We received nearly 80 written comments at the citizen budget workshop held last night in South Philadelphia. While the turnout was over 400 people, fewer people chose to leave messages on our “Wailing Wall” or through our video testimonies than previous nights. The majority of messages are from folks who use many of the city’s Recreation Department programs and don’t want to see them cut. There remains a lot of anger at the city council’s abuse of the DROP retirement program, and over money that is owed to the city. Enjoy these.

Wow! The first to wail…pretty cool. As a resident, city employee and library worker…I don’t see how the city can continue to fund pensions, health care and services for the poor in this economic climate. We may need to temporarily close most libraries and recreation centers until conditions improve. Furlough city workers and re-negotiate health care and pensions.

The city has reduced spending, i.e. $100 m in DHS which has resulted in enormous lay-offs in the private sector. There have been no commensurate layoffs, furloughs and or increased co-payments by city workforce. How about it? What is fair is fair.

Libraries prevent crime.

Instead of talking about cuts, how about concentrating on revenue. Go get the money that’s owed the city!

Don’t make cuts to the police or homeless. Those are two things that need increased funds. Keep Philly’s streets safe and our most in need with a roof over their heads.

Reduce/Eliminate the 10 year real estate tax abatement. It’s unfair that most Philadelphians must suffer while others don’t even pay real estate taxes!

Beacon “Cosmetology” Students wanted to know will their program be cut.

Please note: Use some of the money that is in the aviation fund to fund some budget gaps.

Please be sure to consider the lives, safety, and well being of our city’s children. When weekly recyclable collection trumps neighborhood libraries, schools, and social service provision we will surely suffer.

Contribute more, help to maintain funds available to preserve and create more affordable housing for residents.

More youth around the country for kids and adults all over for the relationships of are world and have more kids reach out to kids all over to make and become someone with a little help and hope in one another. Love Sereniybg

Collect fines due (including bail $)
Collect uncollected taxes
Make sure institutions (HUP/Jefferson) pay for services they receive
End 10 year tax abatement
Increase efficiency of court system. Get judges to work a full day.
More city offices to city owned properties. Save $ on rent.
Have Prisoners do community service to clean this filthy city.

The health centers must remain open.

Keep parks, trails, and recreation. They provide safe places to hang out, a free place to exercise, and a beautiful refuge from city streets. It’s a small price to pay for countless benefits to the city’s residents and visitors!

Collect the $600,000 plus back taxes from the Econo-Lodge. 2015 Penrose Ave. Not to mention back utilities.

This isn’t a forum. You’re trying to make us feel like we’re deciding on decisions you’ve already made for us.

Must keep health centers open and operational at a minimum at current levels. Many Philadelphians with severe medical conditions (and uninsured) that will suffer severely without these services. If you do not have your health, the rest is meaningless.

Open health center #2. Open for health care. Change minimum fee of $2 for visit. Renovate the building. Add more physicians and nurses.

Instead of choosing what to cut out of already under resourced struggling communities, Philadelphia needs to rethink how to do things more efficiently. Invest in our young people. They are the ones will drive us into the future.

I am a woman who has come thru the shelter system. I left domestic violence and substance abuse. I am on my way to obtaining housing because of the mayor’s initiative with a voucher. Please do not make cuts to the shelter system. Without it, many women will be forced out on the street and Worse!! Annette Riggs

Public health is the backbone to everyone’s health in this city from health centers to rat control to prevention.

Stimulus Bill: Employ youth 14-21, they enjoy the most disposable income and will spend it. 2 months will help businesses.

Revenues. Enforce laws of litter and illegal dumping. Bootsie.

Cut Costs. Drastically cut upper management and their salaries. Also Waste. Bootsie.

Future. Bring mfg to Phila. (could be green related) Bootsie.

Get rid of car fleet. Mayor, police cms, fire cms, water cms, (may have car and driver)
All others use trans pass and cab voucher. Also limitations on flyers in neighborhoods.

Contractors should remove trash from job site and when power spray buildings should not use fire hydrants.

Land value tax for fair and steady revenue.

Please bring the city in line with the suburbs as far as attracting people to the city. Our parking rates are horrendous while the malls are free. Our services are bloated and a bureaucratic morass while the suburbs are lean and our services seem sporadic while the burbs are efficient. Come up with a plan to attract people to come here instead of going to the suburbs.

We need a true change in the way the city spends money. 1) i.e. Leasing expensive office space - when empty city building are available. 2) Cutting upper management (60,000 up) hours to keep small families able to work. 3) Collect outstanding fines from all sources - may cut out interest and penalties to motive citizens to pay. 4) Get volunteers to do city council. Not Pay - Aide position.

Recreation centers keep kids safe, active and off the streets thus preventing crimes.

Why does the mayor have the power to close fire companies but not libraries? Seems like a strange order of priorities.

I am opposed to charging $ for trash pick-up. First of all, it will negatively impact the poor. They can afford x = 240$/year which will only increase. They will through their trash anywhere thus increasing 1) rodents. (which are out of control anyway) 2) Possible clogged sewers. Secondly, who will weigh the trash, if there is a weight limit? I do not want to be at the mercy of the trashmen, who may not be impartial. The idea of $ for trash pickup is crazy.

1) No closing of libraries.2) No fee for trash.

Please do a line-by-line assessment of every city budget item. Use a scalpel, not a sword.

Please devise a plan to clean up vagrancy. Educate/train the homeless so they can work. Buy homes (thus cleaning up neighborhoods and contribute to not detract from quality of life!

