It's Our City is a project that uses TV, Radio and Web
to promote civic engagement in the Philadelphia region.What’s your reaction to Mayor Nutter’s Budget cuts?
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 12:23 am - by Matt Campbell. Filed under: Budget.
Image credit: Phila Daily News/Signe Wilkinso
Editor’s note: I originally posted this on Nov 6th shortly after Mayor Michael Nutter announced his specific budget cuts. These include closing libraries, fire engine companies and swimming pools. But there are many other service reductions most of us don’t realize. Because as most city departments have been told to shrink their budgets, all kinds of small service cuts are likely to take place. Anyways, I wanted to re-post this for anyone who wants to either protest a specific cut, or tell us about cutbacks that the public is probably unaware of, or to post notices of upcoming budget cut meetings or protest rallies. This is a peoples’ forum so go crazy. At some point after the 8 Town Hall Meetings are done, I’ll send this list to the Managing Director’s office which is collecting citizen input at this time. I plan to keep this post high up on the page so you don’t have to hunt around for a place to share your feelings with the Mayor.
——original post from Nov 6, 2008——–
It’s Our City wants to know what you think of Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s plan to cut the city’s budget.
Excerpts of Nutter’s speech
“Though our budget is $4 billion, more than half of our costs are locked in. Therefore, we can only focus on $850 million in discretionary spending planned for the last half of the year. From this, we must wring $100 million in savings.”
“I will ask City Council to suspend tax reductions into mid-2015, maintaining $220″
my staff, Cabinet officers and I will take salary cuts
“we plan to reduce police overtime and not fill 200 vacant positions. Town Watch funding will see a 50 percent cut. In the fire department, by reducing overtime, we’ll be able to cut 5 engine companies and 2 ladder companies”
“we’ll close 11 libraries and eliminate Sunday hours at three regional libraries.”
“All recreation centers will remain open,”
“we’ll layoff more than 220 city employees and eliminate nearly 600 unfilled positions, more than 1,660 seasonal part-time jobs and about 570 contractual, non-city jobs.”
It’s Our City asks you:
*Are you surprised at how is prioritizing where to cut the most?
*Do you think there is any other way to make up the 1 billion dollar gap?
*How will you be affected by today’s announcement?
*Do you plan to attend any future budget hearings to try to protect any targeted program?
November 6th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
The Mayor said that there would be no “across the board” budget cuts, but that is certainly what it looks like. Essential services like police and fire overtime cuts and a reduction in city staff of over 200 people cannot be in the best interest of the city. It’s easy to cut spending here and cut spending there, but it is much more challenging to arrive at solutions where essential government services do not need to be cut. I don’t think the Mayor spent much time looking for other ways and frankly I’m disappointed.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
If it had been Street - the top salaries wouldn’t have been touched, but Nutter and his staff are taking cuts, if I heard correctly. Nutter is the kind of mayor who will start digging the trenches to lead the way. Everyone is being hit. What makes me saddest is that some libraries will be closed. I am waiting to find out which ones, but I wish there was a way that those libraries could be saved. They serve such an essential role to education for all ages, and they are an under-utilized resource. I am not happy about ANY of the cuts, but the libraries made me especially sad. That - and all the staff who will lose their jobs. Times are so hard already.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
The library cuts are only for Sundays. It’s when they start to cut the entire weekend schedule, plus weekdays, that I start to be concerned. But I do agree that libraries are underutilized, however, they don’t bring in too much revenue … but they are VITAL resources. IMHO, cutting police & fire expenses are worse. Nutter says rec centers won’t be cut … I am ambivalent about that. They are important, yes, but to me, libraries, & police/fire are more important.
November 6th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I hear you on the rec centers anothermom, and I never used them growing up, but in low income neighborhoods they do more than anything else at reducing youth crime rates/mischief, so think of it as a preventative measure that helps in reducing the police budget.
November 6th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
I don’t think the Mayor spent much time looking for other ways and frankly I’m disappointed.
I would agree with this. Mayor Nutter is using a chain saw instead of a scalpel.
There is much to cut before jobs should go and libraries are closed down for good….
And looking at the libraries being targeted, they are in the poorer places that need a library badly.You will have greater crime in these areas and greater social stress without a library…so how does that save the city money ? This is a devastating blow to these areas.
I find the timing, the style and the type of cuts suspect. I believe the Mayor needed to show us where a 100 million surplus went…and he did not. He spent most of his 10 minutes on very flowery PR. I don’t understand why 5 years had to be used , unless it was in order to come up with a short fall . Seems very odd . Where’s the leadership? Mayor Nutter was supposed to be good with budgets…I don’t see it.
