Among the bills approved was repealing legislation passed by Council last year allowing an arena for the Philadelphia 76ers in Center City.
Council approved bills and resolutions for the Sixers arena back in December 2024. Several weeks later, the Sixers announced they had reached an agreement to stay in South Philadelphia, where the team currently plays at the Wells Fargo Center. The team owners struck a deal with Comcast Spectacor, which owns the arena, to construct a new building in the current South Philadelphia sports complex.
The Sports Complex is in Council President Johnson’s district. Council will have to approve any new legislation for the sports complex, but there is no word when Council will that up.
Council also approved bills for the mid-year transfer of money in the current Fiscal Year 2025 budget, which ends on June 30. The bills are:
All the bills approved will now go to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s desk to either be signed into law or vetoed.
After being held by Councilmember Quetcy Lozada (7th District) for months, Lozada added yet another new additional amendment to Bill #240665-A, which would regulate vehicular mobile service providers. The new amendment was approved by a 15 to 2 vote The no votes were Council Minority Leader Kendra Brooks and Council Minority Whip Nicolas O’Rourke, both At-Large.
The newly amended bill, which will not be known as #240665-AA, will now have a possible final passage during the May 8 Council session. Concerns about the bill were the focus of most of the public comment session this week and Lozada gave a passionate speech on the Council floor defending the bill.
“This bill will take people off of people’s sidewalks,” she said. “I have seniors who are living with people who are unsheltered on their porches and threatened by those individuals if they call police on them. Would you allow that in your house? Would you allow that on your property? Hell, no. Hell, no. So why should my residents?”
She was supported by Council President Johnson, and Councilmembers Katherine Gilmore Richardson (At Large), Isaiah Thomas (At-Large), Cindy Bass (8th District), Nina Ahmad (At-Large), Anthony Phillips (9th District), Jim Harrity (At Large) and Curtis Jones (4th District) during their speeches/comments on the Council floor.
Mayor Parker transmitted to City Council a package of bills designed to help advance the Parker Administration’s Housing Opportunities Made Easy (H.O.M.E.) Initiative to build and preserve 30,000 units of housing.
The package consists of five bills, four of which amend the Zoning Code and a fifth accelerating land transfers into the Philadelphia Land Bank.
The Mayor cannot introduce legislation, according to the City Charter, and only a Councilmember can do so. Councilmember Jeffery Young, Jr., 5th District introduced Bill #250432, which would amend Section 14-529 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “/VDO, Fifth District Overlay District” by removing exceptions for minimum residential lot area and floor area, height, and dwelling unit density bonus eligibility, all under certain terms and conditions.
President Johnson said the other four bills were held so that Council’s Technical Staff and Councilmembers have more time to review them. No word when the four bills might be introduced in Council.
All bills introduced in Council this week will be assigned to committees for future hearings.
For a complete rundown of all bills and resolutions currently before Council, go to City Council’s Legislative Information Center.
The focus of the Budget Hearings this week was the fiscal health of the School District of Philadelphia (SDP).
The SDP will spend $300 million in reserves to avoid cutting staffs and programs for the 2025-26 school year. The SDP faces a deficit for the next school year of $2 billion over five years.
During the hearing, City Council members wanted to increase the district’s share of city property tax collections in FY 2026, but Mayor Cherelle L. Parker testified in front of council that she cannot support it. The Mayor made a very rare showing at Council by testifying at a budget hearing.
The City has increased the district’s share of property taxes to 56% this year and that has raised an additional $12 million for city schools. Parker would like to see the share rise to 56.5%, but not until 2030. Council also heard public testimony on the district’s budget this week.
Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) leadership also testified this week. They came to Council just weeks after CCP’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted not to renew the contract of Donald “Guy” Generals and put him on immediate paid leave. He had been with CCP since 2014.
CCP has named its provost, Alycia Marshall, as interim president. Marshall testified at the budget hearing this week.
Marshall is serving as president while CCP conducts a nationwide search for a permanent president. She is expected to be a candidate for the position.
Council held a rare budget hearing on Friday, May 2. It featured testimony from the Office of Homeless Services, Fire Department and Licenses and Inspections.
The hearings on the proposed Operating and Capital Budget with Parker administration leadership are held to help Philadelphians better understand the mayor’s spending proposal.
All FY 2026 budget hearings are held before the Committee of the Whole, chaired by Council President Johnson. These hearings include testimony from department heads and independently elected offices to support their proposed budgets and answer questions from councilmembers.
The City’s budget is the mayoral administration’s plan for spending, adjusted as needed to obtain City Council approval and passage before the start of each fiscal year beginning on July 1.
Before the budget is approved, City Council may adjust funding levels for departments and programs.
City Council passes legislation approving the new budget before the end of the current (Fiscal Year 2025) budget on June 30, and the mayor signs the adopted budget legislation. Fiscal Year 2026 starts on July 1.
To learn more about Mayor Parker’s budget address, Operating and Capital Budgets, proposed FY25-30 Five Year Plan and dates/times/locations of Neighborhood Budget Town halls, visit City Council’s FY 2026 budget page.
The FY 2026 Budget Hearing Schedule has changed so check the budget webpage to see the new days for committee hearings.
The fourth of this year’s City Council Neighborhood Budget Town Halls took place on May 1 at the Oak Lane Presbyterian Church, 6637 North 11th St. (corner of 11th Street and Oak Lane). This was co-sponsored by Councilmember Anthony Phillips (9th District).
