Committee Of The Whole, May 14, 2025

COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, May 14, 2025 10:25 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILWOMAN NINA AHMAD COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN KENDRA BROOKS COUNCILMAN MICHAEL DRISCOLL COUNCILWOMAN JAMIE GAUTHIER COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE GILMORE RICHARDSON COUNCILMAN JIM HARRITY COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILWOMAN RUE LANDAU COUNCILWOMAN QUETCY M. LOZADA COUNCILMAN NICOLAS O'ROURKE COUNCILMAN ANTHONY PHILLIPS COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN ISAIAH THOMAS COUNCILMAN JEFFREY YOUNG, JR. BILLS: 250195, 250196, 250197, 250198, 250199, 250200, 250201, 250202, 250210, 250211, 250212 RESOLUTION: 250214 - - -

Good morning, everyone. (Good morning.)

Good morning, everyone.) (Good morning.)

This is the continuation of our Committee of the Whole as we review the FY26 proposed budget. We will be reviewing Bills 250195, 250196, 250197, 250198, 250199, 250200, 250201, 250202, 250210, 250211, 250212 and Resolution No. 16 250214. Ms. Loughead, could you please call the roll.

Councilmember Squilla. (No response.)

Councilmember Gauthier.

Present.

Councilmember Jones. (No response.)

Councilmember Young.

Present.

Councilmember Driscoll. (No response.)

Councilmember Lozada. (No response.)

Councilmember Bass.

Present.

Councilmember Phillips. (No response.)

Councilmember O'Neill. (No response.)

Councilmember Gilmore Richardson.

Present.

Councilmember Thomas. (No response.)

Councilmember Harrity.

Present.

Councilmember Ahmad.

Present.

Councilmember Landau.

Present.

Councilmember Brooks. (No response.)

Councilmember O'Rourke.

Present.

Council President Johnson.

Present. Thank you. A quorum of this Committee is present and this hearing is now called to order. Ms. Loughead, would you please read the titles of the resolutions.

Bill No. 14 Bill No. 250195, an ordinance 15 amending Chapter 19-1500 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Wage and Net Profits Tax," by revising certain tax rates, under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250196, an ordinance adopting the Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2026. Bill No. 250197, an ordinance to adopt a Fiscal 2026 Capital Budget. Bill No. 250198, an ordinance to adopt a Capital Program for the six Fiscal Years 2026-2031 inclusive. Bill No. 250199, an ordinance amending Chapter 19-2600 of The Philadelphia Tax Code, entitled "Business Income and Receipts Taxes," to revise certain tax rates and end certain exclusions from the tax on receipts, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250200, an ordinance amending Chapter 12-100 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Traffic Code" to revise the fee for the use of parking meters, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250201, an ordinance amending Chapter 19-1800 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "School Tax Authorization," to provide for an increase in the tax of the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia is authorized to impose on real estate; and amending Chapter 6 19-1300, entitled "Real Estate Taxes," to establish an equivalent reduction the tax rate for the City real estate tax, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250202, an ordinance amending Chapter 19-1806 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Authorization of Realty Use and Occupancy Tax," to eliminate certain exemptions, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250210, an ordinance amending Chapter -- amending Section 10-1001 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Fees of the Commissioner of Records," to increase the portion of fees for the recording of deeds and mortgages in related documents to be used for Housing Trust Fund purposes, under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250211, an ordinance amending Chapter 19-1400 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Realty Transfer Tax" revising the rate of the tax, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250212, an ordinance to amend Chapter 19-4400 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Development Impact Tax" to end imposition of the tax, under certain terms and conditions. Resolution No. 250214, resolution providing for the approval by the Council of the City of Philadelphia of a Revised Five Year Financial Plan for the City of Philadelphia covering Fiscal Years 2026-2030, and incorporating revisions with respect to Fiscal Year 2025, which is to be submitted by the Mayor to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority pursuant to an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement by and between the City and the Authority.

Thank you, Ms. Loughead. Today we continue the public hearing of the Committee of the Whole to consider the bills read by the Clerk that constitute the proposed operating and capital spending measures for Fiscal Year 2026, a Capital Program and a Forward-looking Capital Plan for Fiscal Year 2026 through Fiscal Year 2031. We will now begin taking public testimony from the public on the City's proposed FY26 budget and Six-Year Capital Program for FY26 through '31. Before proceeding however, I will lay a few ground rules on how we would like to proceed with public testimony this morning. We are here today to hear from you about the City's proposed FY26 budget for the City of Philadelphia to ensure that there is an opportunity for all of you to be heard. Certain ground rules have been established as follows: Your testimony should be about the bills listed on the calendar. Once your name is called, you will have up to two minutes to speak. In order to be fair to all those wishing to speak, I intend to hold faithfully to the two-minute limit. Once you are asked to begin your testimony, a timer will be started. When there are 30 seconds remaining to your time, you will be reminded of this. Once your allotted time has passed, you will be asked to please conclude your remarks. We have opportunities this morning as well as this afternoon for public comment and we have a very significantly long testimony list, which we encourage everyone the opportunity to have their issues, voices and concerns heard regarding this upcoming budget during this session this morning as well as this afternoon. Ms. Loughead, would you please call the first panel.

First person here to testify is Harry Barney.

Good morning.

Good morning, Councilmembers and panel. Good morning to everyone. Happy to see everyone here. So I have three points to make and I will be under my two minutes. So regarding the budget, I see there's lots of things related to housing specifically. So I have a question about the budget. Does the budget factor in disability needs and accessibility in terms of flashes, you know, having fire alarms for deaf people, doorbells, electrical needs for deaf, for the deaf community, ramps for the disabled community. So I'm just wondering if the budget factors in those needs for the disability community. I am also wondering will the Housing Trust Fund have room 17 for people with disabilities and does that include the deaf community? And my third point is in regards to employment, just like housing are deaf people included in that, including American Sign Language and American Sign Language interpreters. So those are just my questions that I have. The budget seems to focus on the disability community, but that usually includes the disability community that is hearing, and I think that the deaf community is often left behind. And I know that there are a lot of people in the deaf community that are afraid of things like that and afraid of housing not being accessible. So I just wanted to come and advocate for that and just let you know that those are the three things that are very important for you to talk about. That's all. Thank you.

Thank you.

Next we have Chantay Love, Angela Regans, Xavier Williams and Donte Newell.

I also want to acknowledge the presence of Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, Councilmember Mark Squilla. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)

Good morning.

Good morning.

Chantay, do you want to give us a brief overview before the young men begin their testimony?

Hello, President Council. Thank you for allowing us to be present. What we've decided to do was bring some of the young adults that are not only doing the work but also experiencing violence. These are students from Imhotep Charter High School. They're amazing. They are part of the pulse and the breath of why we still live and do what we do. And that today they decided -- we wanted them to speak their truth, to have a platform because that's also healing, being able to advocate for yourself, speak for yourself and be heard. And so, they're speaking from their authentic self. And I'm glad that you gave us the opportunity to do that.

Thank you. Please begin. Just state your name for the record and begin your testimony.

Good morning. My name is Xavier Williams. I am a 10th grader at Imhotep Charter High School and I will be speaking for the Mirror Program. I'm speaking for the emotional stability of Black people in my community for several reasons, one being our school has suffered a lot of violence, hurt and many losses in one year, even a month at best. We last year lost a 10th grader who is very special to us. And when you actually got to know who he was even without knowing his face, it hurt us very -- it hurt us very emotionally because it came out of nowhere. And it's because of losses like this that we needed the EMIR program because we are still currently losing people in our community. And it's for no 15 essential reason, at least in my eyes, because there is no reason for such violence to be needed in for young people in their lives. Us as young people are already suffering from killing other people, going into gangs and breaking and entering all sorts of other crimes and we're barely even passed 14 years old. We're doing this because of how we are surrounded, people that we are surrounded by, how we're raised up and the people we are around. It's things like this that we needed the EMIR program and for other programs we need the emotional support for us to speak on. I'm now going to transfer the second part over to my friend Dante. (Applause.)

Hello. My name is Donte Newell. I was a 9th grader in Imhotep Charter University -- Imhotep Charter High School. When the EMIR program was created, they came up to me, asked me if I wanted to be a part of it. I said yes because of the loss of a student very dear to the community, which was Emir. Let's have a moment of silence for him real quick. And while 9th grade was happening, I dragged Xavier here to the program with me which then after that I became an ambassador. 10th grade year, just learning, making friends, everything. But in 9th grade year, that was most precious year to me because I didn't have really much friends back then. I was shy, quiet. But now, I feel like I'm all around talkative, just a good guy to be around. And I think that's my most good characteristic for me. And that's what I love about everybody else, that I can be around them, talk to them and be joyful. (Applause.)

Hello. Can you hear me?

Yes, we can hear you.

My name is Angela Regans. I am a 9th grader at Imhotep Charter High School. And when I first joined the EMIR, I mostly joined for the money. Because when I learned, when I learned that we get to make $200 from this program, I was like, okay, this could just be a quick in and out program for me to join. But when I actually got to get in there, actually learned what the program is about, actually like experience what we do in the program, that's when I realized that I don't want to just join here for money. I actually want to help make a difference in our world. Because with a lot of the gun violence that's going on, a lot of minors that are dying due to the fact that people are just because of what other people did for them or that they follow me against the crowd, I feel as though we shouldn't have to be dealing with that as minors. We are high schoolers who have a bright future ahead of us but we're going down the wrong path due to the fact that we're influenced by the actions of others who are surrounding us, specifically like music and all that other stuff. When people hang around that type of crowd, it brings us a bad reputation, especially for the Black community because a lot of people will look at us and think, oh, my God, they might shoot us. But in reality that's not the case. A lot of people who are under the age of 13, because my brothers told me, are also doing drugs because they hang around the wrong crowd. I feel as though EMIR gives us the chance as 9th graders and below to help us learn that this is not what we should be doing and we should go down a good path for us because we are all minors with a bright future ahead of us and we shouldn't let people that don't have that future, that we have that chance, that we have to take us down the wrong path because there's a lot of people that can die from it. (Applause.)

