Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are STATED MEETING 103 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 220866.
An ordinance amending Bill No. 220284, entitled "An ordinance to adopt a Capital Program for the six Fiscal Years 2023 through 2028 inclusive," by revising various appropriation amounts and totals to conform to amendments to the FY2023 Capital Budget Ordinance.
Thank you. This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Aye. STATED MEETING 104 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilman O'Neill. STATED MEETING 105 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 220867.
An ordinance amending Bill No. 220285, entitled "An ordinance to adopt a Fiscal 2023 Capital STATED MEETING 106 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Budget," by revising various appropriation amounts and totals.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Councilman Harrity. STATED MEETING 107 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilwoman STATED MEETING 108 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Vaughn.
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 220868.
An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2022 from the General Fund, the Water Fund, the Water Residual Fund, the Grants Revenue Fund, and the Aviation Fund from certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions to the General Fund, the Water Fund, the Water Residual Fund, and the Aviation Fund, certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions.
Thank you. STATED MEETING 109 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Council President. I do have something to say about these transfer ordinances. They are wonderful ordinances. I know my colleagues, everybody here has exercised tremendous leadership. There's a lot of people, a lot of great organizations that need this money, our departments as well. However, I am going to point out something that is very troubling to me, and I think I have no other way to express my great concern than to seek a motion that we table the vote, and I'm just going to say this: The great failure of our city we see in gun violence and murder, wanton crime, failure in education, failure in jobs, failure in so many ways, but addressing them as we do, contained in this transfer ordinance is $500,000 and $500,000, this body, with the cooperation STATED MEETING 110 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING of the Mayor, the support of the Mayor. Upon learning that innocent persons, mothers of children, were being targeted for retribution simply because they're the mothers of children, that someone unable to get to someone they want to kill starts shooting at that person's mother, sister, and brother, why those people identified to us are not being protected, why they cannot be afforded an ability to live without getting shot at, assaulted, attacked is a great failure. The District Attorney's Office has a function. It is not to relocate these people. They do relocate witnesses who are going to testify. That is a temporary location, put them in a hotel, put them in a motel. After the trial is over, they go back home. We are talking about vulnerable people who cannot remain at home, and that is a failure. So this $500,000 that we STATED MEETING 111 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING appropriated was for the immediate relocation of the mothers and their children as young as eight years old who were being literally shot at. It is just a matter of time before they're killed. A year later, after another year previous that they had not been relocated, they are still not moved, and then we learned at a recent hearing that the department that we asked to be responsible for this money, to give that money to a non-profit that can move them immediately, Every Murder Is Real, EMIR, and other organizations like that received not one penny. Nobody has been moved. This was since October of 2021. Nobody has moved. Now we learn the money was moved to a non-profit organization, not to move people but for various costs. The Administration in a letter says the money is still sitting there, but then they are moving another $500,000 to an organization, a department of our city, STATED MEETING 112 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING that says they don't have an ability to move people. And, in fact, they said it's Council's fault for giving us money that we can't do things with. So now the Administration says part of the $500,000 will be used to hire people in that office. That's not what this money is for. That's a million dollars, and not one person has been moved. One of the persons who's testified is 23 years old, very well known by Councilmember Majority Leader, Chair of Public Safety, Curtis Jones, who has talked about her and has helped her and her family. She's 23 years old. She has two children. Riding in a car, someone shot into the car and she lost her eye. She has headaches. She has pain. She can't function in the morning. She takes her medication. She can't function after that. A month or two later, the father of her children was murdered, and STATED MEETING 113 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING she is harassed and attacked, and she cannot receive protection. $7,000 she paid in medical bills, and beyond that, she still has medical bills. She has been denied disability. She doesn't have any funds. One million dollars. Not a penny to help these people. Not a penny to move these people.
