Thank you. Those opposed will indicate 2ND READING by a show of hands. (No response.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. Council will meet on Thursday, May 31st, 2012 to conduct a regular session of Council. The next order of business is consideration of the Calendar. I note the bills just reported from committee with suspension of rules have been deemed to have had a first reading. These bills will be placed on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar. There are no additional bills on the First Reading Calendar. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Jones for the purpose of calling up resolutions and bills on the Second Reading and Final Passage.
Thank you again, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up for Second Reading and Final Passage 2ND READING Calendar today: Nos. 120118, 120303, 120305, 120308, 120309, 120310, 120311, 120312 and 120313 and 120251. All other resolutions and bills are being held.
Thank you, Councilman. Before considering the resolutions and bills -- Councilman Johnson, did you ask for 118 to be held? It's the first one.
Thank you, sir. So before we consider today's Calendar, we will have our public comment. Public comment must concern matters on the First or Second Reading of Council. For those of you that are new, the purpose of this public comment rule, that we will ask that you limit your comments to three seconds -- I'm sorry; three minutes. Freudian slip. Sorry. Three minutes. Three minutes. The reason for this is that we want to ensure that everybody has an opportunity. There have been times that we have a significant amount of individuals who are interested in testifying, so we want to make sure that everybody has an opportunity. When you come to the podium, you'll see a device on the podium that has a light. A green light indicates that it's your time to speak. The yellow light alerts you that you have 30 seconds, and the red light means that your three minutes are up. So I just want to make sure that everybody is familiar with the rules. So we'll basically ask you to concur and conform to the rules that we have today on public comment. So with that, I would like to ask Mr. Decker to please read the name of the first individual who wishes to testify.
Eric Richardson, commenting on 120254. (Witness approached podium.)
I just wanted to speak on as far as what the Mayor is trying to stop us from feeding down at the park. I just wanted to ask words of compassion for man. As a follower of Christ, we believe that we are here to feed the hungry, the less fortunate. The Bible tells us that judge righteously, plead the cause for the poor and the needy. We are exercising our religious freedom, and by stopping us from feeding, you're taking away our religious rights. Not only do we feed the homeless, we clothe them, but, more importantly, we minister the word of God to them, something that we can all agree that this city needs more of. Not every person receiving meals on the Parkway is homeless. Some of them just can't afford a decent meal. So what happens to the mother that barely makes enough to pay for rent? Is she not entitled to a decent meal for her and her children? Last week we fed on the Parkway and there stood in line a man with two children. We didn't see if -- we didn't ask if they were hungry, but all we saw was a family that was hungry. Some people aren't homeless, but they may go for days without eating. We are told that the shelters are in deplorable conditions and the food is horrible. Mr. Mayor, you are fortunate to have a choice. Some people don't. I ask would you choose to live in these conditions? Would you eat food from out of the garbage? The bottom line, Mr. Mayor, is that you are not homeless, your family isn't living in shelters or hungry. I challenge you to put yourself in their shoes and remember that it could be you, Mr. Mayor, on any given day. We understand the Mayor's concerns for safe food handling, but there is not one recorded incident of sickness from outdoor feeding, according to Deputy Mayor Schwarz. When we feed, our food is hot. Our food is kept hot with sternos and our cold food is kept on ice so that it remains cold. We use rubber gloves and hand sanitizers. We don't receive funding from the City. Is the City going to provide a building for my organization and all the other organizations to feed indoors? We work hard at providing safe and nutritious meals, and we are dedicated to feeding the hungry. The Mayor stated that as a black man, it's painful, personally painful, for me to walk up and down the Parkway and see hundreds of people, many of whom are African American males, standing in 90-degree heat in long lines. Well, it pains me to see an African American Mayor not willing to allow the feeding of hundreds of African American males. And for the record, Mr. Mayor, hunger has no color, race or gender. As I stated before, this is called by God, and anything called by God, man can't overturn. (Applause.)
Adam Bruckner, commenting on 120254. (Witness approached podium.)
