COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON HOUSING, NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND THE HOMELESS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tuesday, November 15, 2005 12:00 p.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL, CHAIRWOMAN COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILMAN FRANK DiCICCO COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN JUAN RAMOS COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN RESOLUTION 050871 - Resolution calling on the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless to hold public hearings on the Administration's proposed reorganization of housing agencies. - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2
This is a day with many, many meetings, all occurring at the same time, but we thank you for your patience and we thank you for being here. As soon as I get a couple bodies to come from one office here, then we will begin. Again, we apologize for holding you, and we're very happy to see you and very happy that you're here. (Pause.)
Again, let me thank you all for being here. We're going to ask the Clerk to read the title of the resolution today that the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless will hear. To my right, I have Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. To her right, Councilman Frank DiCicco, and standing behind me, Councilman Darrell Clarke. Obviously, I'm Jannie Blackwell, and we're very happy to be here with regard to this Committee on Housing, 3 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 Neighborhood Development and the Homeless that we'll here Resolution 050871. Again, we'll ask the Clerk to read the title of the resolution.
Resolution 050871, a resolution calling on the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless to hold public hearings on the Administration's proposed reorganization of housing agencies.
Thank you very much. As many of you know, there's been much talk as of late regarding housing reorganization. In preparation of this hearing, we invited the Mayor, the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation, the heads of the City's housing agencies, Local 1971, the blueprinter and homelessness advocates of the Housing Trust Fund, as well as the Philadelphia Association of CDCs and others. We thank you for taking the 4 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 time out to join us in this preliminary hearing with regard to the proposed housing reorganization plan. Since the creation of the Mayor's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, all of us know it as NTI, many communities across our City have rediscovered hope, as this program opened new avenues for participation in neighborhood planning and community building. For the first time in many instances, communities and civic organizations were able to work with the City planning departments to prioritize local needs, work with their District Councilpersons and those At-Large to identify tools to address these needs, and to work with private and non-profit developers alike, as well as consultants in order to implement sustainable solutions. In the Third District alone, we have worked hard and have held many forums where we have tried to get 5 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 non-profit developers as well as profit-making folks involved in neighborhood building, and over $2 billion has been invested in affordable housing, commercial development, parks and recreation centers, as well as new infrastructure. That does not include the extra billion dollars that the University of Pennsylvania has invested. Through this more constituent-friendly approach to neighborhood development, vacant, trash-filled lots were converted into beautiful gardens for seniors and young people alike. Recreation parks and centers were renovated to create a centerpiece of development that attracted home builders and contractors who wanted to acquire and fix up surrounding blighted neighborhoods and properties. Abandoned factories have been converted into livable spaces, and with the help of new immigrant populations, abandoned neighborhood commercial corridors have 6 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 become valuable gems ready for investment so that local needs can be met and new jobs created. Many neighborhoods, which so many people have taken for granted, are now seen as assets and not liabilities. Through the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, our City has become a national model for locally controlled revitalization, a far cry from the top-down approach of urban renewal plans in the '60s and '70s. In hearing rumors about the Administration's plan to reorganize the various roles and functions of the City's housing agencies, we want to go on record to state that we support a plan that will make operations run smoother so that we can continue this momentum, and obviously we do not support a plan to change operations that is not clearly beneficial to all concerned. So many people, from the front-line staff who respond to 7 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 constituent calls, to the operations staff who research deeds and order appraisals, to the legitimate teams who make sure all transactions are fair to all parties, have pride in what they do for our citizens. They see the value of their work through improvements within our community and our City. Through this process, we hope to ease fears and show appreciation for the work that all the workers do so on a daily basis to make programs like NTI a success. Finally, we know that there's a cross breed of community-based organizations and for-profit developers who are involved in neighborhood development that manage varying needs from the homeless to the luxurious.
We want to assure them that the housing organization will make our system better, and that is what we're looking for from the Administration, and not slow it down to previous investments that are 8 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 threatened. We have partnerships with organizations like Philadelphia Housing Authority and many others, and we want all to know and our citizens to know that when we talk of reorganization or consolidation, that there is an improvement, not a huge fear of job loss or loss of pensions and benefits, especially before holidays, and that we are working together as a team so that our City and our operations will not slow down to a grinding halt. We do not want to lose faith in investors that we will not be able to deliver additional development at this time, but that all parties will be involved so that the end goals will take us further into better development for the 21st century. While we have made our feelings, our sentiments known, we understand that the Administration is still preparing its plan and will be 9 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 unable to present it in its entirety before our next hearing, which will be November 29th at 11:30. In the meantime, we felt it important that our community development partners have an opportunity to express their concerns or state the rumors so that they can be included in any final plan that the Administration is presenting. To this end, we will take testimony from any of those who are present who would like to tell us what they've heard and express their fears, concerns or desires for any housing reorganization. At conclusion today, we will stand adjourned until November 29th at 11:30, at which time we invite all of you back and we will continue our hearing so that we may all learn what the plans are by the Administration for the housing reorganization plan. As we ask Mr. Hanna, who is Secretary of Housing and Neighborhood 10 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 Preservation, we'll ask him to come forward. We again say that we cannot give you any documents, because we have none as well. We called this hearing because of our love for you and for our City and for our concerns when we hear that the Redevelopment Authority, Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, Office of Housing and Community Development are being reorganized. And it's been a rumor that's come up over and over for the past few years, and we thought it was just time to see what's going on, to learn a little bit about it, to find out what's existing. And I learned yesterday, as I've said, in my meeting with the Mayor that the plans were not finite. They were not completed. Obviously we contacted you. Most of you learned about this between Thursday night when we sent out notices and Friday, and it was not until yesterday that we learned that a 11 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 plan is not complete. Again, we want to thank you and we want to call on Mr. Hanna to ask him -- does anyone here have any statement to make? )
Thank you. Then we'll call on Mr. Hanna to make any opening statement that you may have.
Councilwoman, thank you, first of all, for the opportunity to sit before you, but I will say in all honesty, for the most part, you've stolen my thunder. The plan is not in fact complete. It is currently being reviewed by the Administration, and once the plan is complete, we'll be more than happy to come back before this body to talk at length and in detail about it.
