COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, May 9, 2013 10:30 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN BILL GREEN COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN JAMES KENNEY COUNCILMAN DENNIS O'BRIEN COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO MICHAEL A. DECKER,
Good morning, everyone. (Good morning.)
We're going to start now. Thank you. We have established a quorum. I'd ask any guests to please retire behind the rail. Thank you. And before we start, I would ask that anyone who has an electronic device that makes any noise, please turn it on silent or turn it off. Thank you very much for your cooperation. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Pastor Damon B. Jones of Bibleway Baptist Church. He is here today as the guest of Councilman Jones. I would ask all members and guests to please rise. (Members and guests rise.)
If every head would bow and every eye close. Dear God, we thank you for a wonderful day today. We thank you, Lord, for your presence, for we live and we move in your presence. Thank you for who you are and for what you mean in our lives, and we're so grateful for this opportunity to gather in this place today. We thank you for our Councilmembers. Thank you for the work that they do. Thank you for all of the things that they provide for this great city of ours. We thank you for our Mayor, and we pray that you would continue to bless him and watch over him and keep him. We pray that you will bless each Councilmember as well as their families. We thank you, Lord, for Councilman Jones and the invitation extended for even myself to be here today, but we also thank you for my Councilperson, Councilwoman Blackwell. Pray for their strength. We pray that you would continue to use them for the this city. Thank you for every proceeding that will happen in this place today, and we pray that everything that is said and done is ultimately for your glory, for your honor, and for your praise and for the uplifting of this great City of Philadelphia. Bless us today, watch over us, continue to keep us, for it is in Jesus' name we do pray with thanksgiving. Let us all say amen. (Amen.)
Thank you so much. The next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, May 2nd, 2013. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, May 2nd, 2013 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The Journal of May 2nd, 2013 stands approved. The next order of business is requests for leaves of absence. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the majority, there are no requests for leaves of absence today.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the republicans, there are no requests for leave of absence.
Thank you, Councilman. At this time, I'd like to dispense with the regular order of business and welcome and thank all of our guests and visitors here today for taking time out of your busy day to come down and see your government in action. We hope that you truly enjoy yourself, so much that you decide to come back. So, again, I want to thank you. It's a pleasure to have you here, and come again. Thank you. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Sanchez, who will present a resolution recognizing The Philadelphia Latino Pageant on the occasion of its 10th Anniversary. Would accompanying her please join the Councilwoman at the podium.
I'm honored today to recognize The Philadelphia Latino Pageant on its 10th Anniversary. The Latino Pageant is not just a pageant. It is a group of volunteers, parents, and community members who have come together to provide a very unique experience for the young and the not so young in a process that is so critical as we debate this whole education situation in this city. It is about giving young people hope, aspirations, confidence in a setting that is safe and nurturing for all of them. I congratulate the volunteers who meet at one of our recreation centers, at Ramonita Rivera Center, weekly as they select these young people. a pageant where everyone is a winner. It is a pageant that also provides them with an opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico, where these young people serve as ambassadors to Philadelphia. They travel. They get well received all over Puerto Rico, Philadelphia, and the region. And what's most important about this is that part of the requirement is not just academic success, but it's hundreds of hours and volunteer work in the community, whether it's the Susan G. Komen or the cleanups in the community. Enid Colon and her group do a tremendous job at instilling community pride and values in all of the participants. And so with that, it is my honor to present this recognition.
Whereas, founded in 2003 by Ms. Enid Colon, The Philadelphia Latino Pageants is a youth program that began as community dance classes, and has since evolved into one of the largest programs for Latino youth in the City of Philadelphia; and Whereas, Enid Colon is a native of Puerto Rico, who has always been devoted to supporting and working for her community. Enid came to Philadelphia in 2002, where she began teaching dance classes free of charge to youth in her community, which became so popular and well known, that she formally founded The Philadelphia Latino Pageants: Miss Latina and Mr. Latino; and Whereas, The Philadelphia Latino Pageants have always maintained themselves as icons for community service and academic excellence, and would provide youth in the Latino community with a positive outlet for creative expression and demonstration of their talents; and Whereas, The Philadelphia Latino Pageants continue to attract youth from around the Delaware Valley Area, and accommodate and support the large number of young people who are involved in the program; and Whereas, at this year's celebration, The Philadelphia Latino Pageants will include National Costumes, an Evening Wear Competition, and a Final Coronation, and has drawn prestigious guests including the Honorable Mayor Jose Guillermo Rodriguez of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico; and
Whereas, The Philadelphia Latino Pageant celebrated its 10th Anniversary on Saturday, April 5th, 2013 with the selection of Miss Latina and Mr. Latino. Now, therefore be it Resolved, that the Council of the City of Philadelphia, hereby recognizes and honors The Philadelphia Latino Pageant for its contribution to the arts and culture and our youth in the Latino community. We offer you our sincerest congratulations on this milestone, and we look forward to many years of success. Further resolved, that a copy of this resolution will be presented to its Director, Enid Colon, and The Philadelphia Latino Pageant as an expression of the sincere appreciation of this body. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good morning. I would like to thank every one of you guys for having us here today. It means the world to us that City Council is recognizing our job. We do it out of the bottom of our hearts, and it's been a very hard way, because we're working with mostly low-income families that don't have opportunities like traveling to Puerto Rico and encountering their roots. Our program is more like an educational program. It's not about about knowing that with the crown comes responsibility and that they all have to have a community service project to do during their year of reign. Most of these participants stayed with us since the beginning. We have Mrs. Nancy Watts that has been with us since 2003, and year after year they come out, they support the new ones coming in. They help them in their community services projects, and they stay focused on doing good and serving our community, which is what's really important. I want to take this time to thank our Councilwoman, Maria Quinones. She has been our godmother. She has been so great to us. None of the stuff that we do would have been possible without the collaboration of sponsors and people like Maria that do care about the young in the community and help us out with different aspects of not only economically but helping us get to know be able to help us. So, once again, I want to thank you all for having us here. We are greatly honored. And, Maria, thanks so much. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell, who will present a resolution recognizing Ravin McDowell. Would Ravin and Carmella McDowell and those accompanying them please join the Councilwoman at the podium. And we also have Councilman Jones joining the Councilwoman.
