Mr. President, I'd like my vote to be recorded as nay.
Let the record reflect that Councilman O'Neill was a nay on Resolution No. 220667. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution No. 220673. STATED MEETING 73 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 2151 Fairhill Street located in the 7th Councilmanic District.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. President. On your behalf, 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. Mr. Decker, 220676.
A resolution STATED MEETING 74 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING congratulating Philadelphia-native Quinta Brunson for her winning the 2022 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for her hit television show Abbott Elementary.
Thank you again. With pride, Philly pride, 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. Mr. Decker, Resolution No. 220677. STATED MEETING 75 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
A resolution congratulating Sheryl Lee Ralph on her historic 2022 Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Abbott Elementary.
Thank you, Mr. President. I am very proud of her. She's a Fourth District resident. I just wanted to put that on the record. And I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. Councilman, is that the lady that I saw sitting next to Senator Hughes at the award ceremony?
I thought that looked like it was. Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. STATED MEETING 76 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, 220682.
A resolution honoring the life and legacy of Philadelphia's own Rakim Hasheem Allen, known worldwide by the stage name PnB Rock, on the occasion of his untimely passing.
Thank you, Council President. Before I move for the adoption of the resolution, I also want to acknowledge my colleague, who is the Councilwoman of PnB Rock, Councilwoman STATED MEETING 77 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Cindy Bass. Councilwoman, would you like to say a few remarks on behalf of Mr. Hasheem Allen?
Well, thank you, Councilman. I wanted to, number one, thank you for the resolution that's being offered. This was clearly someone who had a considerable impact on so many lives, not just in Philadelphia, not just across the country, but around the globe. And so when we lose any of our young people, it's a tragedy. You know, this was someone who made an impact, and he will surely be missed, not just in Germantown but, again, around the globe. And so this is something that we have to really look at and take very, very serious. Gun violence doesn't just happen in our neighborhoods. It happens everywhere. And so, again, Councilman, I just really want to say thank you for STATED MEETING 78 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING your hard work in bringing this issue to light so that we talk about it, we dialogue about it, and we don't forget it, most importantly, so that we can prevent it from happening again in the future. Thank you, Councilman.
Thank you, Councilwoman. And just, Council President, before I call for the adoption of the resolution, I remember meeting this young man actually, and he just reminded me, it was at Councilman Curtis Jones' District Day up in Wynnefield, right? And that's when I first started to hear about him. And then also in South Philadelphia at Audenried High School, we both participated in a Stop the Violence General Assembly for our young people. What stuck out was not so much just his artistry as an entertainer and as a rapper but, most importantly, his mannerisms and how he was so respectful, STATED MEETING 79 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING but at the same time, he was a rapper. So that stuck out in terms of his character. And beyond that, we saw all across the City of Philadelphia that he used his platform to give back and support and inspire so many other young people. And so I wanted to take this opportunity to honor his life and his legacy, but also similar to what Councilwoman Cindy Bass talked about, the gun violence that we're seeing taking place here in the Philadelphia is not only limited to our neighborhoods. It's also in all urban neighborhoods all across our country, and that's why we must keep our pulse on addressing this particular issue. Council President, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Would you STATED MEETING 80 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING like for me to offer the amendment at this particular time? I'm on it. Thank you, Council President. I would like to offer an amendment to Resolution No. 220682. 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. It has been moved and properly seconded that the amendment to Resolution No. 220682 be adopted. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The STATED MEETING 81 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING ayes have it. The resolution has been amended. The Chair again recognizes Councilmember Johnson for a motion on the amended resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the adoption of the resolution, as amended, be adopted. (Duly seconded.)
All those in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Thank you very much, Councilman.
Mr. Decker, please read the title of STATED MEETING 82 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING 220694.
A resolution recognizing and honoring the life and accomplishments of Charlene Curtis.
Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to recognize Charlene Curtis as a real powerhouse here in Philadelphia sports, who really went unrecognized. Ms. Curtis was the first African American female coach of the Temple Owls Women's Basketball team. And so we just recently lost her over the summer, and we wanted to recognize the considerable contributions that she made to women's sports here in Philadelphia and across the nation. So that being said, Mr. President, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's STATED MEETING 83 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - 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. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 220695.