Well, we're deeply involved in, for example, the ten-year plan to end homelessness. I've been committed to that for the 30 12 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 years I've been in politics, but we would like to be included in various aspects. We feel we have a lot to offer, a lot of opinions. We work with everyone. But we have received no formal documents to date in that regard, and we want to make sure that as we deal with this as an issue, that the Committee is included and is informed, so that when our community organizations, non-profit organizations, CDCs and others come to us, that we certainly know what we're talking about and that this Committee can speak intelligently about what plans are. Councilman DiCicco.
Notwithstanding all of the language and the issues that still need to be dealt with to finalize or at least have a document which we can better understand 13 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 about what this reorganization is all about, whatever you have already on the table in terms of the reorganization plan, would eminent domain still be a tool in which your mission would need to be accomplished? Would you still need to use eminent domain in some instances or any instances? Because, I mean, presently now the Redevelopment Authority --
And the only reason I'm hesitating is because eminent domain has not been in the forefront of our thinking as we have tried to pull together a reorganization plan. As you know, eminent domain is a power vested in the Redevelopment Authority by virtue of state legislation. Obviously we're not going to do anything that's going to go in opposition to 14 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 existing or --
Let me stop you, if I may. Not to break your train of thought, but the reason I raise this, you may be aware, you may not be aware that there's pending legislation --
-- in Harrisburg as we speak that would basically take the powers of eminent domain away from Philadelphia, from everybody in the Commonwealth for that matter, but Philadelphia, because that's what we're interested in. So in your discussion on this reorganization plan, if eminent domain is one of the tools that would still be used, assuming you move forward, a lot of these discussions may not amount to anything anyway, because if you can't use eminent domain, where is the power either under the existing rules that we have or a new piece of legislation under this reorganization plan? 15 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
Because I don't know, for the most part, how we will ever be able to do anything.
Councilman, you're absolutely right. If legislation passes which yanks out of the RDA or any redevelopment authority of the Commonwealth the power to acquire property, then, yeah, that's going to severely, with a capital S, severely hamstring the City's, not just RDA but the City's ability to develop.
And that's my point. So I think the people in this room, if they're not aware of that, I'm sure most of them are, we have -- I've been on the phone. I've been e-mailing people for the last three days. We need to get some support in Harrisburg, irregardless of what happens with the reorganization, does it happen, does it not happen, because without eminent domain, there is not going to be much, if 16 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 any, development in this City, except in the private sector, but that's only a small portion of it. The larger portion will be determined by the fact that we still can use eminent domain. If we lose that power, we're dead in the water all the way around. I think the Philadelphia Delegation is on board, but we need to get some people to start putting pressure up in Harrisburg, because I think that's our first fight. I really think that's our first and biggest fight. This was a fight, but until that's resolved, I don't think we can even get into this discussion, because it may be for naught.
Let me ask you, and then my colleagues have a lot of questions. I have some. I probably won't ask them all today, but 17 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 I'll just put a few things on the table. Rumor has it that there may be a housing reorganization that not only my functions might change, that people may be laid off and that there is duplication of services among the agencies. Am I to assume that is the Administration's point of view, that more layoffs will occur?
Without commenting either way on rumors, the stated goal -- in fact, you helped state it just in your introductory comments. The stated goal of the reorganization is to help the Office of Housing run in a more efficient or economic way. The Administration has gone on record -- in fact, I've heard the Chief of Staff mention at least twice the contention that people will not be laid off as a result of reorganization. Beyond that, again, I'm not quite sure what else I can say.
Well, 18 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 that's very, very important, because we are --
I'm sorry. There is -- let me finish the thought voiced by the Chief of Staff. People will not be laid off as a result of -- people will not lose their jobs as a result of reorganization, I think, were her exact words. People may be given different jobs. People may have different responsibilities, but reorganization, in and of itself, won't displace people from their jobs.
The question becomes if people are transferred or people are given different jobs, will these people maintain their same salary and the same level of benefits?
Now you're getting to a level of detail to which I'm really uncomfortable talking.
Well, that's one of our concerns. To move 19 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 people around and have them move down and lose benefits and lose salary is something different. Having the freedom, labor has always -- not always. Labor for about the past maybe ten years, it seems to me, has used the tool of letting people work in different capacities. That's a tool for labor-management negotiations. But the whole issue of having them lose benefits and salary, that's a whole other question, and that is something that we are concerned about. (Applause.)
Point of order, Madam Chair. Thank you. And I'm not suggesting that the sky is falling. I'm not running around like Chicken Little, but there's a real, real, real possibility that this legislation that will take the authority away from eminent domain is going to happen by the end of this month. That's how soon, before the legislature breaks for the holidays. 20 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 So going to the Chairperson's question, hypothetically, if we lose the authority to use eminent domain, conversely we will have less development, which translates into less employees. So regardless of what this is -- and this is important, and the Chairperson raised a great question and we're all concerned with that, and I don't want to put this on the side. And you don't have the answer for this, Mr. Hanna. I'm just basically making a speech here, that this is a serious, serious situation that we, as a City, are being faced with. There will be development that will be curtailed, not happen, and that will translate into loss of jobs. Because if you're not developing, you don't need employees all the way around. So, again, we have to deal with this issue and keep our eye on this issue before us, but the big picture is what's going on in Harrisburg, in my opinion. Thank you, Madam Chair. 21 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
Certainly we agree that that's a big issue and that the whole question of eminent domain is a major one. I want to ask one specific question, and then I will defer to Councilman Clarke and hold my questions, and, that is, is it true that the Redevelopment Authority is down to one appraiser for the entire Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia? AUDIENCE: Yes.
That's a question I can't answer. I don't know. We'd have to pose that question to the Executive Director or his assistant.
Yes. I've heard it's true, and as you've heard people in the audience on the other side of the gate are saying it's true. And that's really, really important. In the past, in the past few years where there supposedly has been layoffs due to attrition or less employees due to 22 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 attrition and that sort of thing, for us to be effective, there's always this complaint, and I thought over the years to try to improve the process and the system so that it doesn't take us as long to go through the process and that maybe the same departments didn't have to be visited maybe three times. But the question becomes if you have one appraiser, and we know that every property has to be appraised at least twice, how fast do you expect us to get it done if we have one appraiser for the whole Redevelopment Authority for the City of Philadelphia? It's unconscionable. Unconscionable. (Applause.)