Thanks for having me out today. I understand that this is a pinch for many of you and there's a great tension about whether to allow the feeding, as they say. We call it serving, but the feeding, as the proposition says, of the homeless outside. The four points that Mayor Nutter made about that were food and health safety, dignity of the men, social services and the appropriateness. Now, last meeting we spoke at length. I think we beat the horse to death and then some about these points, but just to briefly go over them again. The proposal is to move the meals outside of City Hall for the apron, with the dust coming in and it doesn't -it's a lateral move. It won't help the food get safer because the food is safer already. The men feel really awful that they would have to stand on display outside of City Hall while people are driving away. It does not address the dignity. It does not improve the dignity. One of the concerns was that these guys have to stand outside in the rain. They have to stand for the meals. But if you go to these shelters, they have to stand outside in lines to get into shelters. The concern was that they have to stand in bad conditions, but they have to walk a mile in these bad conditions to get from the library up to Broad Street Ministries. The social services part of it, we continue to offer social services to men, women and children on the spots where oftentimes they are most comfortable, which is outside. We believe that dignity comes from a choice and the social services can be a part of that also. The appropriateness issue is a tough one, is this an appropriate activity for the Parkway. All I can ask is that we don't sell out on the poor because of the tourism issue coming up. And it's difficult, but we really are trying to fight for that. I work with a rescue mission in Philadelphia and I work with the homeless on the streets. I see both sides of it. I can say without reservation that the overwhelming support from the men and from those advocates are to offer the choice and to work with the City as opposed to what has really happened is this divisiveness has come up where there's been a surprise news conference. I'm on the task force and I didn't even know that there was a meeting about the public comment for the rec center. It seems that things are just getting swept up. And so what is really happening is, the black and white is that you're trying to starve people off the Parkway. You're hoping that once you get them hungry enough, they will go into shelters where there will be social services available for them, and then you're asking the volunteers, who essentially you have said are just simple do-gooders who are doing more harm than good. You're asking them to then work with the City. So our point is that this is like if you ever had a leak in your house and water starts coming in the walls, it would just be like painting over that, and then when the water comes in, it does more damage than good. And so I'm asking not to paint over the problem, but just to see for what it is. It's a problem that we've got to deal with, and instead of just making it look nice, to really address the issue of why the water is coming in in the first place. Thank you very much.
Donald Cragg, commenting on 120254. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning, crew. My name is Don Cragg and I'm here in behalf as to state why I am for serving food outdoors to those who need it and need to be nourished. At one point I was in a situation where I became homeless. I went through St. John's Hospice to find a shelter in the City of Philadelphia, bar none, and I was introduced to Adam Bruckner, who provided me a birth certificate at 19th and Vine, which is since 18th and Vine, and also to the second man, Pastor Jenkins, who served the finest chicken dinner in the City of Philadelphia, including above Steven Starr. I'm basically here to say that to push homeless people indoors, which the public has the right to eat outdoors in outdoor cafes and anywhere they want to eat, and also with the Barnes Foundation coming into town this month, but yet they are four blocks away from Pastor Jenkins, two blocks away from Adam Bruckner. And Albert C. Barnes, who founded the Foundation, was the most charitable man in the City, because he helped those underprivileged. It is a sin that what is so freely given to us cannot be freely given to others. I urge the Council to defeat this ban. We must do our God-given right to feed those who are in a bind, especially nowadays. Thank you to all. (Applause.)