November 7th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Anne, I agree with you that any cuts to the library system is a setback for our community. I do not find Mayor Nutter’s timing suspect though. City and state budgets across the nation are going through the same thing Philadelphia is. As for the five year plan, the city is required to make an annual budget based on a five year plan. So the project revenue shortfall over five years adds up. But I do hope you write your city council member to express your concerns over the library cuts and any other cuts to departments you feel is important. But also, if you have other suggestions of either programs that are a waste of taxpayer money, or a revenue generating ideas to also offer them. My co-worker Dan Pohlig and I have been brainstorming about revenue generating ideas. but the one we came up with ads on city buses is already happening. Anyone for selling naming rights to city buildings? i.e Tastycakes City Hall.
November 7th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
He is closing 11 libraries, this is not acceptable to me. There are other ways to trim the budget. First don’t expand the main library and use that money to keep neighborhood lubraries open. Open later in the day ti accomdate school children and close earlier. Ok sunday cuts for the regionals is ok, but we need Saturday hours for libraries. And don’t get me started abut the pools. These budget cuts need to be looked at again with town hall meetings.
November 8th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Alan, thank you for informing me that the city must use a 5 year plan. I wish the mayor had done that in his speech.
It was short in such info.
What I find suspect is the hurry hurry aspect to this whole thing. The city spent 54 million dollars on keeping Eakins’s painting, the Gross clinic .
It did so by selling city assets, but also by fundraising…time was given to do so.
I believe the Mayor told the Free Library to come up with 8 million in cuts and they could do 4 . Is he saying 4 million can’t be found? But no time is being given to see if grants can be had by the private sector to cover the gap . Mayor Nutter will spend 4 million and more if the libraries and pools are not kept opened in more police, fire and emergency crews events.
These libraries are day care centers, senior centers , computer labs , safe havens etc.
What exactly does the Mayor think school kids will do in the time between the end of school and when their parents get home? The library says it’s aiming at a library every two miles. To young children, you might as well tell them to go to Mt Everest.
Of course the cities are in a crunch ,but there seems to be a drive here to just get out of the neighborhoods that need these things the most . A drive to cut away the extras many people cannot get except by public means. All pools have to go?? Besides the social pressure of no pools in a Philadelphia summer, how will that impact fire hydrants openings and the water pressure needed for fighting fire?
I believe there is a current drive in cities government generally to create an atmosphere where privatizing of services is easier .
Libraries and pools where put in place for very good reasons . Those reasons remain.
November 8th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Anne I love your idea of a private sector campaign to save the ____.
If the private sector can come up with millions of dollars for a painting, you’d think that a similar drive could be created for the libraries, pools, snow removal.
How about this…ask some company that make snow removal machines to sponsor the campaign with a 10 million dollar donation.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
As a city educator closing the doors to our libraries is NOT an option. One of the lead factors in the education gap is the lack of reading (being read to and the level at which our students read at).
I understand that the cash is tight and the economy is in a very tight place. However, if there is “No Excuses” for our teachers then the same goes for our politicians! We elect you to find ways in hard times.
Closing the door is not an option!!
November 10th, 2008 at 1:06 am
If it was 11 stadiums, the money would be found.
I resent how may of these libraries are in poorer areas …. that need them the most .There is but one targeted in the Northeast…of course that one, Holmesburg, is in one of the poorest areas there. The pool closings are another disaster …. what social unrest will the sweltering Philadelphia summer bring when you have thousands of people without any relief? Also the speed they are insisting on in this whole thing stinks to heaven . IMO, The City doesn’t want budget solutions to be found, as much as it wants to get out of the business of providing services to those who can’t buy them privately .
November 19th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
the city of philadelphia is the city of that loves you back and sadly enough takes it back.
what happened to looking out for the people.
cutting out services that are vital to the public is worse than a travestity, the poor little children will bet the ones to suffer in this case, not only that they will remember and judge the powers that be , hopefully they will learn from this and not pass on bad judgement to thiers from the city of brotherly love
November 20th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I would suggest to Mayor Nutter…please look a little sadder ..okay? like these cut hurt YOU a bit? Can the grin. Thank you
November 21st, 2008 at 2:08 am
Our kids at risk
But for thier local branch, so many kids have no safe place to go between the end of school and when their parents come hom from work. If Mayor Nutter insist on closing their safe havens, then I suggest he starts an after school program in the schools . There has to be something for thses kids!!!!
And how about collecting the 500 million in back taxes the city is owed?? That would help with the short fall.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:31 am
CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION: Thursday, December 4, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.