Mr. Hanna, 23 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 with respect to the reorganization plan -- and obviously your primary portion of it is to discuss reorganization of employees' responsibilities, duties within the three housing agencies -- what were the other parameters that were set as it related to reorganization beyond the reorganization of the employees in the departments? Are you all looking at policy issues --
Not just policy issue, but process issues as well. And it's the process issue that we've made more progress upon than the personnel issue. From a process issue, I'll give you a couple or for instances. Technology at the Office of Housing has gone wanted, well, forever. Among other things, we were unable to accurately identify properties owned by the RDA, 24 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 PHDC, public property anywhere in the City. Even if we could track what we owned, it was difficult to -- well, we didn't have very current information like on taxes, whether there was a lien against it, who owners were, where owners were. That obviously presents a problem if you're transacting real estate business, meaning acquiring and disposing of real estate if you don't know what you have. So towards that end, the City through NTI has invested hundreds of thousands -- actually, millions of dollars in what's called a Vacant Property Management Information System, VPMIS. That process, that initiative, VPMIS, rather, is being driven both by the Office of Housing in close consultation with the Redevelopment Authority, because therein is where most of the real estate transactions happen, the RDA and MOIS. The Cabinet was actually 25 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 briefed on the process, that particular initiative, maybe a week and a half or so ago, and we are well along to getting that underway and kicked off. Among other things now, or within another couple of weeks or so, we will be in a position to map and identify every single parcel of property in the entire City of Philadelphia. We will be able to, with the literal click of a button, of a computer button, tell you who the owner is, what the status is of the property, whether there is a lien against it, when the last transaction that took place -- when was and for how much the last transaction was for that particular piece of property, like I said, its tax status. All of that, in my mind, is light years ahead of where we were before and a very important, though seldom talked about, aspect of reorganization. As the Councilman said relative to the legislation in Harrisburg, without 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 the ability to do certain real estate transactions, we're going to be hampered. In the same light, if we don't know what we own, if we can't keep up with what we sell, again, our efforts to transact real estate business in the City of Philadelphia in fact has been hampered to some extent but is going to be significantly improved once VPMIS is implemented. Another example --
Let me stop you there. I want to ask you a question on that particular issue. So you're telling me within two weeks --
No, not within two weeks. I said within a couple of weeks. Not necessarily two.
Okay. Normally when people say a couple of weeks, they kind of think --
How about within several weeks. 27 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
Okay. Using your system, you will be able to determine a particular property in the City of Philadelphia, the ownership, any liens. Can you determine utilities usage?
Can you determine if the property is occupied or vacant?
Well, that changes from day to day or minute to minute in certain neighborhoods. So, no, I'd say we couldn't necessarily tell you if it was occupied.
Why wouldn't you be able to determine if there were utility connections?
I'm not saying we 28 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 can't. I'm just saying I don't know. I don't know the system to that level of detail.
Is there anybody here that may know that that worked on the system?
If in fact -- well, let me put it like this: If you deem that an important aspect of the system and we right now don't contemplate having that as an aspect of the system, it's certainly something we can add onto it. I just don't know the answer to the question.
I asked you, is there anyone that may be able to answer that question?
While he's waiting for Ms. Califano to come forward, you mentioned mapping. We would like to know who is going to be collecting this mapping data.
What do you mean by who is going to be collecting it? 29 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
You said you're doing mapping. Who is going to be doing it? Are those union jobs? Didn't you just tell the Councilman you'll be able to access who controls what properties, where they are, lien sale, whatever? So who is going to be collecting that data or what agency?
The RDA will be responsible for collecting and updating that information on an ongoing basis, obviously with the help of MOIS. As to whether it's a union or a non-union job, that I don't know.
Rumor has it, and then I'll defer again to Councilman Clarke, that it is your plan within this housing reorganization to allow RDA to continue to acquire properties but that you want to transfer the disposition of said properties to OHCD. Is that true?
Again, Madam Chairwoman, with all due respect, I don't 30 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 want to comment -- in fact, I won't comment on rumors, and I can't comment on that level of specificity of a plan that we've already said is being reviewed right now by the Administration. I've heard hundreds of rumors of various sort, and, again, to comment on any one I think would be unwise at this time.
But remember, all we can do is ask you about rumors because you give us no data. (Applause.)
The Vacant Property Information System is a tool for the Redevelopment Authority to use in tracking the process of their acquisition activities and the disposition activities. So it's not a staffing change. It's an efficiency change in 31 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 terms of the Vacant Property Information System.
I think she was getting more to Councilwoman Blackwell's question.
I didn't ask you that. I asked the question about on the systems that you spoke of, what information are you able to access?
You're able to access all information managed by the other City agencies. So, yes. The information will link to the Water Department, to License and Inspections to be able to see what utilities are operational and if there's any debt or liens by the City on the property.
So you can essentially determine if the property is being utilized --
You can look at the indicators, correct. 32 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
But it would still require someone to go out and look at the property to assure whether it was vacant or occupied. All of the indicators --
If the property has no utilities, no water, no 11 sewer, no electric, no gas, hasn't paid taxes, wouldn't you assume that that property --
That's certainly an indicator that it's unoccupied, but you and I have both seen where people string extension cords from one property over to another.
Yes, but that's not a legal use. I'm talking about formally/legally occupying a property.
Given that kind of information, yes, one ought to be able to deduce whether it's occupied or not. 33 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
So when the Revenue Commissioner comes in here, as she does every year during budget hearings, and tells me that the City of Philadelphia has no ability to implement a bill that was passed and supported by, I guess, members of Council, a bill 9 that was essentially the non-utilization 10 bill that imposed a tax on these vacant 11 properties that stay in neighborhoods, 12 people walk away and we were imposing 13 additional tax to act as an incentive for 14 the person to either occupy or sell the 15 property to get it back on the tax roll, 16 then she's incorrect? 17
I don't know if I'd say incorrect because I don't know what she represented to you, but --
She said that she can't implement the bill because the City has no ability to determine as to whether or not a property is being utilized.
In that respect, 34 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 yes, VPMIS will go a long way towards helping us to determine whether or not a property is or is not being utilized.
Can you forward to the Chair a brief summary of what this system will be able to provide, and when I have the Revenue Commissioner in here the next time, I can show her the information so she will understand that there is the ability for the City.
All right. Thank you. With respect to the other parameters of what you are trying to achieve as the reorganization takes place, you are going to continue? I actually wanted to kind of follow up on -- one of the questions I want to ask has some relationship to what Councilwoman Blackwell asked.