We are joined today by Ms. Jones, Regina Jones, who is an assistant at Ad Prima Charter School; the parents, Carmella and Richard McDowell; by Mrs. Brown, who is also with the parents; Waadeah Floyd, who all of you know. She's my Executive Assistant, a Board member at Ad Prima, and President of Parents Association. We acknowledge that their principal is out sick and would be here today, and I'd like to acknowledge her because she came out of retirement to be the principal at Ad Prima. Her name is Patricia Brooks-Bantom, and she happens to be my sister. Resolution calling on the City Council of Philadelphia -- oh, I forgot. Not only did I not mention, I've got to mention Ravin and I have to mention her brother, and his name is Ramine. So, you know, we've got to acknowledge both members of this wonderful family. City Council of Philadelphia to recognize nine-year-old Ravin McDowell for her humility and unselfish nature as she exemplifies and demonstrates the powerful, positive impact even the smallest of us can have on our surroundings. Whereas, Ravin McDowell is a third-grader at Ad Prima Charter School where she succeeds well in her studies; and Whereas, Ravin loves music, playing the piano and being active, which is evident as she is a student at Ozzie Wright's Taekwondo School in West Philadelphia; and Whereas, for her most recent birthday, Ravin put forth the idea instead of receiving gifts, she would collect them and give them to others; and Whereas, Ravin bequeathed her gifts to the caregivers of babies born to incarcerated mothers; and Whereas, Ravin's humility and unselfishness inspired her family, friends, and peers and neighbors to assist with her mission; and
Whereas, as a result of Ravin's efforts, a significant amount of items were gathered and given to multiple organizations who assist those in need; Whereas, Ravin believes it's up to all of us to give to others that may need things; and Whereas, Ravin has made her entire family proud of her and inspired her neighborhood; and Whereas, Ravin's actions demonstrate how small hearts can have huge impacts; now therefore, be it Resolved, that the City of Philadelphia City Council, to recognize nine-year-old Ravin McDowell for her humanity and unselfish nature as she exemplifies and demonstrates the powerful, positive impact even the have on our surroundings. Further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Ravin McDowell as evidence of our sincere sentiments of this legislative body. (Applause.) MS. McDOWELL: Good morning. (Good morning.) MS. McDOWELL: I'm pretty excited how such a small thing turned into such a huge -- it touched so many people and became such a big event. We started out with just the family, and Ad Prima, Ms. Jones, got a hold of it, Ad Prima ran with it. My jobs ran with it, and we were just excited how it just overwhelmingly moved people's hearts and everyone wanted to participate in such a, we thought, was a small event to turn into such a big prestigious award for her. So we're pretty thankful. I'm the heart to even come up with this idea. It was something that was really surprising to us when she said it. And we did it, and that's how it worked, and things just kept on moving and the word got around and the hearts got touched and we were pretty proud. We were pretty proud parents. (Applause.) MISS McDOWELL: Thank you. I just want to thank all my family members and my friends for helping me donate the clothing, and thank God that everybody is safe and have a home and the babies are safe. That's all I have to say. (Applause.)
Thank you. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you so much. The next order of business is that the Sergeant-of-Arms delivers the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. Mr. Decker, would you please read those messages.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, pursuant to Sections 4-604 and 2-307 of the Home Rule Charter, I am today transmitting to the Council the recommendation of the City Planning Commission on the following bills: Bill Nos. 130242, 130252, 130255, and 130274; and I am pleased to advise you that on May 8, 2013, I signed all of the bills that were passed by Council at its session on April 25, 2013, except Bill No. 120775-A; and I am transmitting herewith for the consideration of your honorable body an ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to convey to the Development all or any portion of those parcels of City-owned land at or generally in the vicinity of 16 South 34th Street, 18 South 34th Street, 3409 through 13 Ludlow Street, and 3415 through 17 Ludlow Street; and Also an ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion on City Plan No. 319 by striking from the City Plan and vacating the legally open portion of Pennway Street from Rhawn Street to a point approximately five-hundred fifty feet southwestwardly therefrom; and An ordinance amending Section 9-212 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Newsstands," including by revising the requirements relating to license issuance; location of newsstands; design of newsstands; abandonment; and removal; all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. Do you have any other messages?
Thank you so much. The next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have one bill and one privileged resolution, which I'd like to be heard today.
An ordinance amending Chapter 19-200 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "City Funds Deposits, Investments, Disbursements," by amending Section 19-201, entitled "City Depositories," by removing Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as a City Depository.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a privileged resolution honoring the life and achievements of Joseph W. Mahoney, Jr., a longtime leader of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and a passionate advocate for the business community in the city and region.
That resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I have one privileged resolution and two bills.
An ordinance to amend the Institutional Development District Master Plan of the University of Pennsylvania, located at 461 University Avenue and 3300 Chestnut Street for the construction of the New College House Dormitory and the new Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending Section 9-213 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Farmers' Markets," by amending the permissible location of the west side of the 500 block of 43rd Street and adding as a permissible location the sidewalk and curb lane of the north side of Chester Avenue from 43rd Street for 500 feet west.
And a non-privileged resolution calling on the City Council of Philadelphia to support Pennsylvania House Bill 391, introduced by the Honorable Michael McGeehan, State Representative, 173rd Legislative District, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which allows for the citizens of the City of Philadelphia to pay real estate taxes in installments.
That resolution will be placed on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer three bills, two on your behalf, and one resolution on your behalf.
An ordinance amending Section 9-213 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Farmers' Markets," by adding the north side of Fairmount Avenue between 19th Street and Uber Street, as a permissible location.
And an ordinance amending Section 9-212 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Newsstands," including by revising the requirements relating to license issuance; location of newsstands; design of newsstands; abandonment; and removal.
And an ordinance authorizing Girard Leopard Cafe, doing business as Bubba's Texas BBQ, to construct, own and maintain an open-air sidewalk cafe at 19 through 21 West Girard Avenue.
And a non-privileged resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Twenty-Eighth and Thirty-Second Wards of the City of Philadelphia.
That resolution will be placed on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer no bills, but two resolutions and wish to be recognized after the title of the resolution re-calling Bill No. 120775-A is read for a motion on the resolution.
A privileged resolution Honoring the Life and Legacy of Bishop Joseph P. McFadden, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg.
That resolution will be placed on this week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution requesting that the Mayor return to Council Bill No. 120775-A, entitled "An ordinance amending Title 19 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Finance, Taxes and Collections,' to provide for a private right of action to enforce certain tax laws," for the purpose of reconsideration by the Council of the vote by which said bill passed Council.
Thank you. I just move that the rules be suspended to permit consideration of the resolution on today's Final Passage. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. That resolution will be considered at today's Final Passage. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
It took me an hour to get down here this morning, so I'm sorry I'm late.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Haines Street, 20th Street, Rittenhouse Street, and Limekiln Pike.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Mr. President, I have one bill and one non-privileged resolution.
An ordinance authorizing the termination of parking regulations on Buist Avenue, from 69th Street to 68th street, south side.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And a non-privileged resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Thirty-Sixth Ward of the City of Philadelphia.
