Group Moderators: Elizabeth Perry and Pyser

Group Overview:
When the session ended, one member of the group was heard telling some friends out in the hall that “We were the 12 angry men! But we got the job done!” And they (12 men and 8 women, not really that angry) did - for a total of 99 points on the thermometer.

The group - mostly white (one black woman, one Asian man); 40 percent younger than 40, and 40 percent older than 55, with the rest in between in age - came together in what really was a gratifyingly cooperative frame of mind. There were complaints of being confined to a box by the PPCE deliberative process, and people’s comments did pile up on top of one another from time to time. (This moderator found herself calling for quiet at one point in a surprisingly loud tone of voice…) Nonetheless, the mood was positive, and there was a commitment to seeing the exercise through to completion. (Hire these people!) Most participants were from nearby neighborhoods (Wissinoming, Academy Gardens), with one person each coming from Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy, and a nearby suburb. At the end of the session, following the considerable tension of pushing through votes to meet the time deadline, several participants surprisingly (to this moderator) expressed gratitude and some pleasure in the work we had done. There were no dissenting work sheets submitted.
Low Lying Fruit:

• Vehicle fleet reductions (No. 16); collecting from the Eagles (No. 20); reducing Administrative budgets and raising recording fees (No. 1 and No. 1); and increasing parking garage fees (No. 21) made the grade here for a total of 16 points.

• DROP (No. 3), law (No. 9), prisons (No. 12), sales (No. 24), and streets (No. 15) fell short of the needed votes.

• People wanted unnecessary services cut (vehicle privileges) and appropriate fees collected (Eagles, administrative recording fees), but they resisted cuts that had resulting costs. (Prison cuts would lead to more crime; law cuts would lead to the city losing court judgments; sales tax raises would lead to purchases outside the city.)

Note: There was a question raised about the $8 million from the Eagles only getting 2 points….

No Way, No How:

• Police and Fire Department cuts went on this ‘don’t touch’ list very quickly.

• Police response time was already deemed too slow, and the city murder rate too high. The Fire Department had already faced cuts in the previous budget go-round.

• Public Health went on the NWNH list after one woman told how she, as a 13-year-old, had lost her mother to a treatable disease because her mother could not afford to go to the hospital for treatment. (This prompted heated discussion about health-care issues for some moments until the moderator expressed sorrow at the loss of a mother, and noted that, although the health-care system was undeniably in crisis, the only issue we could have a voice on here was the city public health services.)

• Streets Department cuts and BPT increases did not make this ‘don’t touch’ list. People could imagine reducing the Streets Department, and they did not like the chilling effect of BPT increases on business life in the city.

Shared Pain:

• “Pay-as-you-throw” (No. 15) got support here as revenue for the Streets Department - with a suggestion that we even pay people to recycle (because it would create revenue for the city).

• Real Estate Transfer Tax (No. 23, for 2 mills) got support with the reasoning that the national stimulus package would help revive the housing market, and people who could afford houses could pay this tax. A dissenting view saw people facing desperate housing foreclosures - so there was no proposal for real estate tax increases (No. 22).

• Amusement tax increase (No. 17) went on this list - “People who will go to a movie will go to a movie (sports event, concert).”

• The Law Department cut went through with a suggestion that we end retainers for lawyers and make them consultants.

• Resident wage tax increases did not make this list because residents would then leave the city.

• Recreation did not make this list, even though people thought there might be some deadweight in that budget. Kids need a place to go to, and they should not end up in prison or on drugs.

Gut Wrenchers:

The pressure of time and the possibility of hitting 100 on the thermometer (we hit 99) curtailed extensive comments in this section.

Resident wage tax increase (No. 25), courts (No. 2), DROP (No. 3), prisons (No.12, for 10 points), Streets (No. 15, for 10 points), real estate tax increase (No. 22, for 2 mills), and sales tax increase (No. 24) made the final cut.

Prisons got the bulk of the discussion in this section.
Suggestions: “Get rid of the TVs.” “Have them build solar panels and windmills.” “Put them to work.” One woman with work experience with the prison food service suggested that the prisoners ate better than people in this meeting room. There was also a sense that prisoners released would mean more crime and then a rebound back to prison. (So what money would be saved really?)

Other Ideas:

• City Council car privileges got special mention as ripe for cuts (even though that item is in a separate budget).

• Reducing the mayor’s entourage of “smart people.” Get professors as consultants to replace mayor’s advisers. Quote: “Didn’t “smart people” get us into this Wall Street mess in the first place?”

• What about a lottery for the city? ($20 (or more) tickets?)

• Pay residents for recycling (income generated for the city).

• Amnesty for Business Privilege Tax: No interest or penalty to be paid, just pay the tax itself.

• DROP program: How can we stop people from retiring for a day and then returning to work for additional pay?

• Get DROP money already distributed to politicians (and others) returned to the city.

• Libraries - Recruit volunteers?