There was just one other example dealing with process that I wanted to mention. The fact that over 35 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 the past months to two years, we've implemented something that we call a Deal Team Process wherein members of my staff, along with L&I, Streets, Fire, a number of the City's other operating agencies, literally get into a room with the developer in an effort to hash out whatever problems they might have, rather than having the developer skip or have the developer hire someone to skip from department to department to department to department to try to have problems solved. This has gone a long way, especially when it comes to large-scale developments. This has gone a long way towards, as you mentioned, Councilwoman, shrinking the process, making it shorter and easier to navigate. In my mind, that is also an aspect of reorganization in the sense that it, as I said before, makes the process more efficient and more economical to the City. 36 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
All right. In your reorganization discussion, have there been or will there be at any time a discussion about an aforementioned land bank that could possibly change the way that government, particularly City Council, its current relationship to acquisition and disposition of property? Is that a part of the discussion?
I'm trying to ask you a question so you can give me a vague answer. In terms of the discussion --
No, and I don't want you to take it that way, but I know based on your earlier statements, that you're limited in terms of what 37 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 you're going to be able to say. I'm trying to determine particularly as a Councilperson, as a legislator, given what I've been doing over the last six years as a legislator, and my colleagues here a lot longer than me, I know we take very importantly what it is we do here in the Council session, and if there's some discussion about possibly changing a process that involves us as Councilmembers, frankly speaking, I'm a little concerned that that level of discussion is not had with us early on in the process and potentially later on in the process as a recommendation without any input from Councilmembers. I mean, surely you wouldn't do that, right?
Councilman, you're right. Surely we would not change a process --
I know you're not going to change the process. I'm talking about --
That was a pause. 38 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 I'm still in the same sentence. We would not change a process that currently involves City Council input or action, certainly not unilaterally. I don't know if we could legally anyway.
But to follow up that second sentence of that first is, in those processes wherein City Council is currently involved, even if it doesn't have to pass legislation but where Council provides input, before such a process is modified, I commit to you, I promise to you we'll certainly come back, if not to this Committee, then some subcommittee or the Council as a whole, obviously to talk to you about it before something like that happens.
Well, personally, I'm concerned that there would even be any discussion about making a recommendation to change an action that 39 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 is Charter mandated by the City Council of Philadelphia without having some level of discussion.
I don't know that we're having any discussions about changing a Charter-mandated Council responsibility.
So there's no discussions about changing the process as it relates to Councilmembers and distribution and acquisition of land?
I'm racking my brain right now to think, but to my knowledge -- and if I go back and see that there is some, I'll certainly come back and talk to you about it, but to my recollection right now, no, there is no 19 such contemplation.
Thank you, Councilman. Let me be specific with regard 40 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 to VPRC, or the Vacant Property Review Committee. This Committee was established in 1976. I was here in those years, too, when I worked for Lucien Blackwell. I understand it's not on the table for discussion with regard to review, that you're talking RDA, PHDC and OHCD; is that correct?
I want to make sure that the Vacant Property Review Committee, VPRC, is not being tampered with. I'm told it is not being tampered with, so I figured this is an easy one for you to put on the record that you're not considering it.
See, again, Madam Councilwoman, you're asking me to speak in specifics that I'm not right now prepared to do.
All right. Well, let me let you know that that's a Council-formed operation and 41 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 it's one that we would not hold lightly to if there is any move to deal with it. It is the only committee that Council itself has the ability to deal with small individuals, people who want individual homes, side lots next to them, and it gives us some small way to deal with individual homeowners and even business in the City who have no big monetary way to sponsor a project or be involved. It allows us to say, Okay, Ms. Jones, that vacant property or vacant lot next to you where you're growing a garden on, sure, we can convey it to you. So that's an important committee to us. It's one of the little ways we can serve our constituents, but it means a lot to us, and so we want to put on the table that we would not hold lightly to it being some way done away with. So I want to put that on the table, and that's how we feel about our VPRC.
The Councilman talked about your function with regard to agencies. Would you respond to the IR team, Interagency Review team, and what the status of that is at this time?
The Interagency Review team was established by the Administration to review all requests for NTI acquisition dollars. The team consists of representatives of various City departments, the Commerce Department, PIDC, the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the Redevelopment Authority, the Office of Housing. The Committee looks at all requests that come in, both to the Council offices and to the Redevelopment Authority, and reviews them to ensure that the request is not overlapping with another project that's going through the process, that the project doesn't require additional development subsidy, and that the proposed developer has the financial 43 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 capacity and wherewithal to take the project through fruition. The Interagency Review team is an advisory group established by the Administration, and all recommendations go to the Councilmembers, the District Councilmembers, for their final decision. That Committee continues to meet twice a year, and through written correspondence from myself to the District Councilmembers, we memorialize both the recommendations of the Committee and then the final decision of the Councilperson on the acquisition decisions.
Well, we've submitted vacant lots back in -- they were submitted in 2001. They were postponed by the IR team, and we've had no further feedback or resolution. And you know we're always pressing hard in issues. We don't forget. We submit them all the time. That's why I asked if this Committee was still in existence, because 44 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 from '01 until now is a little bit of time that we haven't heard.
Hopefully we'll be meeting shortly, Councilwoman, and I'm happy to sit down with anyone to review old outstanding requests and the status or new requests and see how we can move them through the process.
Thank you, Madam Chair. It's my understanding that the IR team looks at proposals generally and then sends recommendations to the Council.
So the Council doesn't actually see all of the proposals?
No. You see everything that comes in. We send you a copy of everything that comes in, and then when we meet, we review and say, 45 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 This is recommended for approval, this is a project that the Committee had concerns with. But as soon as we get a copy -- on the application form, it states to the developer that they should submit a copy to their District Councilperson and that it requires District Council support for any action. As soon as we get copies, we also forward a set to the District Council office so that if the developer did not do that, you're seeing it when we're seeing it.
You see everything that comes in. And as part of the Vacant Property Information System, we're able to now document every request, and we can go through all those to make sure everyone has been responded to in some fashion.
And that is why it was important to us to know if the IR team -- I didn't know whether if it was still in existence or not, because we have projects that are some four years behind in resolution. With the shift in NTI to more neighborhood commercial development versus residential development, what resources will be allocated toward these efforts?
