The ayes it, and the bills just read will be placed on today's First Reading Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ramos for a report on the Committee on Labor and Civil Service.
Thank you, Madam President. The Committee on Labor and Civil Service reports one bill with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. The Chief Clerk will please read the report. THE
To the President and Members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee on Labor and Civil Service to which referred Bill No. 040184 entitled, an ordinance amending Title 17 of the Philadelphia Code entitled "Contracts and Procurement" by adding a new Chapter 17-1200 entitled "Foreign Outsourcing," prohibiting City service contracts under which the work is performed outside the United States, under certain terms and conditions; Respectfully reports it has returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ramos.
Thank you, Madam President. I move that is the Rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill No. 040184. (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 Bill No. 040184. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the bill just read will be placed on today's First Reading Calendar. Brown for a report from the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.
Thank you, Madam President. The Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs reports one bill with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. The Chief Clerk will please read the report. THE
To the President and Members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, to which was referred Bill No. 040613, entitled an ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property on behalf of the City of Philadelphia to acquire by purchase, condemnation, or other means an easement in the vicinity of Poquessing Park and upon completion of the City's acquisition of the easement, incorporate such easement into Poquessing Park and place the easement under the jurisdiction of the Fairmount Park Commission; respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
I move that the Rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill No. 040613. (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 Bill No. 040613. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the bill just read will be placed on today's First Reading Calendar. 10/21/04 - STATED - 1ST READING The next order of business will be the consideration of the Calendar. The Chief Clerk will please read the bills on the First Reading Calendar. THE
Bill No. 040785, an ordinance amending Bill No. 040602, approved July 1, 2004, relating to the Fiscal 2005 Capital Budget by reacting certain appropriations made in that ordinance for improvements to existing recreation facilities.
And Bill No. 040786, an ordinance amending Bill No. 040673, approved July 1, 2004, relating to Fiscal 2005 through 2010 Capital Program by reacting certain appropriations for improvements to existing recreation facilities for fiscal year 2005 and by making certain technical amendments.
And Bill No. 10/21/04 - STATED - 1ST READING 040765 an ordinance approving the Fiscal Year 2005 Capital Budget providing for the expenditures for the capital purposes of the Philadelphia Gas Works, subject to certain constraints and conditions and acknowledging receipt of the forecast of capital budgets for Fiscal Year 2006 through 2010.
And Bill No. 040760, an ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriation for Fiscal Year 2005 within the General Fund from the Department of Public Property City subsidy for SEPTA to Director of Finance, all under certain terms and conditions.
And Bill No. 040779, an ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriation for Fiscal Year 2005 within the General Fund from certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions to the Fire Department. 10/21/04 - STATED - 1ST READING
And Bill No. 040184, an ordinance amending Title 17 of the Philadelphia Code entitled "Contracts and Procurement," by adding a new Chapter 17,1200 entitled "Foreign Outsourcing" prohibiting service contracts under which the work is performed outside the United States.
And Bill No. 040613, an ordinance authorizing Commissioner of Public Property on behalf of the City of Philadelphia to acquire by purchase condemnation or other means an easement in the vicinity of Poquessing Park and place the easement under the jurisdiction of the Fairmount Park Commission.
The Chair agrees. That the completes the First Reading Calendar. The Chair now recognizes 10/21/04 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilwoman Blackwell for the purpose of calling up the bills on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar to be considered today.
Thank you, Madam President. Today Bill No. 040764 is being called for second reading and final passage. All other bills are being held.
Thank you. The Chief Clerk will please read the title of the Bill No. 040764. THE
An ordinance amending Title 9 of the Philadelphia Code entitled regulation of Business, Trades and Professions by adding a section to prohibit the sale of certain motor vehicles, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. The Clerk will please call the roll. THE
Aye. The ayes are 17, the nays are 0. A majority of all Members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. That concludes our Calendar for today. Are there any speeches on the part of the Minority? (No response.)
Are there part of the Majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Ramos.
Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, Councilman Cohen, Councilman Nutter, and I this morning introduced a resolution concerning a preoccupation of ours concerning the Police Advisory Commission. I am now very disturbed of this fact that this Commission is now a government institution and technically has no commission members. This is an issue I've written to the Administration about. I know Councilman Nutter has done the same thing. Back in November, the list of those appointees recommended by this body were presented to the Administration. However, it is the responsibility of Mayor to make these announcements. We have now people in this City, outstanding citizens, that want to give of their time, they want to volunteer and be part of this great civic fabric that this City is seems as though that second floor can't come around to getting more people that want to serve in this body, the Police Advisory Commission. They don't get a single cent. These are people waiting to be appointed. We've already submitted our names. I think it's very, very unfair, to the point where this body of government can now not function. A few weeks ago, I had a young man with his mother and his relatives come. The allegation was that he was beat up by some police officers. Whether it's true or not, I'm not to judge; I'm not in that business. However, when that case goes to this group called the Police Advisory Commission -- they work closely, of course, with the police -they can't do anything about it. They don't have the authority to do anything about it. I think this is very, very unfair. And this is going on with other boards and commissions of this government, people waiting in line, people that want to serve. If I was one of those people, I'd say, "The heck with want me, let me move on." It is very discouraging while we talk around here about civic and community involvement, at the same time we have people that want to be involved and we just don't open the doors for their involvement. So anyway, I don't know of this speech, Councilman Nutter and my colleagues, is going to get anywhere, but I sure hope that the Mayor's Office fulfill its responsibility and get this appointment over with, please.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Madam President. I have good news to report. Almost five years ago, my first City Council Session, I introduced a resolution calling for an annual review of small business lending by the City Controller. The resolution followed my release of the Greater Philadelphia Capital Access Report which showed disparities in small business lending by neighborhood income 1998. The Controller recently released his latest report which indicates that the disparities in loan availability between poor and richer communities actually changed in 2003. In fact, over a six-year period, from 1998 to 2003, the percentage of loans in low and moderate income communities grew from 39 percent to 52 percent. For the first time since we examined this issue, the majority of small business loans were dispersed in low and moderate income communities. In fact, it was a huge jump from 40 percent to 52 percent in one year. There's no coincidence that the jump occurred in 2003, the first year City Council required City depository banks to set annual goals for small business lending in those neighborhoods. So I want to, again, thank my colleagues for your support of that reinvestment legislation. It's actually made a difference.
Thank you, Madam President. I will first want to note that the last two very fine speeches made by Councilman Ramos and Goode, that they're both Councilmembers-at-Large, that they're dealing with problems that are vital to the healthy existence of the City of Philadelphia. I mention that because of other things. I would hope that the District Councilmembers who largely concern themselves in the position of assistant developers and don't otherwise bother very much with their constituencies will take note and begin concerning themselves. Yesterday, on the $35 an hour matter, the Committee hearing, it was reduced finally to Ramos, Goode, and Cohen, all three of us at-Large members. Councilwoman Blackwell, a District Councilmember, sat in her seat all during the hearing and participated, and I think she showed an what we expect from District Councilmembers. I don't think the role of a District Councilmember is to be an assistant developer. I think it is to represent the people as fully as Councilmen-at-Large do, and sometimes I wonder, except in the cases of a few of the District Councilmembers, whether that's the case. But today, I largely want to talk about definitions of words. I deeply resent the fact that the President of the United States is going around spreading bigotry instead of clarification. I want to cite two areas. " He attacks the democratic presidential candidate, which he has every right to do, but he attacks him a liberal. Well, I'm a liberal, and a liberal is a good word, not a bad word. And the President of the United States is using it as a bad word. The difference between a conservative and a liberal is a conservative is only interested in giving government money to rich business corporations, while liberals are interested in things like spreading the quality of life issues that people in the communities without resources, without much money, need. It's the liberals who fight for social security, for pensions, for all those things; it's not the conservatives. The conservatives want to give real benefits, tax benefits, back to the rich in order not to have money when it comes time to fund things that the ordinary population needs. So the more liberal a person is, it means that person is seeking to spread the benefits of life to poorer people. A conservative is a person who believes that poor people are not entitled to benefits and shouldn't get them. That's that word on liberal, and I think it's shameful that a President of the United States, instead of trying to broaden everybody's understanding and encourage their participation in government, is just doing the opposite. The other thing is the way the word "government" is used. It's said that little government is good and big government is bad. stupidity. And that's also what President Bush seems to be good at spreading, because whether government is big or little, it doesn't matter. What matters is, is it doing the right thing by people, is it making life better? And good government makes things better, and poor government makes things less good. Now, the reason the conservatives talk about reducing the size of government is they want business to operate freely without any regulations. And we saw what happened even with regulations on the Enron and all the other business scandals that have occurred. Business never likes to be regulated. They like to trample people's rights because all they're interested in is profit. We support business corporations that show a consideration for other people, not like the pharmaceutical companies that are only interested in profit and never interested in performing necessary health services for people. So I'm urging Mr. President of the go back and be a leader in the country and don't ill defame words that are very useful.
It's not a question of whether government is big or small, but it's a question of whether it's performing its services right. And with respect to liberal, don't use it as a scare word; it's a wonderful word because it means that somebody's interested in all the people. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome, Councilman Cohen. Are there any other speeches on the part of the Majority? (No response.)
Seeing none, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco for a motion to adjourn.
Madam President, I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, October 28th at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Council stand Thursday, October 28th. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Council will stand adjourned until Thursday, October 28th. Thank you. (Council adjourned at 11:15 a.m.) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Thursday, October 21, 2004, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: STATED MEETING _________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR