COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, October 22, 2026 10:00 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILWOMAN NINA AHMAD COUNCILWOMAN KENDRA BROOKS COUNCILMAN MICHAEL DRISCOLL COUNCILWOMAN CINDY GAUTHIER COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE GILMORE RICHARDSON COUNCILMAN JIM HARRITY COUNCILMAN CURTIS J. JONES, JR. COUNCILWOMAN RUE LANDAU COUNCILWOMAN QUETCY M. LOZADA COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILMAN NICOLAS O'ROURKE COUNCILMAN ANTHONY PHILLIPS COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN ISAIAH THOMAS COUNCILMAN JEFFREY YOUNG, JR. ELIZABETH McCOLLUM NAZARIO, CHIEF CLERK - - -
Please clear the floor. Members, please take your seats. Visitors, please retire to the seats outside the rails. Before proceeding, I will ask all those present to please set your cell phones to silent or vibrate. Please take all sidebar conversations out of the City Council chamber. I note that the hour has come and that a quorum of this City Council is present. This City Council has now come to order. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes my Pastor James A. Lovett, II, from the fantastic, fabulous Tasker Street Missionary Baptist Church. He is here today as my guest. (Councilmembers, guests and visitors rise.)
May we all pray together. Our Father, we thank you for the privilege of rising this morning and coming to pray over this Council and their business. I ask you, our God, to keep my son in wisdom and allow this Council to do what it must do that the city is preserved. We rejoice, God, that you are alive and that you're real. And we thank you for your amazing grace. In Jesus name, Amen. (Amen.)
The Chair thanks the Pastor for that invocation. Council will now be at ease. Short and sweet and to the point. (Council at ease.)
The next order of business is the Approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, October 15, 2026. The Chair recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, October 15, 2026 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, October 15, 2026 stand approved. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the Journal is approved. The next order of business is request for leave of absence. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the Majority, a leave of absence is requested for Councilmember Cindy Bass.
The Chair thanks the Majority Leader. Leave will be granted. The Chair recognizes Minority Leader Kendra Brooks.
Thank you, Council President. On behalf of the Minority, there are no requests for leave of absence today.
The Chair thanks the Minority Leader. The Chair now recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion concerning certain legislative matters that may arise during the course of today's session of Council, and that will not be listed on the Calendar circulated prior to today's Council session.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that any of the following matters, if considered today, may be added to the agenda for this session of Council and, as required by law, subsequently published on an amended agenda after the consideration of those matters: resolutions authorizing hearings, amendments to bills on first reading, the reconsideration of a bill vetoed by or re-called from the Mayor, amendments to bills re-called from the Mayor, resolutions taking substantive action to be voted on in this session, a motion to withdraw a bill or resolution that is not on the Calendar, and a motion placing a bill or resolution on or returning a bill or resolution from the Suspension Calendar that was not listed on today's Calendar. The purpose of this motion is to provide the public with notice concerning possible actions taken by Council that arose too late to be included on the Calendar that was published prior to today's session. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the legislative matters stated by Councilmember Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson may be added to the agenda for today should those matters arise during the course of this session of Council. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. The Chair will dispense with the regular order of business to recognize the guests and visitors joining us in chambers this morning. On behalf of all members of City Council, I welcome you to our Council session. We appreciate your taking the time to join us as we attend to the legislative affairs of our great city. We certainly invite you to come again. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jim Harrity.
Thank you, Council President. I'd like to take a moment to welcome Todd Eagan to the Council chambers today. Todd is a well-known labor lawyer out of Scranton, a fellow DNC member with me and Cindy Bass, and also the father of my Legislative aide, Celia Eagan. Can we all welcome Todd Eagan to this Council? (Applause.)
Welcome to City Council, Todd Eagan. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips.
Good morning. Give me one second. Hi. I want to welcome Angel Reese; is that correct? Angel -- come back to me. Come back to me in one minute. All right. Thank you.
At this time -- the Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips.
I'm ready. All right. My apologies. I had the last name wrong. I would like to welcome Gabriella McLoughlin -- Dr. Gabriella McLoughlin and her assistant Angel for work for working with me on our school lunch advocacy program here in the city of Philadelphia. We have some serious issues with our school lunches and school breakfasts, and we want to address that. And I just want to acknowledge Dr. McLoughlin. Are you here, if you can stand up? Thank you so much. Give them a round of applause. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau, who will present a resolution recognizing, congratulating, and honoring the mighty Community Legal Services on its 60th anniversary. Would Debbie Freedman and those accompanying her please join Councilmember Isaiah Thomas -- I'm sorry, Councilmember Rue Landau at the podium. Joining Member Rue Landau are the following Members: Councilmember Kendra Brooks, Councilmember Jim Harrity, Councilmember Cindy Bass, Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips, Councilmember Mark Squilla, Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke, Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad and Councilmember Jamie Gauthier and Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr. The floor is yours, Member Rue Landau.
Thank you. Good morning, everybody. It's an honor to welcome Community Legal Services to City Council today to celebrate their 60th anniversary. To say the least, CLS is very important to me and it makes me so proud to be able to honor the organization that contributed to my journey running for City Council as well as celebrate the hard-working CLS staff standing up here today. I started my career as a housing organizer, fighting alongside low-income families and individuals for safe and affordable housing in our city. It was there that I met the amazing lawyers from CLS who worked in the public interest, people who knew how to utilize the law to protect people from eviction, to get the public benefits they are entitled to and to seek justice. That's why I went to CLS after law school to work as a public interest lawyer. I wanted to join the ranks of CLS folks, serving tenants and those facing eviction. And it's that background that still drives my work today. I spent a decade at CLS advocating for fair housing in the best interests of tenants. I'm so honored to be joined here on the podium by my friend and mentor, Debbie Friedman and the many lawyers who do incredible work every single day here in the City of Philadelphia. CLS has had an incredible 60-year legacy of service here in Philadelphia and so much of our work as Councilmembers would simply not be possible without the team at CLS. I'm excited for my colleagues to join me up here to honor CLS and to -- let's get started. So now, we're reading the resolution, recognizing, congratulating, and honoring Community Legal Services on its 60th anniversary.
