Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING one. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 170162.
An ordinance amending Section 14-513 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "/TOD, Transit-Oriented Development Overlay District," and Section 14-702, entitled "Floor Area and Height Bonuses," all to revise requirements relating to the Transit-Oriented Development Overlay District.
This bill has been heard on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Councilwoman Blackwell. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilwoman Parker. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 17; 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 Recognizing Amalgam Comics Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING and Coffeehouse and Its Founder Ariell Johnson for Receiving the 2017 Knight Cities Challenge Award, introduced by Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
And a resolution authorizing the City Council Committee on Education to Hold Hearings on Early Child Care Providers and Best Practices Issued Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, introduced by Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
The Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. Again, I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
And a resolution urging the United States Congress to Pass H.R. 2655, titled, "Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017," Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING introduced by Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
And a resolution calling upon the Congress of the United States to direct Amtrak to comply with H.R. 4838 and immediately rename the 30th Street Station as the "William H. Gray III 30th Street Station," introduced by Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you. I thank all the Council for their support of this, those who sponsored and all those who signed, and I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
And a resolution honoring the philanthropy of Julius "Dr. J" Erving and recognizing his outstanding accomplishments as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, introduced by Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilman Johnson.
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing The Philadelphia Music Alliance for its promotion of the City's unique and outstanding musical legacy, and declaring the Walk of Fame a Philadelphia landmark, introduced by Councilman Johnson.
The Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - 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 those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution calling on the PrimeFlight Aviation Services and Prospect Airport Services to negotiate in good faith to form a collective bargaining agreement with their Philadelphia employees, as represented by Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, introduced by Councilman Johnson. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING
Council President, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution calling on the Pennsylvania State Legislature to pass pending legislation to ensure adequate funding for the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, which helps to protect the health and well being of dogs that are bred and sold in the Commonwealth of Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING Pennsylvania, introduced by Councilman Johnson.
The Chair one more time 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 those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution also naming South Broad Street, between Federal Street and Wharton Street, "Anna Cibotti Verna Way" in honor of Council President Anna C. Verna's lifetime of Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING service to the City of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution Recognizing, Congratulating, and Honoring the Frankford High School Pioneers Baseball Team on winning the 2017 Philadelphia City Championship and the 2017 Public League Championship, Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING introduced by Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing June 23, 2017 as Olympic Day in the City of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Green.
The Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution supporting the Trust for Public Land's 10-Minute Walk to a Park campaign, introduced by Councilman Green.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution commending the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Research Department for its important analysis of the effects of the Community Reinvestment Act on the mortgage market in the aftermath of the Great Recession and urging the City's Department of Planning and Development to identify potential solutions to recent federal policy changes that have resulted in more Philadelphia neighborhoods becoming CRA ineligible, leading to CRA-regulated lenders decreasing their Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING mortgage lending in these neighborhoods, introduced by Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing the substantial contributions of Amy Laura Cahn, and the Garden Justice Legal Initiative she founded, to the city of Philadelphia as well as her dedication to the empowerment of communities through Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING community control of land, sustainable and equitable urban gardening and farming, and the pursuit of environmental justice, introduced by Councilwoman Gym.
Thank you very much, Council President. I just wanted to make a short and brief but heartfelt note for the recipient of this resolution, Amy Laura Cahn, who I believe is here today, and if she could just stand up so we can thank her. (Applause.)
Many of us -- and I just want to thank my co-sponsors on this, especially Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez and also Councilmembers Johnson, Parker, Green, and Clarke, all of us whom have worked with Amy Laura on a host of issues that she's been a passionate advocate over at the Public Interest Law Center where she has helped transform law and Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING policy that applies especially to urban gardening, which is her passion. She started the Garden Justice Legal Initiative at PILCOP. It's tackling the fact that we have 40,000 vacant lots in the City of Philadelphia, and we're trying desperately with communities who have been long marginalized and have limited access to fresh and healthy food to figure out ways in which we can create innovative, empowering ways to use those approaches and to especially bring together communities and build them up as advocates. She does not -- though she may leave us in Philadelphia, she leaves behind the legacy of her work, which includes great organizations like Soil Generation, like the Food Policy Advisory Council, and many other aspects, but we'll be remembering her and wishing her luck on her way. So with that, I move for the Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution expressing sincere gratitude to the United States senators who are standing in opposition to legislation that would strip healthcare from millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians and calling upon these senators to use every means of their disposal to prevent its passage, including withholding consent for any waiver of rules and using the process of Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING filibuster by amendment, introduced by Councilwoman Gym.