A resolution also naming the 2000 through 2100 blocks of Lehigh Avenue as "Pastor Benjamin Smith, Sr. Drive" in honor of the late Pastor Benjamin Smith, Sr., to commemorate his forty-one years of vibrant preaching at Deliverance Evangelistic Church, and the economic revitalization of Lehigh Avenue that occurred under his leadership.
Thank you. The Chair again recognizes STATED MEETING 84 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilmember Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. We share that strip of real estate there. You have one side of Lehigh Avenue and I have the other side where Deliverance is actually located, but I have to tell you, last Saturday the entire corridor along that stretch was completely covered. They must have had a thousand people out to see and support the renaming of the 2100 block of Lehigh Avenue after Pastor Benjamin Smith, Sr., who was the founder of Deliverance. And, again, the sign is already up, but I did want to recognize a few of the key players that made it happen. Pastor Spaulding, of course, the current Pastor of Deliverance, as well as former Sheriff and State Rep Jewell Williams, Dot Newton, and so many more. We were joined by Congressman Evans and many, many others. And Pastor Smith was a great person who was a founder and a visionary STATED MEETING 85 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING for Philadelphia, spreading the gospel and growing this movement. And so with that being said, I really want to thank everyone for their support, and I move for the adoption of this resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Resolution 220695 has been adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 220007.
An ordinance amending Chapter 14-500 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Overlay Zoning Districts," by amending a section STATED MEETING 86 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING as proposed to be added by Bill No. 210778, entitled the "/AHP, Affordable Housing Preservation Overlay District" to add certain areas, within the area bounded by Haverford Avenue, 38th Street, Walnut Street and 46th Street, to the district.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Councilwoman Gauthier. STATED MEETING 87 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Council President Clarke. STATED MEETING 88 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 13; 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 Champion of the Week, Philly Junior Roller Derby All-Stars, on their victory at the 2022 Junior Roller Derby Association Championships, introduced today by Councilman Thomas.
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. STATED MEETING 89 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution calling on the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania to fully implement the Philadelphia Gun Violence Prevention program, as established in Chapter 10-2300 of the Philadelphia Code; and further authorizing the joint City Council Committees on Legislative Oversight and Public Safety to hold hearings on the impact implementation of red flag laws could have on gun violence in Philadelphia, introduced today by Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to say a few STATED MEETING 90 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING words about this. This Council has taken steps on its own to try to safeguard the citizens in many different ways as it relates to gun violence. All too often other governments, other entities, other departments stifle that progress we attempt to make, sometimes by lawsuits, sometimes by court decisions, sometimes by inaction. We passed the red flag law long before it got on the radar at the federal government, long before sensible advocates for gun control figured it out. What it calls for is if someone on Monday stands up in the schoolyard and says, I don't like this school anymore, I'm going to come back and shoot it up, on Tuesday we should believe him and we should swear out an affidavit before court to remove guns from that premises until that individual can stand before a judge or a competent group of people to determine that they are not a threat to STATED MEETING 91 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING themselves and a threat to others. So when you pass a law, sometimes people just ignore it, and that bothers me. Well, you know, we don't want to overstep our authority. But we do, as my colleague Johnson says, do want to step up to the plate. All you have to do is get on Facebook and you'll see young men and women with guns saying, I'm going to go over to Isaiah Thomas's block and I'm going to shoot up the block. We should believe them, and we should swear out affidavits to remove those firearms from individuals. Not to mention domestic situations where people because of their emotions and feelings decide that not only -- matter of fact, don't we have a plaque in that hallway as it relates to domestic violence. So when we pass sensible gun laws, we will not be ignored. We will hold people accountable for laws we pass to make sure they implement them, and if STATED MEETING 92 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING they need changing, we're grown up, we got our big boy on, we will adjust them accordingly to fit the requirements of the laws. But you will not just say, I don't like City Council's law, I'm going to ignore it. We will have a hearing on this, a joint hearing, and we will look at its potential to stem some of the gun violence in the City of Philadelphia. Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you, Councilman. Can I get a second? (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
Those opposed? STATED MEETING 93 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing September 2022 as "Blood Cancer Awareness Month" in Philadelphia, to spread awareness about leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, and support patients affected by blood cancer, introduced today by Councilman Jones.