I don't know if it's a fair characterization, Councilwoman, to say that more resources -- well, maybe implication -- more resources will be allocated to commercial rather than residential. We are the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation. By far, most of our resources will continue to be allocated to residential, not just development but to residences, housing in the City of Philadelphia. But as for what resources will 47 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 be allocated towards commercial development, I can talk to you about a couple of them. It might make sense to have the Commerce Director or maybe, more specifically, Eva Gladstein of NTI to come and talk more specifics. But the Elm Street and Main Street initiatives are two state initiatives designed to help foster development for commercial in -- well, in cities all across the state, but in Philadelphia, we're trying to use those dollars to leverage residential dollars that are spent nearby, if not adjacent to, those chosen, Elm Street and Main Street initiative areas. The Governor also has a couple of other initiatives. Cathy, help me out. The Business in Our Sights initiative is a huge state initiative designed to help foster commercial growth again in each of the state cities, but those are all state initiatives. The 48 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 money comes through the City of Philadelphia. Some might come through us; most goes through Commerce.
We received a letter dated September 26th from Cathy Califano, Deputy Secretary, your Deputy Secretary, saying that the IR team would be reviewing certain projects from my district, one particular project because of the limited funds, that she would be reviewing one project only. But what you're saying is that we all get all the lists and we review it and we get a chance to review everybody's list in addition to our own, but that's not in fact what this letter states, what your letter of September 26th states.
For clarification purposes, I think there were some discussions with the offices, and that was the -- there were a number of projects that had come forward, and discussions were what was the priority. But we're happy to reconvene IR if you'd 49 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 like to review your fullest of projects. There is limitations in the NTI funding, and that is the reason for that. But all of the requests that came to your office are documented in our files as well.
It is always a problem for us. I have lists here of projects that we've heard no 10 follow-up on. I won't mention my specific projects at the moment, although I can. I've listed them all for purposes of this hearing. But we would like to see settlement sheets for our projects, and we'd like to know, in addition to that, we want to know how much money is recouped through the sale of projects in our district and how that money is used. I mean, our understanding was back in the previous budget that if they sold land in our district, and we have even referred private developers or private entities who want to buy some land that we want to sell in our district, we referred those to you or 50 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 Public Property, and we would like to know how you're dealing with those and what your plans are to deal with those.
We provide on a biannual basis a budget sheet to your office, and on that sheet it shows and accounts for all settlements that the RDA has had for sales of property in your district. So any NTI dollars that were used out of your District Council budget item, when those properties are sold to the private developer, the proceeds from that sale go back to your budget for future allocation.
But we would like to know specifically what those dollars are so that we can match it as well as ourselves, because we work on every aspect of this. We work with people who may want to buy property, as well as people who want to dispose of it. Many developers don't mind acquiring properties by paying fair market value. However, even the most 51 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 sophisticated developer is unable to pay 200 percent security bond that is currently required. What thought are you giving to working around this requirement to make the acquisition and selling of properties more user-friendly? Have you thought of a revolving loan fund? I mean, we've talked about this for a while, or what can happen to get around this 200 percent security.
As Kevin mentioned, through the reorganization process, we were looking both at structural and process issues, and that is something that the Redevelopment Authority is looking at within its -- many of the actions of the Redevelopment Authority are guided by state law or legal precedent, and there is legal precedent on the 200 percent. So the Redevelopment Authority is taking that issue under advisement to see if there's ways, but that's a 52 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 challenging issue because of the history on it. And we are looking at private sector partners to see if there can be loan funds set up to support especially small developers through the acquisition process.
I'm going to ask one more question and then I'm going to open it up for all these folks who have been waiting. I know that you work with the Planning Commission directly with regard to neighborhood development to try to coordinate planning. Is it not your job to assist them in implementing their recommendations insofar as finding funding is concerned?
It has been rumored that your office has told several Council offices that they have exhausted all their acquisition funds. How is this possible?
I mean, given the selling of that, given your working with Planning Commission and given acquisition resources, NTI, how is it possible that people are told all their funds are gone, especially if you don't give them copies of sheets saying what private properties have sold, what excess land has sold, et cetera?
Councilpeople were asked to submit their requests for acquisitions. Those requests are in varying stages of being processed. Some are completed, the acquisitions are done, money has been paid, land has been exchanged, et cetera. Some are still in the process at various points along the process.
I have in my district alone nine properties listed -- I won't read them now. I could if you would like -- that were approved in spring of '05 that we haven't heard 54 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 about.
I want to speak to your first question, first of all. That is, how might a district -- why might a district be told that they're out of acquisition dollars. As you know, as Councilman DiCicco knows, the NTI acquisition, at least half of the NTI acquisition dollars, were allocated on a district-by-district basis. If in a given District Council the amount of finite identified limited amount of NTI dollars, if in a given Councilmanic District the requests for acquisition and the cost of those acquisitions exceed the value of dollars allocated to that particular District, then the fact is, there aren't enough NTI dollars to acquire all of the stuff that a given Councilperson might want to acquire. Now, having said that, that is just one of several, not a couple, several sources of funding. The Housing 55 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 Trust Fund is another potential source of acquisition dollars. The state might provide sources of acquisition dollars. Our office, particularly the Office of Housing and Community Development, one of our responsibilities is to help not just the planning department but Councilpeople -- I don't want to use the word "find," but come up with, otherwise identify dollars to help them, not just with acquisition, but with demolition. Some folks are at or beyond their demolition budget. It's part of our job, from a housing development standpoint, to help identify funds from whatever source. Our sources, however, are going to be finite. We won't be able to provide all of the dollars requested by all of the Councils for all of the things that each Councilperson wants done in their district.
I just referenced nine projects that I won't 56 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 read today that were approved in spring of '05. So certainly we would like to know before we meet on the 29th our estimated settlement dates for those projects.
As Cathy said, Councilwoman, we will be happy, both Cathy and the Redevelopment Authority, will be happy to sit down with you and each and every Councilmanic District person to talk about where each individual acquisition request is in the RDA acquisition process.
And we assume if they were approved, they were approved. Then it's just a matter of between now and spring for those dates.
I'm not quite sure what's on your list. I don't know where each individual acquisition is, but what I don't want to do, Councilwoman, I don't want to be backed into a corner by saying, Yeah, it's approved, so we're working on it. If there are no 57 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 acquisition dollars available for it, even if it has been approved, if there are no acquisition dollars available for it, we can't buy it.