City Hall (NE Corner entrance) – Council Chambers – Fourth Floor
City Council will introduce a resolution to keep all facilities open through the fiscal year while they look for solutions to the current budgetary challenges.
We urge you to attend – bring signs – support your libraries!
RALLY to SAVE THE LIBRARIES: Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 12:00 p.m. Central Library – 1901 Vine Street
RALLY on the front steps of Central
with State Representatives Mark Cohen, Babette Josephs, James Roebuck, Jr., City Councilman Bill Green, and more
followed by a MARCH TO CITY HALL to deliver petitions to the Mayor
December 7th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Alan Tu;
Thank you for keeping the issue of the Mayor’s Budget Cuts high on your website.
Mayor Nutter should keep the budget intact for libraries and pools. The citizens will reap the benefits of these many times over.
December 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
How does Mayor Nutter have any control over the stock market? (pensions) Can he focus on just one service at the expense of all other services (firefighters, libraries, etc.)? How do you stretch a rapidly shrinking budget to wrap around an entire city in need of services, when some people who could do for themselves - often refuse to? And other people who can’t do for themselves, need help doing for themselves and need those very services? I have only been able to attend one Town Hall meeting - but what I witnessed was lots of people shouting and yelling, but offering very few viable solutions. I saw a mayor besieged by angry citizens, and trying to explain WHY he was making cuts, what he was faced with, and I heard him asking the public for their help in how they would handle this situation. Mostly what he got was angry responses and people calling him the devil. That is not offering solutions - that is just a pointless brawl. Everyone is just arguing their own sides - no one is listening to each other, or trying to work together to come up with a better way for everyone to get “something.” No wonder Philadelphia is in a mess.
I agree with ‘Suburban Jan’ - my thanks to Alan and It’s Our City for keeping this matter a top issue, and for putting announcements out about these meetings, and the results, and for keeping us informed on matters with the City of Philadelphia.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:19 am
I have a few questions about “non-discretionary spending” that was raised at the Mayfair meeting (the only one I was able to attend). I understand that non-discretionary spending is ‘non-negotiable.’ However, there may still be ways to save money. Are there ways to lower costs? We all have had to find ways to lower our electricity usage, our gas usage, sometimes refinancing, etc. What about city cars and other ‘perks’- can some cars be auctioned off or downgraded? Does everyone need a certain kind of cell phone or BlackBerry? I wonder if maybe there is money flowing out the window somewhere that is being used on non-essentials (or after hours) that may not seem like “much” ($100 here or there, $20 here or there) - but it adds up to thousands or millions over time. President-elect Obama has suggested ways to go through the federal budget, including going “line by line” to find ways to reduce unnecessary spending. I think that’s a good way to go through the city budget - even when it seems like it’s been gone over already - to think outside the box and go over it again - “is there another way to look at this, can we handle this another way” - and put differences aside, put arguments and bad blood aside, and work together towards common goals, rather than just looking at what we disagree on. Let’s look at common ground instead of fighting.
December 14th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Just a couple short and long-term proposals I came up with after reading the 2008 Budget:
1. Take the contract away from PHMC, the organization that replaced the corrupt Safe & Sound, and place the funding for after school and summer programming into the libraries and recreation centers. This would also eliminate the sub-contracting costs to local social service organizations (who can seek their own non-city funding, and whose employees can go to the libraries and rec centers).
2. Decrease or eliminate monies to museums and art programs. They can seek grants, review their admittance fees and solicit advertising and sponsorships from companies and private funders just like other similar organizations. Why should they receive support while we lose libraries and recreation centers?
3. Sell some of the SUVs and other large vehicles used by city employees. A better shared use system, as well as the increased use of our public transportation would reduce costs.
4. Streamline the City Council. Allow Philadelphians to vote for the changes if Council members cannot make the changes themselves. They have generous full-time salaries for part-time work and excessive costs for staffing.
5. Increase political pressure to reorganize our judicial and penal system. Work to ensure criminals are both punished and rehabilitated so that our police force is not as over-extended and tax-paying residents do not leave the city because of our crime rate.
6. Continue to pressure the state to provide the Parking Authority’s revenue back into the hands of Philadelphians, rather than state administrators (both city and state corruption long known).
7. Lower wage and business privilege taxes so that residents and businesses move IN, rather than OUT of our city. Better we increase our sales tax than penalize people and businesses for residing here.
8. The fact that large successful businesses and people like the former Mayor Street’s brother (who stole millions from Philadelphians) are tax delinquent is unacceptable; review procedures for tax collection.
