Breaking: Nutter Details Super-Doomsday Plan, “The Largest Lay Off Of Philadelphia Public Servants In History”
Thursday, August 20, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMAYOR NUTTER DETAILS NECESSARY STEPS TO IMPLEMENT PLAN C BUDGET CUTS, TRANSMITS REVISED BUDGET TO CITY COUNCIL
Philadelphia, August 20, 2009 – Today Mayor Michael A. Nutter Today transmitted to the Philadelphia City Council a revised Five Year Plan that, if implemented, will result in the largest lay off of Philadelphia public servants in history. This proposed plan would be the most radical, painful and unprecedented dismantling of City government since the Home Rule Charter created City government in 1951.
In order to maintain a balanced budget and five year plan without Commonwealth approval for its requested sales tax and pension changes, the City will have to make very significant expenditure reductions in its budget. Those reductions are:
The Police Department’s budget will be reduced by $43.9 million. This will include reductions of 739 sworn police officer positions, and 43 civilian positions, and will not allow for replacement of police officers that leave through attrition. The total position reduction is expected to reach 972 for FY10, including 929 sworn officers.
The Fire Department will deactivate six engine companies and three ladder companies in FY10, reducing 36 officer positions and 120 firefighter positions. With this number of company deactivations, fire stations are also likely to close. The Fire Department will deactivate five Advanced Life Support (ALS) medic units, reducing 40 paramedic positions. The City will immediately conduct the necessary study to identify the specific units or locations impacted by the funding reductions. The Fire Department’s budget will be reduced by $16.7 million.
The Streets department’s budget will be reduced by $14.4 million. Waste collection will no longer be collected on a weekly basis – instead, garbage will only be picked up on a bi-weekly schedule. This may lead to increased litter and short dumping problems. The Department will also reduce citywide cleaning: $1.7 million will be reduced through eliminating all mechanical cleaning, litter basket support, and special event cleaning, resulting in increased litter problems. The Department will also eliminate several contracts and services, including removing bulbs from 4,000 street lights for arterial roadways, and switching 1,000 traffic signals to all red flash, thereby converting each intersection in to an all-way stop.
In the Health Department, two City Health Centers will cease operations, reducing expenditures by $4.7 million. This would eliminate 112 positions, and have significant impacts on citizens who rely on the health services that these centers provide. The City will immediately conduct the necessary study to identify the specific locations impacted by the funding reductions.
The Free Library will cease operations at all libraries (including all 53 branches and Central), for a reduction of $29.6 million and 490 positions. This will have a significant impact on residents, especially children who use libraries after school, adults who use computer facilities for job applications, and those who use the library facilities for research purposes. Efforts will be made to ensure the safety and security of the buildings.
The Recreation Department will cease operations at all recreation facilities, at a reduction of $30.8 million and 520 positions. This will include all gymnasia, senior adult centers, ball fields, swimming pools, and playgrounds, impacting children and adults who use these facilities. Efforts will be made to ensure the safety and security of the facilities.
The Fairmount Park Commission will cease operations, at a reduction of $11 million, and 140 positions. Efforts will be made to ensure the safety and security of the facilities.
The City Planning Commission will cease operations, eliminating 39 positions at a reduction of $2.4 million.
The Commerce Department will cease operations, eliminating 20 positions at a reduction of $3.3 million.
The Department of Licenses and Inspections will be reduced by 6 positions and $300,000.
Funding of $1 million for the Mural Arts program will be eliminated.
The Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy will cease operations. Funding for cultural programs will cease, and positions will be eliminated, decreasing expenditures by $3.9 million. Funding and subsidies for Philadelphia museums, such as the Art Museum, Atwater Kent Museum and African American Museum will also be eliminated ($2.4 million).
The Mayor’s office will eliminate 18 positions, reducing the departmental budget by $1.4 million.
The Finance Department will reduce expenditures by $2 million, including eliminating 23 positions. The Revenue Department will also be reduced by $1.5 million, eliminating 12 positions.
The Managing Director’s Office will be reduced by 21 positions and $2.6 million.
The Office of Human Resources will reduce expenditures by $460,000, including eliminating 8 positions.
The Records Department will reduce spending by $800,000 and eliminate 12 positions.
Funding for City Boards and Commissions, including the Board of Ethics, the Youth Commission and the Historical Commission will be reduced by $3.6 million.
In addition, this Plan provides no funding for the First Judicial District, the District Attorney, and the Defender Association for the remainder of FY10, but does provide funding for the District Attorney and the Defender Association in the following years. This is a reduction of $114 million in FY10 (after court-associated revenues are removed), and $80 million annually from FY11 to FY14.
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It’s gonna take a bit to digest this.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Even though I know it wouldn’t happen until the election, I wished he would have pushed for the elimination of certain elected offices in Philadelphia that have been deemed wasteful by the Committee of 70.
Although, bi-weekly trash isn’t the worst idea in general, at least for houses… though, obviously, not a very good one.