Thank you very much, Council President. Today this afternoon a dozen of members of the Pennsylvania Health Access Council will be starting a 24-hour vigil to talk about healthcare in America and at this time. There's a lot that we talk about in terms of what divides us and how we are so different, but there is one thing that we're all united on. We all get sick. We all know somebody who has experienced a medical emergency, an overwhelming situation which is not expected, and that many times we do not feel like we can handle. Our loved ones and our neighbors and our co-workers get sick, and when we get sick, we need to go to the doctor, we need medicine, and we need care. And for the last eight years, we've been broadening access to make sure more and Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING more people can be seen to get care and to get better, and that's not to say that everyone has what they need right now or that everyone can afford what they need, but without a doubt, we have a long way to go to make sure that the human right to healthcare is a reality. We don't have a universal healthcare system, and I think we need one. But what we won't do right now is allow healthcare to be stripped away from 23 million Americans or have healthcare taken away from over 350,000 Pennsylvanians. We can't return to days when pre-existing conditions made millions of us uninsurable or untreatable. The proposed cuts to Medicaid in Philadelphia alone would impact more than 150,000 people who have received healthcare through Medicaid expansion, including children, poor adults, adults living with disabilities, nursing home residents, 50 percent of all births. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING I'm a mom with two children who are teetering on the edge of adulthood. It's hard to look them in the eye and tell them this country is going to take care of them, especially when all of this is wrapped up in a massive tax cut for the wealthiest of Americans. AHCA will not only affect the lives of poor families, middle-class families would also see enormous changes to basic guarantees. And the pre-existing conditions under AHCA, including having acne, being pregnant, having a C-section, being a victim of rape or sexual assault, just to name a few, would eliminate so many of us in this room today from having access to the fullest healthcare that we can have. We all have a responsibility to care for one another, and that's why I'm proud to ask for Council to join with activists all across our city and country to call on the United States Senate to stop this bill from moving forward. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
I'd like to be recorded as voting no. Thank you, Mr. President.
Let the record reflect that, and let the record also reflect Councilman Taubenberger -
And a resolution Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING recognizing June as Immigrant Heritage Month in the City of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Taubenberger.
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring and recognizing Mr. Jim Gardner for his hard work and dedication serving the people of Philadelphia over the past 41 years as a reporter and news anchor, introduced by Councilman Taubenberger.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Taubenberger. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution authorizing the Committee on Aging to hold hearings regarding the benefits of both companion animals for the elderly, along with the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 150 years of service towards creating a positive atmosphere for companion animals, and the elderly, introduced by Councilman Taubenberger. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution Honoring and Recognizing Captain Maximilian Clark for his continued service in the United States for over 20 years, and his appointment as the Commanding Officer of the USS Mesa Verde, introduced by Councilman Taubenberger.
The Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING Chair recognizes Councilman Taubenberger.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution initiating action to continue the Port Richmond Industrial Development Enterprise Neighborhood Improvement District beyond its termination date in the area bounded generally by the north side of Allegheny Avenue, the west side of Memphis Street between Allegheny Avenue and East Westmoreland Street, the Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING south side of East Westmoreland Street, the property line of 3300 Agate Street and the back of properties facing west along the east side of Tulip Street between Westmoreland and Ontario Streets, the south side of Ontario Street, the west side of Tulip Street between Ontario and Tioga Streets, the north side of Tioga Street, the back of properties facing on the east side of Tulip Street between Tioga and Venango Streets, the back of properties facing south along the north side of Venango Street, including the property located at 2301 through 07 East Venango Street, and the back of properties facing east along the west side of Amber Street, as well as the properties located at 2066 through 80 East Tioga Street and 2082 East Tioga Street; and for which Port Richmond Industrial Development Enterprise, Inc., a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, serves as the Neighborhood Improvement District Management Association for the Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING District, introduced by Councilwoman Bass on behalf of Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Whitman Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 522 through 526 Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING Cantrell Street, introduced by Councilwoman Bass on behalf of Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
And Resolution No. 170414, entitled a "Resolution approving the appointment of Michael Carroll to the Board of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority," Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 6/22/17 - STATED - 2ND READING introduced by Councilman Johnson on behalf of Council President Clarke.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say 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, don't we have Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 to take up? No. I'm just kidding. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm just playing. I'm sorry. It's been a long session. I'm sorry. Any speeches on behalf of the minority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Taubenberger.