9. Review revenue from PGW. PGW has continuously raised rates to consumers, but the city has collected the same amount for years.
10. Renegotiate with the unions. We need labor protection more than we have in decades, but not with the level of corruption well known in this city. If they do not negotiate, they should lose contracts. Period.
11. Review the number of vacant lots and abandoned homes owned by the city. Sell them or get rid of them – quickly. This will also promote development and create safer communities.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I heard today that Nutter is giving the Mummers back $300,000 for the parade, after initially cutting about $355,000.
I know that the parade is a time-honored tradition, but seriously. I’ll take a library in a poor neighborhood over a superfluous celebration any day. And I would hope the mayor would feel the same way.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Mayor’s Rush to Judgment Risk to Public Safety
The impact that the current economic crisis is having on Philadelphia is something all of us in public service can appreciate, since our livelihoods are dependent on the government’s ability to meet its obligations.
Under these challenging circumstances, Mayor Nutter obviously has an obligation to take whatever steps are reasonable to cope with the shortfall in revenues being created by the recession. As the men and women working on the front lines of public safety, the members of Philadelphia Fire Fighters’ Union (IAFF Local 22) have an even more compelling responsibility. We are sworn to protect the citizens of Philadelphia by putting into practice nationally recognized firefighting practices.
Unfortunately, the path that politicians sometimes take when budgets are badly strained poses serious risks to public safety that we, as front-line firefighters, are duty bound to challenge.
That’s exactly the dilemma the Mayor’s summary judgment to shut down five fire engines and two ladders has created. The Mayor has apparently convinced the Fire Commissioner that this is a necessary step for dealing with the budget crisis. Yet, Philadelphia firefighters know, from first hand experience, that these drastic reductions in firefighting capability represent both a rush to judgment and a risk to public safety.
Let’s be clear about one thing. This is not a question of protecting jobs. This is about protecting lives - Citizens’ Lives. Firefighter’s lives.
We are adamantly opposed to the Mayor’s proposed service cuts based on the unshakeable conviction that they represent a gross misunderstanding about how fires are fought, especially the speedy logistics necessary for bringing multiple fire units to bear in order to combat a multiple alarm fire.
The study that the Mayor hastily compiled to vindicate his proposed service cuts did not involve any input from the front-line firefighters our union represents, nor was it shared with us before the cuts were announced publicly.
Only after we demanded to review the report was it shared with us. When we reviewed it, along with safety experts from the International Association of Fire Fighters, we discovered that the methods of determining whether services could be maintained at nationally recognized levels were seriously flawed. An arbitrary model was used that overly simplified factors involved in dispatching multiple units to a dire alarm in a timely manner – exactly the problem that the service cuts the Mayor has proposed will create.
We don’t believe that a temporary financial problem requires a permanent cut to public safety. We are calling on the Mayor to put off this decision until after an independent review has taken place and the courts have ruled on the matter. Since it is already clear that the massive stimulus package the president-elect wants to quickly pass will undoubtedly bring budget relief to cities like ours we think it might more prudent to take some time to look at the planned cuts more carefully.
We fully understand the challenge that hard times pose to our political leaders and our citizens, many of whom are experiencing severe economic hardships, and we want to do all we can to meet these challenges. But we cannot in good conscience sit idly by and allow hasty judgments about public safety to go unchallenged.
Dave Kearney
Recording Secretary
Philadelphia Fire Fighters’ Union
December 16th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Mayor Nutter’s announcements of November are understandable, yet also avoidable. Understandable because the traditional reaction to an economic downturn in government is to cut services, lay off workers and rethink taxes. Avoidable because all options should be on the table, but are clearly not.
The Mayor is courageous in getting the city and its citizens to face hard facts: in a recession tax revenues, especially business tax revenues start to decline. These revenues are based on the taxation of choices: renting a car, staying in a Philly hotel, buying something nice. The slackening of tax receipts are the small holes below the waterline of the ship of state.
Many disagree on the basics of what a city faced by hard times should do. Advocates for safer streets, clean streets, libraries, culture and public health stand for stable revenue streams to service vital – at times lifesaving – programs. Tax reform advocates, such the our own Inquirer editorialize against freezing the tax cuts in the name of inter-city competitiveness. Both positions are correct, but the false dichotomy of “either/or” prevents true common ground, and a solution to this apparent budget mess.
The Henry George Foundation agrees with the danger of budget cuts, but cannot agree that the only sources of revenue for these essentials are business taxes. Why? Who says?