Thank you again, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
Those opposed? STATED MEETING 94 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution designating Thursday, October 13, 2022 as "Children's Environmental Health Day" in the City of Philadelphia, and recognizing the launch of the Philadelphia Regional Center for Environmental Health, introduced today by Councilwoman Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.) STATED MEETING 95 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing the Drexel University Black Alumni Council for the release of its first book, "A Legacy to Share, Navigating Life's Changes and Celebrating Our Greatest Achievements," introduced today by Councilwoman Gauthier.
I'm sorry. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.) STATED MEETING 96 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - 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 October 2022 as Filipino American History Month in the City of Philadelphia, introduced today by Councilman Oh. Introduced today by Councilman Oh, Mr. President.
Sorry. I'm having more challenges with everybody else's mask than I am with my own. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh. STATED MEETING 97 9/22/2022 9/22/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you. 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.)
And a resolution recognizing, congratulating, and thanking the United States Marine Corps for the occasion of its 247th Anniversary, introduced today by Councilman Oh.
I move for the adoption of the resolution. Thank you. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. STATED MEETING 98 9/22/2022 (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. That concludes our Calendar for today. We will now move to our speeches. Are there any speeches on behalf of the minority? And the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brooks.
Thank you, Council President. And I want to thank my colleagues. I want to thank the nearly 150 people who came to City Hall yesterday for my Philly wealth tax, a people's hearing. STATED MEETING 99 9/22/2022 150 come out in support of ensuring that the wealthiest residents in Philadelphia pay their fair share for City services, and heard from a wide range of workers, faith leaders, advocates on what a fully funded city would look like and feel like. I want to especially thank my colleague Councilmember Jamie Gauthier for her presence at the hearing and her powerful speech. At the hearing we saw widespread support from our city's labor movement, including speakers from AFSCME DC47, AFSCME DC33, SEIU 32BJ, and the Faculty and Staff Federation of Community College of Philadelphia. Underfunding is always a policy choice, and at a time when our city is struggling against numerous crises, we have an unprecedented opportunity to project triple-down economics, tax the rich, and make deep investments in City services. STATED MEETING 100 9/22/2022 event, it's clear to me that working-class people in Philadelphia are hungry for policies that put people before profit. So I look forward to working with this robust coalition of Philly residents and my Council colleagues, not just on a wealth tax but a wide range of policies that would generate City revenue and balance the scales of justice to allow future generations to thrive. Thank you, Council President, and thank you, Council colleagues.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Speeches on behalf of the majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. A number of colleagues today talked about some of the issues that we're facing in the City of Philadelphia STATED MEETING 101 9/22/2022 heard Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Bass, as well as Councilmember Jones mention it in the midst of their remarks today. Earlier today I introduced a bill, which we're calling the Watchdog Bill, and basically the importance of the bill is because we recognize, like Councilmember Jones said, that this legislative body has taken a number of steps to address issues related to crime, and one of those issues is the idea of trash, is the idea of nuisance behavior, that we are limited as it relates to our ability to enforce it. So the Watchdog Bill is basically designed to hopefully activate constituents across the City of Philadelphia and incentivize them to be a part of the reporting process as it relates to nuisance behavior, like trash and illegal dumping and some of the other issues that we know we face as a STATED MEETING 102 9/22/2022 forward to working with the Administration as well as my Council colleagues over the next couple months. We want to take some time to talk to community stakeholders and different organizations across the City of Philadelphia just so we can get their input and make sure that we're moving in the way that's advantageous to the constituents of the City of Philadelphia. So like my colleague said, this is another small step by this legislative body to do something about the nuisance behavior that we're seeing in the City of Philadelphia. Thank you, Council President. Thank you, colleagues.
Thank you, Councilman. We appreciate that one. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, STATED MEETING 103 9/22/2022 foremost, I want to echo your sentiments in honoring the life and legacy for Pastor Herb Lusk. I've known Pastor Herb Lusk since I was a young man, not only as it relates to the work that I'm doing as a public servant but just my background as a christian and various churches that I attended in South Philadelphia as well as in North Philadelphia. So he has always been a giant and a man amongst men, always been a man of his word but, most importantly, always encouraging and empowering when it comes to us improving the quality of life of our neighborhoods, for him particularly in North Philadelphia, but he also did a lot of work with some of the pastors I work with in South Philadelphia. So I definitely want to acknowledge his life and his legacy, and just was on the phone with him just last week. He was sending encouraging and STATED MEETING 104 9/22/2022 as it relates to the work that I'm doing. So I wanted to acknowledge his hard work and his dedication. I also wanted to take a moment to just impress upon as we go through the process of the recent 31 percent property assessment tax increase that the residents and the citizens here in the City of Philadelphia that will be receiving. And so tonight at Saint Monica's Church at 16th and Ritner, we will be having a tax relief workshop to help people sign up for a first level of review, show people how to take advantage of the variety of tax relief measures that we passed, such as LOOP, homestead exemption, senior citizens tax freeze. And, again, that's going to be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Saint Monica's Church, and that's going to be at 2500 South 16th Street, which is actually 16th and Shunk. So I want as many people as possible to come out to participate to STATED MEETING 105 9/22/2022 their taxes low. And it looks good to be back in City Council to see all my colleagues live and direct in the flesh. So good to see you too, Council President. Thank you.
