It's Our City is a project that uses TV, Radio and Web
to promote civic engagement in the Philadelphia region.No Cuts Planned for Philadelphia's Libraries and Recreation Centers
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 at 6:32 pm - by Matt Campbell. Filed under: Budget.
Philadelphia Teen Center (Rec Dept) provide programs for youth, ages 13 to 18
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter confirmed today that all city libraries and recreation centers will remain open in the next fiscal year. In a statement by the mayor, he said the budget plan he will present to city council tomorrow morning will protect both these department and steady funding for the city’s health clinics and the programs designed to help the homeless. He said, that his spending plan aims to protect those most vulnerable in Philadelphia.
“Throughout this budget process the citizens have spoken loud and clear – you want us to do our best to protect the most vulnerable among us,” said Mayor Nutter. “My budget will do just that.”
In addition, Nutter says the city will be operate 46 pools this summer. Many residents at the budget workshops viewed rec center, swimming pools and libraries as all being services important in providing at-risk kids a safe haven to go to.
Two other departments that citizens said they didn’t want cut were the fire and police departments. They are safe. Earlier this week the mayor announced that there will be no layoffs or major cuts to either.
So, why has the mayor leaked so much of his own budget to the media? The spin meister in me thinks, he’s done a sly job of creating himself as the spokesperson for the people. If city council is going to trash this budget, they might come off as being tone deaf.
One area the mayor might get some push back will likely be over which taxes to raise, so we can fully fund the citizens most prized programs. Nutter has already said he favors raising the city’s sales and property taxes. Council will probably put up a loud stink over this.
As for citizens at the budget workshops, residents did show a willingness to pay higher taxes to protect certain departments. But the people’s preference was the wage tax first and real estate taxes last. Here’s an excerpt from the final report on the budget workshops.
Progression of acceptable taxes: Citizens tended to go through a
similar progression in agreeing to tax increases. The first one
endorsed usually was the amusement tax. It’s a tax on a voluntary
activity and there are free amusements – parks, free concerts, etc.
Next came the parking tax, followed by wage taxes (both resident and
commuter), then sales and finally real estate. Some groups wanted
major tax increases to come with a provision they would be reduced
as the economy strengthened. There was concern that the city would
get used to those tax rates and keep them – so many people wanted it
to be explicit when hikes were temporary and subject to a sunset provision.
For the mayor, a longtime proponent for lowering the wage tax, said raising the wage tax is not a road he was willing to go down.
The mayor is scheduled to address the City Council and present his budget tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. It will be shown live on the city’s Channel 64 feed. Of course, We’ll also have reports on this on WHYY-FM at the top of each hour.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:26 am
OK, as a home owner I am expected to pick up 19% of the revenue short fall in 2009? What guarantee do I get the tax will be removed in year 2011?
I PROTEST this thinking and expectation on the part of Mayor Nutter and others in his administration.
Has anyone in the Nutter administration taken a look at the City Controller’s reports on waste with several City agencies? If not-why not begin looking at his suggestions? He spoke at a meeting I attended and I was astonished at some of the issues he revealed! Like the City losing a $100,000.00 tax payment check from Comcast! Or, payments laying in a clerks in basket until the clerk was able to process the documents attached to the payment? The usual lag time between receiving a payment and the actuall depositing of it was TWO weeks. As an accounting professional, I would be fired if I handled my employers money so casually.
I would rather see the wage tax increased to the level of two year ago for the next several years–instead of raising the property tax. At least that way people who do not live in Philadelphia can help pay for the services used while working here.
Close the libraries one more day a week. After all people do not go the the local library six days a week.
ELIMINATE all excessive OVERTIME abuse by police and fire department employees who are five or fewer years from retirement. Better yet, eliminate all overtime (only approved by the people who record the time) for everyone. UNIONs may not like this but THERE is ABUSE of the self-monitoring of overtime and it’s approval.
As a very active community member, I will consider moving from the City if this excess, punishing tax becomes fact.
Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinion here. Sharon Crawford
March 19th, 2009 at 10:05 am
What would Barlett & Steele do about taxes in Phila?
The reason I ask is because the former Inquirer reporters (key word: former) are our local experts on the quality of our democracy as viewed through tax policy. I’ve been thinking about them and how hard it is to keep up with their work now that they are itinerant fab journalists who have taken their expert investigations on the road since leaving the Inquirer. So yesterday I googled, and voila! They have a website with their great work in easy view:
http://barlettandsteele.com
And right there under the Journalism tab is their important article from 1996 called “AMERICA: WHO STOLE THE DREAM? The Have–Mores and Have–Lesses”
Posted below is what they had to say in 1996 regarding the excessive burden of state and local taxes caused by the failure of fairness in our national tax system. My “hope” is that the the meltdown of our financial system and the conflicts caused by this crisis in Philadelphia can be used for greater good. We the people need an intensive education about the reasons we pay taxes–how & why the rates are set. We need to push for fairness. Hopefully citizen engagement didn’t end with the public forums in February and all the loud people in Philadelphia will keep learning about our government and keep complaining until we get it right.
From Barlett & Steele, AMERICA: WHO STOLE THE DREAM? The Have–Mores and Have–Lesses • September 22, 1996:
THE STILL GREATER TAX BURDEN: STATE AND LOCAL. While the people in Washington have been easing the tax burden on the wealthiest citizens, they have been shifting more responsibilities — and therefore taxes — to state and local governments. These taxes fall hardest on middle-income taxpayers. That’s true whether it’s state income and sales taxes or local real estate and excise taxes.
Overall, the local and state tax burdens have doubled in the last 40 years. In 1955, they consumed 12 percent of wage and salary income. By 1995, it was 23 percent. Put another way, if median family income had gone up at the same pace as state and local taxes, 50 percent of all families today would earn more than $95,000 a year. In reality, only 4 percent do.)
http://barlettandsteele.com/journalism/inq_dream_1.php