City budget plan taxes sugary drinks and charges for trash pickup

    The next stop for Philadelphia’s 20-11 budget is City Council and the public hearing process.

    The next stop for Philadelphia’s 2011 budget is City Council and the public hearing process. [audio:100304TMCOUNCIL.mp3]

    Council members sat attentively and heard what Mayor Michael Nutter had to say as he revealed plans for the budget and how it works with the city’s fiscal situation, but council isn’t completely receptive. Councilman Jim Kenney says the city is facing a mandate by residents to keep services but there needs to be some way to pay for increasing costs.

    I think there is going to be some tweaking of the trash fee issue, the soda issue we have to play out and see how it goes, but anyone who tells me no on both of those should tell me what I need to do to provide the level of services they have come to expect.

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    Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown was frank about the situation.

    Reynolds Brown: Trash fee is not palatable to Blondell Renyolds Brown, period that’s my answer to the question.

    There will be almost two months of council hearings on the budget, including evening and even a Saturday session.

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