You too, Councilman. Councilman, thank you, and thank you for your insistence on us having the resources to be able to do that outreach. We had a meeting over at 12th and Susquehanna hosted by former Senator Kitchen, and the people came out, and it was clear that they needed assistance in understanding this whole issue of comp and the assessments and being able to do that. So thank you. Thank you and the colleagues for insisting on that level of support. We should be doing these all over the City of Philadelphia. Thank you again, Councilman.
Thank you, Council President. I was grateful for the opportunity to bring my Bill 220007 back to this body for a final vote today. The bill amends the Affordable Housing Preservation Overlay by expanding its geographic coverage area, providing increased prioritization of affordable housing, and refining the building requirements and demolition restrictions. I have been and remain committed to continuing to refine the overlay to prioritize the affordable housing needs of the community while not unnecessarily hampering development. I want to ensure that West Philadelphians can live within walking distance of high-quality jobs, education, healthcare, and goods and services. When this Council first passed STATED MEETING 107 9/22/2022 overlay, we recognized that it was a necessary first step to avoid imminent loss of affordable housing in this critical area of the City, but that it would not be the last step and that further refinement was needed. This bill will expand the overlay to include additional transit-adjacent locations, with a particular focus on residential properties that may otherwise be susceptible in either the near or long term to market pressures encouraging commercial over residential development given the current zoning of the properties. The new building permit requirement in this overlay is a mechanism used elsewhere in the code to combat speculative demolition. It is intended to ensure that sites within the overlay are not left vacant and promptly redeveloped with affordable housing if development occurs. STATED MEETING 108 9/22/2022 However, we know it isn't a perfect solution and that this requirement may not on its own completely eliminate the risk that sophisticated developers will demolish large properties without immediate plans to rebuild given the unique market forces in this area. For this reason, a temporary demolition moratorium covers all large residential properties within the overlay, those over 19,999 square feet, whether as a single lot or contiguous lots, through March of 2023. This will provide time for this Council to further consider more effective ways to avoid speculative demolition of large residential parcels which would have a negative impact on our community as a whole. The updated overlay will further ensure affordability and balance growth by clarifying and aligning this overlay with the mixed-income neighborhoods overlay and by requiring a STATED MEETING 109 9/22/2022 units beyond the requirements of men if developers wish to access density bonuses for other purposes. Inclusionary zoning is a proven tool used in literally thousands of localities worldwide, as the market can create and sustain more affordable units if the incentives are right. Our ultimate goal with this legislation is to support the public interest by making sure as much affordable housing remains in amenity-rich neighborhoods which are experiencing immense commercial development pressures as we possibly can. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to -- I'm going STATED MEETING 110 9/22/2022 my colleague Councilman Johnson regarding tax assessments. I just wanted to remind everyone that we are doing tax assessment appeals assistance with the Office of Property Assessment and also the BRT in our district offices, and it's something our office organized along with State Representative Darisha Parker, State Senator Sharif Street, and State Senator Art Haywood. So we really want to encourage the listening public or the viewing public to come on in. Appointments are clinical right now, but we expect that to change. And for more information, please contact our office at 215-686-3424 or on social media @CindyBassPhilly. So we want people to take advantage of having these resources in the neighborhood, so we just wanted to encourage that. Thank you, Mr. President.
STATED MEETING 111 9/22/2022 you, Councilwoman. Okay. That appears to conclude the speeches on behalf of the minority and the majority. So with that, the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, September 29th, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, September 29, 2022, 10:00 a.m. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The motion carries. Thank you all very much. Be STATED MEETING 112 9/22/2022 ) STATED MEETING 113 9/22/2022 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.