Very, very, very briefly, but something that's of great importance. I have sent a letter to each of my colleagues inviting them to be at the unveiling of Sister Cities Park where the plaque for -actually is a fountain will be dedicated to the Sister City relationship of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and we will be joined there by Mayor Feldmann of Frankfurt, Germany as well as the President of their City Council. We found that out yesterday morning. That will be Councilmember Sigler, who is the Speaker of the Frankfurt Parliament. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 Parliament. And the fact of the matter is, it will be a great celebration, and it's at 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27th. My colleagues are all heartily welcomed. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Councilman. On behalf of the majority, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. As part of my summer reading, I am going to be reading this new report called Calvert Diversity: Examining the Cracks in the Ceiling, and it's relevant for me because it captures -- it looks at 100 companies around the country and it examines based on a number of metrics how well they are doing on the favorite phase, many of us call it the broken record, diversity and inclusion. Nationally this particular outfit is looking at how well we are Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 when it comes to diversity and inclusion. The good news for us as a legislative body this session I believe is that we were focused like laser beams. We were diligent. We were resourceful. We looked to pass successes around diversity and inclusion, and we looked at major failures with regards to some of our public service projects on this issue. In that spirit, I want to first commend Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, because she has set a new paradigm in how we can get this right when we work with the private sector to make a difference in neighborhoods. I join my colleagues who've saluted her repeatedly, and I want to go on the record again today saluting both Councilwoman Blackwell and her tech guru, John Christmas, in crafting a new partnership that I am optimistic will make a huge difference for that section of West Philadelphia. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 Further, I state that diversity and inclusion have always been at the core of the Rebuild initiative. I want to applaud the significant steps that were exhibited by the Administration while we took a laser beam focus on workforce diversity and inclusion to move closer to ensuring that labor unions reflect more closely the demographics of our city. There's no doubt that we have talked about this ad nauseam, but we, this legislative body, are of the value -- we share the value that every Philadelphian deserves a shot at the economic dollars and access coming from the Rebuild initiative. Families, especially minorities and women, all taxpayers who use all of our public facilities, our businesses, including the MBE and WBEs, deserve to be included in this unprecedented pipeline of opportunity. Diversity is not an Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 The Rebuild initiative is our opportunity to get it done and get it done right. And as Councilwoman Blackwell and I discussed briefly here this morning, we're not there yet. It's certainly not perfect, but we're closer to changing the song about diversity and inclusion. Yes, we've been criticized or I've been criticized that it's a broken record. I'm okay with that, because if we don't keep raising the issue, then we ultimately -- we get measured not on what we say; we get measured on what we do. And folks are going to look closely to see how well we've done with ensuring that Rebuild indeed captures the core values of diversity and inclusion. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
So I really, Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 really, really wish Rochelle Bilal and Emmanuel Bussie were still here. I want to thank them, first of all, for their advocacy. Sometimes pressure in the right direction moves the needle in the right direction, but I want to explain in part that we didn't just wake up and realize the word "diversity." This body has been a champion for diversity since the days of the late Lucien Blackwell with 17-500. You were probably a staffer back then when they found out that less than one half of a percent went to minorities and females in this city's contracting. Then former Mayor Wilson Goode took the bull by the horns and actually started moving the needle in the right direction with individuals from MBEC to do that. I happen to be one of those successive directors that got a chance to see how the sausage was made or how the sausage wasn't made in some cases. I stand before my colleagues Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 the phrase that Councilman Green uses, having a Maynard moment. I really like that. That's a good one. I saw a lot of Maynard moments in this body, whether it was Councilwoman Blackwell with what she was able to do with University City, whether it was Cherelle Parker, who I thought was going to cry in the Mayor's Office. Oops, was I supposed to say that? She was passionate about getting stuff done. She was heated about it. I saw you, Mr. President. You stand up there stoically sometimes, but you found your voice in a lot of rooms that nobody is ever going to know about, nor should they, making this document that we see here. I want to tell