Mr. Mayor. Please consider: 1) Eliminating all programs that are inefficient. 2) rather than closing the libraries, allow them all to remain open, but reduce hours (e.g. close on Sun/Mon, Fri/Sat, Sat/Sun) This will assist with reducing cost of utilities. 3) Consider having health centers open 4 days a week with longer hours. Thank You!

Regarding Crime: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Teach the Ten Commandments in all schools. We will not have so much crime if the young are taught to observe the natural law. Thank You.
Dear Mr. Mayor: Please stand up to Unions. Don’t take the easy way out by cutting city services.
No trash charge. RE tax is enough. Do not cut the fireman and police force. No DROP. Catholic and private schools should be helped - parents pay taxes.

We already pay enough taxes - Yet you intend to charge us again for trash collection. Our city council members retire and collect retirement money, then return to the same jobs. Explain this DROP program.

I believe that we should support Parks and Rec Dept. because of the economic. More folks will have no place to go. And would generate more crime. Elderly folks are already afraid to leave home. Save the parks and recreation dept.

List of 10%. 20% and 30% fees/revenue ideas from city dept. rather than cuts in services.

Fairmount Park is the city’s best asset. Save it!

Budget Issues: 1) Why is the city building an annex to the Central Branch of the Library at a cost of $150m? How can this be justified when branches are at risk of closing?
2) The DROP program is a joke. Why is it permitted to exist? 3) Why were there only 141 city layoffs? There are over 23,000 employees of the city. Population has decreased and so has the need for these add’l employees. Time to layoff non-essential employees. 4) End city cars to council members!

Public Health is foundational to the society and individual. Prevention through education is essential to public wellness. Let’s do all we can to keep health educators in our schools.

Dear Mayor, Can you please consider other cuts that truly will impact budget vs. returning 80% of state Act 148. dollars for prevention and OST budget/servicer which will only save the city 20 cents on the dollar. The OST has endured an enormous amount of cuts since the start of your administration. We need to keep any state dollars or matches to prevent our youth from turning into HS kids. Yvonne Soto. Nsca.

Concerning dirty properties. Home owners or business owners should be responsible to keep pavements clean. If a fine is imposed for neglected properties, the fine amount can be given to someone who will clean the property. Thank You.

1) Stop Imprisening drug offenders.2) Get rid of/fix DROP pensions. 3) Collect outstanding $ owed city. 4) Continue to support services for the poor: work programs, social services, medical services, civil legal aid.

1) School district buildings all open til 7pm and make school library accessible after school. Use OST providers to stuff library. 2) Expand OST (out-school time) to create more opportunities for children, this will reduce crime. 3) self defense lessons for police and fire.

Improve School food.

I like swimming with my dad. Please keep the pools open.

Please remember the children in these times. Recreation centers provide safety to so many, keep them in full operation.

Keep the health centers open. All of them!

Hi, My name is Jasmine Lopez, I’m 14 yrs and I don’t think that something as important as health services should be cut.

Please don’t cut funding to the Wissahicon. It is a priceless gem that the city can not do without.

I don’t think the casino idea would really help this city, because casinos are dangerous and for one to be in the gallery wouldn’t be right in my opinion. Age 14.

Mr. Mayor: re: budget cuts. Please consider an equal budget reduction across the board. (eg. 10%, 15%, other) Leave it to the discretion of each city department to determine how to manage their budget. Give them a deadline. If no decision is made by the deadline, make an executive decision.

I don’t believe that these comments will have any effect on anything.

Drop the DROP program especially for politicians. Stop city cars for everyone.

Please keep Rec centers open. Don’t cut hours.

Idea to increase revenue. *have every family who has a student in the public school system (including charters schools) pay nominal fee (annual) (ex. $50-100) Can generate 20-30 million dollars.

Save our health centers. Balance budget by cutting city council staff perks etc, go after court fees, how does NYC do it? And we can’t?

City worker insurance should not be cut off. If 12 wks of illness. It’s needed when you are out sick. Not when working and well.

Cutting funding for the arts in Philadelphia is not an option. Not only do arts organizations improve the quality of life in the community, but major institutions such as the PMA generate $1.3 billion in visitor spending. Combined with job and tax revenue they contribute. The arts are proven as a valuable investment of city resources.

Closing fire houses is taking people’s lives in your hands.

How can you cut shelter and housing and treatment when 500 people sleep on our streets and 14 have died on those streets this year?

I believe we should focus on increasing revenue before cutting services. PILOT alone cold close 1/3 gap. Raising business taxes for large businesses would get us the rest of the way.

Suggestion: Reduce cost of debt service by selling low interest (1-2%) municipal bonds directly to the public, similar to selling US savings bonds directly to the public.
Who Benefits? Conservative investors are eager to find alternatives to Wall St and banks.
Who Benefits? City pays 1-2% instead of 5-6% interest to bond-holders.
How? Mayor Nutter should appoint the “Bond Finance Marketing Commission” charged with developing the administrative structure needed to market the bonds directly to citizens and investors. Finally, use revenue generated from sale of low-interest bonds to pay-off high-interest municipal bonds.

The Beacon Center. Box partnered with the United communities’ south phila is a good program for adults pursuing a cosmetology career. I am a graduate and have obtained my cosmetology license November of 2008. The program is a success. Many other women/men are enrolled to pursue the same goal. Keep the programs open. Kim Gresham.