Monica Wildes, commenting on 120254. (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Monica Wildes. I'm speaking on behalf of Craig Stroman and We Feed the Homeless Philly. I will be reading a letter written by Mr. Stroman in response to the resolution. We Feed the Homeless Philly is staunchly against Mayor Nutter's ban on passing out food to the homeless on the streets through the Parks Department. In two years, we have passed out over 15,000 outdoor meals to the homeless without one homeless person receiving medical treatment from our meals. When we first began in Love Park in July of 2010 in 95-plus degree weather, we fed and hydrated over 200 persons that day that saved lives in the park, saved lives from heat strokes, heat exhaustion and hunger. Despite the good that we were doing and the lives we were attempting to serve, the Park Commission shut us down on that day. So we decided to move our feedings to 18th and Vine, where we started feeding over 300 persons every Saturday. I want to reiterate that We Feed the Homeless Philly has passed out over 15,000 meals to the homeless in the past two years and will continue to feed them. There is no statistical data or hospital records that supports the Mayor's contention that outdoor feeding is not as safe as feeding indoors. The Mayor talks about vans showing up at Love Park or 18th and Vine handing out sandwiches. If not for some of these vans, how will the homeless eat? Would Mayor Nutter or Deputy Mayor Schwarz rather they pick food out of a park trash can or eat something left on a park bench by a person who is allowed to eat in the parks? Well, what about the organizations who feed on the streets and are organized and take safety precautions when serving outside? We believe that the Mayor's ban infringes upon people's religious rights and excludes a certain set of people from eating and receiving food in public spaces. I don't have a number of how many blankets, hats, scarves, shoes, coats and other garments we handed out over the last two years, but it's significant enough to have that we have helped these people more than the City could ever imagine. Churches, non-profits, organizations and schools in this area have done this for years, and we are sure that it has saved the city, state and the country millions of dollars in city, state and federal budgets. We feed the homeless because it is the right thing to do. There are thousands of mentally disabled homeless persons roaming our streets from budgets being cut for mental health clinics and homeless shelters being shut down. We feed our fallen comrades and heroes who come home from wars fought abroad, only to be met with foreclosure signs on their doors. These are the stories we hear from these forgotten and disrespected Americans. Businesses that look at these people as an eyesore in downtown Philadelphia should be inconsequential in the decision to feed the homeless where they are. Mayor Nutter constantly talks about Philadelphia as the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, but seems to forget the part about love, which is what we're trying to spread and show the homeless community that we care about our fellow Philadelphians. The Mayor talks about the homeless being fed in a dignified manner by feeding them inside. It's just flashing yellow. I'm sorry. It's not even flashing red.
Altressa Boatwright, commenting on 120254. (Witness approached podium.)
To President Clarke, Councilmembers and all that are in attendance, good morning.
Recently there was a letter dated April 23rd that was sent to Chosen 300 from Mayor Nutter addressing the issues of banning -- the banning of meals served in public places. A copy of this letter has been sent to all Councilmembers. However, if you have not had the opportunity to read the letter, let me summarize it quickly for you. The only issue addressed was a concern for health issues and the ability of the City to regulate the quality of food to eliminate any health hazards. Therefore, I would suggest to you today that there is no reason to ban meals from public parks, because this does not address any health issues. Regardless of where you feed, you can have a health issue in Love Park, the apron of City Hall or anywhere else that you may decide that you're going to serve meals. In addition, this ban is not a viable solution considering that Deputy Mayor Schwarz during many hearings has stated that there has been no reports of sickness or food-borne illnesses. In addition, recently Chosen 300 met with Deputy Mayor Michael DiBerardinis of the Park and Recreation Department and Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. In this meeting, the Deputy Mayor stated that the reason that he supports the regulation for parks is that the outdoor meals to the homeless in the parks along the Parkway is not the best use of the public space. However, no matter where you go, it should be public space, and everyone is entitled to the same privileges, the same rights and the ability for them to receive a meal wherever you go. Recently I came down 15th Street and there are vending carts all along those particular streets, and there are lines and lines of people that come out at lunchtime to actually purchase their lunch. So what is the difference between a person that is standing in line at the vending carts and a person that's standing in a line at Love Park waiting for a meal? So today based on some of the information that has been presented, I am asking this Council to reject the resolution that the Parks and Recreation Department has presented, which is asking for the removal of individual people that do not meet certain criterias that congregate along the Parkway that they would not be able to receive a meal, which is the same privilege that all of us all have on any given day that we go out for lunch. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hold it, Mr. Decker. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to make sure people understand the process, because I think part of what's happening is that there's a misunderstanding that somehow we've done something or we've imposed something or that we have the ability to tell the Mayor not to do this regulation. I think the sentiment of most of this Council -I'm not speaking for everybody, but I would think that most of us are probably against this regulation anyway, and I just want people to understand that it's not -- I would support Councilwoman Blackwell's resolution today if she ran it for hearings or to give the sense of Council that we don't agree with this particular resolution, but I think -- I don't want people to be misunderstood that we somehow oppose this ourselves. It was certainly the Mayor on his own, and he has every right to do what he wants to do as Mayor, but maybe we ought to move the podium down to the second floor so that people can express their views to him. (Applause.)