That will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Mr. President. No bills or resolutions today.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Brien.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one bill on your behalf.
An ordinance amending Chapter 11-600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Construction, Encroachments and Projections Over, On and Under Streets," to prohibit wheelchair elevators and related decks from being constructed any closer than three feet to the curb line.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one privileged resolution.
A privileged resolution proclaiming May as Lupus Awareness Month and Celebrating and Recognizing May 10, 2013 as "Put on Purple Day" in the City of Philadelphia.
That resolution will be on today's Final Passage Calendar. I will now go back to Councilwoman Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President. Sorry about that. I have two -- one non-privileged resolution and two privileged resolutions.
A privileged resolution recognizing and honoring the Children's Crisis Treatment Center and its Executive Director, Tony Valdes, on 40 years of exemplary and innovative service to Philadelphia's Children.
That resolution will be on today's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged resolution recognizing and honoring The Philadelphia Latino Pageant on the occasion of its 10th Anniversary.
That resolution will also be on today's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Seventh and Thirty-Seventh Wards of the City of Philadelphia.
That resolution will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have two privileged resolutions and an amendment. The resolutions are co-sponsored by yourself and one by Jannie Blackwell and Councilman Johnson.
At the time of passage of the amendment, I'd like to speak to that amendment.
A privileged resolution honoring and celebrating Ready, Willing & Able for helping hundreds of men overcome poverty, addiction, and crime to become productive, contributing members of our community and responsible fathers to their children in the City of Brotherly Love.
That resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged resolution honoring and celebrating The Berean Institute for their tireless efforts and contributions to the African-American community by providing education in vocational and business skills, on this the occasion of their 113th Anniversary.
That resolution will also be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one privileged resolution co-sponsored by all Councilmembers.
A privileged resolution honoring and congratulating Edward McBride on the occasion of his promotion to the position of Manager of Local Government Affairs at PECO and for his years of dedicated service to the City Council of Philadelphia.
That resolution will be on today's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Frankford Creek, Aramingo Avenue, Wheatsheaf Lane, Sepviva Street, Butler Street, Frankford Avenue, Valetta Street, Coral Street, Vici Street and Frankford Avenue.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Frankford Creek, Aramingo Avenue, Wheatsheaf Lane, Sepviva Street, Butler Street, Frankford Avenue, Valetta Street, Coral Street, Vici Street and Frankford Avenue.
And an ordinance amending Section 9-204 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Sidewalk Vendors in Center City," by eliminating a previously designated vendor location on the East side of 5th Street, from Ludlow Street to Chestnut Street; and by adding to the list of locations that shall not be designated for vending 5th Street, from Ranstead Street to Chestnut Street.
And an ordinance amending Section 9-402 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Animal Drawn Carriages," by changing the permitted hours of operation.
That bill will be referred to committee. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. No bills or resolutions this week.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of Councilman Mark Squilla and myself, I offer one privileged resolution.
A privileged resolution commemorating and celebrating The 2013 Italian Market Festival being held on May 18th and 19th.
That resolution will be on today's Final Passage Calendar. Thank you very much. That concludes our introduction. The next order of business is report from committees. The Chair recognizes Councilman from the Committee on Appropriations.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Appropriations reports six bills, three bills with a favorable recommendation and three bills without recommendation.
Thank you, Councilman. Mr. Decker, would you please read that report.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee on Appropriations, to which was referred Bill No. 130185, entitled "An ordinance authorizing and directing the use of the Fiscal Year 2013 General Fund positive fund balance to increase an appropriation for the Fire Department for the undisputed $66,000,000 of the Fire Fighters' Contract"; and Bill No. 130244, entitled, "An ordinance authorizing transfers in 2013 from the General Fund, certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions; the Community Development Fund, the Mayor - Office of Housing and Community Development and the Grants Revenue Fund, the Director of Finance Provision for Other Grants to the General Fund"; and Bill No. 130247, entitled "An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2013 within the General Fund, the Department of Human Services," respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation; and The Committee on Appropriations, to which was referred Bill No. 130245, entitled "An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2013 from the Grants Revenue Fund, the Director of Finance Provision for Other Grants to the General Fund, certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions"; and Bill No. 130246, entitled "An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2013 from the Grants Revenue Fund, the Director of Finance - Provision for Other Grants to the General Fund, the Managing Director"; and Bill No. 130248, entitled "An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2013 from the Grants Revenue Fund, the Director of Finance - Provision for Other Grants to the General Fund, the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania," respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with no recommendation.
Thank you. Bill No. 130185, 130244, 130245, 130246, 130247, and 130248 will be placed on our First Reading Calendar for our next session of Council. Councilman Jones for a report from the Committee on Public Safety.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Public Safety reports three bills with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you, Councilman. Mr. Decker, please read that report.
The Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred Bill No. 130014, entitled "An ordinance amending Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code by amending Subcode 'F' ('The Philadelphia Fire Code'), by modifying a subsection providing for the types of premises identification required on new and existing buildings"; and Bill No. 130184, entitled "An ordinance authorizing the Fire Department, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, as the Sponsoring Agency of One, of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System, to enter into multi-year agreements with Participating Agencies for the purposes of developing resources for emergency preparedness, and for the maintenance and readiness of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System"; and Bill No. 130250, entitled "An ordinance amending Subcode 'F' of Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'The Philadelphia Fire Code,' the base code of which is the 2009 edition of the International Fire Code published by the International Code Council, with certain amendments thereto, by further amending the 2009 International Fire Code and the previous Philadelphia amendments," respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading this day of Bills No. 130014 and 130250. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bills No. 130014 and 130250. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Those bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar for today. Bill No. 130184 will be placed on our First Reading Calendar at our next 2ND READING session of Council. The next order of business is consideration of the Calendar. I note that the bills just reported from committee with suspension of the rules have been deemed to have had a first reading. These bills will be placed on our Second and Final Passage Calendar for next week. As there are no additional bills on our First Reading Calendar, the Chair now recognizes Councilman Jones for the purpose of calling up bills and resolutions on our Final Passage Calendar today.
Thank you again, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up for Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars today: Nos. 130362, 130191, 130192, 130193, 130194, 130195, 130196, 130197, 130198, 130061, 130062, 130063, 130242, 130298, and 130306. All other resolutions and bills are being held. Bill No. 120823-A is being amended.
Thank you, Councilman. Before considering these bills and resolutions on the Final Passage, we will have public comment. Mr. Decker, would you please name the individuals who are interested in testifying today.
There are no speakers on the public comment list, Mr. President.
Thank you. I guess I can say this then. If there is anyone interested in commenting on a bill or resolution today that is on the Final Passage, please come forward. (No response.)
