Group 7
Dick Gross, Franne McNeal
43.5 points

Group Description:

The group began with twenty-two members who represented six neighborhoods in West, Southwest, South, Germantown, North, and Northwest Philadelphia. The group was 40% women and 60% men. The racial make-up was 30% Caucasian and 70% African-American. The ages range from late 20’s through seniors.

A “pre-session” was held during the plenary (since the building was not handicapped-accessible) for 7 people who were wheelchair bound and our used assistive devices for mobility. Members were interviewed by WHYY news staff. When the plenary ended, the large group (of 22), was eager to begin the process.

After five minutes reviewing the worksheet, small groups were formed to identify “Low Hanging Fruit” and the “No Way, No Hows”. Then, in the larger group, “top choices were shared, with discussion, and voting. Generally, the conversation was fairly distributed among the group. “Shared Pain” items were noted, and discussed towards the end of the evening. At 9:15 p.m. people were invited to write down additional charts on the flip chart (information included in these notes). People expressed that there was a sense of community among the members in getting the work done. Overall, it was a good group that worked hard.

One dissenting worksheets was filed.

Low-Hanging Fruit
Total Points: 21
• #1 - Administrative, 5 points (75%)
o City official provided some clarification.
• #16 - Vehicle Fleet: 6 points (80%)
o Not much discussion.
• #17 - Amusement tax, 2 points (100%)
o Generally felt that it taxed those that used the services, which was appropriate.
• #20 - Eagles, 4 points (90%)
• #21 - Parking, 2 points, (80%)
• #23 - Real estate Transfer Tax, 2 points (75%)
No Way, No How
Total Points: 116

• #5 - Fire - 20% cut - 20 points (100%)
o There was no support for ANY cuts for the Fire Department.
o “What about a process or criteria for cutting jobs (based on age, fitness, ability to do the job without physical limitations.”
o “The cuts sound unsafe. The %’s seem high.”
• #6 - Free Library - 20% cut - 3 points (100%)
o There was absolutely no discussion regarding making a 20% cut to the Library budget. (A 10% cut was moved to the Shared Pain bucket.)
• #7 - Housing, 7 points (100%)
o “This is not just a issue of “lost beds”, people are involved.”
• #13 - Public Health - 20% cut - 5 point (75%)
o “For many people (with aids, cancer, etc), this is their only option.”
o “For many people, the city nursing home is their only option.”
• #13 - Public Health - 30% cut -7 point (75%)
o “For many people (with aids, cancer, etc), this is their only option.”
o “For many people, the city nursing home is their only option.”
• #13 - Public Health, revenue option, 1 point (72%)
o “A small co-pay might be harmful, if people can’t afford medication and don’t get it.”
• #14 - Recreation - 10% cut - 2 point (100%)
o “For many youth, the neighborhood park and rec center is vital to their mental health and safety. Traveling into another neighborhood for recreation may be unsafe as they move into other “territories/turfs”.
o Reduce hours, don’t close centers.”
o “Carousel House, is the only park for disabled children/population/special needs, and it must be kept open.”
• #14 - Recreation - 20% cut - 3 point (100%)
• #14 - Recreation - 30% cut - 5 point (100%)
Shared Pain
Total Points: 22.5
• #1 - Administrative, revenue option, 1 points (51%)
o Clarification, administrative fees, not City Council fees. Fees range form $50-$90 dollars for a variety of services.
o “Probate fees and processing can get costly, when dealing with a will, due to the number of forms that need to be filed. Do not raise fees.”
o “If you pay these fees, can you deduct them on your taxes?”
• #15a - Streets, revenue option, 13 points (51%)
o “”I already pay now, and I don’t get my trash picked up, why should I pay more, and still not get my trash picked up?”
o “Enforcement is an issue. Maybe we need to hire a “trash cop.” People may “dump” trash on other people’s property.
• #25 - Wage/Resident, 6 points
o Uncomfortable with proposal as stated, wanted to cut tax in half.
• #26- Wage/Commuter, 2.5 points
o Uncomfortable with proposal as stated, wanted to cut tax in half.
• #2 - Courts - 0 points awarded
• #3 - DROP Program- 0 points awarded
• #8a - Human Services - 0 points awarded
o Several people felt this was a “No Way No How” item
o “Medicare does not cover everything.”
• #8b - Human Services - 0 points awarded
o Several people felt this was a “No Way No How” item
• #10 - Licenses and Inspections - 0 points awarded
o Consider 10% cut. Don’t want bugs in food or buildings falling down.”
• #11a - Police, 10% cut - 0 points awarded
o Several people felt this was a “No Way No How” item
o “We don’t know enough to cut the budget.”
o “No reason to look at cuts. Services are needed”
o “Nutter said in his campaign he would hire 100 more police. How can we cut the police before we even get them?”
• #11b - Police, 20% cut - 0 points awarded
o Several people felt this was a “No Way No How” item
• #12a - Prisons, 10% cut - 0 points awarded
o Several people felt this was a “No Way No How” item.
o Use job training to prevent recurring cycle of behavior. Include programs for re-transitioning.”
o “If prisons are closed, be creative with what is done, consider other options including training.”
• #12b - Prisons, 20% cut - 0 points awarded
o Several people felt this was a “No Way No How” item
• #15a - Streets - 0 points awarded
o “I think the 20% is a “No Way No How” item.”
• #22 - Real Estate - 0 points awarded
• #24 - Sales Tax - 0 points awarded
Gut Wrenchers

• Did not reach.

Big, Hairy Ambitious Goals

• Did not reach.
• “Even though we did not get to it, focus on getting payment for the judicial services.” Need to make this a priority now, so it is not always a “long-term” issue.
Memorable Quotes

• “None of these cuts will feel good. What is crucial to our lives, not just our quality of life?”
Other

• Felt that all revenue options (#17 - #25″ should be unanimously approved.
• Unsatisfied with revenue options. A lot more could be done (rolling back tax cuts to “pre-Street Administration”, progressive tax, and being creative with taxes on item that have not been taxed. Use aggressive tax collection processes.
• Raise taxes on businesses, but figure out a way to not harm small businesses (stifle their growth).”
• If do cuts, cuts should be uniform (across the board for all departments).
• For #1, administration, 20% cut, what about modifying it to cut 10% and exempt some departments (meaning the departments that collect revenue).
• For #1, administration, 20% cut, city official clarified that yes, city council did get an increase, and some city council members have given increase back, but in the city charter, the city council get $from the budget.