As a young person myself, I want to say wholeheartedly me and all of EMIR and all the young people that are around me, we are speaking not only as just a couple of students from a school and we're speaking more than just as a pile of kids. We are speaking as young individuals and victims of even our own malice. We are almost doing this to ourselves when we don't have to be. People are afraid -- young people my age are afraid of leaving. Young people are afraid of even communicating. We are afraid of even trusting each other. I'm friends with Dante even now and people we could even have close relationships with their friends, friendships and bonds could be broken at a moment's notice. And all of it can just go left extremely quickly. So as a young individual, we are more than just some kids. We are young individuals growing up. And as we're growing up, we're going to experience even more emotions and hardship probably whether we like it or not, but we don't have to suffer as much as long as we stick together.

And I brought them because we went to Harrisburg and we knew City Council was next, but that we needed to be able to still hear the voice of what we are trying to do, that we still no 2 matter how old we get or how much seasoned we get into work, that in order to be relevant we have to still talk to them and hear from them and let them guide us. And so, we wrap services around them based on what they feel that they need. And because of that, they can be successful. I'm so proud of them. I'm so proud of all of them because it's a lot of -- it takes a lot of courage to say I'm going to take the day away from school to come down here and stand in front of some people that they don't know, but also -- (Applause.)

-- in a building that they might not have even seen. But when you are making decisions, when you are making decisions on funding, we know the numbers are driving down but we know that the leaders on the ground need your support, the leaders on the ground that's doing the groundwork. We are not only the pulse, we are the connectors. We are the collaborators. And I'm a part of three collaborations that's driving the numbers down. We can't let our foot off the gas. We have to still be innovative and still be relevant and still have that trauma-informed care that's needed. We can't stop. And in order for us to make a healthy community, a healthy neighborhood and a healthy family, I don't want you as City Council to make decisions that will stop that. We got to level up. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you. So any questions comments from members of the Committee? (No response.)

So I just want to say to all the young people there, we want to thank you for speaking truth to power. We want to thank you for making a choice to be in the right place at the right time. We want to thank you for your leadership. And so, on behalf of City Council -- I know a lot of times we have different guests that come down. We get up and we give them their props because they're like celebrities. But for me, these are the young people that will transform our cities. Let's get up and give them a real big round of applause. (Applause.)

Thank you very much and keep up the good work.

You told me to state my name for the record. Chantay Love, founder and Executive Director of EMIR Healing Center, which stands for Every Murder Is Real. Every murder has a loss, real pain, real loss, real tragedy. But inside of that, real people that have hope for a life and we can make that happen. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Next up we have Sarah Maginnis, Greg Boulware, Nor Farida, Lawrence James, Chris Cera and Matthew Koveal. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)

State your name for the record and please begin.

Good morning. My name is Sarah Maginnis and I'm the Executive Director of NAIOP Greater Philadelphia, and I want to say good morning to Council President Johnson and all members of the Philadelphia City Council. NAIOP Greater Philadelphia is representing the developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial and mixed-use real estate. I'm here today to provide remarks regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 operating and capital budget and five year plan. As City Council considers the Mayor's proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget and five year plan, NAIOP Greater Philadelphia believes inclusive growth should be a top priority. The phrase inclusive growth is used often these days so I believe it is vital to be clear about what it means. We at NAIOP see it as a continuum that starts with tax reform. Thoughtful and equitable revisions to our tax code will fuel jobs and allow Philadelphia's diverse, small and medium-sized businesses to make investments in the future of their enterprises. These investments lead to job growth and attract new businesses to our city, creating additional revenues for the city. And those revenues, when deployed thoughtfully and with intention, can enhance services and provide safe, clean and green communities, the very priorities of our Mayor and City Council. That's where this full circle because -- excuse me. That's where this comes full circle because a safer, cleaner and greener Philadelphia will bring more residents, visitors, and in turn more businesses. And any revenues lost through tax rate reduction in the short-term are reclaimed. NAIOP supports actionable-phased tax reforms. We specifically support reductions in the wage tax and the gradual elimination of the BIRT tax, net income component that were proposed in the Mayor's fiscal year 2026 budget. The lower rates would help grow jobs, jobs that lift people out of poverty, improve public safety and add to the city's tax base to ensure that much-needed city services are not endangered. Reforms like these send a powerful signal to the national investor community, Philadelphia is serious about creating a business-friendly environment that supports growth and opportunity. This is especially vital as we work to attract outside capital investments, which have historically been the lifeblood of our city's growth. While we applaud the gradual reduction in wage and business taxes, we strongly oppose increasing the realty transfer tax .3% increase which may --

Go ahead and wrap up.

Which may seem insignificant, but this increase adds up to real money in the commercial real estate market, a market that has experienced significant distress since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic. As you know, Philadelphia's office vacancy rate stands at around 20%, a 7% increase over 2019. This increase has left many office buildings empty, leading to the specter of what are often called zombie buildings. These buildings are not only eyesores but also increase the risk of foreclosures. At a time when we are working towards creative and innovative solutions to support adaptive reuse of distressed office buildings, increasing the realty transfer tax adds additional cost barriers to conversion pathways. As you know, office-to- residential conversions are already fraught with hurdles and uncertainty. This proposal makes the financial viability of much- needed conversions even more tenuous. And --

You have to wrap up, ma'am.

-- let's not forget that raising the transfer tax also hurts small businesses who may want to own their buildings and residents who dream of one day purchasing their own home. Boosting the transfer tax is simply a bad idea all around. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you. Mr. Greg Boulware who's the President of District --

Good morning.

Say it again. MR. BOULWARE. Go ahead. I'm sorry.

President of District Council 33. I want to thank you and your workers and their hard work in terms of moving the city of Philadelphia forward. So thank you for being here today. (Applause.)

And thank you for your leadership. So you can please begin your testimony. Just state your name for the record.

Absolutely. Thank you, sir.

You're welcome.

My name is Greg Boulware, President of the mighty District Council 33 serving 10,000 men and women in the city of Philadelphia, the constituents of all you City Council here this morning. Thank you all City members of Council and President Council, appreciate it. I'm simply here this morning --

Bring your microphone in just a little bit.

I'm simply here this morning to discuss the budget for this fiscal year coming up and how it relates to the public sector workers of Philadelphia. We know that we heard the Administration come and speak about the $550 million that was set aside for city contracts. If you look at the escalating costs of everything going on, how things are increasing, it does not appear to us at $550 million will be adequate enough to make sure that those city public funds are publicly served the way they should be. If you look at the cost for what our members on average received, which is around $45,000, we did receive a 5% increase which helped minimally. But when you look at what's going on with the federal government and the tax cuts, and I understand how that impacts the state and the local city government and things like that, but when we talk about the budget, the first thing that needs to be talked about is how we make sure we fund adequately raise wages and raises for our men and women that do all the necessary works in this city. If you look and wake up and you woke up in the morning and your water didn't come on or if your trash was backed up and the men and women that didn't come and collect that trash were not available to you or God forbid, you had a health emergency and there was no health department workers there or you had a death in the family, there was no more workers there or you saved your pennies up and decided to take a flight and get out on the airplane, they couldn't operate because the runways were not clear and paved the way they should be and the bathroom and laboratories weren't clean the way they needed to be, everybody would be in a bad way. There's not one service in the city of Philadelphia that's not essential to the lives of every Philadelphian across the city. Our members are the ones that serve and do those things. They can't afford the ability to catch a flight. We need to make sure that that budget is funded publicly the way that it should be so services could be maintained and increased so that we could have longevity and have Philadelphia as a city, that's a world class city moving forward. Every department in this city is still underfunded and underbudgeted and needs to make sure that we have the ability to maintain more workers and attract, attract workers and make it be competitive in the workplaces to allow Philadelphia to continue to keep thriving. The men and women of District Council 33 and all the other public sector unions in this city are the ones that make that happen and function on a daily basis and we need to work collaboratively to make sure that happens. You all, I appreciate the work that you've done. Six months ago the vast majority of you signed off on a letter supporting our men and women, and that was right of the heels of a rally that we had outside this building. I would hate to get back to that point again. But if we can't come to resolve to make sure the contracts are funded in a manner and in a way that are deserving and respectful to the men and women that do all the necessary work in this city, we're going to wind up back at that point again. And I'm hoping to avoid that type of situation. So I'm looking at you all and seeking your help and making sure that we make sure that public service services are funded adequately the way they need to be. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Next. Go ahead, sir.

Good morning, Council President and members of City Council. My name is Lawrence James and I'm the President and CEO of Connexus Technology, a 22-year old IT staffing and digital transformation solutions firm started right here in Philadelphia. One of our largest customers is the City of Philadelphia. And right now we're actually rolling out broadband Internet access to all of the parks and recreational facilities in the city of Philadelphia. I'm here to urge you today to support meaningful reductions to the wage and Business Income and Receipts Tax because the current tax structure makes it incredibly hard to operate and grow a business in Philadelphia. Every dollar matters when you're running a business. Connexus is not a large corporation yet. I'm a local employer trying to grow, create jobs and serve our community. We sponsor local basketball tournaments, we train interns and put them on our city contracts and we participate in countless initiatives to improve the lives of people here in the city. But the way our city taxes businesses makes this harder every single year. Between the wage, NPT tax and BIRT net income tax, we're constantly forced to choose between hiring one more staff member or covering our tax bill. That should not be the trade off. And now, with the $100,000 BIRT exemptions being repealed, even more of our revenue will go to taxes before we've even paid ourselves, reinvested in our business or provided raises to our hard-working team. For businesses just getting started or barely breaking even this is devastating. If I were to start a new business today, I would give serious consideration to starting somewhere else and that should not be the case. I want to grow here. I want to hire here. I want to stay in Philly, but the cost of doing business, especially compared to our surrounding counties, is pushing too many of us to consider leaving or shutting our doors. We have an opportunity in this year's budget to take steps towards a more competitive, equitable tax structure that supports businesses of all sizes. Please don't let that opportunity pass us. I urge you today to support reduction to the wage and BIRT taxes, not just for me but for the thousands of small businesses and medium-sized businesses across the city that want to participate in making a long-lasting impact here in the city of Philadelphia. Thank you for everything you all do. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Hi. My name is Chris Cera. Thank you very much for your time. I live in Queen Village with my family. I'm also the CEO of Arcweb Technologies. The core problem is that we're in a crisis of private sector jobs. We need way more jobs and the budget does not address the urgent demands of the crisis. It seems evident that King of Prussia and the surrounding suburbs are more of our competition than Boston, San Francisco --

Can you speak up a little more or bring the microphone closer please.

The Tax Reform Commission report said an average of 46% of residents across City Council Districts with private sector jobs commute to work outside of Philadelphia. I saw that this morning walking my son to school. I was one of those people driving back and forth on the Schuylkill Expressway every day to King of Prussia. And then one day I started a company in Philadelphia. I started Arcweb from an apartment at 42nd and Chester Avenue and through the years, we've spent more than 50 million-plus with mostly a Philadelphia-based workforce. I want to highlight three simple solutions and it comes down to really marketing sound bytes. It needs to be simple for both a common person and the chief financial officer to understand why they should start, stay, grow or move their company to Philadelphia. And I'd say number one, implement a 15-second test to ensure the complexity of the tax code is addressed. If you cannot explain the BIRT and NPT tax structure in seconds, then we'll continue to lose opportunities that will just never happen or to other cities. I'll read you our current sound bytes, and this is our welcome sign on the City's website. Unincorporated businesses are required to file and pay the net profits tax and the Business Income and Receipts Tax. In this situation, you can apply a credit to your NPT that is equal to 60% of the BIRT paid on your net income basis. This is from the City's website on BIRT. When you file your second year's BIRT returns, you must pay estimated tax for the following year equal to 100% of your actual tax from the previous year for the second filing only. You may pay this estimated tax in quarterly installments due to their quarterly payments. So that's the first. Let's make it explainable in seconds. The 5 second is eliminate the BIRT's 6 double tax on businesses. Our 7 sound byte here is regressive among 8 the top 30 largest cities. We're 9 the only one that does this. And 10 number three, eliminate the BIRT 11 prepayment on businesses. This is 12 what I refer to as a second year 13 slap. 14 Imagine you paid your 15 taxes in April. You had to write a full check to the City for next year's taxes in advance. It comes down to those three things. It should be commended that the budget addresses one of those sound bytes with the elimination of the double tax in 2038. Zeno's paradox is the idea that you can cut your taxes in half over and over and over again until infinity and never actually get to the goal. We've been living in Zeno's paradox for decades. We need leadership to eliminate this tax in five to six years to ensure that the folks running the city get it done. The budget does not address either of those two sound bytes. And it's noteworthy the City is not expecting to grow. Yet a modest expectation of growth will provide the capital allocation necessary to make this process easier for everyone. Thank you for your time. (Applause.)

Thank you. One second. Excuse me. Now, what is it called, Zeno's paradox? Say it again.

Zeno's paradox.

Zeno's paradox?

Yes. You get half the goal to infinity -- you can half your goals an infinite number of times and never actually get them.

Zeno's paradox.

We've been living it for decades.

Okay. Thank you very much, sir. Thank you. Please state your name for the record and begin your testimony.

Thank you. Good morning, Council --

Could you bring the microphone closer to you please?

Okay. Good morning, Councilmember. My name is Nora Farida. I am a business owner in South Philly . I have a grocery store that also have Halal food. I am in the process of buying another commercial building and opening a (inaudible) restaurant. I'm here today to speak in support to reduce Business Income and Receipts Tax, BIRT. This is the most (inaudible) for our small business. From COVID lockdown, all of us are staying singularly to recover financially. In the past two years inflection operation cost and difficulty to staff have already add more (inaudible) on small business. On top of that, the City tax structure make it even harder so we cannot grow. I respect the line that the $100,000 BIRT expense will be going away. It will make us live even harder and will be a big blow to many small business like mine. I am now asking myself how can I pay this tax in advance before I even have a chance to pay myself, pay off my new business or my employee. It is make Philadelphia a torture place to do business. Many business owners I know are seriously considering relocating to place with a more business-friendly tax system. I am not joking. I know they don't want to live like me. They have family here. Their kids to go school here. They love friends here. They have friends here. They went to stay here. I love this city. I know our business and for your service or to our City Councilmember, please help us stay here. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Good morning. My name is Matt Koveal and I'm the Executive Director of the No Name Pops soon to be the Philly Pops on July 1st. I wanted to start by thanking City Council. Leadership is a thankless round- the-clock responsibility and I'm grateful we have such a dedicated Council working on behalf of Philadelphia. As many of you know, the past two years have been a whirlwind for the Pops. When the former management announced the shutdown of this beloved institution, the musicians stepped up from Local 77 and decided to keep the art form going. They believed and still believe that this city deserves more. These musicians are Philadelphia. They represent resilience, grit, determination and they've worked tirelessly to bring our art form back to life for our community. This period of transition has been challenging, but it has also opened the door for us to reimagine our mission and reconnect with what really matters, getting people on their feet and dancing wherever they might be, not just in concert halls but in parks, neighborhoods and public spaces across the city. The future of Philly Pops provides music to people in different ways, understanding that not everyone experiences the city in the same way. Because of this, we provide music through the following ways: Our collaboration with Artsenia, which provides low cost community-informed programming to underresourced communities, our free pop-up programming throughout the city and our discounted and complimentary ticket program at the Kimmel Center, in which we provide tickets to veterans, students, teachers, first responders and people from underresourced communities. Just this past season we have provided $171,000, that's a big number by the way, in discounted and complimentary tickets to these communities. I've experienced many people tell me that they have never been to the Kimmel Center before. In fact, I've experienced people telling me that they didn't even know the Kimmel Center existed and we were the first show that they attended. That is quite powerful. Our art form, popular music, has the ability to reach a wider audience than most of the performing arts organizations on Broad Street and we are doing just that. Our city and our world needs art. Look at the paintings on the walls in your offices throughout our community. None of that would have existed without the community supporting the arts. The Philly Pops has presented a proposal to City Council for the upcoming budget and I urge you to strongly consider supporting us and the arts. Music is now more important than ever. When the going gets tough, the musicians of the Philly Pops live by the famous Leonard Bernstein quote, and this will be our reply, "To make music more intensely, more beautifully and more devotedly than ever before." Thank you for everything that you have done to keep our art form alive and thank you for everything that you will do in the future. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Our next panel is Erin Dwyer, Dawud Bey, Andy Frishkoff, Corinne O'Connell, Abraham Reyes, Maria Gonzalez, Audrey Patterson. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)

Good morning, Ms. Dwyer. State your name for the record.

Erin Dwyer. Good morning, Council President Clarke and members of Philadelphia City Council --

It's Council President Johnson.

Oh, my goodness.

It's okay.

Well, now I'm done. There we go. Wow and it says Johnson too.

It's all right. It's all right. It's okay.

I'm so sorry, Council President.

It's okay.

All right. Well, off to a hot start. My name is Erin Dwyer Harvard and I serve as the Director of Public Affairs for the General Building Contractors Association. Thank you for the opportunity to testify as a part of the City's FY26 budget process. I'm here today to express GBCA's strong support for three key priorities: The Mayor's H.O.M.E. Initiative, the elimination of the construction tax and the reduction of the City's gross receipt tax. First, we commend Mayor Parker and her administration for the bold vision outlined in the H.O.M.E. Initiative. Addressing housing insecurity, preserving affordable housing and investing in neighborhood infrastructure is not only the right thing to do, but it is a smart economic strategy. GBCA contractors are ready to help deliver high-quality and union- built homes for the city of Philadelphia. Second, we urge Council to eliminate the construction tax. Initially introduced as a temporary funding mechanism, this tax disproportionately affects projects within margins. In a climate with unpredictable tariffs and rising material cost, we must work to eliminate avoidable expenses. Removing the construction tax will give our members the flexibility to continue to build hospitals, schools, homes and infrastructure our communities depend on. Finally, we support the continued reduction of the City's gross receipt tax. This tax penalizes volume over profit and disproportionately impacts general contractors in Philadelphia. In closing, GBCA believes that advancing these three priorities, the H.O.M.E. Initiative, eliminating the construction tax and reducing the gross receipt tax will strengthen Philadelphia's economy, create union construction jobs and support inclusive growth citywide. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify. And I'm really sorry, Council President Johnson.

No. It's all good, Erin.

I've known you for too long to do that. I'm sorry.

No problem at all. One second, Mr. Bey. Young lady, could you please state your name. She went like this(indicating).

Good morning. My name is Audrey Patterson and I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak about the Mayor's H.O.M.E. Initiative. I was blessed enough to receive Basic System Repair Services for my home. The process was great and the contractors were awesome. They fixed my roof and did several other repairs. I am extremely grateful for BSRP. And without it, I would be struggling to figure out how to pay for repairs. As a senior, this program means everything and I want to see it help even more people. I retired from the school system and BSRP helps those that worked hard all their lives, not only to preserve and maintain their homes but also keep their dignity. I truly hope City Council passes the H.O.M.E. Intentative -- initiative, I'm sorry, because there are residents all over the city that needs help. Thank you for your time. (Applause.)

Thank you.

I'm up next? Put some respect on your name, Kenyatta Johnson. She's up next?

(Gestured).

Thank you, President Johnson. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Carrie Rathmann. I'm sitting in for Corinne O'Connell and I proudly represent Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia. Our mission is to create and preserve affordable homeownership for low-income families, moving us closer to a city where everyone has safe, stable and a decent place to live. City Council's decisions about housing funding have a powerful impact. That's why we urge bold investment through both the H.O.M.E. Initiative and full capitalization of the Housing Trust Fund, one that builds, restores and preserves housing where it's needed most. Through programs like Built to Last and the Targeted Housing Prevention Program -- Preservation Program, Habitat helps seniors age in place. We help prevent displacement. We keep children safe and healthy in their homes and we ensure our historic rowhomes remain part of our city's future. We're building homes for lower-income families than any other developers, but these outcomes depend on consistent, equitable investment. When funding is delayed or reduced, we know what happens. We ask Council to take action in six targeted ways, either through the H.O.M.E. bond, Housing Trust Fund or other budget items: Number one, please prioritize housing funds for those earning below 80% AMI, the most vulnerable homeowners and folks throughout the city. We ask you to double funding to 1 million, the THPP Program that's currently 500,000. It helps expand critical repair work and lets us leverage more private dollars. Invest million in the 19 Built to Last program for repairs 20 and energy upgrades. Create a 21 $4 million quick strike acquisition 22 fund to preserve affordable housing 23 in changing neighborhoods and keep 24 it out of the hands of speculators. Expand down payment assistance in the Philly First Home program, reform Turn the Key program to include nonprofit developers like Habitat who aren't able to access, and invest 6.25 million in the Community Capacity Building Fund for community development corporations. Our crisis is urgent, but together we can preserve what we have, we can build what we need and we can be a more equitable city. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you. Mr. Dawud Bey.

Thank you very much, Mr. President and members of City Council. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak today. My name is Dawud Bey and I am the Chairman of Fine Print Companies, a certified minority business enterprise specializing in affordable luxury workforce housing, and the founder of the Dawud Bey, Jr. Training Academy, a state certified apprenticeship school borne out of a tragic loss but fueled by a relentless desire to change the lives in Philadelphia. Let me be clear, city funding is not just about line items in the budget. It's about people. It's about futures. It's about whether the young man standing on the corner today will be building the same corner tomorrow. I was that young man standing on the corner with hope in my hands. When you invest in housing, you're not just putting up walls. You're laying the foundation for opportunity. Our firm specializes in Turn the Key homes, newly constructed, energy-efficient, affordable, luxury homes for working families. These are the people who are too often forgotten in the housing equation. They make too much for subsidies but not enough to afford market rate rents and mortgages. With City support, we've turned vacant lots into homes. We've taken young men and women with little hope, trained them through our academy and put them to work building the very communities they live in. That's what real investment looks like. That's what real equity looks like. But let me be equally clear, if funding is reduced or worse delayed, the consequences are immediate. We lose momentum, we lose projects and most importantly, we lose people. A misfunding cycle can mean dozens of apprentices left untrained. A stalled housing project can leave families in shelters instead of their own homes. The housing program currently in place, especially those that support affordable housing and workforce development are working, but they need to be expanded and treated with urgency. Let me give you a real example. On Parkside Avenue, we just completed a unit housing development 14 thanks to coordinated PHA support, 15 the Philadelphia Accelerator Fund 16 and those -- excuse me, and the 17 Philadelphia Accelerator Fund. 18 Those units now house working 19 families earning 80% or less AMI of 20 the Area Median Income. Without 21 that investment, those units just 22 don't get built, period or take our 23 project in Grays Ferry in Point 24 Breeze on the 2300 block of Greenwood. That's not just construction. That's transformation. That's three bedroom, two bath homes up in a zip code that has been heavily gentrified for far too long, where long-term residents watch development rise around them while being pushed out of their neighborhoods they help build. We're changing that narrative. We're building homes that working families can afford on time, under budget and with integrity, employing apprentices from neighborhoods just like it. This is about more than housing. It's about restoring community ownership and making sure development works for the people who live there. This is not theatrical. It's not political. It's personal. When you fund programs, you are giving us the tools to solve problems from within. You are not just backing buildings. You're backing people. You're backing hope. So I urge this body to slow down -- I mean, I urge this body don't slow down. Don't slow down. Don't scale back and don't forget the urgency communities live with every single day. We are ready to build, we are ready to train. We are ready to lead, but we cannot do it without your support. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Thank you very much. Good job. Please begin.

My name is Robin Weissman --

I know you. Hey, Robin. How are you?

Pleasure to see you, Mr. President.

Welcome to City Council.

I'm happy to be here. My name is Robin Weissman and I'm the Executive Director and CEO of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. I really appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony about the Mayor's plan and City Council's plan to expand and enhance the City of Philadelphia's affordable housing stock. There is no doubt that there is tremendous demand for more rental and single family housing across the state and in Philadelphia particularly. We know because we work on this challenge every day. Affordable housing is the mission of Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and it has been for the last 51 years. I wanted to take a moment to talk about investing in housing. As a finance person, I know housing is the city's infrastructure and I know that preservation and development of housing is a public-private partnership with benefits for all. These investments are not only short-term, but they have enormous short-term and long-term benefits. Housing needs are dramatic. They're necessary and needed for all segments of the entire economic spectrum. But it's really important to also note that housing investment is economic development with an enormous multiplier effect on economic growth and taxes and may help alleviate housing-related cost pressures. Supply will be key. I've reviewed the Mayor's proposed housing plan and I've met with staff personally to discuss the approach to meeting this challenge. I'm confident that it is a good plan and that it addresses the city's housing needs in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner. As I stated, the housing challenge in Philadelphia is sizable. That's why it needs an equally robust response. I applaud the Mayor and others for the proposal to finance 800 million in bonds because the scale of this housing initiative has to match the level of public demand that exists in order to be effective. The Mayor is smart to address the current housing challenge on both the homeownership side of the equation and the rental side. It's obvious that the most cost-effective way to provide affordable single family housing is to repair and preserve the housing that currently exists. The plan intends to do that. And regarding rental housing, the Mayor's plan takes a comprehensive approach, working to provide housing for people of all income levels, including those at extremely low income. There is a strong emphasis on workforce housing which is also key. We need to provide affordable housing for Philadelphia workers like teachers and first responders because they need the option to be able to live in or close to the city where they're working. I would also note that the timing of Mayor Parker's plan is also good as it will dovetail well with Governor Shapiro's first ever for the Commonwealth's comprehensive housing action plan that is currently under development. Taken together, the two initiatives should provide really meaningful results. In addition to its impact on housing, I want to re-emphasize the community and economic impact of the plan will be considerable. The scale of the investment will have broad reaching implications for the economic vitality of city businesses and much-needed regeneration and revitalization of the neighborhoods. No plan for expanding our housing stock will ever be perfect -- thank you. Different people always come at this from different perspectives. What is important is that you and we all plan to take action immediately as Mayor Parker's plan is bold but also fiscally responsible. It takes a comprehensive approach needed to make serious inroads in the housing challenges that face Philadelphia today. I believe it can be effective and we at PHFA will do what we can to support this smart and ambitious effort. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this vital discussion. (Applause.)

Thank you. Please state your name for the record and please begin your testimony.

Good morning, Council President, members of City Council. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Andrew Frishkoff and I am Executive Director of LISC Philadelphia. I'm here to testify in support of the H.O.M.E. Initiative. First, let me thank my fellow panelists who are so dedicated to building and investing in affordable housing in the city, but let me also thank each and every member of City Council who has championed the cause of affordable housing for all residents of Philadelphia. The people are grateful for your advocacy and your leadership and allow me to congratulate you for having a Mayor whose passion and commitment to housing matches your own. Not every city is fortunate enough to have both. That being said, I encourage all members of City Council to join with the Mayor in recognizing the urgency of Philadelphia's housing needs and support the H.O.M.E. Initiative so that we can create and preserve affordable housing our residents and communities need to thrive. LISC is a national community development intermediary and community development financial institution that has invested more than $32 billion across the country, including 695 million in Philadelphia where we've supported the creation and preservation of 9700 affordable homes and apartments here. I can attest that every city where LISC works is experiencing its own housing crisis. What is different about Philadelphia is that we have a $2 billion plan to tackle that crisis and build and preserve 30,000 affordable homes. In 2018, LISC served as the City's lead consultant in the development of its housing action plan. Currently I represent LISC on the H.O.M.E. Initiative advisory group with the intent to provide insight and guidance to the City in the development and implementation of the H.O.M.E. Initiative. Having done this work for almost 40 years, I can say that every plan has its critics and no 5 plan is perfect. However, the worst plans are those that have many suggestions but no workable solutions as well as those with no 10 political will and funding behind them. Philadelphia has elected leaders committed to affordable housing. We have a plan. We have identified the funding to activate the plan. I ask you as our leaders please pass the funding for the H.O.M.E. plan. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you. Please state your name and begin your testimony.

Hi. Good afternoon. I am Abraham Reyes Pardo. I'm the Vice-president of Housing at the Urban League of Philadelphia. The Urban League of Philadelphia is a 108-year-old civil rights organization. Today I'm here to testify to encourage the budget process related to the H.O.M.E. Initiative. I wouldn't say more of what's already been said many times. This program means a once- in-a-generation opportunity to possibly alter the trajectory of Philadelphia, a city that is still referred to as the poorest big city in America. Collectively we're looking to make a pivot of historic significance, one that will imprint its mark on the lives of many generations of Philadelphians. Although at the Urban League of Philadelphia we offer wraparound services, it is the office that I lead housing that often becomes insignia of our organization, which gives our partnership -- which given our partnership with the City of Philadelphia has allowed us to earn the reputation for being able to turn policy into action. When I look at the configuration of the H.O.M.E. Initiative, I see the names of many familiar programs like Philly First, Turn the Key, the nationally recognized Eviction Diversion Program, TFA as well as many others. From a housing counselor's perspective, this is a well- designed program that presents possibilities for many people coming from different spectrums of the housing journey, renters, landlords, homeowners, prospective homeowners, developers, et cetera. One must recognize the significance of this investment, which is being described as the 30,000 -- which is being aimed to produce 30,000 units in effort, but in practice has the potential to meaningfully reach a quarter of Philadelphia's population. I don't mean to use this number in a scary way, but what we have observed is that for every person that makes it to the finish line we touch about other people 12 that will attempt to access these 13 programs. Lastly, I want to 14 recognize that at a time when the 15 federal government has elected to 16 fund some initiatives for the 17 implementation and sustainability 18 of fair and affordable housing, the 19 City of Philadelphia has once again 20 decided to step up to elaborate a plan that only sustains the current needs of the city but catapults vulnerable groups into their aspirations to access fair, sustainable and attainable housing. Thank you.

Thank you. The next panel.

We have Nakia Parker, Alex Balloon, Sue Jacobson, Norman Bonk, Shari Hersh and Lois Williams. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)

Thank you very much. Just state your name for the record and please begin your testimony.

Would you like me to go first?

Sure.

Good morning, everyone. And good morning, Council President and Councilmembers. I'm Sue Jacobson and thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. I'm the past Chair, as you know, of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. And as you know, the Chamber represents about 1300 businesses and their employees. But I'm here actually in a more personal capacity, as someone who started and I built my business here in Philadelphia 11 years ago. I love this city. I 12 believe in this city and I wouldn't 13 dream actually of building my 14 business anywhere else. 15 But the truth is I would not in good conscience want to convince a business to come here today. Philadelphia's tax structure, as you know it's not just outdated. It's actively working against our ability to grow our city, give jobs to our residents and compete. Other cities, if we're being honest, are eating our lunch. They're aggressively attracting jobs, businesses and talent and they are winning. I truly believe we are a world class city, but we're losing business at an alarming rate. Our private sector job growth is falling fast behind our peers and our exorbitant wage and BIRT taxes, they're driving away the very people and companies that we need to stay, grow and invest. We can't, as we know, afford to kick the can down the road. And so, what I believe is I really believe this is a wake- up call for all of us, and for us the time really is to act now. In just over a year, we all know Philadelphia is going to be on the world stage which is awesome, the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, right, and FIFA World Cup. They're going to put a global spotlight on our city. What story do we want to tell. Will we be the city that seizes the moment? We do not want to squander it. Reducing the wage and BIRT taxes I believe would send a bold, clear message Philadelphia is open for business, we want you. And this is not just about economics. It's really about equity. The wage tax hits working Philadelphians hardest. It takes money out of their pockets and it limits opportunity in the very communities we say we want to uplift. So your residents, you all know this, they are leaving our city. By making real, meaningful reductions, we give every Philadelphian a raise. We unlock growth, we build the foundation for a more inclusive economy and we start telling a different story, one of competitiveness, progress and of being bold. So the decisions you all make on this budget I believe is going to shape our city's trajectory for generations. This is your moment to choose bold reform which you know. And I want to say that all of us, the Chamber, our members and partners across the city, we stand ready to work with you. I hope you know that. So if it's all right, let's do this together. Let's build a city where people don't just survive but where we really thrive. So thank you so much, Council President, Councilmembers, for allowing me to speak with you today.

Thank you. (Applause.)

Please state your name for the record and please begin.

My name is Shari Hersh and I'm a founder and Co-director of Trash Academy, and we are part of the Clean Philadelphia Now Coalition to end illegal dumping by 2028. I live in 19130. My Councilperson is Jeffrey Young, and I especially want to thank Councilmember Anthony Phillips for his support for our solutions-driven campaign to end illegal dumping. We embrace the Clean and Green Initiative and we're happy to see and we support their pilot program with lidded receptacles and mechanical pickup. We see that in the '26 budget. It supports the safety of sanitation workers and can reduce residential dumping and fugitive trash. But with over 40,000 vacant lots and 3000 miles of streets in Philadelphia, cleaning is not a cost-effective way to end dumping. Cleaning does not end dumping but actually provides city- sponsored dump sites, free dump sites. Our analysis of the FY26 budget identifies only 4% of the Clean and Green budget dedicated to preventing dumping. So I just want to give you an example of construction and demolition waste and how solutions could show up in the budget. I want to show you 9th and Ontario. This has been a dump site for 17 years. I was out there a few weeks 18 ago and there was a huge dump, and 19 I was out a week later and there 20 was a different dump. So 20 years that dump site, and there's been a Block captain and Ward leader tirelessly trying to get it cleaned up and addressed. We call it a million dollar block. It's one of the countless million dollar blocks across the city. In the illegal dumping in Pennsylvania, a Decade of Discovery study published in 2014, it's old, the cost of cleaning one ton of dump material was $619. That's 2014. Those are the last reliable figures we have. I hope that Carlton Williams has new figures for you at. If 9th and Ontario was cleaned up just once a month at that rate, the 2014 rate, not the rate we're paying now, that would be 247,600 for a single site. And we know there are sites all over Philly. If it was cleaned up once a week for 20 years, that would be 643,760, but they're actually cleaning the site more frequently. So we say the city needs to, in the breakdown of the Clean and Green budget, have a higher allocation for prevention and education. In San Francisco, one of the most successful --

Please get ready and wrap it up, ma'am.

-- waste management programs in the country. They achieved it through the creation of a recycling program for C&D waste and bi-yearly door-to- door education outreach program. Our convenience centers could evolve into this kind of success. They could be open to small haulers for a fee. We could manage small loads of C&D waste and we could radically change the amount of illegal dumping, freeing up funding for greening and other positive programs. The only way to reduce the cost and burden of dumping overall -

Thank you, ma'am. You have to get ready and wrap it up.

-- would be to invest in preventative measures.

Thank you very much. Appreciate your testimony. And also, the District Attorney received additional funding from the Mayor to create an Illegal Dumping Task Force to actually prosecute those who illegally dump in the city of Philadelphia as well.

And that is criminal --

Yes, it definitely is criminal, ma'am. You're right about that. But thank you very much for your testimony. Thank you, ma'am. Please begin, ma'am.

My name is Lois Williams and I'm also with Trash Academy. I live in the Fairhill section of Philly, 19140 zip code. Quetcy Lozada is my District Councilperson. I'm here to talk about legacy dump sites. These are sites that are dumped on again and again. These sites have been actively dumped on for 10 to 40 years. There are two such sites around the corner from me. One is at 4th and Westmoreland right next to a day care and an elementary school. We have been cleaning these sites for many years and we're tired of it. People in Chestnut Hill don't have to go through this. What we need to see is prevention and enforcement. With this, we can stop dumping. I commend the Mayor for her Clean and Green program, but cleaning is not enough. We need to judge progress by how many blocks -- we need to judge progress by not how many blocks were clean, but how long they stay clean. I appreciate the right kind of help which is cleaning, prevention and enforcement. I want to see more of the budget going to prevention and enforcement. We can make this happen by 2028. Let's get together and work together and let's get this done. Okay. (Applause.)

Thank you. Go ahead, sir. State your name for the record and please begin.

Good morning. My name is Norman Bonk. I'm not the director or CEO of anything. I'm just a guy. So thanks for listening to me --

Just a guy is very powerful so.

Thank you. I'm here to talk about Mural Arts. And I have participated in the Mural Arts programs for about five years. All right. I'm going to read this fast. They tell me I only got two minutes. I spent the last week considering carefully what I would say to you about Mural Arts. Most importantly to me, I prayed about it. You already know the miracles and transformations that occur in the human lives that Mural Arts touches. To add to that would be thankfully I think preaching to the choir. What I want to talk to you about is money, money, money, money, money. The reason you should grant Mural Arts the money they're asking for is because Mural Arts is literally the best investment you'll ever make. For every dollar you give them, your return on your investment will be even better than any insider training could produce. And Mural Arts operates on the level. They touch every demographic in Philadelphia, the rich, the poor, men, women, every race, every age, every aptitude, every soul. There's a Mural Arts mural in West Philly that I walk by nearly every day for years. It read, it's a quote by Nikki Giovanni, it read, "I will not deny my strength, though its source is not choice but responsibility." It took me many years to internalize this, but I now live it. A mural did this. A mural helped me to finally grow up. City Councilmembers, you're sitting on a gold mine. If I were you, the first organization that I would call when a pattern social problem arises is Mural Arts. They will find a way. They will have the humility and respect to ask the target population what they need, and they, with their unprecedented expertise, will find a wholesome way to meet these needs to empower people to get where they want to go. When Mural Arts develops such a program, fund it. It's the best money you'll ever spend. Mural Arts has found a way to make lightning in a bottle. Get you some. I want to say lastly thank you for your respect. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Thank you for your vigor. Thank you for your brotherly and sisterly love and thank you for the courage to be you. That's it. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Next we have Jacqueline Hunter, Carrie Rathmann, Michelle Kerr Walter, Jacob Zychick, Robert Harris and Jameele Mitchell. You can make your way to the podium. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)

Hello. How you doing. Just state your name for the record and please begin your testimony.

Good morning. My name is Jacqueline Hunter. I reside in the 4th Councilmanic District that is awash with illegal dumping from occupied multi-family units to abandoned, failed business sites. I have aligned myself with the aims and objectives of the Trash Academy and the elimination -- excuse me, of illegal dumping in our city. I agree with Maurice Sampson's assertion that this is very doable should we decide it's what we want to happen. Looking at the proposed FY2026, budget, I don't believe we have decided. To realize this goal, we've got to place concentrated emphasis and a lot more money on the education component of prevention. Abatement is an exercise in futility. Require dumpers to participate in re-education sessions and in addition to fines. Reinstate civics classes in our public and private schools. A child will lead them. On the eve of the Semiquincentennial, let's practice the paraphrased adage of one of our founding fathers, Treatment without prevention is unsustainable. The greatest prevention tool is education. We invite the citizens of Philadelphia to join us at trashacademy.org. We need you. Tell our Mayor that we demand sustainability in Philadelphia's FY2026 budget. And I would just like to say to Councilperson Jones, if he is listening, there is a horrible sight down the street from Heston School and across from the recreation center there at Conestoga and Lansdowne Avenue. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you, ma'am. Jameele, thank you for the work that you do on behalf of District Council 47. It's good to see you today representing the workers. State your name officially for the record and please begin your testimony.

Thanks. I'm Robert by the way. Jameele is going to be speaking later, but thank you. My name is Robert Harris. I'm the Vice-president and Legislative Director for AFSCME District Council 47. Good morning. Our members are here today to advocate for the full funding and staffing of civil services. As stated in the Mayor's proposed budget, "The City's budget faces twin constraints of a high demand of services and a relatively weak tax base with which to support those services." The planned incremental cutting of the business tax may further exasperate these constraints at a time when we need to prepare for a decline in federal funding. Looking ahead, federal tax cuts that benefit billionaires over working class people pose a distinct risk to state and local budgets. With that understanding in mind, it is imperative to fill longstanding vacancies in our city's civil service positions, as grant funded supplement and plugs to city services, which are often staffed by exempt employees, may suffer cuts first due to the lack of funding from federal government. Filling vacancies of civil service positions create strong union jobs staffed by Philadelphians with opportunities for advancement and sustainable pensions. High vacancies in our city services is asking us to do more with less, often leading to issues of safety concerns and burnout for our employees. We must continue to fully fund and focus on fully staffing our civil service positions to ensure that the City can keep up with the growing need of services for taxpayers. Currently, departments that suffer high vacancy rates include libraries at a 9% vacancy, L&I at a 14% vacancy, Property Assessment at a 20% vacancy, Water at a 22% vacancy, DHS at a 23% vacancy, and Parks & Recs at a 32% vacancy rate with a budgeted increase of only 12 employees. 13 We are expanding upon a 14 fractured infrastructure and these 15 lofty goals -- these are lofty 16 goals considering the small 17 incremental gains we've had in 18 hiring in recent years. The City's 19 budget should also to continue to 20 support cultural institutions, which create tourism and enrich the lives of Philadelphians by standing with workers in the many museums, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, our parks, our libraries and the Philadelphia Zoo which we represent. D.C. 47 has seen an insurgence of organizing of cultural workers, as they too fight against the cuts in funding to nonprofits. These workers often have advanced degrees in specialized areas that are required to fulfill these positions. And yet they are paid lower salaries than their counterparts in other regions or comparable regions and based on the sizes of their institutions. We need to fight for these workers to operate our cultural institutions well. Yet they are not making enough money to live within our city. We ask that you stand with these workers and your allocations of funds to these cultural spaces. I also urge Council to continue to hold the leaderships of our eds and meds, holding their feet to the fire, and to support workers in these institutions through the many attacks that they will continue to see from the federal government. Push these institutions like UPenn to make sustainable investments in their surrounding communities and in Philadelphia as a whole. The budget is a reflection of values, priorities and choices. We ask for you to make the choice to prioritize city services by valuing the workers that make Philadelphia happen. (Applause.)

Thank you, Mr. Harris.

Good morning, everyone. Can you hear me?

Yes.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Jameele Mitchell. Currently I'm a staff rep for 2186 and a workplace violence prevention coordinator for District Council 47. But formally I'm a Recreation Leader 3 with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. So I come today because of my current role. I have the privilege of engaging regularly with many of our dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to keep the city running. I can say without hesitation that the employees of the City of Philadelphia are deeply passionate about their work. Time and again they go above and beyond to serve the departments and the residents of our city. However, despite their unwavering commitment many of these workers are facing burnout, exhaustion and a sense of being overwhelmed. Some employees are spending their own personal funds to supply their worksites. Previously as a recreation leader, I had to use advisory funds and at times my own wallet and at times trade with other rec leaders to secure supplies that are usually funded by the department. I've even traded paper towels for trash bags. One of the librarians recently told me that she had to use funds to do the same thing, get trash bags. Usually typically our site-specific funds such as advisory board funds are typically used for trips, buses and programming, sometimes for fee teachers. But that's only if a site can actually afford it. Many employees working in our departments, they are chronically overstaffed. This often results in workers being unable to take time off needed, in some cases forced to work in unsafe and unsanitary environments with minimal security measures like work spaces without surveillance cameras. These conditions are not only draining but increase the risk of workplace violence. Some of the things increased funding could help with is hiring and retaining enough qualified staff to meet operational needs, installing and maintaining security systems including surveillance cameras and ensuring functional phone lines, providing essential supplies and equipment to meet the work expectations and ensuring timely repairs to buildings, worksites and vehicles. We cannot expect excellence from a workforce that is overextended and undersupported. Investing in our employees is not just a moral obligation. It is essential for the efficient and effective functioning of our city. When we take care of our employees, we're in turn better equipped to serve the residents of Philadelphia. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you, Jameele.

Good morning. Dr. Walter Tsou. I'm the former Health Commissioner for Philadelphia. My budget request is to actually strengthen our funding for public health and ask the administration to support a new head for the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services. It's been over a year since we have not had a leader for DBHIDS and at a time when there's an enormous amount of stress and burden on mental health services in our city. Even worse, the proposed federal budget Medicaid cuts are likely to directly impact mental health services, which would put a huge hole in the city budget. Who will be leading the mental health services through these choppy waters? We need to know. The Public Health Department is always the ugly stepsister of city government. It is often not a priority for funding, even though health care is enormously expensive and prevention underappreciated. During COVID and the next pandemic that would certainly come, many of the key essentials like immunizations, contact tracing, PPE and health education had to be contracted out. These services should be inhouse and part of the Health Department. Disease surveillance, health inspections and district health centers are really year- round operations. Unfortunately, most of the Health Department budget comes from the federal government directly or indirectly, which makes it particularly vulnerable to the projected federal cutbacks. Prudence would dictate that we need to have funds available to protect these vital jobs that keep our city healthy. I would like to offer a different take on violence that has plagued our city for decades. Much has been made of the reductions in crime that we've seen in the past few years. That reduction has been applauded, if not fully understood. I attribute much of this to the Biden administration's wide decision to retain and enhance the safety net during the pandemic, which has led to less financial stress, and wait for it, less anger. Before guns, angry people would punch people but today they shoot them. Now, my prediction is that the proposed Trump cutbacks in Medicaid, food and nutrition and so on are going to lead to much more financial stress and, yes, anger. And what do angry people do? They take it out on others. So be prepared for a rise in gun violence, which will impact our business community. The solution is not to have more police. It is to maybe having more community public health workers, the same people who could do disease surveillance, health education, contact tracing during pandemics, could be doing home visits, follow-up on missed immunizations, doing baby checks, home safety inspections, including whether they have safe for gun storage or fire alarms, et cetera. In other words, people who would not invite police into their homes are more likely to invite health workers whose goal is to do a health check upon their loved ones. The value of community health workers has been shown repeatedly in the public health literature. And yet most governments have failed to recognize the important role that hiring people who are from Philadelphia neighborhoods who look after their own neighbors could be the most cost-effective person in city government. I want to plant the seed about a smarter way of approaching both health and stress in our city that will set us apart from the looming violence that will be coming to America and to make our city truly one of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Hi. Jacob Zychick. Thank you, Council President Johnson, the entire Philadelphia City Council for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Jacob Zychick and I'm the Community Advocacy Director with the American Heart Association. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Philadelphia, leading to the loss of over 4000 lives each year. Hypertension and unhealthy diet are two contributing factors to heart disease, and that is why we are committed to work with Philadelphia City Council to remove barriers and expand access to evidence-based strategies that address both. Far too many Philadelphians lack access to healthy foods. While food insecurity has actually increased over the past three years, there's nearly 1 million Philadelphians that live in an area of an overabundance of unhealthy foods. According to a report published by Feeding America, more than 30% of children in our city are food insecure. Nutrition incentives like Philly food bucks support a triple bottom line, helping families bring home more nutritious foods, supporting Pennsylvania farmers and keeping more food dollars in our communities. Nutrition incentives empower families to purchase healthier food options by making produce more affordable. We'd like to thank Councilmember Ahmad and others in City Council for really championing the importance of Philly food bucks in the Fiscal Year '26 operating budget. We'd also like to thank Council President Johnson for establishing the Nutrition and Hunger Task Force to truly address this in the short and long term and we are excited to participate in that task force. In addition, nearly in adults in Philadelphia are affected by hypertension. Self- monitored blood pressure machines in the home and office are endorsed by several national and international organizations. Sadly and unfortunately, there are too many barriers to implement SMBP, including out-of-pocket costs, lack of reimbursement for devices for providers and a lack of insurance coverage for devices. We truly believe that we need to look forward to addressing and improving access to SMBP, self- monitor blood pressure machines, to truly address hypertension moving forward. Once again we'd like to thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the importance of funding Philly food bucks and looking towards the future to address hypertension in our city. Thank you and have a great day. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Michelle Kerr-Spry. I'm the Program Director for Mothers in Charge, which was founded 22 years ago by Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight. Thank you, Honorable President and members of Council, for allowing me to speak today. The ask is simple. We're asking for greater investment in violence prevention organizations. For years, 8 Mothers in Charge has provided 9 consistent culturally-appropriate 10 services for families that have 11 been crippled by homicide. We 12 offer grief support, grief support 13 for siblings and the younger 14 kinfolk of the slain that are often 15 the forgotten mourners. 16 We have anger management 17 programs because grief and trauma 18 may show up as anger, which is 19 misinterpreted by many. We have 20 been able to provide re-entry 21 services to keep our formerly 22 incarcerated neighbors and family members home. Thank you for your investment in the CEG program, which allowed us to expand our reach to reach more young people that have been impacted by trauma. Artivism is one of those programs. We have been provided artivism For now going on three years. It's a trauma-informed art program that helps young people not only to identify their trauma, not normalize it but use their voices to create a new tomorrow through the development of a superhero to save themselves and their communities. We've also been able to use those funds to implement an MIC village in Murrell Dobbins High School, where we've been integral into conflict resolutions for the student body through an art-based program. Our programs in totality impact the whole family. Healing in our adults creates a mirror for our youth to become good neighbors and friends. The investment in violence prevention needs to meet the level of need. And given that violence is the language of the traumatized, the need is great. We thank you for hearing us today. We thank you for your previous investment in trauma and violence prevention opportunities. And Mothers in Charge hopes to continue our work. Even while the dollars have not been available to us, the work has continued. And we hope to continue for many years in the future until homicides are eradicated from our beautiful City of Brotherly Love and sisterly Affection. I thank you for your time today. (Applause.)

Thank you and thank you for your hard work.

Eliza Walmsley, Daniel Walsh, Christopher Snyder, Mo Manklang, Brett Bessler and Leonard Redd. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)

Just so you know, Chris Snyder is not here.

Good morning, Council President. Good morning, City Council. My name is Dan Walsh. I'm a D.C. 47 Local 2186 member. I am also a steward for the Parks and Recreation Department. I am currently a Parks & Rec employee. I have been a Parks and Recreation employee for over years. I have worked in a 18 variety of neighborhoods, Port 19 Richmond, Tacony, Frankford, 20 Fishtown, Kensington and 21 Harrowgate. 22 I feel safety of Parks & 23 Rec facilities for staff and 24 participants has increasingly become challenging. There have been an increase of incidents in and around Parks & Rec facilities. For example, shootings, the threat of violence towards staff and participants and actual workplace violence towards staff. The aftermath of such incidents leads to a decrease in morale, added stress and trauma for those impacted, something I have experienced myself. The lack of staff and retention of staff plays a significant role in these workplace and safety incidents. Far too many centers were facing understaffing and the City relies too heavily on seasonal staff to fill in the many gaps in the system. By having a fully-funded Parks & Rec Department and working with the union to protect our members, we can address these issues with full funding. We could have municipal guards at Parks & Rec facilities to provide safety and handle any potential incidents that may arise. The Philadelphia library department already has this in place. This addition of municipal guards would be beneficial to the Parks & Rec department, providing lasting union jobs to Philadelphians and securing long-term solutions to safety concerns onsite. It would free up staff from acting in a security capacity and allow us to focus more on programming. Having a fully-funded and fully-staffed Parks & Rec Department would allow us to extend the possibility of additional hours and provide more programming for the community, such as our tot and youth populations. Having a fully- funded staff and department and working with the union to protect our members would be beneficial to everyone involved in the Parks & Rec community. Thank you, Council, for providing the opportunity to speak. (Applause.)

Thank you.

All right. What's up, goofballs. Good morning. My name is Brett Bessler. I'm the Vice-president and Business Agent --

Mr. Bessler, you said what's up who? Say it again.

Goofballs.

Who's the goofball?

We're all goofballs.

Nah, I ain't no goofball. But go ahead.

That's what I say. Good morning. My name is Brett Bessler. I'm the Vice- President, Business Agent, proud member of AFSCME District Council 47 Local 2186 representing City of Philadelphia workers. If you support union municipal workers in this room, let me get a hell yeah. There you go. Year after year we come to these departmental budget hearings and listen to Council and department heads discuss the expansion of services. Prime example this year came when Free Library of Philadelphia's Director Kelly Richards spoke on the expansion of FLP services to seven days a week within the next few years. Our members in the Free Library of Philadelphia can't even get trash bags, trash bags. Do you really think we'll be able to achieve what we envision in this budget when we can't even get trash bags? Multiple times this year I heard Councilmembers say that "they'd spare no expense when it comes to the city's youth." Have municipal guards been added to the budget this year in PPR to help create a safer environment at our recreation centers? No. 12 Last year we talked about bringing in more park rangers to protect one of the largest urban park systems in the entire world. Last year we were budgeted 17 rangers. This year we have 25, an 18 addition of two rangers. Is this 19 what sparing no expense looks like? 20 What about in the 21 Philadelphia prison system? Over 22 the years we have seen a steep 23 decline in budgeted positions for the RTS unit, which includes our city social workers. These workers provide social services like the Options program to help our incarcerated population get the services they need to come home and be productive members of society. This program has been in existence for 35 years and is hailed as the gold standard by the courts. Yet for whatever reason we have divested from these proven services and reduced our services and contract out to Yes Care. Years ago Yes Care started with a budget of 70 million which has now ballooned to well over a quarter of a billion dollars, pushing $300 million. Incarcerated persons have died on Yes Care's watch and we continue to provide Yes Care with millions and millions more every year. Those individuals passed away on Yes Care's watch and didn't have the opportunity to come home and be productive members of society. They came home in a body bag and Yes Care got a 17% raise. I'm not the first one to say it and I certainly won't be the last. Our fiscal year budget is a moral document. It outlines our goals and priorities. It is a snapshot in black and white of the city that we strive to be. But you can have all the morals you want. But at the end of the day, it's how you stand by them. We want to provide high-quality consistent services that benefit the residents of city of Philadelphia, but that will not happen if we continuously stretch thin the workforce that makes this city run. We can operate as a well-oiled machine but only if this Council body stands by its morals and holds these departments accountable to ensure they spend the money that you all give them. An investment in our membership is an investment in Philadelphians. Together we can transform the City of Philadelphia into being the premier employer in this city, offering Philadelphians union- represented jobs with decent wages, benefits and a pension. We're here not only to stand by our morals in District Council 47 but fight tooth and nail to defend them and we hope you will be too. (Applause.)

Thank you very much. This goes out to the goofballs.

If we could also have Elowyn Porby, Leah Shepperd, Omeed Firouzi and Adisa Julian come to the podium. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)

Hi, City Council President and City Councilmembers. My name is Mo Manklang from District in 5 Frankford. I'm here today on 6 behalf of the Philadelphia Cooperative Lions and the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives. Through the work that I do I have a frontline seat every single day to the needs and the successes of our small businesses that are formed as co-ops. These are businesses that are owned by their members and in their nature they benefit the community around them. They benefit Philadelphia. Members can be individuals who get access to fresh food at Weaver's Way Bank, at the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union or workers who start businesses together so they could carve their own path and benefit from the value they create. Co-ops build more resilient workplaces that are anchored here in this city and build wealth for our families. Co-ops like Child Space that has not only cared for our children, but has been a leader in the child care field for decades, and likewise Home Care Associates, which has been a leader and high road employer in a field racked with exploitation and insufficient resources, these co-ops have served our community and this is the kind of business that we need more of here in the city. In the FY26 budget, we're asking City Council to include a $1.3 million grant fund to stimulate Philadelphia's co-op economy over the next two to three years. million to fund co-ops directly and 300k to provide pro bono technical assistance to make sure that those funds are well- utilized. This strategy is modeled after proven successes that we see across the country, especially in Madison, Wisconsin, which doubled their amount of co-ops through this program. Co-ops face the uphill battle because there's still a learning curve on how the business model works. So we're continually logged out of funding and resources and opportunities that other businesses have, and that's only shrinking with the federal environment right now. And the loss of the BIRT exemption is going to hurt our co-ops even more. We're facing almost 10,000 businesses just in Philadelphia County that are up for close or sale in the coming years because of aging business ownership, and we want to make sure those jobs get saved and they stay in the community. We're heartened that City Council declared the Year of the Co-ops earlier this year. Thank you so much for that recognition. And now, we ask you to put that resolution into action, continuing to lead the country and growing the local co-op economy. PACA and the Federation join the alliance for just Philadelphia in fighting for people's budget. No 14 tax cuts, investing in essential city services and in the co-op businesses that ensure our communities are front and center. Thank you so much. (Applause.)

Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Thank you to our Council President. Before I get started, I want to give a shout-out to my Council representative, Councilwoman Cindy Bass and her office. The communication between us has been great. Today I sit here as a representative Clean Philly Now and the Trash Academy, and I am asking City Council when we look into this budget for 2026 is that we have more balance in how that money is spent. We spend, according to the numbers I looked at about, 15 million for abatement, but very 16 little on prevention and more 17 importantly, enforcement. 18 Enforcement has to be a 19 part of this Clean and Green 20 initiative that the Mayor is 21 proposing for this city because 22 without it -- 23

Just a point of information. You know the Mayor just gave the District Attorney a significant amount of dollars and millions to create the Illegal Dumping Task Force to prosecute those folks who are illegally dumping. I don't know if this information is widely known, but that is part of a strategy around Clean and Green. Just wanted to add that to the context of your conversation. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: No, I am aware of that. But my aspect of that is when it comes to enforcement, it's not strictly law enforcement type enforcement. When we have enforcement of these particular things, it's like with a child. You teach a child something and if they don't do it, if you don't teach them, then there's no 23 enforcement. But when you share that information with them, they're going to do one or two things. They're going to get -- you're going to get tired of doing it and they're going to start doing it. Enforcement is stopping people from doing this illegal dumping so that they, because of that, enforcement, have an effort of working towards making it easier for the city to use funds other places because they know that illegal dumping has a price. So all I'm asking for the budget is more money towards enforcement and we can take some of that -- you'll actually have less spending in abatement because the enforcement will pick up. And I thank you all for your time today. (Applause.)

Thank you, sir.

Hello. My name is Eliza Walmsley and I proudly live in District 2. Thank you, Council President Johnson, and thank you Councilmembers. I'm urging you all today to increase your budget to Mural Arts to 5.2 million. When I moved to Philadelphia in 2016, what attracted me to the city is its vibrant art scene and specifically the city's investment in public art. For me art is the fabric of our city that brings every corner of this wonderful city together. The murals brought me here, but their programs keep me here. Let me say that again. The murals brought me here, but the programs keep me here. What I have since learned since being a donor and volunteer to Mural Arts Philadelphia is that they are far more than murals. Though vitally important I might argue to making a cleaner and greener Philadelphia, they build individuals and communities up. It isn't just about art. It's about empowerment. So when you fully invest in Mural Arts, you are saying yes to 2600 Philadelphia students who can participate in art education programs annually. You're saying yes to supporting our formerly incarcerated residents that have a right to work and contribute to our city's success. Yes to the over 10 City of philadelphia partnerships that Mural Arts collaborates with you all on each year. You are also saying yes to economic development and tourism for our great city and yes to fostering community connections one neighborhood at a time. Look, I know it's fraught. I know you have many pressing issues that we have heard today facing our great city, but you've got to invest in alternative organizations and solutions like Mural Arts. I personally cannot think of a better use of funds to beautify, inspire and empower Philadelphia. Please increase the budget for Mural Arts to 5.2 million. Thank you for your time. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Hello. My name is Leah Shepperd. I'm a mother, an active voter, a homeowner living in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. I am here on behalf of Alliance for a Just Philadelphia to demand a people's budget. Our city budget must invest in public services that keep communities safe and thriving, especially our marginalized communities most affected by federal Medicaid and SNAP cuts as well as those most targeted by ICE. In short, we need safe and equitable work opportunities, safe affordable housing and we need to protect and support our immigrant communities. In order to do this, we need a city budget that stops giving tax breaks to big businesses and increases the funds -- oh, sorry, excuse me, stops giving tax breaks to big businesses, implements a wealth tax for the ultra wealthy and increases the funds for public health efforts rather than increasing police funding. Most importantly, we need these efforts informed by reliable data based on evidence- backed research. One way to reduce police funding is to stop funding Wellness courts and forced recovery programs. Evidence-backed research shows forced recovery programs do not work. They are not effective and lead to higher rates of overdose. We need a people's budget rooted in community care and harm reduction rather than criminalization if we truly want to end Philadelphia's crisis with housing and substance use disorder. (Applause.)

Thank you.

And since I have a little bit of time left --

Sure.

I was not yellow yet. Just a little data to back up the police funding debate, there's some graphs on the Philadelphia Controller site shows data from 2006 to 2013 comparing police funding to homicide rates, and that shows the police funding is relatively stable. Homicide rates fluctuate up and down multiple times. And then from 2014 to 2020 it shows both the police funding and homicide rates steadily increase. So I can't say exactly what is causing this, but what it does make clear is that there are other factors contributing to the rise and fall of homicide other than police efforts. So it's a little added. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Excuse me. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jones.

So I have a question. What is the average relapse rate of these traditional programs that provide these services? What is the average annual recovery time and relapse rate?

(Inaudible).

Yeah, thank you. I think that's important. I once upon a time served as a Board member of Genesis 2. I think it was the oldest at the time recovery organization in Pennsylvania. And I'll never forget that at a board meeting I was the Treasurer, signed a lot of checks. That was before the automatic check signing thing, so I got carpal tunnel doing that. And I asked the question. I said, what was the average relapse rate. And it was something like 97% of the time, something high like that. And my question became, well, if we were in any other industry where 95% of the times at McDonald's the burgers weren't going to work or the cars weren't going to work, what would be the rationale of doing it the same way over and over again and shouldn't we explore different means to accomplish the goals that we want. And I never ever got the answer. So I thought I would ask you.

I agree. I mean, when we should look at other countries too, we should look at other cities, other states to see what people are doing across the world, what has worked across the world. Oh, can you hear me? Sorry. And I just want to make sure I understand what you're saying. You're saying that there's a 97% relapse rate after forced rehab. Is that what you're saying?

It was not necessarily forced. Some people walked in the door voluntarily. But the problem is it's not whether how you arrive there. It's the result of whatever it was we were doing, 97% of the time people went right back. And then there was some more comforting things that came after that. They said, they will keep trying until such time as they are ready. As member Harrity always talks about, it has to come from here. And so, never having been addicted but people -- I'm only six degrees of separation from plenty of people in my family that have gone through recovery. And it wasn't until the time that they looked in the mirror and had that clarifying moment and said enough is enough and the rest became easy. I'm questioning how are institutions that arguably make a lot of money at providing these services can consistently at 97%, Mr. President, like we have to think about doing something different. And whatever that is I'm open to it, but I just don't understand how we can say the status quo is okay. This is what I got. I'm sorry.

Thank you, Member Jones.

Could I share a personal experience with you.

Sure.

So I help care for three other kids that I did not birth, that are chosen family who each of their fathers died of overdoses. They had all previously were in recovery. They were all great fathers. You could tell -- you knew looking in their eyes they loved their kids. The reality is that substance use disorder is a biological issue. It's an issue that is chemical. It's not something that we can control with our minds. Bit's not something that we have -- it's something that people are really struggling with. Addiction is an issue that people -- it's not a choice people are making. That's my point here. And I want to applaud District Attorney Krasner who in one session suggested and recognized a program that is being used in Portugal that is really effective. It does involve legalization. And with that, there is more control over what is being put into drugs. So with legalization, this government is able to regulate the drug supply and make sure that really dangerous chemicals like what we're seeing now in Philadelphia are not being put into that drug supply.

I did not do that in a adversarial way. But as a true question that somebody who has to make a decision on this, that it is better that I open my mouth and say what I don't understand so that you can and others can educate me so that I do.

Thank you for that opportunity.

Thank you. These are the last two and then we will break for lunch.

Hi. My name is Elowyn Porby. I am the MidAtlantic Regional Director for Vote Solar. We are a nonprofit that works to accelerate a clean energy transition that doesn't leave anyone behind. Thank you for hearing me at the end of a long morning. I'm also a proud resident of Point Breeze represented by Council President Johnson and I'm a member of the Here for Climate Justice Coalition. I'm here to urge City Council to fully fund the Philadelphia Energy Authority's $10 million budget request. I know other testifiers today are going to speak to the health and safety, the economic and community benefits of comprehensive home repairs. These are more than enough reason to invest in Built to Last and its ongoing work. Knowing that those points will be covered, I want to add an additional dimension which is that comprehensive home repairs are a key to unlocking an equitable clean energy transition. As solar energy has improved and become more affordable and as energy bills have increased, it's overwhelmingly clear that going solar is a smart financial investment for families that are able to make the switch. Yet for many households, solar installation remains out of reach. Not because of solar panel costs alone, but because their homes require fundamental upgrades before solar can safely and effectively be installed. This creates a significant barrier to clean energy adoption in communities that would benefit from it the most. Funding Built to Last has three major benefits for the clean energy transition here in Philadelphia: First, enabling equitable solar access. Many lower-income households have aging electrical systems, structural issues or roofing problems that must be addressed. When retrofit funding covers these presolar upgrades, we expand who can participate in the clean energy economy. Second, maximizing solar investments. An energy efficient home requires a smaller, more affordable solar array to meet its needs. Retrofits effectively multiply the impact of every solar dollar invested. And then third, creating sustainable career pathways. Building a resilient clean Philadelphia takes work and that work can translate to well- paying jobs across the city. However, these opportunities can remain inaccessible without training programs like PEA's Bright Solar Future. Without addressing fundamental home infrastructure needs first -- oh, that's my time. Okay. Well, yes, I stand with communities across the city and other members of the Here for Climate Justice Coalition and urging you to prioritize this critical investment as part of this year's budget. Thank you.

Thank you very much. 2nd Councilmanic District, appreciate your testimony. Go ahead, sir. Wrap it up for us.