There being none, I want to thank you very much. We will now consider the 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING resolutions and bills on our Final Passage Calendar. Mr. Decker, would you please read the title of 130362.
A resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Fairhill and St. Hugh Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 3516 North Water Street.
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
Those opposed? (No response.) 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it. Resolution 130362 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 130191.
A resolution appointing Reginald Cummings to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
Thank you, Mr. President. I make a motion to -adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Resolution 130191 is adopted. 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. Decker -- I can see why there was a request for a Consent Agenda. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 130192.
A resolution appointing Jafar Maleki to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Resolution 130192 is 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING adopted. Mr. Decker, 130193.
A resolution appointing Robert Dingman to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. 130193 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 130194.
A resolution appointing Nick Gregory to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Services District.
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. 130194 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 130195.
A resolution appointing Avram Hornik to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
The Chair again recognizes Councilman Squilla. 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. 130195 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 130196.
A resolution appointing Sonia Silverstein to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. 130196 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 130197.
A resolution appointing Joseph F. Ritchie to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Those opposed? (No response.)
The ayes have it. 130197 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 130198.
A resolution appointing Luca Sena to the Board of Directors for the Old City Special Services District.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. 130198 is adopted. 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. Decker, will you please read the title of 120823-A.
An ordinance amending Chapter 19-500 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Taxes and Rents - General," by changing the allocation of delinquent payments.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
Then I have something to say. So in these Chambers recently, we've had a lot of hot-button topic issues, taxes, AVI, and also collection of outstanding debts has been one of them. Me and my colleagues have raised this prospect and wanted to be more 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING accountable to the citizens, looking for revenues first before raising AVI. I am glad to say that we worked with our colleagues and the Administration on these bills to encourage taxpayers, even those in the arrears, to pay their taxes and for the services that have been provided. We, in turn, have a duty to efficiently let taxpayers know where their money is going, whether it's going to principal, whether it's going to fees or whether it's going to interest payments. Bill No. 120823 introduced on behalf of the Administration goes a long way in moving the needle in the right direction. I want to recognize the co-sponsor of this bill, Councilman Bill Green, who began working tirelessly with the Administration and the real estate tax delinquency department to figure this out, so that at the end of the day, taxpayers know where their dollar is going. 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING So I want to thank everyone for looking at these amendments and hopefully move for its swift adoption.
And the amendment has been circulated, Councilman?
Thank you. You want to make a motion on the amendment?
I would now like to make a motion on the amendment. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor of the amendment? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Bill No. 120823-A is amended and will be on our next week's 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Final Passage Calendar. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 130061.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Overbrook Avenue, 54th Street, Woodbine Avenue, Wynnefield Avenue, and 56th Street.
This bill has been read on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Councilwoman 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Quinones-Sanchez.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 130062.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by City Avenue, Cardinal 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Avenue, Overbrook Avenue, and 59th Street.
This bill has been read on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 130063.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by City Avenue, 52nd Street, Overbrook Avenue, and 54th Street.
This bill has been read on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 130242. 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING
An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by amending Chapter 14-800, entitled "Parking and Loading," by revising parking design standards, under certain terms and conditions.
This bill has been read on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 130298.
An ordinance amending Chapter 19-1300 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Real Estate Taxes," by amending the deadline for which certain property owners may apply for a designation of homestead property.
This bill has been read on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING finally. Mr. Decker.
Aye. 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 130306.
An ordinance amending Chapter 19-1300 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Real Estate Taxes," by extending the deadline for the filing of applications for the homestead exclusion.
This bill has been read on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Councilwoman 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Quinones-Sanchez.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, do you have any additional resolutions?
A resolution honoring the life and achievements of Joseph W. Mahoney, Jr., a longtime leader of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Commerce and a passionate advocate for the business community in the city and region, introduced by Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the adoption of the resolution by a standing yes vote.
And a resolution Honoring the Life and Legacy of Bishop Joseph P. McFadden, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, introduced by Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption by a standing yes vote. (All members standing.) 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING
And a resolution requesting that the Mayor return to Council Bill No. 120775-A, entitled "An ordinance amending Title 19 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Finance, Taxes and Collections,' to provide for a private right of action to enforce certain tax laws," for the purpose of reconsideration by the Council of the vote by which said bill passed Council, introduced by Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
Those opposed? 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
And a resolution proclaiming May as Lupus Awareness Month and Celebrating and Recognizing May 10, 2013 as "Put on Purple Day" in the City of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. That resolution is 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING adopted.
And a resolution recognizing and honoring the Children's Crisis Treatment Center and its Executive Director, Tony Valdes, on 40 years of exemplary and innovative service to Philadelphia Children, introduced by Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President. That resolution is co-sponsored by my colleague Blondell Reynolds Brown, and I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING ayes have it. That resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing and honoring The Philadelphia Latino Pageant on the occasion of its 10th Anniversary, introduced by Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Sanchez again.
I'm sorry. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING honoring and celebrating Ready, Willing & Able for helping hundreds of men overcome poverty, addiction, and crime to become productive, contributing members of our community and responsible fathers to their children in the City of Brotherly Love, introduced by Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution honoring and celebrating The Berean 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Institute for their tireless efforts and contributions to the African-American community by providing education in vocational and business skills, on this the occasion of their 113th Anniversary, introduced by Councilman Jones.
Happy birthday, and I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution honoring and congratulating Edward McBride on the occasion of his promotion 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING to the position of Manager of Local Government Affairs at PECO and for his years of dedicated service to the City Council of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution commemorating and celebrating the 2013 Italian Market Festival being held on May 18th and 19th, introduced by Councilman 5/9/13 - STATED - 2ND READING Oh.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
There are no other resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. Are there any speeches on the part of the minority? you, Mr. Decker, for correcting me. We have an order of special business. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Jones for a motion regarding special business.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit consideration of special business at this time. (Duly seconded.)
It has moved and seconded that the rules of Council be suspended to permit consideration of special business at this time. All in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion passes. Clerk will read the letter from the Mayor.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, I am returning herewith, as requested by your resolution adopted May 9, 2013, Bill No. 120775-A, entitled "An ordinance amending Title 19 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Finance, Taxes and Collections,' to provide for a private right of action to enforce certain tax laws," for the purpose of reconsideration by the Council of the vote by which said bill passed Council.
Thank you. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Henon for a motion that Council reconsider the vote by which Bill No. 120775-A was passed.