And I'd like to take a point of personal privilege to thank Councilmember Landau for honoring Community Legal Services for all of their work. They have been wonderful partners in our work around our wills, deed fraud prevention, and of course, tangled titles. Whereas, the dedicated advocates of Community Legal Services fight for Philadelphians living in poverty, including children, seniors, immigrants, and people with disabilities, ensuring clients have a fair chance to be heard in their quest for justice; and
Whereas, for 60 years CLS has opened its doors to low-income Philadelphians, helping more than 1 million residents who would have otherwise faced devastating consequences of poverty, such as eviction, foreclosure and family separation and loss of employment; and
Whereas, CLS is recognized as one of the premier legal services organizations in the nation, representing more than 14,000 Philadelphians each year preventing homelessness, reuniting families, breaking down barriers to employment and keeping our residents healthy and our city safe; and Whereas, CLS led advocacy to create and implement the Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Program, Right to Counsel and Eviction Diversion Program, which are national models for keeping tenants in their homes and preventing homelessness and saving the city's resources; and
Whereas, CLS conceived and CLS pioneered Pennsylvania's Clean Slate Law, a first-in-the-nation automated criminal record sealing program, which has sold more than 56 million old records and given a fresh start to 1.7 million Pennsylvanians and fought to create and expand Philadelphia's Fair Chance Hiring law so that hard- working Philadelphians can access good jobs; and
And before I read my passage, I just want to express how much I love and appreciate the work of CLS. You are one of my office's most important partners in all of our policy work, and all of our efforts to serve and empower low-income and working-class people in this city. Thank you so much for what you do. Whereas, CLS conceived Philadelphia's Tiered Assistance Program, another first-in-the- nation program, which ensures that low-income families can afford to pay their water bills each month and break free from water debt, a threat to generational wealth; and
Whereas, CLS has been on the frontier of protecting Black and Brown homeownership in the City of Philadelphia, creating the mortgage and property tax foreclosure diversion programs, helping more than 10,000 homeowners save their homes, expanding Philadelphia's property tax relief programs, creating more than 1000 wills and unlocking tangled titles in our city; and.
Whereas, CLS brings tens of millions of dollars into the city each year, expands access to health insurance for the uninsured, keeps low-income people in their homes with the utilities turned on and prevents improper loss of critical benefits like Social Security, SSI, SNAP and cash assistance; and
Whereas, CLS has been a vital resource and a frequent partner to Philadelphia City Council working to help our city thrive, ensure that the city is safer, make Philadelphia a better place to live and ensure that every Philadelphian can access justice now;
Before I therefore be it, I want to make an official apology to CLS as a young person, 17, Mr. President. Me and a couple of radicals took over their building, barricaded ourselves in with Dr. Palmer, who was our advisor and we wound up -- I wound up giving up the barricade because my father came with a bullhorn and said if I didn't get myself out of there, he was going to do what he does. It was about young people. But fast-forward, these are my partners that helped produce the mortgage foreclosure program that went to a national level. Thank you for your patience; and, therefore, be it
Resolved, that the Council of the City of Philadelphia hereby recognizes, congratulates and honors the 60 years of excellent work and dedicated service Community Legal Services has given to our city and our community. (Applause.)
The Chair recognizes Debbie Freedman for remarks.
I'm Debbie Freedman. I'm the Executive Director of Community Legal Services. Thank you all so much for that beautiful resolution. We have been absolutely thrilled to work with Council for all of our 60 years. And I'm going to just be brief this morning about our work, including our work with City Council. CLS's mission is to fight poverty, challenge systems that perpetuate injustice and change lives through cutting-edge advocacy and the exceptional legal representation that our clients deserve. Last year CLS represented more than 15,000 low-income Philadelphians who came to us in crisis because their homes, their health, their incomes and their families were at risk. And, yes, many of them were referred to us by people on this day or people in this room or this building. We also helped tens of thousands more through our high- impact litigation and advocacy. This past year has been really, really challenging year for our clients. There have been devastating cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, which I can never speak without mentioning. There have been an increase in wage theft in Philadelphia, rising food and housing costs that lead to eviction, foreclosure and utility shut-offs. Our clients continue to be wrongly denied jobs due to old and minor records and have their families unnecessarily separated. As a result of all of this, demand for our services is at an all-time record high. However, CLS will never give up on our clients. Our staff's passion and our and persistence, our many partnerships here in City Hall and in the community continue to stabilize families, keep people health healthy, safe and housed, and to provide access to employment and public benefits. As I look back on the last 60 years at CLS, three things stand out: First of all and foremost, the bravery of our clients as they face injustice head-on, the dedication and passion of our incredible staff, many of whom are here today, and the importance of our partnerships, including our partnership with City Council. You have passed new laws to help low-income Philadelphians, held clinics with us in every single neighborhood in this city and shared resources to create opportunity for Philadelphians. I want to give special thanks to your support for the Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project and our tangled title and wills work and legislation to ensure affordable utility service, all of which have been monumentally effective and have created a better and stronger city. I know we do this work jointly together with Council, because we have the shared goal of helping people who are struggling to get by. When your staff hear about problems from constituents, they know we are a phone call away. And when our staff identifies systemic issues facing low-income Philadelphians, we know you will work with us to find policy solutions to make our city fairer and more equitable. Wrapping it up. Over the last 60 years, our working relationship with Council has certainly had its ups and downs and even its moments of tension. But we have had many more moments of celebration, and we have worked together to make a real difference and real change for our clients. Recognition from the people who know you really well means the most. So acknowledgement from the people on this dais and this body means a tremendous amount to us and we are profoundly grateful. We are excited to keep working with you, to fight for justice and to make our city better. So thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to also acknowledge Community Legal Services. During law school, I was the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Martin Luther King, Jr., intern at Community Legal Services in the Community Economic Development Unit that was founded by my big sister, former State Rep Donna Bullock. And I worked under Housing Attorney extraordinaire Rashida Phillips while I was at Community Legal Services. So it had a very, very important role in me becoming the attorney that I am today. So I just want to recognize you all for that as well.
Thank you very much. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilmember Majority Whip Isaiah Thomas, who will present a resolution honoring Merrell Reese as the voice of the Philadelphia Eagles and congratulating him on his 50th season as the Eagles radio play-by- play announcer. Would Mr. Merrill Reese and those accompanying him please join Councilmember Isaiah Thomas at the podium. Joining Member Thomas are the following Members: Councilmember Rue Landau, Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, Councilmember Jim Harrity, Councilmember Mike Driscoll, Councilmember Kendra Brooks, Councilmember Kathy Gilmore Richardson and Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips. Go Birds! The floor is yours, Member Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. Good morning, Philadelphia. Council President, they only respond when you say good morning. I'm not even going to try again. All right. And that's probably because no one wants to hear my voice right now. When you think about what it means to be the voice of a city, what it means to be the voice of a league, Merrill Reese is someone who not only should we recognize as a gem in the City of Philadelphia, as a graduate of Overbrook High School, but somebody who is -- you heard that, Councilman Jones, right, graduate of Overbrook High School -- Merrill is actually the longest play-by- play announcer in NFL history. (Applause.)
So in the spirit of recognizing his great voice and his amazing energy, him and his wife, he also has no 7 plans on retiring anytime soon, so don't think that today is a send- you-off celebration for Merrill. Today is honoring his first 50 years and looking at how many more years we'll have, recognizing him as the voice of our team. With that being said, Merrill is one of our biggest treasurers as it relates to the city. Like I said, he was born and raised in the City of Philadelphia. And before I get into the resolution, one interesting thing that we both have in common is we both really love basketball, and we both tried out for our high school basketball team. The only difference is he was playing at a time in the era where they had people like, I don't know, a guy named Wilt Chamberlain or something like that. So clearly, it was a lot more difficult for him. But we love Merrill. We love the sports fan that he is. And behind every great man, like our Council President says, is a great woman. So can we give Merrill as well as his wife a round of applause and thank them for being here. (Applause.) And of course, Mrs. Reese, thank you for lending your husband, I wouldn't say to the City of Philadelphia, this is the Eagles, so it's more like the entire tri-state area. So thank you so much. With that being said, we are here today honoring Merrill Reese as the voice of the Philadelphia Eagles and congratulating him on his 50th season as the Eagles radio play-by- play announcer.
