COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON FINANCE - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, November 20, 2008 1:10 p.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO, CHAIR COUNCILMAN FRANK DiCICCO COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN BILL GREEN COUNCILMAN WILLIAM GREENLEE COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN BILL 080626 - An ordinance amending Title 13 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Water and Sewer"... BILL 080746 - An ordinance amending Section 17 17-104 of The Philadelphia Code, relating to "Prerequisites to the Execution of City Contracts"... BILL 080851 - An ordinance amending Section 19-203 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Payroll Deductions"... - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2
Good afternoon. I'd like to call the Committee on Finance to order, and I'd like to recognize a quorum in the presence of Councilman O'Neill, Councilmen Green, Goode, Greenlee, Kenney and DiCicco and Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, the other skirt. Good afternoon. We are going to hold Bill 080626 and Bill 080746. We'll now ask the Clerk to read Bill 080851.
Bill No. 080851, an ordinance amending Section 19-203 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Payroll Deductions," to add the Philadelphia Police and Fire Association for Handicapped Children and the Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation, trading as Fireman's Hall Museum, to the list of designated payees to whom an employee may direct payroll deductions; all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you 3 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 very much. The Chair calls on Ms. Catherine Paster, who represents the Finance Department. (Witnesses approached witness table.)
Good afternoon. My name is Catherine Paster. I'm the First Deputy Director of Finance for the City of Philadelphia, and I'm here today to testify in support of Bill No. 080851, which would amend Section 19-203 of The Philadelphia Code pertaining to "Payroll Deductions." This bill would permit City employees to authorize payroll deductions to be paid to the Philadelphia Police and Fire Association for Handicapped Children and Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation, trading as Fireman's Hall Museum. Section 19-203 of The Philadelphia Code, as approved by Council, authorizes the Director of 4 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 Finance to deduct from salaries such sums as employees may request. The Code lists specifically those entities for which payroll deductions may be made. Any authorization for a payroll deduction is made voluntarily by the employee and may be revoked by the employee at any time. This concludes my testimony. I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Thank you. We'll proceed with the other witnesses and then we'll open up the panel for discussion. Next?
Madam Chairwoman, Committee members, my name is David Kearney and I am here to represent the Fireman's Hall Museum, the Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation. I am the Assistant Curator of the Museum, and I do that on a volunteer basis. I'm here to ask the Committee to please pass the bill. 5 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 The Fireman's Hall Museum was opened in 1977, and the Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation was founded as a 501(c)(3) charity to support the efforts of the Museum in areas of fire education, the history of the Fire Department and fire prevention activities. Passing this bill would allow members of the Fire Department, as well as other City employees, to make charitable contributions to the 501(c)(3), and during these tough economic times, they would be able to split those up as payroll deductions as opposed to writing a large one-time check. I would ask that the Committee please pass this bill. Thank you.
Good afternoon, 6 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 Madam Chairwoman and Committee members. My name is Henry Magee and I am the President of the Philadelphia Police and Fire Handicapped Association. The Police and Fire Association for Handicapped Children formed in 1979 to assist uniformed member City personnel who have family members with disabilities. Challenges they faced include shift work scheduling, needed non-school activities, supervision, scarcity of competent caregivers and respite needs, coupled with the stress of work-related dangers. For years, we provided 80 families with multiple therapies, tutoring and socialization. During that period, Police and Fire personnel made us the largest United Way donor option recipient, giving nearly 85,000 of an approximate $95,000 budget, which even then was small for the services provided. When its support from City personnel largely evaporated, those donations did as well. As a result, the 7 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 Association can now serve but a few families, and then only at a subsistence level, which may also have to be reduced. We are in the process of rebuilding our Association, hopefully into what it once was. We hope to expand our services to address the rapidly growing problem of autism. If you will help us, we can make this endeavor a success. The implementation of direct payroll deductions will make it much easier to support our organization and will increase our membership. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to present this request to you. If you have any questions, I'll certainly answer them.
I'm the Association's counsel. I'm simply here in a support role. 8 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 As I'm sure many of you know, most non-profits have a base from which they can draw contributions, and the Police and Fire personnel and other City personnel are really this organization's base, but they don't have the financial capacity to write one-time large checks each year, and this would in fact, if we allow, the Association to raise its own funds, but do so over the course of the entire year. So that its support will be able to do that as they did for years with the United Way. Thank you.
I'm sorry. Edward Titterton, T-I-T-T-E-R-T-O-N, and I'm counsel to the Association.
Thank you very much. Are there members of the Committee who have any questions? (No response.) 9 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851
I think this is fairly easy. You don't have any opposition, and I think we all understand the wonderful purposes of these two programs. I'll ask if there's anyone else here to testify on this bill. Would you come forward, please, and state your name. (Witness approached witness table.)
Good afternoon, Madam Chairwoman. My name is Andrew Gowa, G-O-W-A. I'm First Vice-President of the Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation, and I unfortunately arrived here a little bit late, and I know Dave spoke on our behalf. I just wanted to further support the resolution that would permit payroll withholdings from those City employees that wanted to donate money to the Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation, which operates Fireman's 10 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 Hall Museum in a restored old firehouse immediately behind Elfreths Alley in Old City. This resolution would, of course, permit us more support at a time when all of the philanthropic organizations in the City are struggling for donations. The Historical Corporation was formed in 1974. It is a 501(c)(3) and it operates the museum Fireman's Hall. Just this morning we were delighted to announce to the press that the Federal Emergency Management Administration awarded the Corporation a grant of more than $291,000 to purchase coloring books, fire safety cubes and a fire safety trailer, which actually replicates part of a home that we, through the Fire Department, take from school to school throughout the City and from rec center to rec center to demonstrate fire safety, evacuation in the case of an emergency, how to call for fire and police and EMT help. And these are the kinds of programs, in addition to running the 11 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 Museum, that the Historic Corporation operates and promotes. The Historic Corporation also disseminates information at its monthly informational programs that's available to the public. We hold the annual Fireman's Hall Muster and Fire Safety Expo at the Fire Academy every fall. This year we had over 5,000 visitors. We honor the firefighter and paramedic of the year by giving them awards and a financial incentive and recognizing their good deeds, because they are the heroes of today and the legends for tomorrow. We have an extensive collection of firefighting artifacts, including some that we recently received from the Smithsonian Institution. We're having a little bit of trouble raising the funds right now to construct the showcases. We've just completed a matching grant with one of the private insurance companies in the City to do that. But money is tight. 12 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 I would point out that admission to the Fireman's Hall Museum is free. It is open to everybody. Each year we get thousands and thousands of visitors and tourists from all around the country, as well as our own firefighters who look to the Museum as its spiritual as well as historic focal point for firefighting in the City and in the region. We very much support this resolution. We hope it will pass, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak in support.
Thank you very much for your testimony and thank you very much for the information. There being no questions, we will adjourn the public hearing and go into the public meeting. The Chair calls on Councilman Kenney for a motion to move Bill 080851.
Thank you, Madam Chairperson. I move that Bill No. 13 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 080851 be reported out of this Committee favorably and a request made for rules suspension to allow for first reading at our next Council session. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Bill 080851 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation and with a request for the rules of Council to be suspended so this bill can be heard at Council's next session. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
None. If there were, we'd hit them on the head. Thank you all very much. The bill is passed. Thank you.
Thank you very much. (Committee on Finance adjourned 14 11/20/08 - FINANCE - BILL 080851 at 1:20 p.m.) - - - 15 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on November 20, 2008, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)