City Council OKs Law Requiring Parental Supervision of Teens at Tanning Salons
The final vote came after some last-minute pleas from those on both sides of the issue.
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The final vote came after some last-minute pleas from those on both sides of the issue.
Charter operators and district officials gathered at Boys' Latin Charter School, in West Philadelphia, to join in the push for city and state money to fill the district's $304-million budget gap.
"If and until those bills are introduced on the state level, and we see some sense that there is some action, there's really not a lot that we can do locally," City Council president Darrell Clarke says.
Rob Dubow, the mayor's finance director, argued against raising the city's "U&O" business tax and in favor of boosting taxes on liquor and cigarettes.
City Council's Finance committee today examines a proposal from Seventh District councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez on the 'Use and Occupancy Tax,' or U&O, a type of property tax specific to business owners.
Philadelphia City Council will take up a bill later this month to regulate tanning salons, now that it's been approved in committee.
Council President Darrell Clarke says council will comply with the School District's request, but only if Harrisburg does the same. But how Clarke could get such guarantees is unclear, particularly since the state budget is unlikely to be settled before the city's.
Their frustration was evident in a speech made at the hearing by at-large councilman Denny O'Brien (at left in photo).
Mayor Nutter is still in court battling to stop an arbitration award to the firefighters for a contract period that began in 2009.
By a 15-0 vote, councilmembers approved a measure that would for the first time allow advertising on publicly owned buildings such as recreation centers, and on city vehicles including trash trucks.
But even as the American public becomes more accepting of the LGBT community, Pennsylvania has been slow to make a move when it comes to same-sex marriage or to expand LGBT civil rights.
Councilman at-large David Oh says questions abound over the accuracy of the new assessments, and he says the methodology released last week did not clear up how the new property values were calculated.
Council hasn't decided whether or how it can give the school district $60 million more, but dozens from the public urged Council to find a way.
"The budget, in its current form, simply cannot support the services provided this year," SRC chair Pedro Ramos told Philadelphia lawmakers.
The Nutter administration says the controversial fire department policy of station "brownouts" will continue even if City Council appropriates extra money to eliminate them.
BRT executive director Carla Pagan says the time required will be determined by the number of formal appeals filed, which she estimates could range between 10,000 and 50,000, or more.
Clarena Tolson, the longtime Philadelphia streets commissioner, is now the revenue commissioner.
DA Seth Williams went before City Council's budget committee today asking for an extra $2.75 million above the nearly $32 million that Mayor Nutter has proposed for the district attorney's office.
City Council members are accusing Mayor Nutter of foot-dragging on putting advertising on city properties in order to generate some much-needed cash.
Robin Jones, 50, avoided jail time following her guilty plea in the wake of a car crash last September in which she rammed a city-owned car into a building at 13th and Hamilton Streets.
The Sheriff of Philadelphia has gone hat in hand to City Council, asking for a whopping 30-percent increase in his budget to hire 100 extra deputies.
"We have a long, long, long, long way before you will see the tactile material disappear," Free Library president Siobhan Reardon told a Philadelphia City Council hearing.
City Council members say their own analysis of new property assessments points to the great need for relief measures for those hit hardest by rising property values.
"I'm very disappointed," said city councilman Bill Greenlee, who tried but failed to get the 12 votes needed to override Mayor Nutter's veto.
Council's attempt to override the veto will not come until next week, if at all.