Again, I've been here a while and I've seen the issues come forward with Councilwoman Blackwell on this issue, and I understand her fervent way in protecting people who need to be protected, and I would be at her back to do that, but I just -- I want people to understand we didn't do this. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. Please proceed, Mr. Decker.
Brian Jenkins, commenting on 120254. (Witness approached podium.)
Thank you, Council President. I want to take a different approach today. You've heard me speak before. But I want to tell you about a story about a little boy who was born in Tasker Projects. His mother died when he was five years old and his father walked out even before he was born. He wound up under the care of the Department of Human Services of this city and wound up passed from home to home and wound up in a homeless shelter for children. Might you ask what happened to this little boy. He probably wound up in the Youth Study Center, probably wound up in prison, probably wound up being homeless and even eating at Chosen 300. But let me tell you, that didn't happen, because that little boy was me. There was a family from Mobile, Alabama that came to Philadelphia that was called to help people, and that family took me into their home and took me out of the streets of Philadelphia. I was able to go to some of the best schools in the country, graduate from Temple University. And my life could have went a whole different way hadn't somebody helped. This legislation that is being proposed, this regulation, both on the Health Department side and Parks and Recreation, are trying to prevent people from helping. There's a lot of people that have fallen into the pit of despair, and if we allow the regulation to occur, it's going to stop us from getting them up. We're simply asking for your help to oppose the Mayor with by any means necessary -(Applause.)
-- to stop these regulations from occurring. There's some people that don't have food. There's over 10,000 homeless people in Philadelphia and over a quarter million people that suffer in poverty and they don't have food, and they don't know how they're going to make the difference between paying the rent or feeding their children. We're not here to complain against you. We're just asking for your help to fight the regulation so that people can have food and the help that they need. And, lastly, there's people that need hope, and we believe that that hope is given through the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I know there's a lot of faiths here. (Applause.)
But we believe it's through the gospel. And these regulations are preventing us from being able to share the gospel on the streets of what we call the City of Brotherly Love. So we're not asking you. We're not coming against the Council today. We're just simply asking you for your help to fight the battle, because we cannot do it by ourselves, but if you help us, we can impact the people's lives that we serve. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
Nyko Rayer, commenting on 120254. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. My name is Nyko Rayer and I'm a member of North Philadelphia Food Not Bombs. You'll get to know me and my human rights organization very well, because we will not stop fighting in Board of Health meetings, Parks and Recs meetings, in City Council and on the street in our servings until the unjust Board of Health regulations and the Mayor all-out ban on serving free food to homeless Philadelphians enacted through the Department of Parks and Rec. Speaking of the Department of Parks and Rec, I was disgusted, but not at all surprised, when the City changed the public hearing on the ban to a week early with less than 24 hours notice. The number of people willing to drop whatever they were doing to make it to that hearing alone should tell you and the Mayor how serious we all are. Mayor Nutter's dirty tactics will not deter us. Now, to the point of appropriateness of serving free food to hungry Philadelphians in our parks, I can't think of a better use of our city's beautiful parks than sharing food with hungry Philadelphians. But this isn't about parks. This is about money. This is about tourism. This is about moving homeless people off the Parkway. Although Mayor Nutter loves to talk about brotherly love when it suits him, like in the Love Philadelphia tourism campaign, he is actually making brotherly love illegal, and it's disgusting. Philadelphia will not be known as the City of Brotherly Love. It will be known as the City of Death, a city where the Mayor starves its most vulnerable citizens and allows them to die in the streets. And don't worry, we know how to get the word out to the rest of the country. Don't ban sharing free food with homeless Philadelphians. Don't let Mayor Nutter irreparably damage our great city. You're City Council. You can stop this. Please, please stop this. (Applause.)
