Increased EMS fees, concessions by city workforce key to Nutter budget

    By: Tom MacDonald

    Mayor Nutter has officially presented his budget to Philadelphia City Council. It’s full of service cuts, and includes new taxes and increases in fees for residents and businesses.

    By: Tom MacDonald
    tmacdonald@whyy.org

    Mayor Nutter has officially presented his budget to Philadelphia City Council. It’s full of service cuts, and includes new taxes and increases in fees for residents and businesses.

    Transcript:
    The budget calls for reducing 250 positions in the city workforce, charging fees for commercial trash collection, increasing EMS fees and reducing demolitions by the department of Licenses and Inspections. Mayor Nutter says he’s also asking the city’s unionized workers for help

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    Nutter: “This budget plan also does not include any money for salary increases. If raises are to be found, those dollars must come from other efficiencies that labor and management implement in the course of the contract negotiations.”

    A two year property tax increase and one percent sales tax hike are also including in the spending plan.

    The budget will undergo weeks of council scrutiny and negotiations with the administration before it comes before the body for a final vote.

    Listen:
    Click on the play button below or right click on this link and choose “Save Link As” to download. [audio: reports20090319budget2.mp3]

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