The woman who testified or who went forward to the news trying to keep her identity unknown was on television, in the newspaper, the neighborhood knew who she was. And it is not surprising she got a gun after being beaten and shot at, her children running away, unsafe. She got a gun. Well, that gun was used in two murders, so now she's in prison facing murder charges. Two years of not relocating people, a million dollars, that is a failure, and a letter. It's unacceptable. Unacceptable. We have a hearing. There was STATED MEETING 114 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING notice. You have to come in, let us know what happened to the money, what is it being used for. We get a letter. That's not satisfactory. That money must be returned. The money must be used to relocate these people, pay for their injuries, their harm. That money represents our city's will to address violent, deadly retribution against innocent people. We're not built for this, but we better get built. My thing is, it is unacceptable to me that this Administration, with the wonderful things it does and all the money it has, cannot tell us what happened to $500,000. How many times are we going to do this? It's two years, it's a year. Move the people. Put their kids in school. Don't put them in a motel/hotel, PHA housing where everybody knows where they are. Move them to safety. Maybe you will find that people will have some STATED MEETING 115 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING confidence in our city, will be witnesses, will testify, will cooperate. We know who the shooters are. We know who terrorize these people. They must be apprehended. They must be prosecuted. It is inexcusable. It is not anything but murder waiting to happen. This city has to account for the $500,000. With that, I will make a motion to table this vote. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Councilman. There's been a motion to table. (Applause.)
Is there a second? AUDIENCE MEMBER: I second that motion.
You STATED MEETING 116 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING need to be on this side of the rail to do that. Sorry. I appreciate your sentiment, though. No second? (No response.)
Councilman, there is not a second, so your motion to table is denied. Okay. Mr. Decker, let's start again with the title.
Thank you, Mr. President. You know, I think that the Councilman made some very valid points and they need to be explored. And so while there is not a second for the motion, I think that there needs to be I think a commitment from this body to follow through on the concerns that we all have that have just been brought STATED MEETING 117 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING forward from Councilman Oh under your leadership. So I think that we all want to address this. It needs to be addressed right away. It's not something that can wait. And so even though there wasn't a second for the motion, the issue still stands and needs to be addressed by this body.
I concur, Councilwoman. This is clearly something that needs to be addressed. The Chair recognizes Councilman Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. I just wanted to echo the sentiments of my colleague Councilmember Bass, and I was going to save it for my speech of the majority, but I guess that speech will be cut a little bit short. Not only have we allocated money for witnesses and witnesses to be relocated, when we're putting on our hat STATED MEETING 118 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING around this issue of crime and violence in the City, we've also allocated money for cameras that have not been purchased, that have not been put up, and we're still fighting for that. We've also allocated money for hit-and-run technology. Captain Overwise and his team came before the Public Safety Committee as well as the Streets Department two years ago when we were in the middle of a hit-and-run epidemic, which we're still a part of right now, to ask for technology instead of continuing to use tape measures and rulers and things of that capacity in the year 2020, and that's ridiculous. The reason I bring those things up, because I do agree with Councilmember Oh's concern, but one of the reasons I didn't second it is because it's the responsibility of this legislative body to put ourself in a position to be able to make votes and decide where funds should go, not to spend the money. STATED MEETING 119 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING So while I agree with his concern that the money needs to be spent on the right thing, I agree with his concern that we need to advocate and make sure that we're fighting for those who cannot necessarily fight for themselves, I agree with the sense of urgency and the sense of emergency that we need as it relates to the crime in the City of Philadelphia, we have to continue to do our job, to put money in places and in spaces that we know will improve the City of Philadelphia, and we have to continue to push the Administration to spend the money. So I appreciate Councilmember Oh's speech. I agree with Councilmember Bass, but I also wanted to add those two things to the list as well too, because we feel like those things, along with, I'm sure, many others, will improve the issues around public safety and crime in the City of Philadelphia. Thank you, Council President. STATED MEETING 120 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Yes. Thank you, Council President. I know that it is a concern to every member of this body. It is a concern to everyone in our city and to the Administration as well. There are different approaches to how this will be resolved. I echo the concerns of Councilmember Thomas in the sense that we do appropriate money, and when the Administration does not use that money as it was specifically appropriated, we continue to appropriate and appropriate and appropriate. There comes a point in time where the only thing we can do is withhold. I understand my colleagues. As I said, there's a lot of good things in this bill. There's a lot of things that STATED MEETING 121 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING need to be funded. I do want to also thank Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson for her leadership on this issue. Her advocacy has been very strong with the Administration, and I think if nothing else, the Administration, I hope, will take this as a very serious warning on my part, you know. I will not give them another penny, me personally if I could, but government must function, so we have different views. But they need to come into some level of compliance with what they say they will do and blatantly do not do on something as important as people's lives. Thank you.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore STATED MEETING 122 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Richardson.
