Nutter optimistic in speech to Chamber of Commerce

In his address before the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Mayor Michael Nutter offered a bit of a preview of his budget address coming up in a few weeks.

“Philly is hot,” the mayor declared.

Nutter’s speech to the business community included a hope for the future.

“Philadelphia will be a city of strong neighborhoods and commercial corridors, generating energy, a city on the move attracting a skilled and confident workforce,” he assured business leaders.

And he included a warning to the unions that have been working without a contract for years.

“City government must be put on a path to fiscal stability sustainability and fairness to both employees and taxpayers,” the mayor said. “I promise you, I will not accept anything less.”

Wage-tax reduction (possibly) coming

Nutter also announced he would make good on a promise.

“In the dark days of the recession, when we had to halt the annual city sponsored incremental wage tax reductions, I promised we’d restart those tax cuts in Fiscal Year 2014,” he said. “The budget I’ll propose on July 1 will do just that.”

But a proposed budget isn’t an implemented budget.

Nutter says the city needs to sell off Philadelphia Gas Works and the garage under LOVE Park, and seek more school funding from the state.