Mayor Nutter lays out doomsday budget

    Nutter says if Harrisburg does not approve the one cent sales tax hike and changes to the pension plan, 3,000 positions will be eliminated.

    Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has laid out his doomsday budget scenario. Nutter says if Harrisburg does not approve the one cent sales tax hike and changes to the pension plan, 3,000 positions will be eliminated.

    Listen:
    [audio: 090730spbudget.mp3]

    Picture no libraries, no recreation centers, and trash pick up only two times a month. That’s the scenario laid out by Mayor Nutter to the 200 plus crowd gathered in the courtyard of City Hall.

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    Nutter: We’re not asking the Commonwealth, we’re not asking the General Assembly, we’re not asking the Governor for one dime, we’re asking for help to help ourselves in this crisis.

    Nutter also says the police department would lose 972 positions, six fire engine companies would be closed and two health centers would shut down. He asked the crowd to contact state legislators and ask them “nicely” to approve the sales tax hike and pension changes. Harrisburg lawmakers are embroiled in their own budget battle.

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