It been moved. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the motion carries and the vote by which Bill No. 120775-A was passed has been reconsidered. The Chair again recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer an amendment to Bill No. 120775-A. A copy of the amendment has been circulated to all members of Council, and I move the adoption of the amendment. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and amendment to Bill No. 120775-A be adopted. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. This bill will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for our next session of Council. Now we get the speeches on the part of the minority. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Brien.
Thank you, Mr. President. Two weeks ago I introduced a resolution about focused deterrence. Just in the last 14 days, there had been over 1,300 violent crimes reported to the Philadelphia Police Department. This includes nine homicides, 130 gun robberies, and 95 aggravated assaults with a gun. Since year, we've had 85 families lose a loved one to violence. The good news is that our violent crime numbers are trending in the right direction compared to this time last year, but I think we can do better and I think the focused deterrence strategy can help us do better. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair now recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'd just like to make two -- I have a comment and then I have comments about something else. I'd like to just first thank the residents of the 9th District who live in the 10th and 50th Wards for coming out last night to Reformation Church to meet our new police captain of the 14th District. We had over 500 people, and it was well -- he handled it well, let the voters know, the residents know, that he had worked in that area before and really had his finger on the pulse of what was happening in the community. Out of the 500 people who came, only eight people had questions. So we are doing a pretty good job up there in the 14th Police District. So I want to thank my colleagues, State Representative Cherelle Parker and State Representative Dwight Evans. We all participated in that town meeting. Slick, misleading, dishonest are just a few words that I would like to use to describe a recent letter that I, members of Council, and the media received on Tuesday from a Harrisburg lobbying firm on behalf of the Pennsylvania Consumer Credit Association. The letter states that this organization supports my resolution opposing new efforts in Harrisburg to legalize predatory small-dollar lending, commonly known as payday lending in Pennsylvania. However, the letter then tries to assert that I support short-term lending reform in Harrisburg. Nothing could be further from the truth. To my fellow Councilmembers, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the media and, most importantly, the Pennsylvania Consumer Credit Association, I am strongly opposed to the legalization of predatory payday lending in Pennsylvania. No matter what you call it, short-term lending, small-dollar lending or micro credit, it is all predatory payday lending that causes financial harm to borrowers, leading to overdrafts on bank accounts, defaults on other bills, and even bankruptcy, and these loans negatively impact Philadelphia and the Commonwealth by draining nearly $1 billion a year in economic activity and increasing usage of food assistance benefits and charitable relief services. To my colleagues in Harrisburg, co-sponsoring or supporting legislation that calls for short-term lending reform or micro credit modernization. If you support these efforts, you will be opposing your constituents and the over 90 organizations from across Pennsylvania that oppose the legalization of payday lending in Pennsylvania. Don't be fooled by the slick, misleading, and dishonest efforts of predatory payday lenders. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. Very quickly, two announcements. One, we are co-partnering with 6ABC at 4100 City Avenue to talk about the often confused, very much maligned AVI process as it relates to small businesses. So all are welcome to attend, particularly those in the small owners, but anyone with a question is welcome to come out. And the second announcement is that along with Councilwoman Blackwell and District Attorney Seth Williams, we will be doing a walk tomorrow starting at 52nd and Girard at 6:00 p.m. over to -from the 3rd District to the 4th District along Lansdowne Avenue to look at and talk to individuals who are dealing directly on boots on the ground with crime issues, and we encourage all of you to come out, particularly my at-large colleagues, to join us in that walk and hear it firsthand from the people. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. Just a very quick announcement. Right after Council, there by Philadelphia Fight of the pop-up mobile computer lab units, which can be used by constituents and community groups all over the City. I think it's valuable information for all of us. Council and staff are invited. And if the issue itself doesn't get you, there's a lunch by DiBruno Brothers being provided, so please try to attend. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'm very encouraged by the student-led demonstrations that are taking place throughout the City as we debate the funding for schools and our system this year. My very own son, Tomasito, who attends Central High School, every single day asks me what we're doing. And sometimes we are not good at telling the story. Colleagues, let us not waste this opportunity to educate folks on the hard work and the heavy lifting that this Council has done year after year after year. We've demonstrated our commitment to public education, and I encourage the young people and the parents to become informed of what has happened in the last few years. Last week I participated with my Council colleague David Oh on a panel to talk about taxes, led by Temple University and the Pew's Foundation. There's wide agreement that it is important that AVI happen and that this shift that will happen as a result of it, this historic shift of the burden being placed on our residents versus commercial, what it means for the future of this city as we debate tax policies. Councilman Goode often reminds us of the millions of dollars in business tax reductions that we've provided to the City's businesses and our unwavering a better competitive environment. As we discuss and some of us will say debate the issues of the resources, whether it's advertising as you've proposed, Mr. President, liquor by the drink, the cigarette tax or U&O, let no one be confused, as my Council colleague Blondell Reynolds Brown outlined and articulated last week, let there be no confusion about our commitment to public education, but this one is going to be about a shared sacrifice. The state has to do its part as the City has always done, and there will be a need to have a discussion with our unions. I welcome this debate. I think we should all encourage our parents and our students to be part of this process as we debate long term what we do about public education. My colleague Councilman Oh asks for accountability. I think it is all of our responsibilities to ask for is at the table. I look forward to your leadership, and be rest assured that I believe this Council will do what it has done in at least the six years that I've been here, is figure out a win-win for everyone. Our kids will not be sacrificed in that process. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
Thank you so much. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I was listening to the radio this morning and heard the news announcement talking about the Controller's report saying that are unduly singled out in this whole AVI issue. It also talked about the fact that the Controller ask that we hold up doing any actions. And I started to, before that, to do a resolution today, but opted in the spirit of unity not to do that. But this is a very tough issue. Certainly we know our schools need more, but we know people can't afford more taxes. So obviously those are two opposite ends of the spectrum. But we say that this is a very tough issue, one that concerns us greatly. There's not one single way to solve it. And so I applaud my colleagues who realize this is a tough issue and we can't go blindly into it one way or the other, but we have to work hard to get past all of this somehow before our budget season ends. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Mr. President. I think it's useful in the context of discussing education and the School District and the School Reform Commission that we take a second and remember how we got here. For the five years I've been in Council, I've questioned the expenditures and priorities of the School District. Let's not forget that five years ago, four years ago, the budget of the School District was over $3 billion. They were getting $400 million a year in federal funding and they had 300 million a year in funding that came from Governor Rendell every single year. We're now looking at actual revenue of 2.3 billion versus budgets that used to be over $3 billion just a short time ago. That money and those resources, which was said here in this body and questions were asked of the SRC and of the former of that money. Over a billion dollars was wasted on programs that are not sustainable, that were identified as not sustainable without future federal and state funding at the time, and that money is now gone forever. So it is irresponsible and profligate spending by the SRC and the Superintendents during my tenure in City Council that has gotten us where we are. It is not City Council -- and, of course, it is the decision by Governor Corbett and the State Legislature to cut state funding. But we knew the federal funding was going to be cut and we didn't plan for it. We spent it. We didn't save it. So I think it's important to remember that the issue is far more complicated than throwing more money at the School District. The question is, as I asked in my most recent paper on the School District, is the District too big to succeed. No strategic plan has been more than a vision of the SRC with their fingers in the dike. It proposes marginal and incremental change and not transformative change, continuing to condemn tens of thousands of students every year to proficiency below 40 percent. Many will end up in our penal system. No case has been made that outcomes will be significantly better or worse with or without the $60 million requested from the City. The problem is that the School District requires 120 million more from the state, which they won't get, and 100 million more in concessions from the unions, which has been budgeted for years and never been achieved. The SRC spent 300 million more than they took in last year, and we are on track to do it again. They requested -- their budget is 2.6 and their revenue is 2.3. It is irresponsible -- it was irresponsible last year, and it's not SRC, current and former, put us here by presenting unrealistic and Pollyanna budgets that are not achievable. They are still doing so. When they present a realistic budget that balances income and expenditures, then I think we should talk about trying to help them, because then we'll understand where the $60 million will go and what impact it will have. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson. (Audience member talking out.)