Whereas, Merrill Reese was born in Philadelphia in 1942 and grew up in Overbrook Park. He is a lifelong Philadelphian, a proud graduate of Overbrook High School. Before his career in broadcasting, he was a child actor and performer; and
And before I begin, I must say it was so wonderful to share the same bus with you for the Eagles Parade in 2025. Whereas, Reese received his Bachelor's in Communications and Broadcasting from Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communication, where he did play-by-play at Temple's WRTI FM student radio station. After college, he served his country through the United States Navy, earning the title of lieutenant, having served at the Pentagon, Naval Academy and in Norfolk, Virginia; and
Whereas, his passion for the game is as strong as when he first started voicing for the Eagles in 1977. Reese is the longest-serving current play-by-play announcer in the NFL. He was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2024, he was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after receiving the Pete Rozelle Radio- Television Award for the same year; and
One of the only radio announcers when you're there, you feel like you're at the game. Miracle in the Meadowlands. Thank you so much. Whereas, alongside his work for the Philadelphia Eagles, Reese has also voiced play-by-play commentary for ESPN's award-winning series, NFL Dream Season, Madison Square Garden Television and the Philadelphia Big 5. He has been named Pennsylvania Sportscaster of the Year by the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters, and was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame; and
Whereas, outside of his professional accomplishments, Reese is a loving husband to his wife Cindy and father to two children. Each night before a game, Cindy quizzes him on the opposing team, their players and their jersey numbers to help him prepare; and now, therefore, be it
Resolved, that the City Council of Philadelphia, does Hereby honor Merrill Reese as the voice of the Philadelphia Eagles and congratulated him on his 50th season as the Eagles play-by-play announcer
Further resolved, that an Engrossed copy of this resolution will be presented to Merrill Reese and his family as a sincere expression of the City Council of Philadelphia's gratitude and admiration. (Applause.)
The Chair recognizes Merrill Reese. Congratulations.
Wow. Good morning. It is great to be with you this morning. (Applause.)
You know, I think about this honor, and it is an honor, but the real honor, the real honor is being able to broadcast to the most passionate fans in the NFL, and that is all of you, so I appreciate that. You get behind that microphone and your veins tingle you. You get the excitement every single week. It's great. I think about the career and all of the great games I've done and people say, what are your favorite games. And I can go back to the two Miracles of the Meadowlands and the great moments that I've had. But before Super Bowl VII when the Eagles played the Patriots, people have asked me if the Eagles win the Super Bowl, will you have something written, will you have something prepared to say at that moment because your words are going to last forever? And I said to myself, no. And I said to them, no. If that ever happens, I'm going to speak from my heart. I'm going to let my emotions just run the way they felt. And sure enough, I have to tell you that in years before that, people would say to me, if the Eagles win, I hope they win for you because you've done so many great games and you've been through so much and you've been through losing times and you've done games in all kinds of weather, I want them to win a Super Bowl for you. And I said, no, it's not about me. The Philadelphia fans have been so great. You go out there whether they're 0 and 10. You go out there whether the rain or the sleet is falling. You let yourself go and you rock that stadium with tremendous enthusiasm, tremendous passion. That's the biggest thing. Your passion is so great. So of course, the last second of the Super Bowl, the last seconds, you can still remember game being played in Minnesota against the Patriots. But Tom Brady is standing there and he's got one more shot. Eagles up by eight points. And what am I thinking. I'm thinking, I'm scared to death. But you're scared for a different reason. I was sitting in the corner of the end zone, 110 yards away from where that pass was going to land. And I'm thinking, I just don't want to be known as the broadcaster who made the mistake that ended the football game. I didn't want to just fail at that point because I was so far from where it was going to be. I just hoped that I would get it right. So then Brady goes back and he stumbles forward and he lets it go. And suddenly, I don't know if it were divine intervention or what, everything slowed down. It was like one of those NFL films. And I could see the ball go through the air and head towards the end zone. And I remember Rodney McKay. Rodney jumped up and Rodney touched the ball and down it went. And as the ball hit the ground I said, it's incomplete. The game is over. The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions. (Applause.)
And then the next thing that came into my mind was Eagles fans everywhere, this is for you. Let the celebration begin. (Applause.)
So again, I appreciate the honor. I hope to do it for a long time to come. I love every single moment of it. This season isn't over. I know it's tough. It's tough. But if you look at the NFC East, there are a lot of opportunities ahead. So let's hope this week they bounce back on Monday night and beat the Dallas Cowboys. (Applause.)
And again, I thank you, I am grateful. And I leave you with two words. I hope you will join me, 1-2-3, Go Birds! Thank you. (Go Birds.)
The next order of business is communications. The Chair requests that the Sergeant-at-Arms deliver the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. Would the Chief Clerk please read the messages from the Mayor and any other communications in her possession.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, I am submitting herewith for the consideration of your Honorable body: An ordinance 24 authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City, to acquire fee simple title or a lesser interest in real estate by purchase, dedication, donation, condemnation, agreement in lieu of condemnation, or otherwise, in certain parcels of land along the Schuylkill River and Wissahickon Creek, together with all improvements thereon and all associated easements and appurtenances for public recreational purposes, all under certain terms and conditions; and An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into an amendment to a sublease agreement with the Philadelphia Municipal Authority for use by the City of a portion of the premises located at 1600-26 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under certain terms and conditions. An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into a lease agreement for use by the City of all or a portion of the premises located at 9300 Ashton Road, under certain terms and conditions. An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City, to acquire fee simple title or a lesser interest by purchase, dedication, donation, condemnation, agreement, agreement in lieu of condemnation, or otherwise, in certain parcels of land along the Delaware River in the Tacony- Holmesburg area, together with all improvements thereon and all associated easements and appurtenances for public recreational purposes, all under certain terms and conditions. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1306 South 28th Street located in the 2nd Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 5228, 5230 Chester Avenue located in the 3rd Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 5415 Florence Avenue, Located in the 3rd Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 322 North 41st Street located in the 3rd Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 2715 N. Dover Street, 2716, 2718, 2729, 2817, 2820 N. Newkirk Street, 2710, 2720, 2722, 2738, 2758 N. 28th Street, 2719, 2731 N. 29th Street, 2649, 2651, 2655, 2700, 2730, 2738, 2746 W. Silver Street, 2632, 2645, 2646, 2654, 2700, 2703, 2705, 2706, 2710, 2711, 2714, 2715, 2716, 2717, 2719, 2723 2726, 2727, 2729, 2731, 2733, 2747, 2749 W. Sterner Street, 2520, 2532, 2621, 2627, 2635, 2639, 2640, 2651, 2654, 2655 W. Seltzer Street, 2547, 2621, 2623, 2624, 2626, 2628 W. Silver Street, 2539, 2602, 2608 W. Sterner Street located in the 4th Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Commission of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 903 Rising Sun Avenue in the 5th Councilmanic district of the City of Philadelphia, and further authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank fee simple title to such properties pursuant to Section 16-405 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1936, 1940, 1944, 1952-54 N. 19th Street, 1913, 1943, 1945, 1947, 1949 N. 20th Street, 1907, 1919 W. Berks Street, 1901, 1915, 1919, 1937 W. Norris Street, 1912, 1914, 1918, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1952 N.