Thank you, Council President. I apologize. I was seeking to be recognized as well and wanted to thank Councilmember Oh for his advocacy and for the hearing that was held last week, but I also want to thank Councilmember Jones, our new Chair of Appropriations, who has really guided us through this process and the very detailed work. But I wanted to again thank Councilmember Oh, because on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I sent a communication directly to the Administration, copied Councilmember Oh and our colleagues, regarding the questioning at the hearing, the Public Safety hearing, about the relocation of the witnesses. And we in this body have done our part to allocate the funds to ensure that those individuals could be moved. However, the Administration has yet to spend that allocation. STATED MEETING 123 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING That is happening all too frequent with a number of matters that we have faced with a sense of urgency in this body. So I am respectfully requesting that as we move forward in our budget process for next fiscal year, that the Administration take notice, and if they are not going to move forward with the issues and the agenda of the day from this body, that we will take that as a note as we move forward in the budget process next year. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. This is not my first transfer ordinance, but I can tell you that our Chairman, his first transfer ordinance is the best process and the best result that I've ever seen. And discussions were STATED MEETING 124 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING made, and Councilman Jones made it clear that all the concerns that have been mentioned will be taken seriously. It's not going to be a repeat performance every time a bill gets signed by the Mayor agreeing to everything that's in it or it wouldn't be signed and then it just gets ignored. So I want to thank Councilman Jones and the whole Committee, because this really was a landmark transfer ordinance. Thank you.
Thank you. Good thing Councilwoman Sanchez is not still here, sir. It was definitely one of the best. That's all I'll say. Always a diplomat. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman, I understand. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Well, thank STATED MEETING 125 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING you, Mr. President, but really briefly I just wanted to follow up on Councilwoman Kathy Gilmore Richardson's comments regarding the upcoming budget, the next budget season and as we send a message to the Administration. I would say that not just waiting until we get to the budget cycle to making sure that the Administration hears us, but I think that if we really want to do something about the concerns expressed by Councilman Oh, then we need to do something before we get to the budget cycle. I think that's what you meant, but I just wanted to clarify, like that we not wait until we get to the actual budget to take some action, because these are very important issues. You know, crime is at -- it's at the top of everybody's list of something that needs to be addressed in the City of Philadelphia, and, you know, like if we don't do something to protect our witnesses, this is going to continue, STATED MEETING 126 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING what we have now is going to continue.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Okay. No. I understand. I can't speak from the podium, as not to influence the vote, but the Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
No. I just want to echo the sentiments of my colleagues, but particularly around -and I participated in some of the hearing last week regarding the relocation of witnesses, and the response was totally unacceptable. And it's actually embarrassing because when we talk about reaching close to 500 homicides here in the City of Philadelphia and we taking a position that addressing the issue of gun violence is our number one priority, then we shouldn't even be talking about the STATED MEETING 127 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING allocation of funding and how witnesses are being relocated. You can't solve a homicide if you don't have witnesses coming forward. So if you have witnesses being shot at, if you have witnesses being murdered, then we'll have this revolving cycle of homicides. And so I want to specifically echo what Councilwoman Bass talked about, that we don't have time to wait at the end of the day. Like we're not going to wrap up and go home for the holiday and still not deal with this issue. And so I'm all in. We can meet after Council. We can get together and we can address the Administration and figure out how we're addressing this issue, because at the end of the day, it totally is unacceptable. All the other issues that we supported, it's great, but the issue of people losing their lives day in and day out, people being frightened to come STATED MEETING 128 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING forward, you know, is definitely totally unacceptable. So I'm all in, and I want to get with my colleagues after this and we can move forward and go from there.