Ma'am, ma'am, we had public comment time. I ask you to please...
I'm an advocate to figure out a way we support our students in the Philadelphia public school system, no matter what it takes to get there. So I'll state that for the record. Because as we debate in here, as Councilmembers and those on the State Legislature decide to participate or not participate, the reality is we have a lot of young people that live in urban poverty areas throughout the City of Philadelphia who will be significantly impacted based upon the decisions that we make, rather you agree with it or not. So I'm a strong advocate of making sure that however we go about it, we find a way to support our young people. And we can debate for days how we got here, but the reality is we got to all be on the same page and supporting our young people moving forward, because ultimately they're the ones who are going to get caught up in the cross hairs. And I say that sincerely, because a lot of us -- some of us have kids in the public school system, but the reality is a lot of us don't. In an ideal world, I would introduce a bill, if I could -somebody told me it would be illegal for me to do it -- to make sure that every elected official had children and teachers in the public school system, and then I will want to see what type of debate we will have. But nevertheless, I'm an advocate for trying to figure out a way, however we get there, to support our young people in our public schools. I hosted last night an AVI meeting for the sake of making sure I inform my constituents on the relief measures that have been introduced as it relates to AVI and answer some of their questions to the best of my ability, and I still want to make sure that -- as a Council body, obviously we did a report that shows that some of us will be getting a decrease and a few of us will impacted, but when we all became Councilpeople, we didn't only take an oath for our district, we took an oath for the residents of the City of Philadelphia. And so for everyone to keep that in mind as we address this issue of AVI, that, yes, some of our residents will have a significantly grave, negative impact as it relates to AVI and to keep that out in the forefront as we go and debate this process. We're at competing interests on what's accurate, what's inaccurate. I don't have any faith in the system just based upon how there's a lack in transparency in the Administration actually staying out on the front line. I'm a Councilperson defending a policy that's not even mine, but I don't have a problem going out there and letting the constituents know where I stand on the issue. I met a young lady last night who lives in a low-income affordable unit, and under the affordable housing unit, you can't sell your home over a certain period of time. And the home that she has has been significantly assessed at a higher value that she won't be able to pay when that time limit is up. So her time limit, within the next two years, she will have the option to either pay down on a new property tax assessment or sell her home. And she pretty much basically responded and said that, You basically encouraged me to move into these neighborhoods as a first-time home buyer and now I'm being kicked out. That's like a realistic situation that we're dealing with, not numbers, not semantics back and forth debating, but real people that we're dealing with. And so I just wanted to put a human face on these issues that we're dealing with, and also the lack of respect that I was told last night on how OPA responds to constituents regarding the first-level review, not when they office, when they were actually hosting the workshop meetings in my district. And I wish they would have brought that to my attention prior to us coming down here having these budget hearings so I could address it straight -- address it at that particular time.
And so I just wanted to put that issue out there. I will aggressively and continue to advocate in trying to figure out how we best protect those citizens, but I'm also calling on all our colleagues who participate in this body to make sure that people as a whole have faith in this body to be supportive overall of those individuals who will be significantly impacted if we move forward with AVI. Thank you very much, Council President.
Thank you. I'll be brief, Mr. President. Sort of piggybacking a little bit on Councilman Green. Having been here for a number of years and every year having to address the issues of the School District, not enough money for this, particularly we had the whole issue with books, it seems that we find a Band-Aid, we put a Band-Aid on the problem. And what we'll do this year we'll do, but in the interim between now and the next budget, what is the action plan. And what we need to do is figure out what the action plan will be, working with the SRC and the School District and our state legislators to come up with some plan for how we're going to have some dedicated funding for the School District and not every year have to fight for whether we're going to do liquor by the drink or raise someone's taxes. Last year we were in a mess. We are this year we're in a mess. We're going to look at liquor by the drink. We need to stop and figure out in the interim how we're going to address the issue of the School District, and I think that the Council should take a lead on that and that we call everybody to the table, not next year in May when we're doing the budget, but beginning the moment we complete this budget cycle. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. That concludes our speeches. The Chair now recognizes Councilwoman Brown for a motion to adjourn.
Mr. President, I wish I could say that that does conclude our speeches, but I cannot, and there are not -- I mean, arts and culture, advocacy for women, people of color, doing better for the small business community rank high on my list, for me than this issue around every child getting a fair shot. And the beauty about this process is that we work in a legislative body where we can agree without being disagreeable. So I would be remiss not to go on the record and offer a friendly rebuttal to my friend Councilman Bill Green. Now, I live and work in a world or at least I learned very early on -- I was a graduate in graduate school -- and I read this book Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking, and I've approached most of what I do with that mindset. So I'm going to bore a few and shed the light on a few others about why it behooves us to move ahead with this debate and be what I call a possibility thinker. Reverend Robert Schuller wrote, and I quote, "Possibility thinkers resemble the hummingbird that look for and find honey often in the most unlikely, unthinkable places. Possibility thinkers perceptively probe every problem and proposal and opportunity to discover the positive aspects present in almost every human situation. "Impossibility thinkers make sweeping passes over a proposed idea, scanning it with a negative eye, looking for what might be the distasteful aspects. Impossibility thinkers look for reasons why something won't work instead of visualizing ways in which it could work. So they are inclined to say not possible, maybe, no to a proposal, never giving the idea a fair hearing." Now, we can't dispute what we know about the School District in years past, but at the end of the day, we have a duty to figure it out. And so this is why we need to figure it out. Young people are going to carry on what we've started. They're going to sit where we're sitting and, when we are gone, attend to those things we thought were important. We may adopt all the policies we please, but how they will be carried out will depend on them. They're going to move in and take your seat, my seat, Councilman Jones' seat, Councilman Kenney's seat, Jannie's seat. They're going to move in and control the cities, the states, and the nation. They're going to move in and take over our churches, our schools, our universities, and our corporations. All of our books are going to be judged, praised or condemned by them. So ultimately what we do for them now drives to set the stage about what they're going to do for us later. So I am of the view that we need to figure it out. And so just as I've extended an invitation to the Governor to come down here and shadow schools in our district, I'm going to offer a friendly invitation to my colleague Councilman Green. (Applause.)