The assumption that all business owners are ‘rich’ and ready to be plucked is a myth refuted through any newspaper’s business bankruptcies listing. Why must business always be the “go to” source of city revenue? Isn’t it time to look for new alternatives? Most employers in Philadelphia are small business owners. Again, look at the city’s tax receipts. Times are hard for them as well. Freezing their tax rate reduction is, we believe, more reflexive than reflective.
The arguments that general tax cuts are not effective in attracting families and business are questionable yet, if valid, cities and states are incredibly committed to the concept, on both sides of the aisle. For example, the new head of the Chamber of Commerce is all for slowing down general tax reduction, but I am confident he still supports tax breaks for the “big dogs” while telling a neighborhood dry cleaner or bodega to pay its fair share. From Comcast to BlackRock, we suspect the goodies will still flow.
On the other hand, it seems to us that the Mayor is not minimizing the real cash crisis facing the city. About 6% of the budget a year is a lot of money, especially when a budget scalpel is wielded. The voiceless and the powerless are the first to be ignored, and their concerns shelved. Those members of Council who are trying for cost savings on the expense side are probably leading the first wave of effective action, sort of like battening down the hatches at the first sign of an approaching storm.
In a recession - especially in a city with lagging indicators on all sides – business and wage tax revenues are particularly liable to drop dramatically as businesses retrench and job losses mount. Revenue can slip even with rate reductions and a rate freeze can only exacerbate the problem.
The fact is Philadelphia relies on tax revenue from two things – labor and capital - that can be hidden, can vanish, or can flee. Both are being whipsawed. There are few places to hide, especially from high tax rates on those two things.
If all options are indeed on the table, then we’d suggest that the city can come together and ask that revenues be raised from the one resource that is barely nicked by taxation: land values.
Through reforming the property tax, a tax on land value is a stable, efficient and progressive. No economist of any repute denies that a tax on land value makes the most economic sense. Professor Robert Inman has, for years, asked the city institute this simple, efficient and just tax.
By removing the tax on buildings and improvements, the tax penalty for construction is removed without blowing holes in the budget. Our data indicates that a land value tax, applied even with the current assessments would provide tax relief for homeowners in the most at-risk parts of the city. Notorious stretches of valuable vacant land: the “Grassy Knoll” at 20th and Market, the “Disney Hole” at 8th and Market (so notorious it has its own website), the wide open spaces of upper and lower Broad Streets, and the parking lots that make our Center City blocks look like mouths of smashed teeth, would finally see their owners pay their genuine fair share and contribute to the common good.
To fill our budget hole, and then some, we have to realize that there is community-created value, and privately-created value. Land values are the textbook case of community-created value. The more desirable we think a site is, the higher its value. We, the community need to keep that value for the services we need. Land values can pay for what the community needs and wants.
When we primarily collect privately created value, we have Philadelphia at a clear disadvantage because all other surrounding areas take less of it. It’s that simple.
So, let’s agree that everyone is right: advocates for city services, the Mayor and the tax reformers. We have to cut taxes on workers and production. We have to provide revenue so that essential programs are not cut; indeed many ought to be increased. The old dueling assumptions that our choices are either high taxes or low services are untenable as our society faces what is likely to be a long twilight period of no or reduced economic activity.
If all options are indeed on the table, then the land value tax idea deserves a seat at that table.
The gulf between “either/or” has to be bridged. We suggest a land bridge.
December 31st, 2008 at 9:14 am
Thank you Christine Larash for many viable solutions. I, too, agree that Mayor Nutter should look at selling off vacant properties to those who want to develop new homes and stores, and create jobs in doing so. And what about slumlords who don’t even set foot on “their” properties let alone maintain them..why should good, honest citizens be getting fined for not having lids on their garbage cans (like started this week)? And how about the parking authority cracking down on South Philly where double and triple parking has been a way of life without penalty? Issue tickets and see how fast the coffers fill up!! And what about tax delinquents….if they don’t pay, and ignore liens, take their property and sell it. In this age of foreclosure, why do businesses get away with what is not tolerated for everyday folks? Take out your scalpel Mayor Nutter and put away the sledge hammer.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
As a former secretary for Dist. Attorneys YAP we helped troubled youth. Well can this go a little farther and we as a City get the many Churches in and around the Phila. Area involved. You can meet with the Pastors and they can in turn give you names of some of our retired citizens who sitting home needing something to do. they can during the school term take turns policing the halls of our schools etc. and thus the children will have and gain respect for these senior citizens. They can be used in other areas also. Call them the Grandma & Grandpa Squads. Usup some of these very talented men and women right under our noses. It can start out on a vountary basis and as the economy improves we can one day give them a stipend. Please give this some serious thought.
AJS