the advocates there is no such thing as a magic wand to make participation. I'm going to say it again. All of the documents in the world, you could put the whereas's, therefore's in it. Unless you put boots Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 as I think my colleague Wilson Goode said one time about debarring some people who don't do it right, you're not going to get respect. If we don't stand -- and those advocates have a role to play. If you come up on a site and it's not right, tell us. We'll tell the monitoring organization that you fought to get included in this bill to go out and shut it down. And so for people to say that there aren't triggers and provisos and things in here to do it, well, there are. I'm reading when it talks about the compliance monitoring determined for each contract for Rebuild within 25 percent of the total project labor is completed, we take a look. At the 25 percent when the subcontracting happens, we take a look. So we have these opportunities within this legislation right now. If we look at compliances and penalties and incentives, that's on . Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 Now, is it a silver bullet? Is it the total magic wand? No, but what I found to be true -- and I actually did meet Maynard Jackson of Atlanta -- it's not what you have in the contract. It is the will of good people to make it so. So we have to go on these construction sites. We have to count heads. We have to make sure those numbers add up. And you have put these provisions in this contract so that we do have triggers. And I want my colleagues to know I'm proud of them, even you, David Oh. I'm very proud of my republican friend. But each of you have added your voice to not a perfect document but a good document, and the perfect shouldn't be the enemy of the good. And this isn't the last round because we pass this. This is the first salvo. We have to put our hard hats and boots on and get out there and make sure that this is real. And so you're not going to get away with just passing the bill. Now you have to make it so. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Council President. First I want to thank my colleagues in Council, one, for allowing me to introduce the resolution last week calling on the School Reform Commission to not adopt a contract that was going to segregate disabled youth into a new proposal with a new contractor that we did not really know much about. Based on the work of this Council, the School Reform Commission not once but twice has postponed a vote on that contract and has made changes to that proposal. Myself and other members of this body will be meeting hopefully with the School District in the next week or two prior to the July 6th vote to have additional conversations and discussions regarding that contract. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 Councilwoman Gym, Brown, Blackwell, Parker, and Oh for being vigilant and reaching out and inquiring about what's going on with that proposal, and thank you for your advocacy. As I close, I think some of the Councilmembers had similar thoughts. I was thinking about Councilman Jones' comments and I was actually going to make similar comments, and I think it's unfortunate that some people have the perspective that there's no enforcement in the Rebuild initiative and contract. If you read parts of the contract, it talks about enforcement. One, we will have a third-party monitor that will report back to the Administration and District Councilmembers that will provide realtime diversity and inclusion monitoring, so that way, we know what's going on on those contracts. And then, more importantly, in -- I'll read from the legislation. Grant agreements will Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 failure to achieve workforce diversity commitments and will require that agreements between project users and contractors allow the project users to terminate agreements if those commitments are not being met. In addition, other terms may be required such as liquidated damages. So my perspective in voting and supporting Rebuild is that we do have enforcement in this legislation that we can use, and also not only do we have enforcement to cancel contracts, but we also have the ability for District Councilmembers to get realtime information about what's going on on these Rebuild projects in their districts, so that way, we can use the enforcement triggers that we may need to support diversity in this initiative. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Stated Meeting June 22, 2017
Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to remind everybody that today is our last session and welcome down to Spruce Harbor Park from 6:00 to 8:00 for an event for any members of Council and staff. Happy to celebrate the end of the session, if it's over by then, depending on the speeches. So we'll see how it goes. Enjoy your day.
Thank you. Thanks, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Domb.
Thank you, Council President. I have three announcements. Two are brief. One is a little longer. But today I was informed that we're losing two of our great reporters from the Philadelphia Inquirer. They're being assigned to another beat, Julia Terruso and Tricia Nadolny. And on behalf of Council and the Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 -- there's Tricia over there -- I wanted to thank you for reporting accurately day to day and wish you all well in your new assignment at the Inquirer. So thank you for your service here. Thanks. (Applause.)