Join us in a school to shadow a student that does not have arts and sports and counselors. I mean, there are young people across this city who are desperate to have a half hour for a high school counselor so they can figure out what they're going to do about the college education, the college application process. It is intimidating. And we have young people who will never, ever get a fair sit-down with a high school counselor, because they got 500 kids on their caseload. We need to figure it out. And so I'm offering everybody in here as I transition and get off my soapbox --
Councilwoman, I'm actually -- because you initiated this speech prior to your call for a motion, I'm going to have to pull back that motion, because we do have a rebuttal to your speech. So we'll come -
It's healthy debate. And so I would like to invite members to join the young people in your councilmanic district at the Strawberry Mansion High School Youth Court to observe young people in action doing good things. Councilman Jones is sponsoring this. He's inviting members to join him and others 10:00 a.m. He's providing transportation at the Mayor's entrance, so that we can be reminded that when we give young people the tools that they need, they actually do better. I rest my case, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilwoman. I'll come back to you later. (Applause.)
Thank you, Mr. President. My mother-in-law, who passed away some years ago, was a very big fan of Reverend Schuller, and he had a booklet or pamphlet that he sent out. I don't remember whether it was monthly or weekly. And she sent it to me and my wife, and we would read it on a regular basis. And when the Councilwoman was speaking, one of those things that I read probably 10 or 15 years ago popped into my mind, and that was a pastor whose church had burned down wrote Reverend Schuller and asked him what to do. They only had a little bit of insurance money, and his flock was struggling at the time and they had so much to rebuild, so much to do, you know, and he was really sort of asking do I build small or what do I do? Do I build within my means? What do I do? And Reverend Schuller actually responded build bigger, build bigger. did was build a church that ended up being one of the mega churches somewhere in Texas and he did it -- he was able to do that because he was starting from scratch. And the question I asked when I speak -- when I was speaking, what I'm trying to say is, the School District is burning down. It has been for three years. For three years, as Councilwoman Tasco said, we've patched it with Band-Aids, and every single year we say, And next year we're going to not at budget time but in between, we're going to address this, we're going to have hearings, we're going to understand, we're going to create a go-forward plan. And that has not happened in the three years we've done that, where we've had to provide stop-gap and emergency funding. The question I'm really asking is -- and I was corrected on my characterization of the funding. The funding that we appropriated was as part process, of course, but it was not ever what the School District was asking for, and it didn't ever solve the problem. Every single year the School District had to make sacrifices. It didn't do long-term planning. It still isn't. The point I'm making is, is the -- the School District is in a precarious situation and it is not clear to me that $60 million from us, when $300 million is required, is going to solve the problems that everybody is trying to address, that it's going to put children in a better situation than they'd otherwise be in. We need a realistic plan from the School District, and the question they really have to answer for us is, is the current system too big to succeed and do we need to start over and build bigger with something transformative. That's the debate we need to have, because what we have doesn't work and we'll be back here every have the same SRC, the same School District, and the same inability of this body to influence anything but the dollars they get. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate and want to thank all of my colleagues for their passionate concern, and I think with the diversity of efforts that we're making, I'm hopeful that we will be able to do our part. I would also like to thank Councilwoman Blackwell for her leadership on the Education Committee and just point out to those listening that her committee will have hearings, one on world-class education that will be done jointly with my committee, Global Opportunities; her own hearing on the question of whether we the governance of the School Board runs, basically the question of whether we should have elected School Boards; and, finally, she has been kind enough to allow me to introduce a hearing on governance and accountability. So our City Council is, through our Education Committee, tackling these tough issues. I'm happy to say that we'll have members from -- we'll have a speaker from Finland who wrote a book recently, what Finland has to offer the world in education. We've met with the Swiss Ambassador on vocational education. We've spoken to different education systems, from South Korea to other parts in the U.S. While that will not resolve the issue by the time we do the budget this year, but we are, I believe, as a body, this body, taking up the call and responsibility of not only debating the issues, but taking affirmative and positive action. I certainly hope that and other friends to join with us, the SRC, in doing their part, because we only at the end of the day have a small piece of this pie. But I believe that we are doing our part, and I hope that they will join with us and do their part. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I was here in these Chambers many years ago when we were looking at the stimulus money for the School District, and it is true that Councilman Green pointed out the error in the ways of anticipating a forever funding from the federal government and warned in these Chambers with a clarion voice about getting hooked on an appetite of federal spending. He was right about that, and we should have probably been a frugal, looked at alternative funding, held the Governor's feet to the fire. All of those things are true. But I will not sit by and let this Chamber, this Administration, the Governor punish the youth for that. They weren't in charge. They couldn't do a budget. They can't do any of that. So recently I was at the protest, but that day I was at Dorothy Speight's conference on violence and Mothers in Charge, national organization, and the theme of the conference was what is the cost of violence. And one of the things that I took from it and when we start to look at what is the cost of education, all of those mothers, all of those victims, all of the perpetrators, particularly the perpetrators, had one thing in common: Lack of education. Lack of education. Councilman Goode always points out the correlation between if you cannot read by the third grade, particularly minorities, you know how many jail cells to build by the time they are 18. In the cost of crime, either we pay it now or we will pay for it later. Because out of the 25 cent bullet that leaves the $250 illegal gun, when the $36,000-a-year-to-start officer pulls up in the $20,000 car with the $5,000 amount of gas per year that goes into it, that young person winds up in front of a $55,000 public defender, another $55,000 district attorney, an $80,000 bail commissioner, before a $150,000 judge, who deals with a $30,000 clerk, who is escorted through the cells by a $40,000 sheriff, with another $35,000 prison guard, and every time there's a hearing that is postponed, it is approximately $600 out of the taxpayers' pockets. The cost of a semester at Community is approximately $11,000. The cost to incarcerate per year is $34,000. Pay it now or we'll pay for it later. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown again.
