Philly again looks at allowing ads on city-owned property

Philadelphia City Council is reviewing whether to allow advertising on city-owned property.

Council President Darrell Clarke believes putting advertising on city-owned property could bring in considerable money for Philadelphia. He’s pushing for it to become reality as soon as possible.

“This particular proposal is one that has been tried and proven to be extremely effective all across the United States,” Clarke said Thursday.

SEPTA, for example, is making about $14 million a year from advertising on vehicles and buildings, according to Scott Goldsmith of the company that handles that business.

“We handle sales, marketing, posting, removal of ads, billing collections and operations,” he said.

Opponents of the plan say the advertising would be an eyesore. Another complication is that buildings financed with tax-free bonds can only generate so much money before they run afoul of IRS regulations.