner is to be commended for the extensive interaction of his department with other agencies and community programs, especially the Philadelphia School District. With regard to the last, however, the most important interaction should take place at the community level. If only the staff had the time and/or the coverage to be able to leave the center and visit elsewhere in the community. During the Commissioner's presentation, Council members asked the important question of how the Recreation Department was gearing up to respond to the increased demand anticipated because of Welfare Reform. What a joke. If the Commissioner is to gear up, he must have more funds. The Council can play an important role in this regard. 2618 BILL 980003 In order to strengthen our communities and grow responsible citizens, I propose that you fund the following: One, increase program staff so that all centers and playgrounds are adequately supervised and staff can also be available for community outreach and coordination. Two, increase center and playground hours to ensure that the centers are available to meet the needs of the community. Three, increase staff support to work with volunteers and the Recreation Policy Advisory Council. Four, increase maintenance staff and supervision of maintenance staff. Five, the opening and staffing of centers and pools during the daytime in the day, or close to it, after school closes at the end of the school year, continuing until time to return to school. I know there is a lifeguard problem. Would a bonus for those who remain beyond a specified date help address the problem? Especially if Councilman Rizzo doesn't make himself available to participate? 2619 BILL 980003 Six, that adequate training and supervision and meaningful responsibilities be given the youth employed during the summer. I request that the Councilmembers commit to applying a major amount of unexpended Fiscal Year 1998 city funds to the recreation department for the summer program, that they commit now so that the Commissioner will have time to gear up properly before the summer begins, and that they commit to increased FY '99 funding to allow him to plan to meet community needs more adequately, and respond to anticipated increased use of the centers and playgrounds because of Welfare reform. If it is not too late in the budget process to comment, I would also urge you to consider a major allocation from the capital budget to meet the capital needs of a number of centers beyond what has been envisioned by the Mayor at this time. The Greater Germantown Recreation Network has just gotten started and will pursue its concern for the Greater Germantown area. However, it is also coordinating its efforts on a citywide level, with the Urban Leadership Council, the 2620 BILL 980003 Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, and the Philadelphia Recreation Policy Advisory Council, and will expand this collaboration to other concerned citywide organizations in a drive to make children and recreation a number one priority of the city. We hope you will join us in this drive through some concrete decisions. Thank you for your attention.
Thank you, Ms. Kennedy. I attended a meeting at one of my recreation centers just last week. And I guess most of the issues that you mentioned were expressed by my constituents. And I am certain that we will be looking into many of your concerns. And I thank you for your patient, waiting. And I would suggest, have you been in touch with the District Councilperson for your recreation?
And are you working hand in hand with the District Councilperson? 2621 BILL 980003
Well, we are intending to, as a group, meet with her. It happens to be Donna Reed Miller. Well, there are several District Councilpeople that cross the Greater Germantown Recreation Network, and it is our intention to work with all of them. But we were also talking about meeting with Donna Reed Miller and her subcommittee. She has agreed to do that.
I would suggest that you do that as soon as possible, because we will be considering the budget before very long.
I was 14 when I came in at the beginning of this hearing. I am Shelly Yanoff, Executive Director of Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth, the region's child advocacy organization. I 2622 BILL 980003 do have copies. I am obviously going to talk to you about what happens to children in the budget. And overall the budget's good, but not good enough. I want to start by talking about what's happening to young children in the city, investments in early childhood health, and in in-school sponsored child care programs are not keeping pace with need. Recent City of Philadelphia research, which you have held hearings on, on the readiness of young children for schools shows we are not doing near enough to have children arrive at the school door ready to learn. Good child care is important, but so is maternal and child health. In child care, our investment through the School District, which is our only investment in child care locally, is stagnating. And in maternal and child health, local investment is down by $220,000 since Fiscal 1997. Another component of school readiness includes home visits that build on what we know works to prevent child abuse and to help connect 2623 BILL 980003 families to vital services, and to meet the needs of children who continue to be born too small, too soon, and in situations in which families need far more than their neighbors and families can provide. This budget, unfortunately, continues the status quo in this area. We recommend a number of investments: One, invest enough funds to give every baby and every baby's family home visits; provide at least one visit to each newborn Philadelphia baby and appropriate additional visits for families at risk. At other times you have held hearings here, and we have talked about the home visits that are going on in other states, in Hawaii particularly, in which child abuse and neglect that is plummeted as a result of early detection. There is unanimous agreement that this is an important piece. For $3 million, you could do that in Philadelphia. School readiness. Establish a new fund for child care with two components, a health and safety fund for providers to comply with basic health and safety requirements necessary to protect 2624 BILL 980003 children, and a quality improvement fund to assist child care programs in achieving standards to support good school readiness outcomes for children. Administer this component of school readiness through a child care office that would also seek to maximize external funds for the city in this area, and coordinate efforts among the many city agencies that regulate the child care provider community. We are asking for just a million dollars for that. Invest local funds in maternal and child health. You heard, you listened to, and talked about the fact that we were losing Healthy Start Funds, and that there didn't seem to be any move to do any support to make up, provide any support to make up for some of that loss. All we are asking for in this area is to go back to the FY '97 level, put $200,000 in, and at least maintain where we were. Next, expanding opportunities for children in the non-school hours. As you know, we have been working with you and the Administration, and the United Way and Boys and Girls Clubs and 2625 BILL 980003 churches and synagogues and civic groups to do this all over the city. We welcome the increased increment of $750,000. That's good, but we can do better. 25 million, we could reach $2 million. It would make a major difference in the lives of children and families in this city, particularly as we are dealing with the Welfare changes, when thousands more families will be working, neighborhood after neighborhood will be abandoned by grownups. We have got to do something. We have got to increase it. You have done it, you have increased it each year in the last several years. We need to make more of a giant step. The next is transportation.