Yes, Mr. President. So it's true we can pay for it -- we can choose to pay for it now or we can opt to pay for it later, but at end of the day, we're paying. Dr. Hite is trying to save a system from collapse. So I would submit, never having managed anything remotely that large, is that he's been consumed with being in the weeds. It's difficult to be in the weeds and have the time to manage a long-term vision in the way that Councilman Green has observed. So I certainly agree with the spirit of Councilman Green's comments. Where I disagree is that at the end of the day, a portion of this duty does rest with us. So Councilwoman Sanchez reminds us all the time in meetings, why does it "or." Why can't it be an "and." And that's where I will leave my comments, Mr. President.
Thank you. At this time, I see no other requests for speeches, so I will briefly not break the rules, but bend the rules a little bit. With respect to this whole issue generally as it relates to AVI and this very, very critical issue relating to the School District, I just want to say a couple of things, that with respect to leadership -- and I've said -- now that Councilman DiCicco and former Council President Street has left, I can say this, that this is the best group of Councilmembers I've ever worked with. They'll probably hear about it on TV, but the reality is, it is. And with respect to leadership, this group of people have shown leadership in a clearcut way. We may not necessarily all agree on any particular issue, but as a sum total, great group that has always shown leadership and, when called, has always stepped to the plate. Some very difficult times. And I fully anticipate, because we have a history of stepping to the plate, not just a history of talking about the issue. So I think at the appropriate time in the appropriate way, this Council will step to the plate and do what needs to be done. But I got to tell you in a very public way that this whole notion that this Council continues to have to do it alone, I mean, that's getting stale. It's getting real old. So we're going to look -- I understand there was a press conference today by some friends of ours that discussed -- I don't know what they talked about because it was held at the time that we had to be in this room. Pretty much consistently every Thursday we're here, you know. But at the end of the day, I think that this group, as I said, is the best group I've ever worked with. We'll do what we need to do, but we don't -- I don't think it's appropriate for us to continue to have to do it alone. So I will get back on the rules and call for a motion to adjourn from Councilwoman Brown.
Agreed, Mr. President. I thank you, Mr. President, and I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday May 16th, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.) (Brief pause.)
I just want to make sure we clean this up. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, May 16th, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Council shall stand adjourned until Thursday, May 16th, 2013. Thank you all very much. ) 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, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. MICHELE L. ) A 115:15 116:15 35:22 81:3 amount 16:8 41:13,20,22 abandonment adjourn 108:18 Agencies 44:5 121:9 42:6,13 20:22 25:8 125:8,21 Agency 43:25 and/or 127:22 approval 4:1,21 ability 103:21 adjourned 125:13 Agenda 50:3 Animal 38:18 approved 5:4,15 able 13:2 35:8 125:24 126:12 aggravated 87:25 Anniversary 6:25 approving 48:7 80:3 105:7 126:14 aggressively 7:11 10:15 approximately 115:5 117:16 ADJOURNME... 106:12 33:15 35:25 20:15 121:19,22 absence 5:17,23 125:1 126:1 ago 87:18 98:13 79:7 81:6 April 10:16 19:20 6:7 Administration 98:14,22 114:6 announcement Aramingo 37:9 academic 8:13 57:6,16,21 114:14 119:16 92:5,25 96:24 37:21 9:18 104:17 120:6 agree 102:15 announcements area 9:25 29:8 accommodate adopt 111:3 109:6 122:19 91:20 37:9,21 48:11 10:2 adopted 49:4,25 123:24 answer 103:20 59:9 61:25 accompanying 51:2,21 52:17 Agreed 125:10 116:19 64:16 89:4 7:2 13:18 53:14 54:9 55:5 agreement 94:15 anticipate 124:6 areas 29:7 37:8 accountability 55:25 75:14 agreements 44:5 anticipating 37:20 59:8 95:24 96:2 76:3 77:5 78:2 ahead 109:14,19 119:20 61:24 64:15 118:7 79:3,24 80:23 allocation 56:8 appetite 119:23 102:12 accountable 57:2 81:22 82:21 allow 118:6 applaud 97:17 arrears 57:8 accounts 90:17 83:18 85:7 87:3 allows 24:4 Applause 11:11 articulated 95:11 accurate 104:14 adoption 48:17 alternative 120:2 13:8 17:9 18:10 arts 10:23 108:22 accurately 127:5 49:14 50:14 Ambassador 18:18 96:15 112:5 achievable 101:5 51:11 52:7 53:3 118:15 112:2 113:25 asked 98:25 99:23 achieved 100:19 53:23 54:19 ambassadors 8:7 application 114:17 115:7 achievements 55:14 56:12 amen 4:13,14 112:11 asking 114:22 22:7 74:23 58:4 75:8,23 amend 22:23 29:5 applications 115:22 116:4 acknowledge 76:18 77:15 37:6,18 59:6 72:11 asks 93:23 95:23 14:11,14,24 78:16 79:13 61:22 64:13 apply 69:21 aspects 12:24 action 6:15 27:10 80:12 81:11 amended 47:2 127:20 110:6,12 76:10 85:12 82:10 83:6 58:25 appointing 49:7 aspirations 7:20 107:16,17 86:22 amending 20:17 50:7 51:5,24 assaults 87:25 113:13 118:25 advertising 95:6 21:19,22 23:10 52:20 53:17 Assembly 90:7 actions 16:17 97:6 advise 19:17 23:12 24:19 54:12 55:8 assert 90:2 active 15:15 advocacy 108:23 25:3 27:6 31:11 appreciate 117:12 assessed 105:6 activity 90:22 advocate 22:10 38:5,17 43:16 appreciation 11:8 assessment actual 98:20 75:2 102:3,16 43:17 44:12,18 approached 105:11 Ad 14:5,10,15 103:13 106:12 56:5 67:3,5 109:15 assist 16:5,10 15:11 17:16,17 Affairs 36:17 82:3 69:18,20 72:8 appropriate 22:3 assistance 90:23 addiction 35:10 affirmative 61:18 76:7 85:9 23:7 29:12 30:4 assistant 14:5,9 80:4 64:9 66:23 amendment 31:19 37:15 Association 14:11 adding 23:14 69:14 72:4 34:13,24,25 124:9,10 125:5 21:24 89:20 24:21 38:10 74:18 86:11 56:15,17 58:6 appropriated 90:9 additional 46:11 118:24 58:11,13,18 115:25 assured 96:5 74:21 afford 97:11 86:18,20,22 appropriation attached 41:17 address 48:12 affordable 104:25 87:2 40:20 42:19 44:22 104:7 106:7,8 105:2 amendments appropriations attend 91:25 107:8 108:6 African-Ameri...