Uber Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1715, 1717, 1745, 1747, 1749 Belfield Avenue, 4556, 4558, 4560 N. Bouvier Street, 1820, 1822 W. Rockland Street, 1604, 1606, 1608 W. Mentor Street, 1732, 1734, 1736 W. Courtland Street located in the 8th Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code. And to the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, my Administration intends to submit a contract proposal to the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, which will start the collective bargaining process under Act 111. I hereby request pursuant to Chapter 17-2300 of The Philadelphia Code, that Council promptly schedule a public hearing concerning the City's contract proposal in order to permit the City to begin the bargaining process. If unable to schedule such hearing in the next 30 days, I request that Council President certify to the Office of Labor that Council is unavailable to do so, which will satisfy the requirements of Chapter 17-2300 of the Code and allow the City to move forward with its proposal and contract negotiations. And to the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, pursuant to Section 4-604 and 2-307 of the Home Rule Charter, I am today transmitting to the Council the recommendation of the City Planning Commission on the following bills: Bill No. 260686 approved, 260687 approved, 260688 approved, 260690 approved, 260692 approved, 260693 approved, 260694 approved, 260695 approved, 260700 not for approval, 260703 approved, 260704 approved, 260706 approved, 260707 approved, 260709 approved and 260711 approved. While the Commission voted to extend its review 45 additional days on Bill No. 260689, we recognize we are transmitting this action letter more than 30 days past its introduction. And to the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, I'm pleased to advise you that on October 19, 2026, I signed the following bill 10 which was passed by Council at its session September 17, 2026: Bill 12 No. 260691. And I am pleased to advise you that on October 19, 2026, I signed the following bill, which was passed by Council at its session on October 8, 2026: Bill 18 No. 260429. There are no more communications in my possession, Council President.
Thank you. The messages from the Mayor will be printed in the Journal. The next order of business is introduction of bills and resolutions. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips.
Thank you so much, Council President. I have no bills or resolutions for today.
Thank you, sir. Chair recognizes Councilmember Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you, Mr. President. There are no bills or resolutions for introduction today. Thank you.
Thank you. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. Today I have three non-privileged resolutions and one bill.
Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the titles of the bill and resolutions.
An ordinance 15 authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City, to acquire fee simple title or a lesser real estate interest by purchase, dedication, donation, condemnation, agreement in lieu of condemnation, or otherwise, in and to all or portions of certain parcels of land located along the west bank of the Schuylkill River in and around an area generally bounded by South 58th Street, as extended to the bulkhead line of the west bank of the Schuylkill River; South 61st Street; and West Passyunk Avenue for public park, recreation, and transportation purposes under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a non-privileged resolution 17 authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 5415 Florence Avenue located in the 3rd Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code.
This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council.
And a non-privileged resolution 7 authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 322 North 41st Street located in the 3rd Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code.
This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council.
And a non-privileged resolution 20 authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 5228 and 5230 Chester Avenue located in the 3rd Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code.
This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I offer one bill, one privileged and one non-privileged resolution.
Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the titles of the bill and resolutions.
An ordinance 21 authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City, to acquire fee, simple title or a lesser interest in real estate by purchase, dedication, donation, condemnation, agreement in lieu of condemnation or otherwise and certain parcels of land along the Schuylkill River and the Wissahickon Creek, together with all improvements thereon and all associated easements and appurtenances for public recreational purposes, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a non-privileged resolution 19 authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 2715 N. Dover Street, 2716, 2718, 2729, 2817, 2820 N. Newkirk Street, 2710, 2720, 2722, 2738, 2758 N. 28th Street, 2719, 2731 N. 29th Street, 2649, 2651, 2655, 2700, 2730, 2738, 2746 W. Silver Street, 2632, 2645, 2646, 2654, 2700, 2703, 2705, 2706, 2710, 2711, 2714, 2715, 2716, 2717, 2719, 2723 2726, 2727, 2729, 2731, 2733, 2747, 2749 W. Sterner Street, 2520, 2532, 2621, 2627, 2635, 2639, 2640, 2651, 2654, 2655 W. Seltzer Street, 2547, 2621, 2623, 2624, 2626, 2628 W. Silver Street, 2539, 2602, 2608 W. Sterner Street located in the 4th Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code.
This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council.
And a privileged resolution authorizing the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities to hold hearings examining Philadelphia Gas Works' residential shutoffs for non-payment and measures to prevent households from losing essential utility service.
This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau.
Good morning, Council President, colleagues. Today I have one non-privileged resolution on your behalf.
Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the non-privileged resolution.
A non-privileged resolution 6 supporting the workers of UNITE HERE Local 274 and calling on the management of the Hilton Garden Inn to reach a deal as the only unionized hotel in Center City without a new contract.
This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council. Chair recognizes Councilmember Quetcy Lozada.
Thank you, Council President. Today I have one privileged resolution on my behalf and a privileged resolution 24 co-introduced with Councilmember Gilmore Richardson on your behalf.
Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and congratulating Wayne Miller on his more than five decades of service to Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 692 and the Philadelphia Building Trades.
This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged resolution authorizing the Special Committee on Kensington to hold a hearing to evaluate the progress of last year, the current state of affairs as well as future barriers and goals.
This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. That's a good one. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jeffrey Jay Young.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I offer one non-privileged resolution.
Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolution.
A non-privileged resolution 18 authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1936, 1940, 1944, 1952-54 N. 19th Street, 1913, 1943, 1945, 1947, 1949 N. 20th Street, 1907, 1919 W. Berks Street, 1901, 1915, 1919, 1937 W. Norris Street, 1912, 1914, 1918, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1952 N. Uber Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code.
Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to submit an additional privileged resolution 14 that was circulated after the 12 noon deadline on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
Will the Chief Clerk please read the title of the resolution.
A resolution 22 authorizing the Committee on Streets and Services and Housing and Neighborhood Development and The Homeless to hold joint hearings to investigate the prevalence of unsheltered homelessness and public rights-of-way and examine the City's coordination and utilization of resources to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with appropriate housing, shelter and supportive services.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit the consideration of this privileged resolution that was just read into the record by the Chief Clerk at today's session of Council. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The motion carries. The resolution 13 will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you, Council President. I have nothing to introduce today.
Thank you. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jim Harrity.
Thank you, Council President. No bills or resolutions today.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke.
Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning, Philadelphians. I have one bill and one privileged resolution to introduce today.
Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the titles of the bill and resolution.
An ordinance 24 amending Title 21 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Miscellaneous" to add a new chapter creating the Philadelphia Transit Access Fund, to establish the purposes for which appropriations to the Transit Access Fund may be used, and to establish public reporting requirements related to the Fund.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a privileged resolution celebrating the national model Zero Fare Program and recognizing the initial findings of the Georgetown University Better Government Lab Report on the program's success.
This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. Good job, Member O'Rourke. Chair recognizes Councilmember Mike Driscoll.
Good morning, Mr. President. I have two bills and one privileged resolution for today.
Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the titles of the bills and the resolutions please.
An ordinance 16 authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City, to acquire fee simple title or a lesser interest by purchase, dedication, donation, condemnation, agreement in lieu of condemnation, or otherwise, in certain parcels of land along the Delaware River in the Tacony-Holmesburg area, together with all improvements thereon and all associated easements and appurtenances for public recreational purposes, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City, to enter into a lease agreement for use by the City of all or a portion of the premises located at 9300 Ashton Road, under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Dr. Bernice Suddler for her landmark 44-year tenure of leadership, desegregation, trailblazing and community stewardship at Hamilton Disston School.
This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. Chair recognizes Councilmember Brian O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills and resolutions.
Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the titles of the bills.
An ordinance 6 approving a new plan, estimated cost and proposed method of assessment of the Old City Special Services District of Philadelphia for and concerning business improvements and administrative services to the Old City area of the City of Philadelphia, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
An ordinance 20 amending Section 14-502 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "/CTR, Center City Overlay District" by allowing certain uses in Old City Residential Area, Core under certain terms and conditions.
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad.
Thank you, Council President. I have no bills or resolutions today.
The next order of business is reports from committee. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Lozada for a report from the Committee on Public Property and Public Works.
Thank you, Council President. The Committee on Public Property and Public Works reports out five bills with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you very much. Will the Chief Clerk please read the report.
The Committee on Public Property and Public Works, to which was referred the following bills: Bill No. 11 260567, an ordinance renaming and designating Girard Fountain Park, located on the 300 block of Arch Street as "Janet Kalter Park." Bill No. 260638 as amended, an ordinance renaming and designating the building located on the property of the Dorothy Emanuel Recreation Center, commonly referred to as the Dorothy Emanuel Playground Building, located at 8501 Pickering Avenue, as the "Marlene Trice Neighborhood Center" in the City of Philadelphia. Bill No. 260763, an ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into a lease or sublease agreements with the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development for all or a portion of the premises that includes certain parcels of land, generally referred to as Victory Gardens and Emerson Landfill, for an environmental remediation of the land development of a facility at said premises and use as a training facility, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 260798, as amended, an ordinance renaming the Penrose Recreation Center to the "Shirley M. Kitchen Recreation Center" to honor the life to honor the life and legacy of Shirley Kitchen, a pioneering public servant and civic leader with an immeasurable impact on the Greater North Philadelphia community. Bill No. 260799, as amended, an ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into a multi-year agreement with the Broad Street Love Park, LLC for the design, construction, management and operation of a food and beverage concession at the Welcome Center Building in Love Park, all under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports that it is considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation. There are no further bills to report out from the Committee on Public Property and Public Works, Council President.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Lozada for a motion.
Thank you, Council President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading on this day of the bills just read into the record by the Chief Clerk. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit the consideration of the bills just read by the Chief Clerk at today's session of Council. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.) 2ND READING
The ayes have it. The motion carries. These bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar for today. The next order of business is the consideration of the Calendar. I note that the bills just reported from committees with suspension of the rules have been deemed to have had a first reading. These bills will be placed on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar for the next session of Council. The Chair recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion concerning resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar and bills on Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions are being called up from the Final Passage Calendar and the following bills are being called up from the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar today: Resolution Nos. 260847, 260873. Bill Nos. 260692, 260693, 260706 and 260707. The following resolutions and bills on the Calendar are being held: 260872, 250768, 250807, 260076 and 260462.
Before considering these resolutions and bills, we consider public comments as follows: Your public comment must concern matters on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars for possible action at today's Council session. All speakers must sign up in order to testify. If you have not already signed up for today's Council session, please do so now by giving your name to Ms. Hasson at the table outside the rails to my left. Once you have signed up, you will be called in the order in which your name appears on the sign-up sheet. Under ideal circumstances, public commenters each will have three minutes to speak. However, this time limit may vary from Council session to Council session today. Due to the repetitious comments on the same subject matters, the time limit will be one minute. In order to be fair to all those wishing to speak, I intend to hold faithfully to the one-minute limit. When you begin speaking, you will see a green light on the podium. When there are 30 seconds remaining to your time, the light will turn yellow, which is your reminder to please conclude your remarks. Once one minute has passed, the light will turn red and the Sergeant-at-Arms will disconnect the microphone. Please do not give the Sergeant-at-Arms a hard time. He's only doing his job. At that point, please yield the podium to the next speaker if you have not done so already. I also reserve the rights, pursuant to our rules of City Council, to limit repetitious comments on the very same subject matter. The right to comment does not mean the right to disrupt proceedings. I ask that all the commenters refrain from using profanity that disrupts the meeting so we can maintain order in the forum through respectful discourse. I will ask the Chief Clerk to please read the names of our first speakers for public comment today.
Will Gabriella McLoughlin, Jeremy Blatstein, John McAuley, William Small, David Jenkins, Nico Meyering, Tonya Hendricks, Stephen Bronskill and Jerrett Johnson, please make your way to the podium. And also Julio Rodriguez to the podium. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Council will be at ease for a second. (Council at ease.)
Just for the record, Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, do you have any bills and resolutions you would like to introduce, sir?
Sorry, Council President. No bills and resolutions to introduce today. Thank you, sir.
Thank you very much. Please proceed. MS. McLOUGHLIN: Okay. Good morning. My name is Gabriella McLoughlin and I'm an Associate Professor at Temple University, where I direct the RISE Lab, which seeks to address inequities in health through pragmatic, community-engaged research. The breakfast and lunch, provided at no 1 cost to students every day, have been demonstrated to improve dietary quality, food insecurity and improve attendance and academic achievement. They also reduce administrative burden for schools and districts so they can focus on what really matters, to feed children. I've worked alongside the school district since 2021 and have seen the struggles that the Office of Food Services faces daily to deliver high-quality meals to students around the city. Our lab is currently partnering with the district and several schools to co-create and test ways to improve perceptions of school meals, meal participation and capacity within school systems to better implement this program. I am excited about this resolution 1 2 and in support from the City 3 Council and Councilmember Phillips 4 to collaborate with the school 5 district. So we're excited to 6 partner with evaluation and provide 7 advocacy for this resolution. 8 Thank you. 9 (Applause.) 10
Hello. 11 Jeremy Blatstein. Thank you for 12 that resolution for the Kensington 13 hearing on businesses, right, but 14 we need more housing. You heard 15 from Councilman Jones and 16 Councilman Young with the -- 17
Jeremy, how you doing 19 today? Are we speaking on 260076, 20 which is the amendment to the Home 21 Rule Charter relating to creation 22 of -- 23
I was going to talk about the resolution 5 that got brought up today, right, that was put on the Calendar. Is that allowed? Is that germane to the topic?
Okay. For that one, the Home Rule Charter, sir, put it on the ballot, right. Disband the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office, right. The Home Rule Charter can get changed by putting the resolution by this body and on the ballot and voting on it, right. The Philadelphia Sheriff's Office found $20 million, and this body has done nothing, nothing to hold them accountable. Hold the hearing on the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office and put it on the ballot. And the last thing I'll say, right, is hearings. You want to talk about the Kensington hearing, sir. Put a resolution up for the hearing on the sheriff's office. And the last thing we're talking about is support the Zero Fare. It's a good program. Ride the ride, grow Philly to 2 milly. Thank you.
Please proceed. MR. McAULEY: John Alonte McAuley in regard to Resolution 260872, calling on the School District of Philadelphia to re-examine its policies and practices concerning the provision of healthy, nutritious and high- quality meals to Philadelphia public school students. At what point do parents say, I want to be responsible for feeding my own children? If you want your children to eat better at school, then it's simply not up to the district. They pick vendors based on reimbursement rates and nutrition standards set by USDA. USDA would need Congress to change the law, raise your taxes to change the reimbursement rates so they could pay vendors to make better quality food. That's why any politician that's not talking about putting more money in your pocket so you can feed your own children is full of crap. I'd rather discuss why do we allow activist teachers to teach children to hate President Trump, but not Barack Obama when he said every young male needs a gay role model. Tell them messages that they really need to hear, like they've never been a slave. They never been through segregation. They never seen Jim Crow. No one has ever tried to hang them from a tree. There is no white oppressor. Never adopt a victim mentality. You live in the greatest country in the world. And if you keep Jesus first --
Thank you, John. That's your time, sir. Thank you, sir. MR. McAULEY: (Inaudible).
That's just the time. I just said thank you, sir. That's your time. Thank you, beloved. Please call the next speaker please. MR. McAULEY: (Inaudible).
Thank you, sir. Thank you sir. Please call the next speaker please.
-- Small, David Jenkins, Nico Meyering, Julio Rodriguez, Tonya Hendricks, Stephen Bronskill, Jerrett Johnson and Jake Lang, please make your way to the podium. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Good morning everybody. My name is William Small. I'm from an organization called Flip Philly Red. And today I am with the Resolution 260872. My children are educated in the Philadelphia School District. But if we really care about children, when the gambling machines swept through every store in Philadelphia, you guys tiptoed over the issue with legislation that enabled them to keep 4 or 5 machines, effectively turning these stores into gambling hubs for anyone to play, including elementary school-aged children. It took the Supreme Court and a Republican, AG Dave Sunday, to step in and put an end to this madness. While some Councilmembers in this chamber tried to legalize them, ignoring the addiction that they plagued on their own people. Now, when it comes to these smoke shops, I'm seeing the same exact energy. We don't need legislation that keeps them a certain distance away. That's not the problem. Because these smoke shops in the city are not legal businesses. These places are trap houses that don't just sell drugs. They sell them to our children. With the overwhelming amount of people in there that are migrants who are from the city of Philadelphia and are operated by illegal immigrants, where are the search warrants? Where are the RICOs? Where is the political pressure for these smoke shops in our city.
That's your time, Mr. Small. But thank you very much for your commentary today, sir. Please call the next person please. Please proceed, sir.
Thank you. Good morning, Councilmembers. My name is Nico Meyering. I strongly support Councilmember O'Rourke's resolution on Zero Fare. I'm a disabled SEPTA rider from District 1 and a member of the Transit Forward Philadelphia Steering Committee. I don't drive, so the 47, the and the 42 are my only 15 rides. In fact, for thousands of 16 disabled Philadelphians on fixed 17 incomes, SEPTA is how we reach 18 work, the pharmacy and each other. 19 When fares rose 21.5% last year, 20 something had to give. For me, it 21 was food. I went down to or 22 meals a day so my disabled wife 23 could also eat. 24 For others, it's prescription or staying home. Isolation is its own disability tax. The Transit Access Fund is the ramp to permanent Zero Fare, half of 1% of the General Fund written into the Charter and decided by voters. My ask today is everybody supports the Transit Access Fund. 250 years after this city declared independence, give us transit and give us freedom. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good morning, Mr. President, members and guests. David Alexander Jenkins and I rise for Member O'Rourke's re-introduction of the Affordable Philly Now Plan Transit Access Fund, a program set to help more of our neighbors access life in this greatest of cities that we call home. I do not need to tell you in Philadelphia here, who are burdened with the realities of a hike in cost of living that have presented to a people already strapped for cash. Alas, many of you in this very room and those listening to the sound of my voice from beyond the rail have received your paychecks today and know the truth of a day late and a dollar short. When it comes to financial security, the decision between rent or groceries is a real one, and the money you spent to get here to school, to church, yes, even here this morning, was a burden worthy of pause. But I want to tell you that I sat on the between 10th 22 and Diamond Street at 12th and 23 Market last week, I had the opportunity to meet Tajanaye, a 27-year-old young lady who, on her way downtown, told me where -- I asked where she was going, that she was headed to a shelter before it closed for the night, and having lost her apartment at the beginning of the week and after being fired from a work of last month due to lateness, she was late because she could not get to work because she did not have the $2.50 that was required to get there. This is real. And so, I ask you to pass Member O'Rourke's bill. (Applause.)
Good morning. My name is Julio Rodriguez, and I'm here to speak about Councilmember O'Rourke's privileged resolution on the Zero Fare program. I want to start off by thanking Council President, Majority Leader and Minority Leader for their support on public transit. I'll be reading brief remarks from one of our members, Helena Gallant. I'm a proud resident of Northeast Philly in the neighborhood. And speaking as a member of the 215 People's Alliance, a coalition member of Philly, I'm here to speak favorably on the Councilmember's resolution 13 and on the Transit Access Fund. I've been a transit rider ever since I was a student at Temple University, and transit is my preferred method of getting around. Taking transit, especially Regional Rail, can be very costly. So anything that can be done to support transit is super important. All this to say that transit should be a right, not a privilege. And that Transit Access Fund is a necessary step to make that statement a reality. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good morning. My name is Tonya Hendricks and I'm here to support the Zero Fare Act. And I'm also here to speak about the We Make Philly agenda. I've been a member of Power Interfaith for over a year. I'm a lifelong Philadelphian, and I've lived in my home for 28 years. I love our city and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. My reality is I live off of $1,100 a month after I pay my bills. I'm lucky to have $100 left. I've signed up for every assistance program I could find. Even with that, my daughter still helps me with my utilities. I go to food pantries so that we are able to eat. And in the last year, my property taxes and PGW bill have doubled. I'm worried about my future and being able to keep my house and maintain my life. I've worked my whole life and now I'm tired. You know, I'm disabled. I'm tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul to figure out which bill I'm going to pay each month. So I'm here to ask City Council to support and pass the We Make Philly agenda and make our city stronger and more affordable. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good morning. My name is Stephen Bronskill. I'm also here commenting on the Zero Fare program resolution. A couple of weeks ago, the Better Government report came out, studying the Zero Fare program. They said, did this work. And they found two things. They said, first, if you give people transit, they use it. They take it to work, school and medical care. The second thing and most shocking, they trust their government more, by double-digit margins. Our friends from Power Interfaith are here. Transit riders are here. They are campaigning for a more affordable city. This is something we can do right now by passing this bill by later funding the Transit Access Fund to help low-income Philadelphians, students, workers and tenants get where they need to go. I want to thank Council President Johnson, Majority Leader Gilmore Richardson, Minority Leader Brooks and Transportation Utilities Chair Driscoll and all of the co-sponsors on this legislation. A transit access fund is brotherly love, it's sisterly affection. It says, I may not look like you. I may not travel like you. I may not live like you. But we all have somewhere to go. Thank you for making Philly affordable and the safe, reliable transit we deserve. Thank you. (Applause.)