And you did have hearings, you did hear from SEPTA this morning. I think that most people in Philadelphia do not realize that for high school and middle school kids to go to take buses, most of them in Philadelphia, unlike any other city in the state, unlike most cities in the country, it is very expensive to go to school. 2626 BILL 980003 It costs $36 a month, $36 a month to buy subsidized tokens for kids to go to high school and middle school. That's expensive, when you look at the fact that 80 percent of the kids in Philadelphia are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch. In Detroit, they have guaranteed that anybody who is eligible for free, reduced-price lunch goes free. In New York, all kids go free. In Los Angeles, in San Francisco it costs $8 a month. $36 a month for a family that you all represent is just a tremendous amount. We talked earlier about truancy. We shouldn't create barriers that prevent kids from getting to school. So after the negotiations, and when you bring SEPTA back, I would hope that you could engage in figuring out new ways to support children in getting to school. And one of the ways we are asking for is to consider putting out $2 million and saying that all kids can go to school free in Philadelphia, free to them. And the next thing I want to just 2627 BILL 980003 stress is preventive mental health services. Community Behavioral Health, as you know, has been successful in saving dollars. They have proposed that they use a half a million of those dollars to be used in ten schools, to provide preventive mental health care to kids. I don't need to tell any of you how important that is and how needed it is. I would urge you to do that. The other issues that we have are just ensuring access to health care, making sure that the district health centers are there, and making sure that they are doing the kind of followup to make sure that there is health insurance that is available, that we have the staffing so that we can help families apply for it. So we can make a major difference in the city. All this would cost under $8 million. And if we did it, we could really be investing early on in preventing the crisis kinds of stuff that too often we have to wait and read about in the paper. Thank you for your time.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman 2628 BILL 980003 Fernandez.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Shelly, I want to thank you for excellent testimony, for all your advocacy through the years, which keeps pushing everyone to move more rapidly toward goals everyone agrees we need to reach for, and, also, for waiting all afternoon -- I think you thought maybe you would testify at 11:30 -- and for all the other folks that waited so long. One comment. The issue is always priorities. And as we know, everyone talks about how important it is to invest in children, but really the major measuring stick is what kind of resources, time and money, is actually invested. So I think your testimony is right on in saying, shouldn't we look at ways to invest more. One option is the city budget. But I think where we ought to continue these discussions is around the savings in the Community Behavioral Health area, where millions of dollars are being saved, and the question is how will those be reinvested. 2629 BILL 980003 And it is my understanding it doesn't have to be just in mental health services, but can be broader in terms of prevention. So I would like to work with you to continue to look at the city budget, but also at where the Community Behavioral Health savings may be invested.
Well, I certainly want to work with you in the future, as I have always in the past. I do want to underscore that there is an opportunity to use a half a million dollars to get programs started by using Community Behavioral Health programs. It's been okayed by the state to get it into ten schools. It is very important, and it is March. And I am concerned that we don't -- that we need to move forward as best we can to move that. That's both in this and in the next fiscal year. And certainly as far as we can use the savings from Community Behavioral Health to invest in prevention would be excellent. In the meantime, I think that this 2630 BILL 980003 group of Councilpeople has been creative in the past in finding ways to support that which it supports. And I think that there is unanimous agreement from both the crime fighting and from a youth development and from the public and private sector that if we had something to do for kids after school that was positive and constructive, we would improve their school performance, we would keep them out of trouble, we would make our communities safer. It is a win/win if we take some giant steps. Tuscon has done it, LA has done it, we can do it.
So has Boston, absolutely. And New York is now doing it in a big way, too. And as we have said at other times, unless we get to scale with programs like this, you don't see the savings. Because if there is a program on these five blocks, but nothing that serves the neighborhood next over, that neighborhood doesn't get saved, and kids end up at the Youth Study 2631 BILL 980003 Center. It doesn't work. So we encourage you to continue pushing that envelope.
And as it was noted in the hearings on the after-school programs, the Hospital Council reported that at least $15 million is spent for emergency room and initial care and for victims, youth victims of violent crimes. So we are paying it. But until I heard those figures, I had no idea it was as high as to million 12 dollars a year, just for that initial treatment of a 13 young person who is a victim of violent crimes. 14 So we are paying it, but it is going 15 to after the fact, instead of for prevention. 16
Thank you. I would your for under $8 million, for under $8 million, we can do this. And it all fits in, in essence, with our economic development program. Because all of these programs, to me, lean towards economic development and so on. 2632 BILL 980003 And we do have a fund that is supposed to be an economic stimulus fund. And less than $8 million from that fund could be used very well into funding this type of program and see how it does. We will take it under advisement. I think it is a good ideas. Thank you.
Thank you. I think Mr. Sarbone would not have to work as hard for abuse and neglect if we had every baby that was born visited and followed up on.
Thank you very much, Shelly. Thank you. Professor Seymour from Community College. PROFESSOR SEYMOUR: Good evening. Good evening.
Thank you for your patience. You have been here for quite a while. PROFESSOR EVAN SEYMOUR: It has been an education, actually. It is actually very good for some of us in one field to hear all of the work that this Council funds. 2633 BILL 980003 My name, Madam Councilwoman Verna, Councilman, my name Evan Seymour. I am a Professor of English at Community College of Philadelphia. And I am here to represent to Rick Bojar and Karen Schermerhorn, who are the Co-presidents of the Faculty Federation of Community College of Philadelphia. They would like to be here, and would have liked to have been here this morning, but they have been negotiating all day to reach a contract agreement with the school. They wanted to come this morning to reinforce President Fred Capshaw's appeal to the Council to increase the flat funding that the Mayor has projected for this year by an amount of a million dollars. As President Capshaw said this morning, we have been negotiating for over a year. A couple of years ago we gave up 4 percent of our raise. And so as he said this morning, we have every reason not to be patient, or to have our patience wearing thin. Well, I am an English teacher, as I said. And I was particularly glad to hear from 2634 BILL 980003 Councilman Cohen and Councilman Street this morning that some of my fellow Community College Philadelphia English teacher colleagues have been helping the City Council staff increase their writing power and ability. That is, I am glad that we can be of service in that way. And I have at this late hour just one brief English teacher story to tell. It is that I require about three or four essays from my students each semester, of about four typewritten pages long, and those are to be typed on a computer. And I don't know about the rest of you, typing, so forth, but when I am writing something or typing something, it takes me about an hour a page. If I am going to produce a fouressay, that takes me about four hours, at least. When my students go into the only lab that is available, computer lab, for all the students -- there are special classrooms with other computers -- what they are likely to find is first that every computer has someone behind it already working on it. And when they do get a seat, they are told that they have it for 90 minutes only, and then 2635 BILL 980003 they must get up and go to the back of the line. And you can see that with conditions like these, the progress of my students in my course and these conditions across the school make their progress and their education very difficult. And we are asking the Council to increase our funding enough so that these road blocks can be removed and that our students, trying to be good citizens in their communities by increasing their education, in their efforts to increase their careers, and the likelihood that they will be able to hold onto those careers and actually pursue them, that the Council seriously consider giving us at least reasonable assurance that there can be some raise in the amount of money that we get this year. As a teacher, I come equipped with some visual aids, which I will use very quickly. One I think you saw this morning perhaps in a smaller form, the editorial here from the last Saturday's Inquirer says it all. Community Colleges, the remedies are available. The community colleges for tomorrow's work force fixes today's flaws, need more help from the state, and I would 2636 BILL 980003 add the city. The state, as always, is being hesitant. And we are hoping that the city will certainly come through. One more visual aid. Again, you saw lots of these this morning. I just point out a couple of things about it. First that it says that Community College of Philadelphia needs a raise. This is not just the teachers and the staff that need a raise, but the whole operation does. The second rather unfortunate thing about this sign is that it is of a certain size, it is, I am afraid, picket sign size.
And it will be seen marching up and down, being marched up and down, Spring Garden Street, I fear, next week, unless week come to some agreement. And, again, Council can be of help here by, again, increasing the funding above the flat amount that is predicted or proposed by the Mayor. A strike is a very bad thing. It is disruptive of students' lives, and particularly in the semester in which it happens. 2637 BILL 980003 But I am afraid there is worse. The worse is that the administration and the faculty and the staff would sign a contract or a series of contracts which would allow the deterioration to continue, that slow deadly deterioration that President Capshaw was talking about this morning. And Council can help both of us, keep both evils away, by increasing the funding above the flat amount proposed. Thank you for your time in this late hour.
Thank you. Are there any questions of Professor Seymour? Thank you very much. Our next witness to testify is Rocco Stezzi.
I hope the feedback has been eliminated. For the stenographer's benefit, my name is Rocco Stezzi. It is spelled R-O-C-C-O, S-T-E-Z-Z-I. I live at 2442 South Mildred Street, Philadelphia, 19148. Madam Chair and members of the city, 2638 BILL 980003 member, one or two, of City Council, this testimony is in response to the Register of Wills budget testimony he gave yesterday. But first I would like to register my protest in having to speak at this late hour, on an empty chamber, to an empty chamber, on an empty stomach, just to get the public testimony out of the way. I feel it should have been postponed again until tomorrow. To begin, after reading the Register Donatucci's testimony, I reread the City Controller's audit since 1989. Then I went straight to the District Attorney Richard Downey and filed a criminal Complaint indicated by the Controller's audits against the Register under the Commonwealth statute for fraud by public officials. The Register's testimony reminded me of the now deceased Henny Youngman's one-liner, my business partner demanded a 100 percent increase in profits, so I killed him. But this is no laughing matter. The outrageous conduct on the Register and the Probate of Wills shows a blatant 2639 BILL 980003 disregard for the Commonwealth Fiscal Code and the taxpayers' money. I have in front of me the latest Philadelphia County audit report available from the Auditor General and the City Controller audits from 1989 to present. If a bank had received such audits and conducted business as indicated by the audits, the FDIC would have seized the bank immediately and filed charges against the manager, the supervisors, the workers and the clients implicated. City Council is aware the Controller has no authority to take action against the Register of Wills, who is an independent elected official, but City Council does have impeachment power. Mr. Donatucci had the gall to state on of his testimony of the budget request, quote, I must point out in this present Fiscal Year we have computerized our fee billing which has produced an additional $47,000 in revenue. What he did, to paraphrase comedian Henny Youngman, is to eliminate his partner in crime. In a 1994 fiscal audit, the City 2640 BILL 980003 Controller of Wills fired -- the City Controller, period, fired a full barrage against the Register of Wills, probating of wills processing, in general, and the probate fee collection system in specific. The Auditor kept firing away in the 1995 Fiscal Year audit, and the last fiscal audit in 1996. The Auditor charged the Register with, in essence, forming a partnership with a group of lawyers to cheat the City of Philadelphia out of the probate fees. The $47,000 increase in probate fees is a direct result of the City Controller's audits which exposed the apparent fraud. Based on the increase of $47,000 of probate fees last year, we must conclude that the Register's partnership with the identified group of attorneys has cost the city millions of dollars in lost revenue during his terms in office. Quoting two paragraphs from the 1995 Register of Wills Annual Audit Fiscal 1995 Executive Summary, we noted that over $10,000 in delinquent probate fees were written off over the last two years. 2641 BILL 980003 Our analysis disclosed that some of the written-off accounts related to the same attorneys acting as executors for various estates. Accounts receivable related to certain probate fees are maintained on an inefficient, manually intensive system. To improve controls and efficiency, we recommend that the Register implement a computerized receivable system. I don't have time to go into that, but they have been requesting that for five years. The extent and the degree of the probate fee delinquency pattern is indicated on of the probate fee -- as indicated on the '95 audit, and I quote, Our review determined that over the last two fiscal years, $10,000, representing 90 delinquent additional probate receivables, were written off.
Further analysis of the amounts written off disclosed that some of the delinquent accounts were related to the same individual acting as executor of various estates. For example, we noted that during Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995, ten separate delinquent 2642 BILL 980003 balances, amounting to $1,300, relating to one attorney were written off. Such a pattern suggests that some attorneys may be ignoring the additional fee billings because they know that the additional fee charge, when the estate is settled, is something that will be written off without further action. Now, the hour is late. You can all get copies of the audits off of the memory bank in the Controller's Office. I will sum up my request simply saying that I request a full, independent investigation into the Auditor's recommendations and allegations by the county audits. And I ask you to support the District Attorney's Special Investigations Unit with additional funding. I thank you. And I could stay here all night answering questions about the extent of what I have just related to you.
Thank you. I believe you were here Saturday, also, were you not?
That was on the general budget, as an example of how to improve the overall 2643 BILL 980003 city budget. And I gave a four-step program.
Thank you for your patience and thank you for testifying. Are there any questions of this gentleman? Apparently not. Thank you again for coming in. The Committee of the Whole will stand in recess until Monday, March the 9th at 1:00 p.m. Thank you. (Public Hearing adjourned at 5:20 p.m.) - - - 2644 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Wednesday, March 4, 1998, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: BUDGET HEARING _____________________________________ DEBRA A. WHITEHEAD, RPR