When we meet with you and when you tell us these projects are approved and we tell our people, our community groups, like Habitat, Freeze Park Shop, Partnership CDC, Bottom of the Sea, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, we tell them they're approved, these people assume and these community groups assume that these projects will come to fruition. See, it's not fair for us to get letters from you or anybody else anywhere representing the Administration or any other entity who says, Congratulations, your project is approved, and then all of the sudden, that letter doesn't mean anything a year or two later. It's not fair, because it puts our credibility on the line with the people who send us here. 58 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
Councilwoman, I don't disagree, but let me just give you a hypothetical. I'm not saying this is your situation, but let's say a Council District has a $2 million budget for acquisitions. Let's say projects are 8 approved, each of which costing $100,000. 9 If my math is correct, that gets you to 10 $2 million. 11 If over the course of the 12 process of acquiring a property, let's 13 say it takes 12 months, if the actual 14 value of that property appreciates, goes 15 up to something more than $100,000, we 16 still have a $2 million budget. It's not 17 unusual for properties to appreciate in 18 value by 5, 10, 15, 50 percent. 19 When that happens, and it does, 20 when that happens, we go out and buy as much as we can with $2 million. Once that $2 million is exhausted, one of a couple of things are going to happen. Those projects which have not been -- I'm still talking about the same 20 59 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 properties. Those properties which have not been closed upon are going to have to wait until we help you identify more acquisition dollars or they're going to have to wait until --
The property is sold and then the money gets refunded. Not to interrupt you, because I'm thinking of 639 Catharine, which is a big number.
Again, I'm not saying that that's what happened in your district, but that is a very real probability, not possibility. And it's an issue that happens, over which we have no control. Again, we are certainly sympathetic and respectful of your credibility, but when it comes to commitments made as of a certain day, a year and a half later all kinds of things may have changed. We can't be expected, given the commitment that was made two years ago, if the world has changed, to 60 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 be able to step up as a result of if things change, over which we had no 4 control.
But you are expected to say something. If a -- (Applause.)
If a father loses a job or somebody is laid off, the family knows they suffer, but somebody is supposed to talk to them and say, We have to tighten our belts, or the situation is changed.
You're completely correct, and we would not make any movements without sitting and reviewing those discussions and those issues with the District Councilmember. In the cases where that has been a problem, the District Councilmember sometimes has decided that 61 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 they were going to only proceed with a sum total of the properties or put a project on hold. That's not a decision that we have made. It's a decision --
We have laid out the issue for the District Councilperson to make the decision.
My final question is -- that's only because we call every doggone day. We push all the time, because this is my issue. It's what I care about. If we didn't, we'd hear nothing from you. Would you comment on the success of the sheriff's sale process in complementing tax delinquent right of properties, as well as the success of acquisition through equity courts?
We cannot comment on the sheriff's sale process. That's not something in which we're involved with. I'm sorry. 62 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
So your Department with regard to sheriff's sale, you have no money with regard to any properties in the sheriff's sale, none of that comes back to you in any way. What about equity court then, equity court action? You're saying none of that comes back to you?
Under NTI, it was listed as another way to acquire properties.
Correct. And Eva Gladstein would more -- those are things that are done under the purview of the Managing Director's office. Equity court is something that involves the Law Department, L&I and the Commerce Department on large vacant buildings, and the sheriff's sale, again, is not something --
But 63 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 that's you. If it happens under NTI, then it does affect you.
Well, it affects us, but it's not a system that we drive, unlike the ones we've been talking about thus far.
That's a different answer. Thank you very much. We'll ask you if you would stay around. We would like to ask Veronica M. Pankey, President of Local 1971 for AFSCME, AFL-CIO, to come forward and anyone she would like to bring with her, and we would hopefully ask that you remain. Thank you for your patience. Welcome. Please identify yourself to the record and begin your testimony.
Good afternoon, Madam Chairwoman and members of the Housing, Neighborhood and Homeless Committee and attendees. My name is Veronica M. Pankey, and this is our Vice-President, Caswell Curtis. We both 64 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 represent AFSCME Local 1971, District Council 33, AFL-CIO. We're here today to testify on the impending housing reorganization plan and the impact thus far it has had on the 205 members for whom we represent. Permit me to begin by informing the members of this Committee of the work performed by AFSCME Local 1971 union members and the agencies for which we work, the Redevelopment Authority, the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation and the Office of Housing and Community Development. The Redevelopment Authority coordinates real estate activities and acquires and disposes of property for development purposes. It finances and oversees the development of housing and rental projects undertaken by a non-profit and for-profit developers. It also issues debt to finance specific projects and for the programmatic purposes, such as low-interest home 65 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 improvement loans. The Redevelopment Authority staff authorizes site improvement contracts for street improvements, including curb and sidewalks, street lighting, street trees and awards demolition contracts for the Authority-owned buildings. The Redevelopment Authority is, by state law, the only body in Philadelphia that can issue housing bonds and acquire land through eminent domain for the public good. PHDC administers the weatherization program and oversees the rehabilitation services provided by contractors to income-eligible homeowner occupants. PHDC also acts as a developer for projects as directed by OHCD and is responsible for the Home Start Project, which involves the rehabilitation of homes for sale to income-eligible first-time home buyers. It administers the Adaptive Modification Program to 66 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 eligible senior citizens to afford them safe mobility throughout their home. It also manages and maintains a few low- and moderate-income scattered site rental properties. OHCD is responsible for establishing housing and community development policies for all the City housing agencies, setting priorities and coordinating planning efforts. It administers the housing budget and contracts with the Redevelopment Authority, PHDC, the Redevelopment Authority, as well as subrecipient non-profit organizations to conduct planning activity and perform services in support of the overall housing plan. As you can see, allegedly, all of the work performed by Local 1971 union members and the agencies for which we work could be affected by this reorganization. Therefore, we have a crucial interest in its implementation, both as employees and residents of the 67 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 City of Philadelphia. AFSCME Local 1971 last met with Kevin Hanna and the consultants, with whom a consultant contract was entered upon for $550,000, with Public Financial Management regarding the reorganization on February 3, 2005. The union again emphasized to the City Administration that Local 1971 is willing to work with the City and the three housing agencies to ensure smooth reorganization and help improve working and living conditions for all citizens of the City. We also explained that the union has a legal and moral responsibility to protect the rights, benefits and working conditions of the employees in which we represent. The union has repeatedly asked, repeatedly asked for transparency of and be privy to the planning process regarding any reorganization on a continuing basis, not after such reorganization plan has been finalized. We were told that the City would sit down 68 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 and talk with us about the reorganization at the point where they had some idea where they were needing to go, how they planned to get there and, most important to this union, who was going.