Thank you, Councilman. I too want to go on record as saying that one of the main issues that I discussed throughout my campaign is the gun violence that we have in the City of Philadelphia. I too am all in in whatever it takes for us to try to get a STATED MEETING 129 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING hand on what's happening throughout the City of Philadelphia. And if it means that we stop the bully in the Administration and make him comply to some of our requests, however that may happen, that's what we need to do, because that's what we have on the streets already. The bullies are intimidating the witnesses and so on and so on, and it has to stop somewhere, and if we can't get in control of it here, how can we expect them to handle it out there?
Understand. Thank you, Councilwoman. There will definitely be follow-up, without trying to influence the decision. Thank you. All right. Mr. Decker, let's start all over again.
Bill No. 220868, entitled, "An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2022 from the General Fund, the STATED MEETING 130 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Water Fund, the Water Residual Fund, the Grants Revenue Fund, and the Aviation Fund from certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions to the General Fund, the Water Fund, the Water Residual Fund, and the Aviation Fund to certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions."
Thank you. This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Councilwoman STATED MEETING 131 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Gauthier.
Aye. STATED MEETING 132 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 220869.
An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2023 from the General Fund, the Water Fund, and the Grants Revenue Fund, certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions, to the General Fund, the STATED MEETING 133 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Water Fund, the Aviation Fund, and the Grants Revenue Fund, certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions.
Thank you. This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson. STATED MEETING 134 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilman STATED MEETING 135 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Thomas.
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 220656.
An ordinance adding a new Chapter 6-1400 to The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Privacy of Certain Health Information," to establish privacy protections for information related to reproductive healthcare.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brooks for an amendment to Bill No. 220656. STATED MEETING 136 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Council President. I move that Bill No. 220656 be amended. A copy of the amendment has been circulated to all members of Council. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. All in favor of the motion signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Bill No. 220656 has been amended. Bill No. 220656, as amended, will be placed on our Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 220665.
An ordinance amending Title 6 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Health Code," to STATED MEETING 137 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING establish legal protections related to entities or individuals seeking, providing, or assisting others to obtain reproductive services.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gauthier.
Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to offer an amendment to Bill No. 220665. A copy of the amendment has been circulated to all members of Council. I move for the adoption of the amendment. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
Those opposed? (No response.) STATED MEETING 138 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it, and Bill No. 220665 has been amended. Bill No. 220665, as amended, will be on our Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. Mr. Decker, do you have any additional resolutions?
A resolution recognizing, honoring and congratulating Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated on its 103rd Founders' Day, introduced today by Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you, Council President. On behalf of all the members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated worldwide, all of us who are choosing to embrace the extraordinary on behalf of our international President, Dr. Stacie NC Grant, I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.) STATED MEETING 139 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
And a resolution recognizing, honoring and congratulating Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated on its 109th Founders' Day, introduced today by Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you. The Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you, Council President. On behalf of all the members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated who believe in culture for service and service for humanity, I move STATED MEETING 140 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
And a resolution celebrating, honoring, and recognizing Sereena Quick on being selected as the operator of the new 4040 City Ave Chick-fil-A, introduced today by Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption and lunch. STATED MEETING 141 12/1/2022 12/1/22 - STATED - 2ND READING (Duly seconded.)
You should have brought a sample, sir. Can we get a second? (Duly seconded.)