Robert Taylor, commenting on 120312. (Witness approached podium.)
Members of Council, ladies and gentlemen. I am Robert Taylor, a citizen of Philadelphia and the President of Transport Workers Union Local 700, a sister local of Local 234. I am commenting on Resolution No. 120312, SEPTA operator assaults. I support this resolution, and I thank Councilwoman Bass for its introduction. SEPTA ridership is up. However, assaults have doubled against operators over the past year. The operators are not at fault. This resolution will take protective and proactive measures in order to prevent more assaults. TWU is committed to improving safety on public transportation and building coalitions with other organizations in order to protect our workers and the riding public. An injury to one is an injury to all. Reality may sometimes be ugly. However, the solution can sometimes be beautiful. Thank you for your attention. God bless Philadelphia, and long live the republic.
John Johnson, commenting on 120312. (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon, President Clarke and members of Council. Philadelphia is at risk right now. I've heard a lot from a lot of people today about the Commonwealth of Philadelphia, but as Robert said, last year there were double the amount of incidents that involved my members, and we can't continue to tolerate that. In addition to the members being assaulted, it was passengers. But when I think about this, all the Council, you're affected by my membership. We ride through every one of your councilmanic districts. So don't feel as if this is a North Philly issue or a South Philly issue. It's your issue. And we're here today to stand by Councilwoman Cindy Bass and ask that every Councilmember work with her in regards to passing Resolution No. 8, because, remember, we're the blood line that courses through the veins of the City of Philadelphia and we need you to help us to become the world-class city, a world-class transit authority, as well an international union that we are to make Philadelphia look as good as it can. We move the people that come to Philadelphia to take them down to Independence Mall. We're there. Whether you guys drive your City automobiles or not, we're the ones that operate the buses. Thank you, Councilwoman Blackwell. We want your help. We need your help. We're not going to demand it, because that's our emotion right now. I spoke to Brother Kenyatta as far as this issue. It's a world-class issue, not just Philadelphia. Next Thursday I will be in New York speaking at the first international transit assault about what's taking place in Philadelphia. I'm going to represent Philadelphia. I was born here. I was raised at 1835 North Patrona (ph) Street. Councilman, in your district. I may not live in the City now, but I will be returning, because I see a lot of things that needs to be done, and my union and my members and with your help, we can make those changes together and we all are in this together. Thank you. But I have a letter from Senator Tina Tartaglione. With your permission, President, I'd like to read it.
As long as you can do it before the red light goes on.
I don't know. I just got it. I'll do my best. Dear President Clarke and members of City Council, I apologize that I could not stand before you today.
It is with great pleasure that I extend my gratitude and appreciation for offering and passing this resolution, which urges the state legislators to pass Senate Bill 236, my legislation providing an enhanced penalty for second-degree felony offenses of public transportation employees. I have introduced this legislation in the State Senate for the past six years, and each year my bill has failed to receive consideration. In the meantime, transportation employees in the City of Philadelphia and throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have faced a daily threat of hostility and violence from passengers and members of the public while performing their job duties, and yet these courageous employees have returned to work every day, hoping and waiting for the legislators to offer them an added level of protection from these continued assaults. This year, with the number of incidents having escalated against public transportation employees, it is time to take action. Thank you, sir.