An estimated 150 people showed up and more than 650 people have shown up for all four Budget Town Halls held so far.
The Councilmembers that attended the May 1 meeting was Council President Johnson, Phillips, Young, Jr. (5th District), Bass (8th District), Gilmore Richardson (At-Large), and Thomas (At-Large).
WURD Radio (900 AM/96.1 FM) broadcasted the town hall live.
Council expects to host additional Neighborhood Budget Town Halls in May.
All City Council budget hearings inside City Hall air live on Xfinity Ch. 64, Fios Channel 40, and stream at www.PHLCouncil.com/watch. All Neighborhood Budget Hearings have been recorded by PHL GOV TV and air on Channel 64 at various times throughout the week. The Budget Hearings are available to watch on City Council’s FY 2026 budget page.
Councilmembers approved Resolution #250396 urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass legislation allowing cities of the first class (Philadelphia) to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, an essential step toward ensuring that all Philadelphians can keep up with the rising cost of living and have the opportunity to build a better future.
The resolution was introduced by Councilmember Jim Harrity (At-Large) for Council President Johnson.
Earlier this week, Mayor Parker, Council President Johnson and Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier (3rd District), Quetcy Lozada (7th District), Anthony Phillips (9th District), Nicolas O’Rourke (At-Large), Nina Ahmad (At-Large), Rue Landau (At-Large), Katherine Gilmore-Richardson (At-Large) and Harrity (At-Large) rallied outside City Hall along with members of 32BJ SEIU to try and change the minimum wage.
In 2023, legislation to gradually increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives but did not make it out of the State Senate. Since then, no bills to raise the state minimum beyond $7.25 an hour have passed through committee.
In 2019, Philadelphia voters overwhelmingly supported a referendum that asked whether the state legislature should allow the city to set its own minimum wage laws. Nearly 82% voted yes.
Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour in Philadelphia was also proposed by the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission as one of its many recommendations released this year.
The latest Pennsylvania House minimum wage legislation has been introduced by State Rep. Roni Green, who represents neighborhoods in North and West Philadelphia. Rep. Green spoke at this week’s Council session.
Green’s bill has been referred to the House Committee on Labor and Industry. Advocates are going to rally for the legislation May 5 at the State Capitol in Harrisburg.
Council President Johnson was joined by Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson and other City Officials outside the Engine 40/Ladder 04/Medic 19 fire station in Southwest Philadelphia this week to announce the new City Council Smoke Alarm Installation Program.
Also participating in the announcement were Councilmembers Curtis Jones (4th District), Chair of Council’s Public Safety Committee, James Gauthier (3rd District), Jeffery Young, Jr. (5th District), Quetcy Lozada (7th District), Anthony Phillips (9th District) and Nina Ahmad (At-Large), Chair of Council’s Public Health Committee.
Under the program, members of the Philadelphia Fire Department’s (PFD) Fire Prevention Division will go to City Council Districts on specific days by the end of May installing life-saving smoke alarms in homes and distribute safety literature to citizens. All 10 Council Districts will receive smoke alarms.
Currently, the PFD has a backlog of requests via the City’s 311 system for smoke alarm installations citywide and the goal of the City Council Smoke Alarm Installation Program is to significantly reduce that number by the end of May. The Program started on April 28 and has already covered the First, Second and Fourth Council Districts.
The City Council Smoke Alarm Installation Program will be targeting the following City Council Districts on the following days:
The PFD’s Fire Prevention Division installs smoke alarms on a regular basis at locations throughout the city and will continue to do so while targeting specific areas in all 10 Council Districts as part of the City Council Smoke Alarm Installation Program. The PFD installs 10-year, lithium-ion battery smoke alarms that are proven to last longer and be more effective, without homeowners needing to worry about changing the batteries.
Fire spreads fast—working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), properly installed smoke play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries.
When working smoke alarms are present in your home, the risk of dying in a home fire is cut by 60 percent, according to the latest NFPA research. Roughly three out of five fire deaths nationwide happen in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms and the risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.
If Philadelphians need smoke alarms, request them directly via Philly 311 by calling 311 and the PFD will come install them in your home for free. The Philly 311 contact center answers calls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Citizens can also call the office of any of the 17 Council members to request a smoke alarm and that request will be given to Philly 311 for processing. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can request an adaptive alarm.
Citizens should have one alarm on each floor of your home, including the basement. To receive a free smoke alarm, a person must live in Philadelphia in a one- or two-family home that is occupied by the owner. If the person lives in an apartment building, or is renting a house, the landlord must provide smoke alarms on every level of the home. If a landlord has not provided smoke alarms, call Philly311 to report the violation.
The PFD estimates that it might take up to 60 days from the time of a person’s request to Philly 311 until the actual installation of the smoke alarm in their home.
The next Regular Stated City Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 8 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time at Philadelphia City Council Chambers, Room 400 (Fourth Floor), Philadelphia City Hall.
Tune in live on March 24 and 27 by watching Xfinity Channel 64 and Fios Channel 40 if you have cable TV in Philadelphia, stream online at www.PHLCouncil.com/watch or listen to WURD Radio (900 AM/96.1 FM) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Good luck to the thousands of runners, including City Council staffers, who are participating in the 2025 Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run on Sunday, May 4. The nation’s largest 10-mile road race will begin at Broad Street and Sommerville Avenue and finish inside the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Source: phlcouncil.com…
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