Aye. 10/16/03 - STATED - 2ND READING & FINAL PASSAGE THE
Aye. The ayes are 16, the nays are 0. A majority of all Members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. The next bill to be called for consideration is Bill No. 030557. THE
An ordinance amending Title 9 of the Philadelphia Code by amending Section 9-605 "towing" to establish specific limits to the amounts that may be charged by towing illegally parking vehicles from parking lots, private property, and driveways, all under certain terms and conditions. 10/16/03 - STATED - 2ND READING & FINAL PASSAGE
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally? The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
I would just like to ask the sponsor of the bill to outline briefly the provisions of the bill.
I just wanted to know what the substance of the bill was.
We're just raising the limits where they can charge $150 for a tow.
What impact does it have on people whose cars that are involved in accidents?
None whatsoever. If they take that car and tow it to a -- say a tow-er takes it to a body shop. Say it was an accident on the Boulevard and they take to a body shop. It limits how much they can charge. We've had a complaints -- and actually, this came from L & I. It was one where people were charging all these exorbitant rates, you know, giving them 10/16/03 - STATED - 2ND READING & FINAL PASSAGE wenching fees and $50 to put on the car on the hook, $50 for a mile. Now it's 150, that's the max they can charge and that's it for a tow. It's actually a good consumer bill. Lance Haver testified in favor of it at the hearing the other day. You can trust me, Councilman, I'd never lie to you.
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
Councilman Kenney. 10/16/03 - STATED - 2ND READING & FINAL PASSAGE
Aye. 10/16/03 - STATED - 2ND READING & FINAL PASSAGE The ayes are 15, the nays are 1. A majority of all Members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. The final bill to be called for consideration is Bill No. 030561. THE
An ordinance amending Chapter 19-2600 of the Philadelphia Code entitled "Business Privilege Taxes," by making permanent and expanding the pilot program under which a credit against business privilege taxes is given to certain businesses that contribute monies to the community development corporations, 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 16, the nays are 0. A majority of all Members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. That concludes the Calendar for today. Are there any speeches on the part of the Minority? (No response.)
Are there speeches on the part of the Majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman DiCicco.
Thank you, Madam President. I want to remind my colleagues about the Community Court luncheon today at 1401 Arch Street, 2nd Floor. Thank you.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. I would like to call to the attention of my colleagues and those of us who care about our of Philadelphia has reached a benchmark in that we are halfway through the completion of the strategic plan. As our Park Commissioner and park enthusiast Ms. Mary Mason and others can contest, the consultant team has met with hundreds of stakeholders on this matter and conducted dozen and dozen of interviews. This fall we expect the completion of the review, and early next year we expect a tangible, written document that we can then look to to see what they are recommending for making the Philadelphia Fairmount Park a premiere park of our country. So the newsletter on our desk provides more detailed information, but I wanted to seize this moment to alert my colleagues that we're halfway through the completion of the strategic plan. Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Madam President. My guest has arrived just before we end, and I would ask everyone to look to the right. Many of you remember such shows as "Amen" He is now a minister who is visiting our City until Election Day. He's just a wonderful inspirational speaker and impassioned person, and that is the Reverend Clifton Davis. (Applause.)
Welcome. I think you're being asked to say a few words. If you would just come to the podium, please. (Applause.)
To the Honorable Members of the City Council, Council President and to all those present here today, it is a thrill for me to be in the City of Philadelphia. I have a heart for the City of Philadelphia, both literally and figuratively. For in the year 1965 when open heart surgery was a very dangerous and very costly affair, I received open heart surgery right downtown at Jefferson Medical College Hospital. And as a result of it, my life was elongated, because had I not had that surgery, I would have not lived to the age of 40. And I am proud to say I'm a couple years over 40. I'm thrilled to come and see that the business of the City is in very strong and very glad to see that the City has moved forward over the years, just to see the changes in the community, the new housing and buildings that have gone up very near Center City, to see the attitude of the people who feel safer on the streets because I see them in restaurants, on the sidewalk. It wasn't like that back in the day. So there's an attitude of security here in the City of Philadelphia which is largely due to your great work and the work your Mayor. I am thrilled to be a part of this City, and I am seriously considering relocating back to the City of Philadelphia. (Applause.)