And, sadly, today is also the last day for two of the people in my office, two of my associates, who are moving on in what they believe are greener pastures, and one is Rachael Pritzker, who will be leaving my office and entertaining the building business specializing in affordable housing, and we all wish her well. Rachael, good luck to you. (Applause.)
And David Tusio is leaving us to move to Connecticut due to his girlfriend's residency, and hopefully he'll be back after that residency, though. I'm Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 we wish you well, David, and you'll be missed. (Applause.)
The third piece of business is a little longer. Many people have asked me in the last week, So what happened with the Inquirer building? So I figured I would just share with you from my perspective as what happened. So, first, I wanted to thank this Council, the Administration, and the seller, Bart Blatstein, for everyone's cooperation in making the purchase of this building financially better for the City of Philadelphia. And, Council President, thank you for your support. Your support, I really appreciate it. Majority Leader Councilman Henon, thank you for your support. We were in that room, if you remember, at the round table negotiating with Rob Dubow, you and I and the seller of the Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 property, and I appreciate all your help on that. Also I want to thank Hal Fichandler right over there, who has a new title called Judge, because he actually coordinated a lot of this negotiation that went on and put the points out, and you did a great job. Thank you. So I just thought I'd give you the -- I know the reporters probably want to hear the backbone of the deal, but this was the original transaction. It was $290 million, 260 million in the cost of the building, the building was 49 million, the rest was construction, architectural, and 30 million in furniture and fixtures, for a total of 290. We were going to lease the building for eight years at an interest rate of 3.8 percent, and then in the ninth year, we'd have to go into the market and finance the building. And the Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 is why should the City of Philadelphia take the interest rate risk eight years from now when we're in a market in the last 50 years interest rates have been from 3.5 to 21 percent. Why should we take that risk. So our goal was to try to figure out how to lock in the rate and not have the risk. The original estimates of the cost that we'd have to pay if we financed it in eight or nine years were ranging from 475 to 600 million, depending on the interest rate at that time. So we requested of the seller the following: One, a 19-year fixed rate loan amortizing, an interest rate of 3.75, a loan that will be fully assumable -- this is the most important piece -- assumable to us when we're ready to buy it in years eight and nine at no cost to the City and no prepayment penalty in years eight and nine in case we wanted to do tax-exempt financing. But to make a long story short, Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 and forth negotiations -- and I use that term loosely -- the seller delivered to us a commitment to provide a 19-year fixed rate loan, an interest rate of 3.75, the ability to assume the loan in years eight and nine at no cost to the City, but he could not deliver no prepayment penalty. So instead of that, we agreed and negotiated on a $10 million reduction in the price as follows: 7 and a half million when we close or in the beginning and 2 and a half million in five years, which we're requesting be escrowed at closing. In summary, the original proposal would have cost us 475 to 600 based on interest rates and what we're projecting. This new agreement will cost us about 353 million. It's a savings to the City of 122 to anywhere to 247 million depending on rates. And I want to thank Rob Dubow, Anne Fadullon, and the seller, Bart Blatstein, because this Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 if Bart wasn't cooperative in this transaction. So thank you, Council President. I just wanted to put that on the record. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. I wish our colleague Councilman Jones were still in the room, and if he is near and listening, I want him to know that my husband and close friends would agree to disagree with him, because my passion and commitment for an issue has been couched as many things, but teary-eyed has never been one of them. So with that in mind, I also want to state for the record, Mr. President, that in December this Council unanimously passed a resolution regarding what it believed was a Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 us outline all of the elements that we had hoped would be included in this overall concept that we were working on called Rebuild. I have been unapologetic from the very beginning until the end when communicating with my colleagues, the Administration, along with the building trades about the need and desire to diversify the building trades and that Rebuild would be used as the tool to do it. I think all of the work of our colleagues -- and I think this is a victory for all of us, because we raised the questions, we were consistent, and I think this is a very historic moment for the City of Philadelphia, because despite what anyone can historically acknowledge regarding large city works projects, we have never systemically institutionalized a pathway to the building trades the way we have done with what we've outlined in Rebuild. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 is not perfect. If you show me a piece of legislation that's ever been passed that is, it will be in the next phase in our world, but I think we will continue building. I think if we find anything that is not working, that needs to be improved, we will do it, but I do want to state for the record one thing that I want to commend my colleagues for since we are sort of talking about difficulties and challenges that we're associated with negotiations. I am glad that it was members, the majority of members of this body, that made the ultimate decision that they did not want to sign off on contracts because that was not our job, that we wanted to make sure that we created an environment that allowed our people to participate in the process and gave large, medium, and small businesses, particularly African Americans and people of color, the ability to compete, but that we did not need to act as if we needed a formal role Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 it is not working now, I will look as we move forward to the gentleman I consider to be the guru, who is our former Councilman, Wilson Goode, and the other mechanisms that we put together, and that if someone is not following the rules and they are not meeting the numbers or we do not think we are diversifying the trades, we should go back and revisit what we've done. But for now, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, thank you for your leadership and what you've done to put it to work. We passed the resolution in December, but you created a model before then, and now the private sector -- because this was not just about the trades and City work. This was, if we did it right, was to be a vehicle that we could say to the private sector with all of the work that's being done in neighborhoods across the City of Philadelphia, that we want African Americans and other people of color participating in work that's being done Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 So I want to thank you all for that. Thank you for your support, and look forward to working with you to improve this in the future. And, again, I want to say to my colleague Councilman Jones, my husband has never mistaken my passion for being teary-eyed. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gym.
Thank you very much, Council President, and I just want to echo the feelings of all my other Councilmembers about the importance of this year, the need to move ahead and the passionate work that so many advocates had in shaping the outcomes that we saw through the legislation that we are able to move. I did want to make a brief Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 we've also seen at the School District level. Thanks to your work, Council President, thanks to the work of the Administration, and to the Mayor's Office and especially to our own Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, we were able to settle a contract that will finally end the bitter dispute between the Philadelphia teachers union, its teachers, its professional staff, the School Reform Commission and really put a major investment forward in our schools. We had to settle the contract. It impacted tens of thousands of teachers that had nothing to do with -- I think one individual may have described it as popping magnums of champagne. That is absolutely not what that was. When thousands of teachers forego tens of thousands of dollars in raises for years and still continue to show up every day to educate our kids, that is not about luxury. That's not about excessiveness. Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 they deserve and need. And in particular, one year ago this year, there were 2,500 kids headed into summer school because they didn't have a full-time teacher in the classroom for more than two-thirds of the year, and it was in part because of the abuses like that this contract became such an important issue. But it's more than just about a teachers contract settling. It's also that there's been major investments made around immigrant youth and services. For the first time, we're starting to allocate counselors and other support services to high schools based on need and not just on head count of students there. So I want to thank all members of Council, especially Councilwoman Blackwell as head of the Education Committee, and all my other fellow members who have been active, engaged, Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 passionate, and determined to see some real investments go to our young people as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Before I recognize Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, I just would like to say briefly as I say pretty much every year and getting more and more enthusiastic about it, that this is the best group of Councilpeople that I've ever had the pleasure to work with. I used to look around the room and see if there were other Councilmembers before I would say that. He's still here. He just has a different office. But seriously, folks, I just want to say that I really appreciate having the opportunity to serve with you all and servicing the citizens of the City of Philadelphia. We all do good work, and we do good work when we work Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 together, and I look forward to the upcoming agenda in terms of continuing to deal with our neighborhoods. Yes, there are challenges, but we're responsible for working to deal with those challenges, and I think going to battle with this group, there's no other group that I'd rather go to battle with, all aspects of it, be it education, be it employment, be it making it a more business-friendly environment, all the things that we need to do. So, guys, I just wanted to thank you again for all your great work. Thank you for your hard work. And, again, it's a pleasure for you all to give me an opportunity to serve in this capacity. (Applause.)
Thank you. So with that, I will recognize Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds for a motion to adjourn.
We thank you, Mr. President. And I move that the Stated Meeting June 22, 2017 stand adjourned until Thursday, September 14th, 2017 at 10:00. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)