If the city can hold-out until the end of the month, this wouldn’t need to happen. Or, even smarter, instead of raising the sales tax they raise the City Wage tax by a lousy 50 cents for every $25k made. I remember hearing that plan being floated around, and really, it isn’t that bad. I’d rather see that happen, and I think it would help in the short term.
My 2-cents.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
These doomsday plans always worked for SEPTA. Crossing my fingers that the State gets their shit together on this.
As I understand it, raising the Wage Tax (a Really Bad Idea in a city that already has the highest total tax burden in the country) isn’t required to avoid this scenario–the state legislature just needs to pass the already submitted proposals, including the sales tax increase.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Wow. And I thought this city barely functioned as it is. God only knows what will happen if this plan is actually put into action.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
@ Larry -
Do you mean that people pay .50 in wage tax extra for every 25k they make, or do you mean the wage tax goes up by .5% with each 25k you make?
I think either may violate the uniformity clause of the PA constitution. That is why we pay a flat % in PA and not a progressive type system as in our neighbors.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
In a related story, Tony Danza has also been eliminated.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
why is there never a spotlight on the waste caused by patronage jobs?? for those of you who don’t know what these are- these are the scumbag people who get jobs for helping politcians get in office (brady, fumo, etc). many of them barely show up for work and when they do, don’t do a lick of work.
a great example of this is the BRT- a huge spotlight has been put on this corrupt city organization recently in the media, causing them to lay people off. but the crazy thing is, they’re laying off the regular workers (who actually work), not the patronage workers!! which means our property taxes will end up being more f-ed up than they already are.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
This trash collection idea is the worst. It will turn every vacant lot in the city into a festering garbage dump and create trashier streets than we already have. That in turn will depress property values – causing improving areas to backslide and further reducing the tax base.
Not even to mention the fact that many smaller apartment buildings force residents to hold their trash until collection and don’t provide a receptacle.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I don’t think they can do anything about the BRT people. They are appointed by judges and can’t be fired by Nutter. He asked them all to resign after the inquirer article and they said no.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Nutter should stop the Machavellian theatrics and start putting his Jesuit education to work, thinking of ways to tap private sector to rebuild the city’s coiffers like Chicago has done.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Coiffers? Like, rebuild hair salons?
August 20th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
@robot
Yeah, pretty much, and thanks for the heads-up.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I really hope that this is a scare tactic to get the Legislature to pass the pending sales tax bill. Cause if not, holy shit we’re fucked.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Everyone mellow out. Dude was forced by state law and the state oversight agency (PICA) to submit a doomsday budget because the republicans in Harrisburg are holding up the changes in sales tax and pension fund which would balance the budget. He is required to sumbit a balanced budget and this is what balances the budget without those fixes. If he didn’t do this, all state money would have been cut off. PICA made the City do this before August 30, it wasn’t Dude’s choice.
This is a political salvo to show the legislature just how bad it’s going to be if they don’t approve the sales tax and pension changes. The chance of this actually being implemented are pretty low, unless the Legislature is even dumber than I think.
Think of him what you will, but this crap would never have happened if Fumo was still in the State Senate.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
@annie: long term, yes. Short term, they need a balanced budget RIGHT NOW and they can’t rely on private sector hairdresser to generate money that quickly.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Oh, and according to an article in the paper that shall not be named, there’s a rumored deal in place where Ramirez resigned from the SRC so that Rendell can appoint an R to take her place, and that’s the final payoff needed to get the state (and city) budgets done.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Annie, great idea for the years to come…too bad so much of the business community hates the city and has largely moved to Great Valley or NJ…
August 20th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
This is like “War of the Worlds: Philadelphia Budget Edition.” I had to make sure this wasn’t some sort of cruel joke.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
this whole letter reads like a republican wet dream. he even used the phrase “dismantling of government.” do they not realize this is exactly what the middle-staters want?
August 20th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Remember all that money that was spent ripping buildings down in Lower North Philly a few years back? I miss the days when we had so much money for such asinine purposes, now the city can barely afford to put fires out.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Philadelphia is going to learn a lesson on composting.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
I’m putting my money on his bluff working, but bluff or no bluff, this is what Philly gets when no one can agree on what to cut. He’s been fought on every proposal he’s put forward to save money. Who’s really surprised that the eventual outcome of this bickering is a proposal for sweeping cuts across the board?
We have some amazing people in this city who give back through financial, volunteer, or other means, but we have a whole lot more sucking it dry. You can only run that kind of deficit for so long before something has to give…
August 20th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS2nJhLbdrE
August 20th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I just broke bread with the Dude last night and he didn’t seem like there was anything heavy weighing on his mind.
August 20th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
It would be nice if they fire all the people who work for the city tax department since they can’t seem to get their sheet together anyways.
August 20th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
as of 10:50 pm on the 20th, this isnt the lead item on philly.com. why the fuck is it not being blasted across the top of that website?
August 21st, 2009 at 8:59 am
There was probably a feel-good inspirational story that needed the space. Philly.com is useless.