The second budget speech of the mayor of Cherlle L. Parker to the City Council of Philadelphia sounded in many respects like ordinary mayor, and Parker was poetic about heroic first aid, advertising victories during the first year, and novel novel proposals for reduction of apartments and taxes contained in its 6.7 billion dollars of the city’s budget proposal, which has the effect of July 1.
But on Thursday, Parker’s 90-minute speech on Thursday, was a wild card that can make this year’s budget negotiations in the city, but ordinary: President Donald Trump, who threatened a radical limitation of federal funds for local government.
“I know that there is currently uncertainty,” said Parker in the council chambers during her speech, which traditionally served as a version of the presidential state of the Union. “People do not know what to expect from their government, and uncertainty can breed fear. I want the inhabitants of Philadelphia and our city employees to hear me: Your city is here to ensure you security and protect basic rights. “
Notes belonged to several comments, which Parker presented about the national political dynamics since the office was taken in January. But she still avoided saying the name of Trump and did not think about it, focusing on her proposals to spend $ 800 million bonds to finance her housing initiative and start effort to radically reduce business tax over the next 15 years.
Parker’s address officially begins the budget season in the town hall. Then the Council will conduct a series of interrogations from the end of March to the beginning of May, going through the Department to examine the proposals of expenses and taxation of administration.
Then the administration will negotiate with the Council regarding amendments to the proposal. They must reach the contract before the end of June, when the current financial year ends. The last meeting of the Council at the session is scheduled for June 12. If the legislators observe normal procedures, the contract must obtain a preliminary consent in the Committee before the meeting of the Council on June 5.
A member of the Rue Landau council, one of the more progressive legislators from the body, said that she was the hope that Parker’s proposal would lead to greater expenses on problems such as apartment, street security and cleaning, before indicated that she was skeptical about whether it was the right year of tax reduction, taking into account the potential of cutting Trump for the city.
“But, [the proposal] It also raises questions, “Landau said in a statement. “Namely – how does the city intend to balance the proposed revenues at the time when we face federal financing cuts that will lead to loss of services?”
The chambers of the council were full of the best administrative officials and other dignitaries, including the Republican Prosecutor General Dave Sunday; The sense of the democratic state. Vince Hughes and Anthony Williams; And the leader works Ryan Boyer from Building Trades and Greg Boulware, president of the largest relationship for city employees.
Federal fears
Trump threatened to limit funds to the so -called sanctuary cities, which are local jurisdiction, including Philadelphia, which refuse to aid federal enforcement of immigration law. And in the first days of his administration, he briefly detained all federal subsidies and contracts before allowing the money to be promising with significant reductions.
The Trump administration has already circumscribed funds to sustainable development programs, said the city’s financial director this week. He said that so far these cuts do not add up much, but deeper reductions can be catastrophic for the city, which received $ 2.8 billion in federal financing in a tax year.
Parker’s budget would create a reserve worth $ 95 million to aid compensate for potential cuts, which, as she later confirmed, was a “decrease in buckets” compared to the general federal aid for Philly.
In an interview after his speech, Parker developed how harmful federal cuts for Philly could be.
“We are only a small old town of Philadelphia,” said Parker, “and therefore the potential effects of federal cuts and what they can mean for the city of Philadelphia are serious and extremely disturbing for this administration.”
The mayor added that her efforts to develop services for people experiencing homelessness and addiction in Kensington and other districts depend on federal assistance.
“When I think about potential cuts for Medicaid financing and community development, how do you think we will be able to treat people with whom we build a biological renewal ecosystem?”
Housing bonds
Parker makes a modified campaign initiative to build or keep 30,000 houses with the highest priority for the second year of office. The mayor still did not publish details about what rules and programs would be involved in its plan, and she said that she was expressing her housing program on March 24.
But Parker developed on Thursday, how he plans to pay for it: borrowing $ 800 million.
“It will be a historic unprecedented investment for Philadelphians,” she said.
»Read more: The mayor of CHERELLE PARKER will propose to reduce taxes and borrow $ 800 million for an apartment in the next budget of the city of Philly
Parker’s plan would make the city spend two parts of general obligations bonds worth $ 400 million each, with the first to appear in 2025. General obligations bonds are repaid from the city budget, not a specific income stream.
“We plan to spend this money as soon as possible,” said Parker. “I want shovels in the ground.”
Tax reductions on the table
On Thursday, Parker threw her tax to reduce taxes as “historical and unprecedented”, saying that he wants to radically reduce business tax.
“This proposal will encourage companies to develop, and new to locate here,” said Parker in her budget speech.
The mayor suggests that the city be adopted by a 15-year tax reduction schedule. But during budget negotiations this spring, administration and council can only control what is happening in the tax year, which begins on July 1, and Parker proposes a miniature one.
Her budget requires a reduction in business revenues and net revenues from 5.81% to 5.71% next year, as well as the gross influence rate from 0.1415% to 0.141%. These cuts would cost the city of $ 9.2 million in the proposed budget $ 6.7 billion.
»Read more: What do you need to know about the “double tax” from Philly, which some city leaders are trying to kill
In the long run, Parker hopes that the city will eliminate gross accounts and reduce net income tax by half. The city will be able to do this, she said when they could exploit over $ 400 million annual savings after the pension fund is fully financed, which is to take place around 2032. If Parker escapes and wins the second term, it will be at the end of its air conditioning.
Parker also wants to resume many years of policy in the city of accepting miniature annual cuts in a very breakthrough tax on remuneration. Next year, her proposal requires a reduction in the tax rate from 3.75% to 3.74% for residents and 3.44% to 3.43% for people living outside Philly, but they reach the city.
This year, Parker also proposes to eliminate 1% tax on the city’s construction and raise the tax on the transfer of real estate from 3.278% to 3.578% of the sale price or assessed property value. She bound both movements as part of her novel housing initiative.
New expenses for public safety
Parker suggested a doubling of expenses for supporting the fight against crime throughout the city and the efforts of its administration to end the drug markets in the open air, framing her priorities of the first year.
One of the largest expenses is almost $ 300 million in the proposed novel funds in the next five years to continue construction and operations at Riverview Wellness Village, the novel city rehabilitation administration for people recovering after drug addiction. The recovery house is a key pillar of her plan to solve the opioid crisis in Kensington.
Parker advertised that her administration opened the facility in January, just a year after her term.
“We didn’t have time to wait,” she said. “We are in the middle of the humanitarian crisis and we acted with diligence, focus and plan.”
The mayor also proposed to direct $ 67 million for the construction and running of a novel police criminal laboratory and announced the location in public for the first time. The novel facility will be located at the University City at 4101 Market Street in the developing corridor of natural sciences.
»Read more: The novel Philly Police Forensics Lab will be at University City, says Parker Administration
Officials have long stated that replacing the current laboratory of a criminal city, which is indulgence and archaic, would allow law enforcement authorities to resolve crimes faster and build stronger cases.
“We cover technology to improve our performance,” she said. “The Police Department will go with a new criminal laboratory to help forces in forensic investigations to help solve a crime.”
Annual expansion of science
Parker also said that her administration plans to extend the so-called “Dayed-Day and Extended Year” program, adding 15 more schools-10 established district and five cards. It was not clear which schools would be added.
On the trail of the campaign in 2023, Parker, a former teacher, “through year -round teaching” made one of her signed policy proposals. In the current school year, she and Superintendent Tony P. Watlington launched a pilot program for 25 district and charter schools to provide before and after care, remain open during the winter and spring break and offer six -week summer programs.
“The study after the study shows that these programs are of great importance when it comes to educational development of children,” she said.
Staff writer Jake Blumgart contributed to this article.
