PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL CONTINUES TO WORK ON LEGISLATION BEFORE WINTER RECESS IN MID DECEMBER

More than two dozen bills and resolutions were approved during the October 31 City Council session.

Among the notable bills and resolutions approved by Council were:

The other resolutions and bills that were approved on final passage on October 31 were #240978 (introduced by Jamie Gauthier, 3rd District), #240979 (Gauthier); #240980 (Gauthier); #240981 (Gauthier for President Johnson); #240985 (introduced by Curtis Jones, Jr., 4th District); #240990 (introduced by Jeffery Young, Jr., 5th District); #240992 (introduced by Nicolas O'Rourke, At Large); #240993 (introduced by Mike Driscoll, 6th District); #240994 (introduced by Cindy Bass, 8th District); #240499 (introduced by Mark Squilla, 1st District); #240661 (Jones) and #240662 (Landau).

Bill #240613 (Squilla) had an amendment added to the bill on the Council floor and can come up for a final vote as soon as the November 14 Council session.

Council's Streets and Services Committee held a hearing on Bill #240931 that would change the name of Taney Street to LeCount Street throughout Philadelphia.

Committee on Legislative Oversight held a hearing on October 29 on Resolution #240544 that examined disparities experienced by the LGBTQ+ community and exploring solutions to achieving equity for LGBTQ+ Philadelphians. The recommendations from the hearing may result in future legislation.

Committee on Law and Government also met on October 29 concerning Bill #240004 that would amend requirements concerning publication of notices in local newspapers. The Committee also heard testimony on Bill #240817 and Resolution #240834 that would amend the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for the creation of the Philadelphia Prison Community Oversight Board and the Office of Prison Oversight and provide for the submission of the amendment to the electors of Philadelphia.

Committee on Law and Government also met on October 29 concerning Bill #240004 that would amend requirements concerning publication of notices in local newspapers. The Committee also heard testimony on Bill #240817 and Resolution #240834 that would amend the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for the creation of the Philadelphia Prison Community Oversight Board and the Office of Prison Oversight and provide for the submission of the amendment to the electors of Philadelphia.

Finally, the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and The Homeless held a hearing on October 30 on Resolution #240288 on the 10-year performance of the Philadelphia Land Bank.

Bills #240931 , #240004 , #240817 and #240834 had a first reading at the October 31 Council sessions and could get a final passage vote as soon as the November 14 Council session.

Now that the legislation for a proposed 76 Place (Sixers) arena has been introduced by Squilla, Council President Johnson has given the bills to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.

The Committee of the Whole is made up of all 17 members of Council and is chaired by Council President Johnson. The first Committee hearing will take place on Tuesday, November 12 starting at 10 a.m. inside Philadelphia City Council Chambers, Room 400 (Fourth Floor), Philadelphia City Hall. The November 12th hearing is expected to last all day and will be open to the public to observe.

Additional dates and times for future Committee of the Whole hearings on 76 Place will be announced as soon as possible and they can be found here.

The public can also watch Committee hearings live on Xfinity Channel 64 and Fios Channel 40 if you have cable TV in Philadelphia, or stream online.

Squilla, whose District includes the proposed site of the arena, introduced 13 pieces of legislation (Bills #240963, #240964, #240965, #240966, #240967, #240968, #240969, #240970, #240971, #240972, #240973 and Resolutions #240999 and #241000) on October 24 to start the process. for arena legislation.

Council approved Resolutions #240999 and #241000 by a roll call vote at the October 31 City Council session. On both resolutions, the vote was 11-5 with Squilla absent from the session and not voting. The five no votes on both resolutions were Gauthier, Landau, Young, O'Rourke and Minority Leader Kendra Brooks, At-Large.

The approved resolutions are procedural companions to two ordinances that were introduced last week: Bill #240963 and Bill #240973.

If approved, Bill #240963 would remove the site of the arena from the existing Gallery At Market East Tax Increment Financing District and Bill #240973 would remove the site of the arena from the existing Gallery Neighborhood Improvement District.

To be clear, the passage of Resolutions #240999 and #241000 is merely a procedural step and it does not approve any substantive legislation related to the arena and does not limit in any way Council's ability to fully vet and scrutinize the arena proposal. Rather, the resolutions start the process that allows for full hearings on their related ordinances and document Council's compliance with notice and process requirements set by state law.

It is the bills/ordinances that enact the changes required for the arena project, not the resolutions. The final City Council session for this year is scheduled for December 12.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5. Pennsylvania voters will select a President and Vice President of the United States; United States Senator; members of the U.S. Congress, Pennsylvania State House and Senate; Pennsylvania Attorney General, Auditor General, and Treasurer.

Philadelphians who have already received their mail-in ballots are being urged not to send them back via the U.S. Postal Service because of any possible delays between now and election day. All mail ballots must be received (not postmarked) by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

The City Commissioner's Satellite Election Offices (SEO) across Philadelphia are also open, providing in-person mail ballot services. These offices are open seven days a week until Election Day. A full list of SEO locations is available at vote.phila.gov/seos . Mail ballot drop-off location information is available at phila.gov/voting .

The City emphasizes that the more than 700 polling locations that will be open citywide on November 5 will follow all guidelines to keep voters safe.

City Councilmembers have been very busy in the days leading up to the election.

Council President Johnson and Oshunbumi Fernandez West, founder of Bumi Productions, recently presented the US Night Market along South Street in South Philadelphia.

The US Night Market celebrated the diversity and creativity of Philadelphia and included an evening of local food trucks, art vendors, and live entertainment. Councilmember Anthony Phillips (9th District) came to the event to show his support.

Minority Leader Brooks held her annual Spooktacular Halloween Event on October 30 at the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Philadelphia. The event featured a Treat Trail, snacks and apple cider, fall crafts, and archery lessons for kids.

Councilmembers and staff also had fun on Halloween during Council Session.

We will have no City Council session on Thursday, November 7 and all City Offices will be closed on Monday, November 11 for Veterans Day.