And giving support for the wonderful work that you're doing and letting those people know that my faith is strong enough to believe that there's a God who cares about government, a God to cares about people. And when we have that same sensitivity, we can do nothing but what is right for the City of Philadelphia. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you, Madam President. When the tax reform proposal was before City Council, I guess I was probably the last member who signed on to it. I was a hard person to convince because I told my good friend and colleague Councilman Nutter, you may think it will come forth with fair proposals, but one thing I've learned in life is that these reform groups who allegedly are interested in people in working class communities always wind up making proposals that only the very rich and the affluent and the business groups support. And they always find some excuse as to where's the money going to come from if a proposal is put forth in favor of working poor people. But finally, I thought, well, maybe things have changed. I've lived a long life and maybe things have changed and maybe I haven't recognized it, so I said okay, let's do it unanimously. I'm here to say I think I made a mistake because the Tax Reform Panel yesterday issued a report which was like the reports of old Tax Reform Panels. When something did not involve money for people, the Panel raised no questions about where's money coming from. They said, "Sure, it's a good idea," because the pie is going to the affluent, to the business community. And if working people ever see any results from it, it will probably be 10 or 20 years from now. But when the question came to a tax reduction by the City of Philadelphia in the class where we're spending hundreds of millions of dollars in Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, they said, "No. " Even though a very fine economic study group, Keystone Research Associates, testified that this would be in the interest of Philadelphia. " If you work, you ought not to be poor. That's as simple as I can say. No system of economics deserves support unless it provides that if a person is working, he or she can afford to have a family and can live out of the poverty realm, can live a Tax Reform Panel, despite probably the best efforts of Councilman Nutter, did the same thing that every panel before it did, it said no if working people need something. If poor people need something, it's too expensive. But if business needs something, even though we may not see results for 10 or 20 years, "Sure, let's give them everything. " So I'm here to say I made a mistake when I voted to support the Tax Reform Panel and Councilman Nutter. And my statement of yesterday holds. I will do everything I can to defeat the proposals presented by the Tax Reform Panel because unless they recognize that we've got to get rid of working poor, because you can't get a successful transformation of people from release to work unless you make work worthwhile. How can you get people to decide that it's worth working when if they go to work they lose rather than gain? Which is the current situation. And the City of Philadelphia shamefully continues to support that proposal. You know, I've said it many times, I'm a very partisan Democrat. But I'm ashamed at the in its program targeted income tax cuts that does not apply in the City of Philadelphia where the Democratic Party reigns supreme and the Republican Administrations in Washington and in Harrisburg have much fairer proposals than the City of Philadelphia presents to its people. And it's a shameful situation we're in in Philadelphia. At the federal level and at the state level, approximately -- I'm going to give you approximate numbers. A normal family of four with a family income of 30,000 or 32,000 at the end of year is deemed to be too poor to have to pay an income tax and, therefore, if the income tax has been deducted from their pay, they are entitled to file for refunds, both in Washington and in Harrisburg. I don't know how it happens that the Republicans did a good thing on this situation.
I can't frankly understand it, because when it comes to Philadelphia, the third government involved, with a Democratic Mayor and a Democratic City Council we still go after the working poor. We take the last penny away so a mother has to choose between medicine for her kid or food for her kid where a week can go to school during one week because they can't pay the fares that they have to pay to go to school the second week. I think that this is a terrible blot on Philadelphia. And until the Tax Reform Panel changes its position and says that the No. 1 problem we have in Philadelphia is to reduce the wage tax and give the money back at the end of year to the working poor, until the Tax Reform Panel understands that basic fact, in my judgment, the Tax Panel has no credibility. And that's the reason I'm opposing their program and serving notice that I will do everything possible to defeat any proposals until they recommend as Step No. 1 above every other step must be a change in the wage tax so that Philadelphia's poor get a fair break. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam President. First and foremost, let me say that I deeply respect the comments of my colleague. I take that they were delivered. Councilman Cohen and I enjoy a tremendous and positive relationship. Second, Madam President, I speak not to defend the actions of the Tax Reform Commission. I do speak to defend the right of the Tax Reform Commission to propose the actions that they are preliminarily laying out. When we created the Tax Reform Commission, which was an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter approved by the voters of this City in excess of 75 percent, we gave them the right to make recommendations to propose changes to our tax policy. We did not give them the right to change our tax policy. The 17 members of City Council and the Mayor of this City retain that right and we will exercise that right and I expect us to take action on a variety of issues next year. And I will be the first to say that the 15 members served long hours, worked many days and many nights. And their work is not completed; I certainly hope not. But they did it because they were committed to this City. They took their charge seriously. They served at no pay and have delivered foundation, if not a template, for true tax reform in this City which is desperately needed which we asked an independent group of people to do and make recommendations to us. That's all they are. With regard to the specific issue at hand, though, Councilman Cohen is absolutely correct. He testified on this issue at the last Tax Reform Commission meeting here in these Chambers. And it is, I think, in incumbent upon the Tax Reform Commission, because they have not completed their report, to at least take into consideration the seriousness of this issue. It makes absolutely no sense, it is bad public policy that people who are exempt from paying the state income tax which is one of the lowest state income taxes in the United States of America, there are certain people of a certain income are exempt from paying that tax, but then we turn around and they are required to pay one of the highest wage taxes in the United States of America. Now, that is bad public policy; there is no question about it. So at the minimum, and I would say this in the course of my comments, the Tax Reform Commission who I have not tried to influence way, shape, or form -- I've only testified at their hearings like any other member of the public. But I think good public policy, if not common sense and maybe a little bit of political sensitivity, would indicate that in their report they should at least acknowledge the seriousness of this particular issue and make a recommendation about how this Council and the Mayor should deal with that particular issue. Now, that just makes common sense and good politics and there's nothing wrong with combining the two. We will get those recommendations, the Mayor, Council President, and this Council, and then we will decide what the tax policy is of the City of Philadelphia, not the Tax Reform Commission, not anyone else. We are the elected leaders of this City. We are the only ones who have a vote to determine what the tax policy is, and we should exercise our responsibility in a serious way. So the Tax Reform Commission has a right to make their recommendations. They also have, I believe, a responsibility to look at all of these serious issues and at least acknowledge in their final report that action needs to be taken on this is absolutely right on that score. But I will not criticize what the final product is, one, until I see it; and, two, I may not like some of the things that they recommended either, but last I checked, a lot of people don't like some of the things that we do as well.
So they're an independent body, they took their action and we'll make the final decision on what impacts the citizens of this City, the people who work here and the business who are trying desperately to struggle here. So I support the Councilman's concern, but I think the Tax Reform Commission has a right to make their recommendations and I would only implore them to take a look at that particular issue. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. Before we adjourn, Councilwoman Brown, I, along with your colleagues, would like to wish you a happy birthday today. Congratulations. (Applause.)
At this time the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell for a
Thank you, Madam President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, October 23, 2003. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Council will stand adjourned until Thursday, October 23, 2003. Thank you all very much. (Council adjourned at 11:05 p.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 October 16, 2003, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: STATED MEETING _________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR