Councilman Stated Meeting 83 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING O'Neill.
Aye. The ayes are 15; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 221018.
An ordinance amending Chapter 7-200 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Preservation of Affordable Housing," to provide for a Stated Meeting 84 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING City directory of affordable housing subsidies and their duration.
This bill having been read on two different days, now shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Aye. Stated Meeting 85 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. Stated Meeting 86 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING The ayes are 15; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 230127.
An ordinance amending Section 20-304 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Compensation for Members of Boards, Commissions, Committees and Councils," by revising the compensation for members of the Environmental Justice Advisory Commission.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Aye. Stated Meeting 87 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilman Stated Meeting 88 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING Phillips.
Aye. The ayes are 15; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, do you have any additional resolutions?
A resolution honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week, public servants Zelma Carroll, Darlene Booker-Jones, Cheryl Colubriale, and Sarah Jones, who devote their lives to benefitting the City of Stated Meeting 89 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING Philadelphia for the common good, introduced today by Councilman Thomas.
On behalf of Councilman Thomas, I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the foundation of the State of Israel, introduced today by Councilman Johnson.
The Stated Meeting 90 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution authorizing the Committee on Education to hold hearings to evaluate existing support services for Early Childhood Education and Pre-K Centers and Providers and to examine the role of high-quality Early Childhood Education and Pre-K opportunities in addressing childhood Stated Meeting 91 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING poverty and promoting the future academic success of children in Philadelphia, introduced today by Councilman Johnson.
Yeah, Council President and colleagues. I'm introducing this resolution based upon the work this body has done to provide high-quality early childhood and pre-K education for our young people. Most of us know that the best pathway out of poverty is setting young people on a path to receive a quality education. So as we make this transition to a new administration, we want to make sure that we have all the tools in the toolbox as it relates to making sure that daycare providers have the necessary support that they need, the daycare workers have high-quality living wages so you can have quality teachers inside the classroom, and also as a result of the Stated Meeting 92 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING significant subsidies and funding that were provided by the federal government, which will be going away in September, there will be a significant amount of early childhood daycare providers that will be significantly impacted, not so much the big daycare providers like Bright Side Academy but, most importantly, the mom and pop daycare providers, early childhood providers that are in our neighborhoods that are providing high-quality education to our young people. They will be significantly impacted. So this hearing will allow us to take a deeper dive in how we're supporting our most precious assets here in the City of Philadelphia, and that's our children. So with that, I move for the adoption of the resolution, Council President. (Duly seconded.)
It's Stated Meeting 93 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring and recognizing Meeka Outlaw for the heroism and the bravery she exhibited while providing aid to a 3-year-old child injured by gunfire, introduced today by Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's Stated Meeting 94 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring His Eminence, Dr. Samuel Emeka Kanu Uche for his outstanding service to the Methodist Church of Nigeria and welcoming him to the City of Philadelphia, introduced today by Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.) Stated Meeting 95 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing the Philadelphia Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Incorporated on the occasion of its 75th Anniversary, introduced today by Councilwoman Vaughn.
Thank you, Council President. I'd like to vote on this next week, because I have the guest coming in to greet Council.
You Stated Meeting 96 5/4/2023 5/4/23 - STATED - 2ND READING want to do it next week?
Let the record reflect that the Councilwoman has asked for a hold on this particular resolution until the next session of Council.
And a resolution honoring Catherine G. Scott, President of AFSCME District Council 47 and recognizing her leadership, activism, and representation of Philadelphia workers, working to improve the lives of all Philadelphians, introduced today by Councilman Harrity.
Council President, I move for the adoption of the resolution. Stated Meeting 97 5/4/2023 (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
There are no other resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar, Mr. President.
Thank you very much, Mr. Decker. Are there any speeches on behalf of the minority? (No response.)
Speeches on behalf of the majority? The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson. Stated Meeting 98 5/4/2023
Thank you. Thank you so much, Council President. I wanted to pause to congratulate the Administration, the City Treasurer, the Finance team led by Rob Dubow, and our own Council guru, Bob McDermott, and his team, Ami as well, for all of the work that they have done on the rating upgrade from Moody's and our positive outlook change from S&P Global Ratings. Our credit rating is now upgraded from an A2 to A1, and Moody's particularly noted that our fund balance and our liquidity has improved over the last three years. So I wanted to notate that for this body. They also stated that the City continues to demonstrate prudent budget controls and fiscal governance, hallmarks of its improved financial performance over the past several years. The City projects substantial Stated Meeting 99 5/4/2023 Stabilization Reserve, which we call BSR, from its General Fund over the next three years, which will further support fiscal controls by requiring formal certification from the City's Director of Finance before monies can be transferred out of the BSR. The movement of monies into a more formal reserve fund eliminates potential political noise around the City's financial health going forward and further strengthens governance controls, another core aspect of the City's credit profile. So I also wanted to thank you, Council President, our leadership team, and all the colleagues here who voted in support of the legislation that I have offered around our Budget Stabilization Reserve to ensure that we make more regular annual deposits into our BSR. And I know because of the Moody's report that that legislation has made a Stated Meeting 100 5/4/2023 our credit rating can be upgraded from Moody's from an A2 now to an A1, which is our best financial outlook I'd say over the last 40 years. So I just wanted to say thank you, congratulations, and I look forward to continuing to do this work with all of you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Very, very important part of what we do here, stability, stability, stability fiscally. The Chair recognizes Councilman Phillips.
Thank you, Council President. I want to begin by saying how excited I am that Ziehler Recreation Center will be having a groundbreaking, and I want to thank my colleague Councilwoman Sharon Vaughn, who is extremely excited right now about this, and all of those who are from the Olney Stated Meeting 101 5/4/2023 area, because what I've noticed is that our city -- and I want to say Councilwoman Vaughn has been really a big advocate making sure it's happened. I want to thank the entire Rebuild team for that support and what's about to come. What I've noticed in my walks and talks in neighborhoods throughout the past month is that there is a serious desire for infrastructure improvement in our city. It is our hope as a body, and particularly myself as the representative of the Ninth District, that we work collaboratively together to make infrastructure a major priority in this budget season but certainly when we are able to elect our next Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, from driveways to retaining walls to simply, you know, street damage that's happening across our city, infrastructure and also most recently our schools and Building 21, among many schools in the City. It is -- research says that Stated Meeting 102 5/4/2023 life, if we take care of quality of life in the City of Philadelphia, that is a great violence prevention measure. And so when we have decent neighborhoods and decent infrastructure, we will see crime go down. So I'm hoping and I'm praying and I'm going to -- just putting the City on alert that, you know, this Councilmember and hopefully among everyone else I work with collaboratively in the City to make sure that we are going to prioritize infrastructure in our funding and so forth, because many of our residents cannot afford what is said to be owned by the resident. We have to begin to think deeply about what it is that our city can do to help our residents support their infrastructure. And I want to thank Council President Clarke for also engaging on this conversation with me and others daily and weekly and monthly, because Stated Meeting 103 5/4/2023 So I just want to say infrastructure is going to be a major priority going forward.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. That visit to your district last week and looking at that crumbling driveway where you literally had little small lakes in the driveway is a clear example of what we need to do in our community. So thank you for taking us up there to look at that, and I guarantee you that's going to be one of the first ones we address during our infrastructure strategy. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today to acknowledge my colleagues Lozada, Harrity, Vaughn, Squilla for the participation in the Kensington listening tour for the Marshal Plan. We as a body have different Stated Meeting 104 5/4/2023 I have Main Street to Market Street. I've been down Point Breeze. I've been up to Chestnut Hill. And no neighborhood is safe until Kensington is safe. I've listened to my colleagues passionately talk about their community and what it needs, but what we hope to do with the Public Safety Committee at the leadership of Member Lozada is to listen, is to hear from the people and the stakeholders in Kensington and bring in tow most of the departments that have a role to play in its revival. Whether you're talking about SEPTA, to the Police, to DHS, to mental health, all of them will listen to what the residents of the Seventh District have had to go through and endure. So I look forward to all of our participation in this. If you paid attention to the budget, it doesn't take long for Member Harrity, who is at-large but is a Stated Meeting 105 5/4/2023 Kensington, to come back to his roots and say what are we doing about these aspects of the problem, what are the solutions. Member Lozada is on the cutting edge of pulling together a plan. It's not -- you know, being in someone's thoughts and prayers are one thing, but when you're done praying, you need to start thinking about what to do to solve the problem. So I look forward to the hearing. It is Tuesday at Conwell Middle School in the Seventh District, but it is a part of the entire City. Until Kensington is safe and dealt with, no neighborhood in Philadelphia can be considered safe and dealt with. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair -- Stated Meeting 106 5/4/2023 (Applause.)
Good afternoon, everyone. I too want to give my two cents on the excitement that I do feel about the recreation center that Councilman Phillips is helping me improve. I started lobbying about seven years ago, asking the past Councilperson to improve that recreation center that was in deplorable state. I went out and painted the grounds. I hung new nets myself just to give the kids a better place to play. And we often get criticized as a body, but I want to say there is a lot of tremendous and wonderful things being done by the people that sit on the floor of this Council on a daily basis, and often times we are not recognized by those things. And it's important that we remain solid, keep our heads up, and Stated Meeting 107 5/4/2023 important work. This is helping this community not deal with prostitution, dumping, and it's a classic example of putting the people first, and that is our job here. Thank you very much, everyone.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Yeah. Thank you, Council President. Just a friendly reminder that on Monday at 9:00 p.m., the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities will be holding a hearing on the Philadelphia Water Department proposed rate increase. And so a lot of colleagues --
Councilman, you said 9:00 p.m.? You mean 9:00 a.m., right?
9:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m. on Monday we will be having the Philadelphia Water Department proposed rate increase, and I know a lot of members pulled me to the side and particularly Councilman Katherine Gilmore Richardson in terms of the rate increase, the impact it will have on our constituents and why we aren't using the funds from the federal government to kind of supplement the building of the infrastructure that needs to be done as opposed to raising rates and coming out of the pandemic. So we wanted to make sure that this process is transparent, separate from the hearings that -- the public hearings that they had, but it wasn't the same as having it with members of Stated Meeting 109 5/4/2023 wanted make that acknowledgment for -- announcement for Monday 9:00 a.m. the rate increase, Philadelphia Water Department hearings. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Lozada.
Thank you, Council President. I just want to say thank you to all of my colleagues, Councilman Jones specifically, because when I met with him, I said to him that I needed Kensington to be as important to him as it is to me and to the residents who live there. I've met with many of you since I arrived in November, and all of you have been willing to listen and to hear from me what my constituency shares with me on a daily basis. And so I'm Stated Meeting 110 5/4/2023 that there have been many conversations. There's been a lot of talk across the board about the Kensington-Harrowgate community, but it's different when you walk through it. It's different when you live in it. It's different when you have to go to school in it and you have to just deal with it, right, because it's part of their everyday. And our children struggle. Our families struggle. They deserve an opportunity. I have had the opportunity to walk and visit the recreation centers, which I've been in many times as a resident, but when you're there as a representative of the district, you tend to see things in a different way. You see the negligence that's there. And the sad reality is that those who work there who are responsible for maintaining those spaces, the businesses that are there that are Stated Meeting 111 5/4/2023 there and who know that they can do something too but don't feel supported is really difficult. And so I hope that in these hearings, we come in with open minds of what can we do different than what we've been doing in the past. We have to do something different. It is our responsibility. Twenty years from now, we want young people to say that we had an opportunity to make a difference in their lives and that we stood up for them. I want to be able to do that. I want to be able to go to bed at night and say that every day I show up and give 150 percent to my community, and I hope that that is what you all want as well. Thank you very much.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. (Applause.)
Stated Meeting 112 5/4/2023 That concludes our speeches on behalf of the minority and the majority. And with that, the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, May 11th, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that Council adjourned until Thursday, May 11, 2023, 10:00 a.m. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The motion carries. Thank you all very much. ) Stated Meeting 114 5/4/2023 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. MICHELE L. org 60:15 Veterans 99:17 100:7 43:8 <Y> UC 79:16, 23 25:14 62:15 108:21 109:3 Williams 39:18 y'all 59:5 80:2 vetoed 6:23 war 49:2 Willig 39:17 108:3 Uche 19:21 Vice 22:10 warned 44:25 willing 69:5 yard 54:17 94:14 victory 79:12 warning 61:2 109:23 Yeah 17:6 Ukraine 64:5 videotaping wasting 48:3 Wilson 39:11 59:12 91:8 UN 61:12 18:15 watch 3:18 62:12, 22 63:3 107:12 understand Vietnam 63:10 4:7 windows 72:4 year 63:9 59:10 66:23 Vincent 41:19 water 44:5 wishes 36:15 64:15, 18 67:7 violence 18:12 107:18 108:9 withdraw 7:3 67:12 understanding 57:18, 22, 23 109:6 Witness 43:3 years 18:6 67:16 69:20 58:8, 20 59:7, wave 81:5 45:24 49:17 40:5 46:25 understood 15 71:11, 16 way 2:23 53:14 57:8 54:13, 16 24:12 102:4 3:12 4:9 66:2 55:17 56:7 uneven 69:25 virtual 51:23 15:10 27:5 Witnesses 63:7, 14 64:12 unfortunately 52:8, 9, 10, 14, 55:10 61:6 38:19 59:23 81:4 98:18, 24 14:7 67:12 15 62:16 74:11 woke 3:11 99:4 100:6 union 22:4, 12 visible 63:18 110:20 woman 48:19 106:12 111:10 39:5 40:4, 13 70:2 wealth 59:4 women 3:5, 18 yellow 36:22 unions 48:21 visit 103:7 wealthy 40:11 20:24 22:13 56:20 union's 39:20 110:16 Weapons 95:15 Yolanda 65:25 United 47:4 voice 4:6 25:13 60:23, wonderful 66:6 48:23, 24, 25 vote 37:20 25 61:14, 17 39:8 40:21 York 57:20 60:22 61:17 95:22 62:8 63:15, 22 106:20 58:4 62:6 63:8 voted 7:2 64:5, 8, 9, 17, wooden 60:14 young 18:14, 64:15, 23, 25 99:19 20 work 4:2 18, 20 48:8 University voting 37:14 Week 13:3, 14 13:23 22:16 91:13, 15 18:8 81:13 83:11, 25:18 43:21 23:6 24:10, 13, 92:14 111:11