Will Jacob S. Harris, Sharon Weinman, Caleb Scott Joseph, David Gonzalez, Leon Sheena, Santiago Melendez, Julia Rea, please make your way to the podium. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Good morning. My name is Jerrett Johnson. I live in District 4 and I take the 30, 31, 65 and the El lines every day. I'm here to support the Zero Access Fund program. An affordable Philadelphia means every Philadelphian like myself, at or below the poverty level, and the working class that rely on SEPTA will go wherever they want and have a sense of freedom. It's not just those who are working full-time. It's not just families or single parents with kids. It's those who are working full-time, working or jobs, singles, newlyweds, senior citizens that are also in poverty. As a bus rider myself, I make less than over $16,000 a year, and this would help me because it would help continue my success as a representing transit for Philadelphia. Let me give one example of how it's working. Increased use amongst recipients, especially those who ride the least, have been riding the most ever since the program existed. So let's get this done and finish -- let's cross the finish line and get this bill 13 support and let's get it across the finish line and make this happen. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you, sir. Please proceed, sir. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: How y'all doing? I have a question for the room. Is education a human right? Is education a human right? (Yes.) UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Is health care? (Yes.) UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Is housing? (Yes.) UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: How will we fund this city? I came here to support the We Make Philly campaign and Nicolas O'Rourke's bill. And what I'd like to say is when I think about my life, I think about my mom, I think about my dad, I think about my sister. Rent is too high. My sister can hardly find a spot to rent, let alone own. My dad has heart problems. How can a city with no money support people that are sick? My mother, she's a teacher. When does she get to retire in a city that she cannot afford? And I work, I work. There is no job protection. That's why I support the We Make Philly campaign and Nicolas O'Rourke's bill, because these are the things that make this city affordable for people like us and the people that make this city. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good morning. My name is Sharon Weinman and I'm a member of Power Interfaith as well and I live in District 8. I'm here in support of Councilmember O'Rourke's Transit Access Fund and SEPTA's Zero Fare program. These programs will ensure that there is public transportation for young people in all of us to get to school, jobs and all the places we have to go. I'm here to urge Council to address the city's affordability crisis by supporting Power Interfaith, We Make Philly agenda, to pass a fair wealth tax, lower property taxes and freeze gas. I have the financial resources to pay more in city taxes. If a wealth tax is passed, I will pay more, but it will not impact the way I live. Ironically, it's wealthy people like me who get big tax breaks. That's money that should be going to our communities. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good morning, Councilmembers. My name is Caleb Scott Joseph, and I am speaking on behalf of UAW Local 5124 in support of the Zero Fare resolution. Our union represents over 3000 graduate workers at the University of Pennsylvania. Our members live in all corners of the city and provide teaching services essential to the university's educational mission as well as perform groundbreaking research in fields across medicine, science and the humanities. We would like to start by thanking Councilmember O'Rourke for his work advocating for an affordable transit system for all Philadelphians. As graduate workers, the majority of us do not own cars. We rely on SEPTA. We rely instead on alternative means of transportation like SEPTA to commute to work. SEPTA, in addition to enabling us to commute to our workplace, is our lifeline to the city and our surrounding communities. It enables us to get groceries, see our friends and families, and engage with our neighbors. Protecting SEPTA's future is of critical importance to our members and all Philadelphians. That is why the Transit Access Fund is so critical. Hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians rely on SEPTA in much the same way as our members do. Every Philadelphian should have the right to go where they need without hefty economic barriers. (Applause.)
Good evening, Councilmembers. My name is David Gonzalez. I'm also here on behalf of our union, UAW Local 5124, representing the graduate workers of the University of Pennsylvania. I'm here with my colleague Caleb Scott Joseph to finish off what we were saying. Look, the Zero Fare program makes great strides towards achieving the reality of a Philadelphia without economic barriers for all Philadelphians. In addition to this, supporting the continuation of the Key Advantage program for city employees as well as expanding it to other Philadelphia employers, housing providers and educational institutions unlocks a new way for thousands more Philadelphians to engage with our city. Expanding these programs will lead to increased ridership and economic activity, thus benefiting all Philadelphians. We, on behalf of all of 3000 members that we represent, urge City Council to adopt and pass this resolution. We additionally call on City Council to take direct action toward building a more equitable and accessible Philadelphia, starting with transit. (Applause.)
Will Katie Ashby, Aaron Young, Janice Tosto, Allegra Dingal, Joy Ahn, Joanne Douglas, Linnea Bond and Jacqueline Green, please make your way to the podium. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Good morning. My name is Santiago Melendez, and I am privileged to be in this room to speak in support of Councilmember O'Rourke's Zero Fare resolution. The evidence presented is strong for the program, even though the program is still young. Philadelphia has built a best in-class reduced fare program that is reaching a greater percentage of eligible residents than any other similar initiative in the nation. It is giving everyone, regardless of age, race or employment history the key to the city and ensuring that they can travel to medical appointments, to work and to the grocery store. As the cost of transportation increases, but wages do not, the Zero Fare program is ensuring that everyone retains access to the opportunities that urban life provides. With that, I will close by asking you to commit to supporting the Transit Access Fund and the Zero Fare program as we take a step forward to building a stronger, more equitable Philadelphia. (Applause.)
Hello, my name is Julie Rea. I'm also here to speak in support of Councilmember O'Rourke's resolution. I live in Kensington on Front Street with the York Dolphin stop on the El, a half block away from my apartment. SEPTA takes me to doctor appointments, shopping excursions, and all other aspects of local life. However, this year SEPTA riders faced a 20% increase in fare costs at a time when wages remain stagnant and consumers are contending with burdensome cost increases. The median annual income in Kensington is approximately $29,000, making the cost of a roundtrip on SEPTA $12 for riders with disabilities who use paratransit, a source of significant pain for my neighbors. The Transit Access Fund would address the harms caused by inflation by permanently funding the Zero Fare program. The Zero Fare program provides free SEPTA passes to low-income residents of Philadelphia. Currently, the program is funded through July 27th. If additional funding is not found prior to that time, the Zero Fare program will cease. Thank you for your time. (Applause.)