After reading subsequent newspaper articles and hearing numerous rumors regarding the City Administration's proposed housing reorganization, Local 1971 comes before this Committee requesting assistance in obtaining transparency of and participation in the planning process of the impending housing reorganization and the impact it has had on our stalled contract negotiations. Despite the City Administration's claim that it wants to work cooperatively with Local 1971 and to ensure fair treatment of employees, the Administration has stalled negotiation sessions. They have proposed reorganization language and numerous concessions, none of which were apart of 69 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 the settlement with District Council 33 on December 1, 2004. Local 1971 reiterates our desire to meet with the City Administration and to obtain answers to our questions but to resume contract negotiations and obtain a fair contract. Perhaps the biggest concern Local 1971 has regarding the proposed housing reorganization is the major impact it has had on contract negotiations. PHDC and OHCD last met on September 19th and 21st respectively, at which time the signing bonus of $750 and 2 percent cost of living increase effective July 1, 2005 was removed, was removed unless the union accepted the Administration's last proposals, which included reorganization language and numerous concessions. To further demonstrate the unfair treatment by the Administration, non-unionized employees at OHCD and PHDC received the economic package of $750 and the 2 percent increase. 70 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 Additionally, contract language proposed and rejected at the bargaining table was imposed in the memorandum document for the represented supervisory unit at PHDC, along with the economic package, this despite the newspaper articles quoting the Mayor that every City employee received the economic package. Local 1971 is being held hostage due to a reorganization plan for which we have no knowledge. )
And negotiation sessions have been stalled at these two agencies. The Redevelopment Authority who once aligned with the City has pulled away and resumed sessions, this due to their dissatisfaction with the reorganization plan and the Administration's negotiation tactics. AFSCME Local 1971 is extremely concerned about the employees we 71 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 represent. Officials have not said where current housing agency employees, whether they will be laid off, who will be hired by new agencies, where the employees will be assigned, what their wages, benefits, hours or working conditions will be or who will represent them. They will not negotiate a fair contract in spite of. Based upon the union's experience in dealing the City's Administration, we are extremely apprehensive about the future employment and working conditions of our union members. Madam Chairwoman and the members of this Committee of the Whole, on behalf of the members of AFSCME Local 1971, we respectfully ask that City Council not authorize a service agreement until a fair contract is obtained, written details of the housing reorganization plan and summary report from the Public Financial Management are provided and that the City Administration 72 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 meets with representatives of Local 1971 and works with the union to ensure that current union-represented employees are not adversely affected. We of Local 1971 -- (Applause.)
-- District Council 33 thanks you, Madam Chairwoman and the Committee of the City Council, for your support. Thank you. (Standing ovation.)
Before I comment, let me announce to all of you that the Vice-Chair of this Committee, Juan Ramos, is present, and as you see, Councilman W. Wilson Goode is present. We thank them for being here. (Applause.)
As Chair, let me say that we believe it is unconscionable that a contract is being negotiated without all sides having information, as we don't, with regard to any details about housing reorganization. 73 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 We are certainly saying to those involved in this process, Kevin Hanna and whomever else is involved with regard to a service contract and with regard to the statements about a fair contract, that we will expect that by the time we meet on November 29th at 11:30, that you can report to us that you are meeting and working on some contract and that everyone feels that they have information, as we will, by that time about just what we're talking about and what the future can look like. So we will expect that not only an answer in response to all the issues that all the members of this Committee have raised and any colleagues in the room have raised, we will certainly expect that you can come forward, Mr. Hanna, and say that you are at least negotiating with the union so that they don't feel, just to have any concerns heard, that they have to come before a public forum to have that done. We 74 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 expect for you to tell us that union negotiations have begun by the time we meet again. (Applause.)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, ma'am. Bottom paragraph, last couple lines, , "The Redevelopment Authority who once aligned themselves with the City has pulled away and resumed sessions," I'm not clear on that. Sessions meaning?
At one point the Redevelopment Authority had aligned themselves with the Office of Housing and Community Development and PHDC in that the proposals submitted was identical throughout all three agencies. They wanted to have a uniform contract. Right now, perhaps you may not know, but each contract at our agencies are different.
I didn't 75 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 know that. That's helpful.
Each one of the contracts at the agencies are different. The Redevelopment Authority, PHDC and OHCD had submitted their proposals and they were all the same. They were all negotiated the same. The same team was in each session. The Redevelopment Authority met with the union. Their Chairperson met with the union and stated to us their dissatisfaction with where reorganization was going and that they did not like the negotiation tactics that were being pushed onto the union, in that PHDC and OHCD had basically given us their bottom line, either accept this or you get nothing. And that was the second time that they presented that to us. On June 27th, they told us, This is the bottom line, accept this, which included a ton of concessions and reorganization, either accept this proposal or you get no signing bonus or 76 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 no 2 percent. We rejected that. We came back to the table in the latter part of July. The position has stayed the same with those agencies, and we met again. The last time we met was on the 19th and the 21st of September, and we were told again by the chief negotiators that this is where they are, there's no changes and that the 750 and 2 percent was off the table unless we accepted their proposals. And we have not, and will not, accept their proposals until we get some clarity and until they're willing to fairly negotiate with us, which they have not.
Has the Redevelopment Authority issued any counterproposals or are they basically supporting what the union wants?
The Redevelopment Authority came back to the table after their meeting with us and told us what their position was, in that they were pulling away from the City. They did not 77 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 stand for what the reorganization was presenting to them, with no specifics of what the reorganization was. They did revise their proposals, and we have been in sessions and there has been some movement --
Yes. There has been some movement, and they had continued their sessions. They had actually stopped negotiation sessions in June as well, June of 2005. We had no 19 sessions from June until October.
Thank you very much. Are there other questions from members of this Committee? 78 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 (No response.)
Do we have others here who would like to testify this morning? We're happy to hear you. Mr. Ali. Mr. Curtis, are you all right?
