What can you expect as the Philadelphia City Council begins its spring session?

The Philadelphia legislators and the 76ers may need a compact cooling-off period.

After the City Council spent much of last year debating whether to approve regulations for the Sixers’ controversial novel arena in Center City and then passed those regulations, the team’s owners abandoned those plans just weeks later and announced they had entered into an agreement to staying at the facility. South Philadelphia.

Now, two weeks after that public change, council members are set to return from their annual winter break to begin the spring legislative session, and many have said they are ready to work on something – anything – different.

» READ MORE: The Philadelphia City Council is considering fewer bills than in recent years. Does it matter?

In preparation for a novel presidential administration, several members want to explore legislation to protect undocumented immigrants. Several of them have housing deals and tax cuts to offer. One wants to hold hearings on problems with the city’s 311 line. Council President Kenyatta Johnson said in an interview that he wants to address housing, homelessness and poverty – no compact problems – and get a city budget passed by June.

Here are five things we’ll be keeping an eye on when the Council returns on Thursday for the first meeting of its spring session.

1. The council can try to immunize Philadelphia against Trump

On Wednesday, before the council even held its first meeting of the year, a half-dozen members held a lengthy committee hearing about the city’s preparation for the novel administration under President Donald Trump. The hearing focused largely on immigration and came as Trump promised a historic crackdown on illegal immigrants, an estimated 50,000 of whom are in Philadelphia.

No bill came out of the hearing. The goal was to explore potential protections the city could put in place to protect immigrant residents as well as members of the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups. This spring, lawmakers may consider more specific protections to strengthen Philadelphia’s code or explore services the city can offer to immigrant groups.

The hearing, called by Councilmember Rue Landau, came as Mayor Cherelle L. Parker faces pressure to reaffirm Philadelphia’s status as a sanctuary city, which was affirmed in an executive order signed by her predecessor, Jim Kenney.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker is among the Democrats trying to coexist with Trump

“My biggest concern is our own readiness,” said council member Kendra Brooks of the progressive Working Families Party, “especially given the lack of information we’ve heard from the administration about its approach to Trump.”

2. The novel Sixers arena is not the same as the senior Sixers arena

It is not expected that the Council will deal with regulations regarding Sixers Arena 2.0 this spring.

In addition to club members not seeming to have an appetite for it, Parker said the city must renegotiate a novel contract with the 76ers, whose owners have teamed with Comcast Spectacor to build an arena at a sports intricate in South Philadelphia. The process of negotiating a social benefits agreement and drafting regulations is a long one, lasting more than a year during the last round.

Johnson said he is currently focused on other agenda items. Asked whether the council would adopt novel regulations this spring, he twice replied, “Our current timeline is focused on this budget.”

3. Tax cuts are likely to be the focus

Speaking of the budget: Parker will present his budget proposal to the council in March and will likely include some adjustments to the city’s revenue streams by changing the tax structure or lowering rates.

Her budget proposal last year did not include gradual cuts in the city’s wages and business taxes, a departure from previous mayors who began their administrations for more than three decades by pushing for tax cuts. Parker said she supports gradually reducing the city’s tax burden, but is awaiting the results of a review by the city’s Tax Reform Commission, convened by Johnson.

The advisory committee is expected to release its report in mid-February, with time to report on the Mayor’s budget proposal and its consideration by the Council. This is a business-friendly group that will likely recommend tax cuts.

In the weeks and months following the budget proposal, council members will argue over it among themselves and the administration in a series of public and closed-door hearings. They will probably try to adopt the budget in June.

4. The Mayor’s relationship with the Council will be tested again

Last spring was hard for the Mayor and Council. They argued publicly over the school board, Kensington’s open-air drug market, and communication problems, which caused some members to become irritated with the nascent administration.

However, before Parker’s first budget proposal emerged, it appeared that cooperation was still on track. Lawmakers granted Parker most of her budget requests and spent much of the fall debating and approving the arena project, which she strongly supported.

» READ MORE: Mayor Cherelle Parker called the Sixers’ decision to remain in South Philadelphia a “perverse decision.” Some say she just sniffed it.

This makes for a pivotal second year for Parker and her ability to advance her goals through the city legislature. Her honeymoon was definitely over. Members are furious about the end of the Sixers arena debacle, and some are becoming concerned about the continued drug trade in Kensington.

Fortunately for Parker, her top priorities for the year will likely find support within the Council. She said most of her second year in office will focus on her still-future agenda for housing and affordable housing, issues most members have long worked on themselves.

“The issues of housing inequality are something I’m very, very passionate about and something I’ve always worked on,” Johnson said. “So we will cooperate with the administration.”

5. The Council will try to address other quality of life issues

The intense focus on Kensington from the City Council and the Parker administration is likely to continue this year.

The Parker administration is expected to request funding to operate a novel convalescent home in Northeast Philadelphia. The council is still working on legislation to implement the novel regulations in Kensington.

Last fall, Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who represents part of the neighborhood, held off on passing a bill to regulate mobile service providers that provide health care and supplies to area residents, many of whom live on the streets.

The regulations prohibiting mobile units from operating in apartment blocks, near schools, or at a distance of less than 30 meters from each other aroused controversy. Lozada’s office said it put the bill on hold to meet with residents and service providers to discuss potential amendments.

Separately, the council can also employ the city’s non-emergency number 311, which residents employ to register service requests for issues such as trash pickup or abandoned vehicles.

Councilmember Mike Driscoll plans to introduce a resolution Thursday to hold hearings to assess how the city can improve efficiency and improve communication between 311 call takers and agencies processing requests.

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