By Patrick Cobbs

When the bell rings, come out fighting. Philadelphia City Council budget hearings (cage matches) are underway, and the winners will be the ones who manage to drag themselves, bloodied and bruised, from room 400 when it’s all over in mid-May.

At least that’s how it feels sometimes.

Last week, I dropped by City Council to see how “the people’s budget” was faring in the hearings. They were discussing the $7.8 billion five-year capital plan.

No one was smiling.

On the hot seat most of the day was Alan Greenberger, executive director of the City Planning Commission. Next to him on either side was a never ending parade of experts pulled from the stable of city officials lingering in the back of the room.

Those eighty or so city suits stay back there all day, just in case one of council’s questions might hit on their area of expertise. This strategy only makes sense once you’ve had a look at the city’s budget detail. It’s thick enough to stop a bullet. Like from a howitzer.

City Council can get feisty when it comes to budget matters / Image credit: Albert Yee

The recipe for the day goes like this:

● Council member asks question about budget.

● City officials scramble to get answers, sometimes without success.

● Council member responds, often with easy to detect dissatisfaction, or anger.

● Repeat often.

Philadelphia City Council President Anna Verna

A searing example of this pattern came from Council President Anna Verna about, what else? Libraries.

She noted that the $14.6 million FY 2010 library improvement budget contained carryover funds from as far back as 2002. And when she asked her question, it came out very slowly.

“Why - does - it - take - so - long - to - spend - your - funds?”

Greenberger and friends shuffled papers and came up with the exacting details of just where and when the money from 02, 04, 05 and 06 would be spent. And with an unwavering gaze befitting only a Council President, Verna changed tacks. She asked why the Eastwick branch in Southwest Philadelphia was still closed, and when it was scheduled to open.

Problems with the boiler, and later in the spring were the answers.

Verna asked if funds were allocated to fix Eastwick’s boiler.

A quiet, “no” was the answer.

Silence fell.

Verna spoke slowly again. “Eastwick was supposed to have been one of the libraries that was to be closed. And now that the libraries are going to remain open I would think this library should remain open as well.”

More silence.

“You’re smiling and I’m smiling,” Verna said. “I’m sure you’ll find the money.”

Another pause.

“Will the budget have to be amended to get money to fix the boiler?” Verna asked as slowly as ever.

“We hear you,” was the answer.

“I know people hear,” Verna paused. “But will they do?”

“I did hear and we will do,” came the answer.

About mid-way through the day I got to talking with a City Council staffer about the tension in the room. This person, who did not want to be named in an interview, offered the opinion that it was all part of council’s peculiar mode of business.

“Everything is behind the scenes,” the staffer said. “The 51 Charter over-reformed, it stripped too much power from the council and so they play their games behind the scenes.”

That “51 Charter” is, of course, the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter. The one that took city governing powers from the hands of state legislators and located it wholly within the city for the first time.

Whether the staffer is right about “the scene” or not, it is clear a sub surface drama is playing out within these hearings, sometimes more than one at once.

Take this spicy exchange between Councilman At-Large Bill Green and City Budget Director Stephen Agostini.

As one of perhaps ten people in the city who know the budget back-to-front Agostini is the guy who stays with council all the way through May, while other department heads like Greenberger go back to their territory after a day.

Budget Director Steve Agostini pictured on the left with Planning Commission Director Alan Greenberger in the center

As such, Agostini swept in next to Greenberger when Green asked about a 2007 PICA report identifying facility repair needs for police, fire and prisons. Green spoke from a sheet that listed PICA estimates next to city proposed spending amounts on big ticket items. Since the numbers were different he wanted to know exactly what projects the city proposal covered and how they would compare to the PICA recommended projects.

Agostini responded that he did not have a breakdown at hand but that he could get one to Green. That did not do the trick. Green, who had apparently asked the same question earlier in the day, complained that Agostini then promised to have the answer for him within one hour, but that hour was up. And then he suggested that Agostini was attempting to avoid the issue all together.

City Councilman Bill Green

“It’s the same thing you said last year at this time,” Green said, loudly. “You’ve had a year and that is unacceptable.”

“That is not what I said,” Agostini responded. “I said I will get back to you today. I am sorry that you are unwilling to wait even a day or an afternoon.”

And Agostini left his seat.

Council President Anna Verna signaled the break for lunch and Green hastened to add a call for a “more productive discussion” coming from the city than was currently at play.

Everyone stood. Then Councilman At-Large James Kenney, whose desk is perhaps as far away from Green’s as the space could permit, turned to face some council staffers.

“That’s unacceptable,” he mocked. “I’ll hold my breath till I turn blue!”

And the huffy-puffy face he made, well let’s just say I live with a toddler and I recognized it.

Productive discussion indeed. But to burrow a sentiment from Verna, I am sure they’ll find their groove by May.