My name is Katie Ashby. I want to thank you for introducing the SEPTA Zero Fare program and Transit Access Fund. Making transit accessible to all as we navigate an affordability crisis is a necessity, which is why I'm here with Power Interfaith to ask Council to pass the We Make Philly campaign and extend the Homestead Exemption. With property taxes growing more disproportionately unaffordable, our neighbors are being increasingly forced out of their homes, and in their place corporations are taking over. Over a third of all single-family homes in Philadelphia are now purchased by investors. This is double the amount than the national average. When we've created a financial environment so insidious that renters cannot afford to save for a home due to the steady rise of already unaffordable rents and homeowners cannot afford to lose their property because they can neither afford a home or exorbitant rent, it is up to our elected officials to implement a solution for this affordability crisis. If Council passes the We Make Philly agenda, that would mean our neighborhoods could stay in the hands of our neighbors. And at a time of unmatched financial precarity, increasing the Homestead Exemption could mean the difference between housed and homeless. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi. I'm speaking in support -- my name is Erin Young. I'm speaking on the Nicolas O'Rourke Zero Fare resolution in support of the Transit Access Fund. I'm a member of Transit Forward Philadelphia and I live in District 3. I am speaking in support of the Transit Access Fund because it would protect programs like Zero Fare from funding cuts and put them on the path to permanent funding. This would create stability for Zero Fare participants who will currently see their coverage expire in July next year. I fully depend on SEPTA and I take it everywhere. I'm disabled and can't walk or bike long distances, so I need to buy a monthly pass. Last year, fares increased 21.5%, but wages in Philly did not. I pay more for worse, more unreliable service and myself and other Philadelphians who are financially insecure are all affected by this fare increase. While the state of PA has refused to fully fund public transit, the city should step in to help residents afford the cost of transit. So I ask you, will you support the Transit Access Fund in Philadelphia. (Applause.)
Good morning. My name is Janice Tosto and I'm a transit rider and a volunteer for Transit for Philadelphia. And I'm speaking on behalf of Councilmember O'Rourke's Zero Fare proposal resolution. Last year's 21.5% fare hike was excessive and burdensome for us transit riders, people that lost jobs, continue to lose jobs and face considerable financial pressure. The Zero Fare program will ensure that riders with the greatest need can access our public transportation system. Money should not be a barrier to getting around our city. I urge passage of the Transit Access Fund bill, including permanent funding for the Zero Fare program. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hello. My name is Allegra Dingal. I am here in support of expanding Zero Fare and the Transit Access Fund. I work as a Southwest Philadelphia Fellow at Transit Forward Philadelphia. I am also low-income. I am also chronically ill. There are days when I am able to work a full day and then there are others when I am so exhausted, I am in bed all day. I am that rider that takes the 42 three blocks to connect to the 52. We all know that disabled people overwhelmingly rely on public transit. I cannot stress enough how much my life has improved now that I do not have to worry about paying $2.90 every time I get on a bus. I think that everyone deserves this level of care. I'm excited to continue engaging in discussions about how we can make this city more affordable for the people that make it run. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good morning. Thank you, Council and Council President, for hearing us today. My name is Joy Ann. I'm a Nurse Advocacy Manager at the National Nurse-led?? Care Consortium or NCC, where I work with other registered nurses and parent coaches who provide free home visiting for pregnant families and families with young children in all of the neighborhoods in Philadelphia. I'm here to comment on Councilmember O'Rourke's privileged resolution on the Zero Fare program. For years, we at NCC have strived to create workarounds for the families we serve. Regarding transportation, families use transportation for a number of reasons, getting to school and work, job searching, grocery shopping, adult and pediatric doctors' visits, connecting with family, friends and other support, people going to therapy appointments safely, delivering young children to school, taking their children to parks, the zoo, the aquarium, etc. The unaffordability of public transportation for families creates a barrier for accessing any of these things. As nurses and home visitors, we know that this is a public health issue. Social service organizations cannot afford to continue carrying the cost of transportation. A zero fare system would improve the health and lives of the families we serve by making it affordable to access healthy foods and health services. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Joanne Douglass and I work for Clean Air Council as a sustainable transportation outreach coordinator. Our organization works in solidarity with several organizations to reduce pollution across the city. We fully support Councilman O'Rourke's Transit Fund initiative. It is vital that public transit be affordable and accessible to all. The Zero Fare program ensures that the most vulnerable populations can move around the city, getting to appointments, food services and jobs without further pushing them into poverty or a tough spot burdening their limited finances. Subsidizing small businesses to adopt the SEPTA Key Advantage program helps with employee retention, assisting with cost of living due to stagnant city wages, and keeping the hard-working people who make the city great inside of Philadelphia. I want to thank you for your time and for hearing myself and my fellow advocates. We look forward to seeing the Transit Access Fund in action. (Applause.)
Will Nazbi Chowdhury, Owen Taylor, Kyle Baptist, Autumn Fingerhood, Gloria Cartagena Hart, Eden MacDougall, please make your way to the podium. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Hello. My name is Linnea Bond and I'm the Director of Education for Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania. Fund the Transit Fund obviously. But go beyond that to support health and SEPTA through a data center moratorium. On each of your desks and, Council President, I have yours, is a report written by Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman. He argues that $8.2 billion, which is the amount of money typically invested in a data center in any other investment, is 10,000 jobs. Non-construction jobs, compared to 100 jobs from that amount of investment in a data center. He argues further that that investment is happening, not beside other investment, but at the expense --
Oh, yeah. I will. I will tie it together. So if a data center gets built in Philadelphia, that's a 9900-job gap in the job market. Across the state, there's 135 proposed data centers, which means 1,336,500 fewer jobs. So that money is enriching private equity, which buys up more of our housing and hospitals and prices out. And Pennsylvania exempts data centers from sales tax, which funds the General Fund --
Can you tie the data centers into the transit --
There you go. Thank you. Appreciate you. (Applause.)
Good morning, President Johnson, Councilmembers and everyone here. My name is Jacqueline Green and I'm a member of Second Baptist Church of Germantown. I'm here with Power this morning in support of Councilman O'Rourke's resolution 12 regarding Transit Access Fund and Zero Fare program, which makes public transportation an essential public service, affordable service. And I'm here as a senior homeowner today to shed light on the many, many ways that Philadelphians of all ages are looking for relief from affordability, crisis and urge City Council to support the Make Philly agenda. Seniors face a major challenge related to the ability of maintaining our homes. And what we're asking for is assistance from City Council to -- I can keep going?
Okay. To make sure that we have means to maintain our homes with contractors who are vetted by a group that makes sure that we're not using tradesmen that are charging us more than we should pay. I am interested in making sure that we save -- okay. I just ask you to support O'Rourke's bill. Thank you. (Applause.)