Erica Harris, commenting on 120254. (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon, President Clarke and members of the Council. My name is Erica Harris and I come before you today to ask you to vote down the Mayor's ban on serving the homeless. When I see those who are homeless and less fortunate, I am reminded that not for the grace of God, there go I or you. As a person who serves the homeless, I am upset that this city, being called the City of Brotherly Love, would turn its back on those who are less fortunate than others. I am ashamed of a Mayor who would rather spend money making our parks pretty for the rich instead of investing our money for programs to end homeless and hungry. This ban by our Mayor will place undue hardship on our homeless community, as well as a limited resource available to them. With less places to eat and less food available, this amounts to legalized starvation of the homeless. I believe that when we are blessed, we have an obligation to bless others who are in need. In this economy, homelessness is on the rise, and I am sure that most of us here today have been touched by it in some way through family and friends. If any of you had a loved one that was unfortunate enough to be homeless, wouldn't you want someone to extend a helping hand to you instead of kicking you in the groins? The homeless should not be mistreated because they are less fortunate. Instead, we should extend a helping hand as often as possible. I ask you, the members of City Council, to do what is right and the humane thing by voting down this ban on serving the homeless. I want to leave you with this: Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and the needy. That's Proverbs 31 and 9. God has called us to active duty. That's 1 John 3:18. Please don't ask me to silence the voice of God who told me to serve this community. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. Mr. Decker, anyone else on the 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING list?
There are no other speakers on the public comment list, Mr. President.
Thank you. That concludes our public comment session. We will now consider the resolutions and bills on the Second Reading and Final Passage. The Clerk will please read the title of Resolution No. 120303.
A resolution calling on community leaders to assist the Philadelphia Fire Department by speaking with their neighbors about the importance of having working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, as well as assisting their communities to become informed about fire safety.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell for a motion.
Thank 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Resolution 120303 is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120305.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Twenty-Fourth Ward of the 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING City of Philadelphia.
The Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Resolution 120305 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 120308.
A resolution authorizing City Council's Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold hearings to examine youth employment opportunities in Philadelphia. 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
Mr. President, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. 120308 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 120309.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING situate in the Nineteenth Ward of the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. 120309 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 120310.
A resolution amending Resolution No. 120001, which provides Rules for the Government of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, by revising the definition of "privileged resolutions" to include resolutions 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING authorizing one or more committees of Council to hold hearings, so that such resolutions will be considered on the day of introduction following public comment; by requiring the circulation of certain resolutions to members of Council prior to the Council session at which they were introduced; and by making other conforming amendments.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. 120310 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 120311. 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
A resolution approving the redevelopment contract and disposition supplement of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the New Kensington - Fishtown Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 2219 Frankford Avenue.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
Resolution 120311 is adopted. 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. Decker, 312.
A resolution urging the Pennsylvania State Legislature to pass Senate Bill 236 which would amend Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in assault, by adding Public Transportation Employees to the list of protected individuals.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
Those opposed? (No response.) 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it. 120312 is adopted. We will now move on to our bills. I'm sorry. I omitted one. Mr. Decker, 313.
A resolution initiating action to continue the Mt. Airy Business Improvement District beyond its termination date in an area that generally includes both sides of Germantown Avenue from 6300 to 7631 and certain blocks of streets that intersect that portion of Germantown Avenue, for which Mt. Airy Improvement District, Inc., a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, serves as the Neighborhood Improvement District Management Association.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Resolution 120313 is adopted. We will now move to 120251.
An ordinance authorizing the Procurement Commissioner on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into a concession agreement for the development, operation and maintenance of an airport advertising program at Philadelphia International Airport.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill finally pass. The Chief Clerk will please 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING zero. A majority of all members having voted, the bill passes. The Clerk will please read any additional resolutions on today's Calendar.
A resolution recognizing and congratulating Brian Dawkins on the occasion of his retirement from the National Football League, where he played sixteen extraordinary seasons as a safety, thirteen of which were for the Philadelphia Eagles, introduced by Councilman Kenney.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Those opposed? 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
And a resolution declaring May 26th through 28th, 2012 as Cherokee Heritage Weekend in celebration of the Nineteenth Annual Cherokee Indian Festival, introduced by Councilwoman Tasco.