Thank you for your testimony. We certainly agree that every worker has a right to arbitration, and certainly we're on your side in demanding that that happen before we meet again.
Please identify yourself for the record, Mr. Ali, and begin your testimony.
And other members of the City Council. My name is Jehad Ali and I'm here as a representative of a couple development groups that we work with, non-profit and profit companies, the most recent being New Life Community Ventures, who, Councilman DiCicco, you're familiar with, and LARC, which is the Housing Association of Delaware Valley, Lancaster Avenue Revitalization Committee. One of the things that I'd like to say is, I'd like to reiterate a point about government and true democracy. There's a statement that says that, "True democracy only works if there is active participation of the citizenry, which completely depends on the government transparency and accountability." Thomas Jefferson said, "Information is the currency of democracy." 80 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 So we're in the same dilemma as you and other members of Council, because we don't have the plan in order to talk about it, but I can say that we're down here for a selfish interest. When I say "selfish," I'm speaking about as from a developer's point of view. We're just down here to ensure that there is going to be fairness in the development process. Whatever you, Madam Chair, decide and the rest of the Committee decides upon the plan of whatever happens, we just need to make sure that there's fairness, and fairness particularly for African-American developers. Because it's a sad state to say in this City of Philadelphia, there really aren't that many African-American developers. There's really a small limit. You probably can count them on one hand, when we talk about in terms of capacity of doing 50 units or more. There's all kinds of people, 81 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 particularly like the situation where you talked about, Council President, where people want to develop a lot, one or two houses on their block, but in terms of projects that are above 50 units or more, there's no active plan. There's a little limited number of African-Americans doing those type of projects. So whatever the plan happens, we just need to make sure that there is going to be accountability. Because there's a lot of organized entities that are pushing for this reorganization, and one of the things that we need you to look at as Councilpeople is that there's fairness and that we have -- an opportunity should go to those who are prepared. And nowadays we have been making progress as disadvantaged people since the '60s, but we still have to be vigilant as we were in the '60s to ensure fairness. I mean, we need to talk about it calmly and honestly about fairness. So whatever your plan is, 82 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 whenever happens, just make sure that there's procedures in place to ensure fairness for disadvantaged contractors and particularly those developers who are going to be doing anywhere between 50 or more units.
Mr. Ali, let me thank you for coming, and certainly we are for fairness for everyone. We introduced this legislation not because someone said we should, but because we wanted every point of view represented, from the smallest, from the individual person, to those at the top of the ladder. But let me say this to those who head agencies such as one you belong to, and, that is, that people have to realize sometimes who their friends are. W.B. DuBois wrote about "Friends I know and the wretched of the earth," that sometimes when people can't see the enemy, they turn within. So I only say to you and some 83 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 people you represent that you should realize who your friends are and realize we're fighting for you, not you specifically, but there are others who run your organizations who want to fight the very people trying to help them. Nobody makes us do anything. We're elected by about 155,000 people, and we're here and we wrote this legislation because we care about housing reorganization and how it affects the workers of this City and the people who live and visit this City. So we're on the right side. We're on the same side. So I only say that we have to be mature enough and honest enough, not you, to understand that and to recognize that and to respect that.
Well, Council President, just in fairness to myself, you might have me -- I'm not a member of the Chamber of Commerce. I'm a member of the Round Table, and as of my last 84 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 meeting, there's nobody in that Round Table that has taken the position that has even thought that you were the enemy. I just want to be clear. Because I'm aware -- and I was at the same meeting you were at when they were having a prayer vigil that they said was a protest. Now, I'm not a member of that, and I just want to be clear on that. I'm not a member of the African-American Chamber of Commerce, and I know who our friends are.
Thank you very much. Let me also note that we understand PEC, People's Emergency Center, is here and you're here to testify. Thank you very much. Welcome, and thank you. Thank you, Mr. Ali. Thank you for your statements. Please identify yourself for the record and begin. Thank you. 85 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
Good afternoon. My name is Jenny Lucas, and I represent the People's Emergency Center Community Development Corporation. For any of you who do not know, we're a non-profit CDC in West Philadelphia.
Pull your mike up a little. We're having a hard time hearing you. Would you start again?
Sure. My name is Jenny Lucas, and I represent the People's Emergency Center Community Development Corporation. And for those of who you don't know, we're a non-profit CDC operating in West Philadelphia.
They're the oldest in the state. They've come from the Third District. The oldest in the state.
Well, first of all, 86 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 I just wanted to say thank you to you for letting me testify today and to also say that we greatly appreciate the support that your office, OHCD, RDA, the Commerce Department and other City agencies have provided to us throughout the years. And we just have a couple of months on what we would like to see in any reorganization of the City agencies. It's difficult to say much more right now, but hopefully we'll have more to say later. First of all, we think that it's very important to streamline the acquisition and disposition process of properties committed to CDC projects. All of the developers here realize that acquisition is key to development. And although the City should be committed for its role in authorizing acquisitions of thousands of properties through the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, the City would be well-served by streamlining this process so that those 87 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 vacant properties already designated for CDC projects move more quickly through the process. And we would also encourage the City to examine the programmatic -- well, in light of all the CDBG and Home cuts that we're facing at the federal level, it would just be important for the state to examine programmatic delivery so that more CDBG and Home dollars are brought into actual projects that are out there on the streets. So, again, I just wanted to say that through NTI and other initiatives, we have gotten a lot of properties and been able to transform over 82 vacant lots and properties into 114 units of housing for social service agencies and a community playground. We have lots of projects that have come up in the pipeline, and we just look forward to having those complete and moving forward. So thank you.
Thank 88 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 you very much. Are there any questions? (No response.)
Thank you very much. Is there anyone else here who would like to testify? The Chair notes that we did try to let individuals know and organizations know that the hearing would be continued until November 29th at 11:30. We thank those of you who are here, and, again, we ask Mr. Hanna and all others from the Administration to know that of all the issues we mentioned, we expect that you'll be able to respond when we come back on the 29th and also that you can also tell us that you're at least meeting with the union to try to work out these negotiations. Having said that, are there any other questions? (No response.)
Thank 89 11/15/05 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 you very much. This Committee will stand in recess until November 29th at 11:30 a.m. Thank you all for being here. Thank you, Committee. (Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless adjourned at 1:35 p.m.) - - - 90 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on November 15, 2005, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)