Mr. President, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
And a resolution 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING honoring Randall J. Gyory for his achievements and service to the City of Philadelphia and its citizens as Interim Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Philadelphia Gas Works, introduced by Councilwoman Tasco.
Mr. President, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution honoring Joseph R. Bogdonavage for his 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING achievements and service to the City of Philadelphia and its citizens as Interim Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Philadelphia Gas Works, introduced by Councilwoman Tasco.
Mr. President, I move for the adoption of the resolution for Mr. Bogdonavage. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution recognizing and celebrating May 7th to 11th, 2012 as National Correctional 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Employees Week in Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
Been moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution proclaiming May 12th through the 19th, 2012 as "LOVE YOUR PARK WEEK" in Philadelphia, introduced by Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, 5/3/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution declaring May 2012 to be Hepatitis B Awareness Month in Philadelphia to recognize and support the "Hep B United Philadelphia" campaign aimed at raising the profile of Hepatitis B and liver cancer as an urgent health priority, introduced by Councilman Oh.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. Those in favor? (Aye.)
There are no other resolutions on the Calendar, Mr. President.
Thank you so much. That completes our Calendar for today. Are there any speeches on behalf of the majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Mr. President. Reserving final judgment in being provided to this body, yesterday the Administration scared me straight. They testified for hours about revenue proposals for AVI. They told us the data they are providing us is not correct. They don't know the aggregate value of real estate in the City of Philadelphia at actual value. They can't provide us with accurate data without knowing the aggregate value of real estate in the City of Philadelphia. They won't provide the aggregate value of real estate and the relative values of residential versus industrial and commercial values until we have passed the budget. They don't know if the homestead exemption will pass the state. They don't think Brendan Boyle's legislation that would require revenue neutrality will pass the state; that the smoothing will cause some people to pay more than without smoothing, hurting some of the very people that they're trying to help; that we will not have a fair tax if we pass the proposal they send. They are opposed to fully implementing a fair tax system next year with Council having full information. The Administration's proposal could shift hundreds of millions of dollars of taxes paid away from businesses to homeowners. Only with a large homestead exemption can we make sure businesses don't get a windfall at the expense of homeowners. They can't tell us what the size of the homestead exemption needs to be to correct for this business windfall or if we will have a homestead exemption from the state at all. They tell us a formulaic approach to setting millage is legal, despite the fact that caselaw requires a millage be set. They tell us that they have a savings clause in the bills they send us just in case it is not legal. The savings clause assumes a homestead 1 billion they intend. Even if they are legal, they can't tell us what the savings clause would collect without knowing the aggregate value of all real estate in the City of Philadelphia. They, once again, don't know the aggregate value of all real estate in the City until after we pass the budget; that the Office of Information Technology and the Office of Property Assessment's technology people have specific milestones for achieving the mailing before October 1st, some of which have already been missed or just adjusted; that the data is only 50 percent entered into the existing BRT system; that the data won't be in the new system until late July at the earliest; that nothing will go wrong with the algorithms and to occur from August to mid September and they will have accurate results they can mail on time because they have been told that there is a deadline and they have no choice; that they are, quote, not likely to miss the deadline. I note multiple departments this budget season have testified to their failure to accomplish tasks promised to City Council because of failed or delayed Office of Technology implementations, that they don't want the savings clause to be the status quo. There are a lot of variables and uncertainties, and everything will have to go exactly right and on schedule. That has not been my experience in government the last four years and has not been my experience with this Administration. This lack of certainty and lack of knowledge of key relevant data is not the responsibility of Council. After planning, the Administration chose a schedule to not have this information be available until the month after we pass the budget. If anything goes wrong, the public will ask, Who was foolish enough to pass legislation without full or substantial information that is necessary for a considered vote.
Council will rue the day it takes an uninformed vote in the most significant and important reform since at least I have been in City Council. This has the potential to be Council's midnight pay raise, but it's even more irresponsible because at least the Legislature knew what their vote meant, at least for them. We should be considered, careful and act with full information. The absence of such information is the Administration's responsibility based on their chosen timetable, and it feels purposeful. With full information, we value, look at homestead, look at all measures to develop a full and fair tax system next year, two years earlier than the Administration's proposal. I recently read about a flasher arrested for flashing in the Bucks County Home for the Blind. The Mayor's proposal is as effective as that flasher. He has sent us a tax package, but we and the public can't see it. Perhaps he has not been told that he is wearing no clothes. Even so, it is Council's professionalism and fiduciary duty that is exposed. No director of a private company would approve this without much more information. The shareholders would sue for breach of fiduciary duty, a duty that requires that directors be informed, and the shareholders would win. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman
Thank you, Mr. President. Roll call. Time to man up. I know that when it came down to critical mass and we were about to lose 750 jobs down at the refinery, that private sector, public sector put their heads together, found a buyer to save those jobs and put people to work in a meaningful way. That was the right thing to do. I know that the Catholic schools, many of them that were honored here today, when they heard roll call, they manned up and they found ways to bring private sector again, public sector again and little kids and their piggybanks together to save Saint Hubert School by raising $1.5 million. Why is it that when it comes to our public school children, that we cannot find that constitution within ourselves to reach deep for them? This We know, we know that if a child can't read to level by the time they're in the fourth grade how many cells to build by the time they are 18. They are not poker chips. They are not high-risk gambling of Wall Street. They are our future. (Applause.)
They are our future. And we going to have a roll call to see who is who and what's what when it comes time to do the heavy lifting on their behalf, because I'm so sick of explaining to parents why we have teddy bear memorials that we have to go to as elected officials. Man up. Our children deserve it. And we can speculate on who is at fault all we want. We could talk about accountability in the future all we want. Yeah, we got snookered last time. We will be more careful this time, but we will not abandon those kids, not on my you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Mr. President. On a positive and constructive note, due to your efforts, Mr. President, this week we launched the Philadelphia Jobs Commission. I was proud to co-sponsor your legislation and I'm proud to serve with my fellow commissioners from the public, private and non-profit sectors. This is what I had to say about jobs earlier this week: The issue of jobs is not just about job creation or business attraction. It's also about business and job retention. We create jobs every year. We just don't create more jobs than we lose. creation/retention is not just about business taxes and regulations. It's also about public education and public safety. It's about the quality of life in Philadelphia. And every job is not a good job. It almost doesn't pay for some people to go to work. If we are not concerned about job quality, we cannot attract or retain population. And also every investment in job development is not good investment. There must be public benefit criteria for how we invest taxpayer dollars in private enterprise. And every discussion about jobs does not have to be strictly about the business bottom line. It should be about helping more people live the American dream here in America's birth place. It's about how we help people better employ their talents and skills and Philadelphians developing more talent and skill. So I look forward to our next 14th while we plan to emphasize how we need to connect more people to jobs in the private sector, but let's start with the jobs that are subsidized with local taxpayer dollars. I will leave that meeting on the 14th and go to the first meeting of the Economic Opportunity Review Committee, where they will look at projects and contracts that have already received public subsidy and whether the diversity goals are being met. That meeting is open to the public and everyone is invited to testify. It's Monday, May 14th at 10:00 a.m. in City Council Caucus Room. If you wish to testify regarding diversity on City-funded projects and contracts or if you wish to snitch on the lack of diversity on those projects, contact the Office of Economic Opportunity or simply call my office. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Mr. President. Just another reminder that we do have members of the SRC who are across the hall and who are waiting to meet with us at our request. So I hope you'll come over. We have a few sandwiches and such for a few moments before you resume the rest of your day. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to state one thing very clearly for the record that I've mentioned almost every Thursday since the AVI proposal has been sent down. There are two issues before us. They are completely separate issues. One is school funding, and I'll be happy to be The other is whether or not it's responsible to go to AVI, and I'll be happy to be counted in that regard, and I will man up in both. Thank you, Mr. President.