COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON HOUSING, NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND THE HOMELESS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, June 8, 2006 11:10 a.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNA C. VERNA COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILMAN FRANK DiCICCO COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILWOMAN JOAN L. KRAJEWSKI COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN JUAN RAMOS COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO BILL 060501 - An ordinance repealing Bill No. 17 050059 (approved July 8, 2005), entitled "An ordinance adding Chapter 21-1600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Housing Trust Fund'... BILL 060466 - An ordinance amending Chapter 20 21-1600, entitled "Housing Trust Fund"... - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2
Good morning. Council would like to call all members of the Housing Committee who are in Chambers and who can hear us. We're finally ready to begin. And we ask that you would come to Chambers so that we may conduct our hearings and then begin our Council session. Thank you all who are here today. Thank you for your patience. We regret that it has taken so long to get to this point. We know that many of you have been here since 8:00 a.m. when our first hearing was to begin. We were here late last night and back here again early this morning to try to work on issues that affect all of you and that affect our City, that affect the community development groups and that affect us all and inclusion, and we believe we've come a long way in trying to resolve those issues. So, again, we want to thank you, and hopefully we can get through 3 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 with these issues in short order. Again, for those in Chambers, the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood and Development and the Homeless will meet, so I ask my colleagues to come, those who are on that Committee, Councilman Ramos, Councilman Clarke, Councilman DiCicco, Councilwoman Miller. Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown is already here. And we will begin that. Following that hearing, we will have a joint hearing on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless, with that of Appropriations so that we may conduct that business. Thank you. (Pause.)
Let me explain as I am to my Committee, and then we may break for a moment if I don't make it clear, Madam President. We recessed the hearing last night dealing with Bill No. 060466, requiring that the Housing Trust Fund 4 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 dollars be appropriated and expended equally between Councilmanic Districts. Today we will do two things. This bill, Bill No. 060466, will be withdrawn. Instead, we will do two things. (Applause.)
We will introduce a bill when Council begins that will be heard in September calling for recommendations to City Council and the Office of Housing and Community Development with regard to any recommendations by the Housing Trust Board and the Housing Trust Fund grant awards. And, number two, the Oversight Board will have the duty to annually review Trust Fund grant awards as approved by City Council by resolution. So then Council has the right to approve all entries into the Housing Trust Fund. That would be a bill that we're introducing today, which this Committee will hear today. In addition, we will have an 5 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 amendment to the Mayor's Executive Order that will call for a change in membership within the Housing Trust Fund Board. Now the Board calls for eight members to be appointed by the Mayor. We will change it to four members by the Mayor, four housing agencies and four members by Council. So that will change the membership of the Board. So we feel that on the front end in terms of the composition of the Board and on the back end when it comes to any funds appropriated, Council has input. So we're satisfied that that will get us where we need to go. After that, we will recess to have a joint hearing with Appropriations with Councilwoman Krajewski, and that will be to consider the transfer of the $15 million from Councilman Clarke's ordinance, 060475. So given our agreement and our compromises, we will support the Councilman's bill so that we will proceed 6 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 this year with the funds already allocated. So that should make some of you very happy. (Applause.)
After that, we will have a public hearing with regard to the Community Development Block Grant application, and that's Bill No. 10 060499. We have an amendment to the Block Grant application. We have letters to be distributed to City Council. We will read the letter at the appropriate time that will deal with references, all references, to Office of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation will be removed. And we will revert to -- all language will refer to Office of Housing and Community Development, which we have fought for, to try to deal with this whole reorganization issue. We still have hearings at o'clock dealing with reorganization. We know that more than some 150 of you have received notices, and, therefore, the 7 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 Consolidated Plan Year 32 will have no 3 references to Office of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation. All of it will revert back to Office of Housing and Community Development, which gives us time to still deal with the issue. We still have our old departments as we have fought for and we believe this is a compromise. The Mayor in his letter to us, which we will read, does not say he doesn't want to reorganize, but in all references, we're still dealing with the structure we have, Office of Housing and Community Development, all the departments as presently constructed, and we believe that we have slowed down the process. That will give us time to continue our battle, so all of you don't have to worry that on July you could be out of the door. So we believe in all issues, that we've tried to forge a compromise. It gives us a place to be. It took us a 8 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 few hours between today and last night, but we believe that we've come up with the best possible plan to get us through these issues today and that everybody hopefully will be satisfied that we tried to do a good job. We tried to do our best. So we thank you very much. As soon as Ms. Wilkerson will come in with the written language for the Housing Trust Board Executive Order, we will amend -- let me see. I don't know that we can repeal this bill. I'm thinking now we have to have a forum through which we adopt the Executive Order. So I guess we'll have to wait until we will adopt an Executive Order as soon as she brings that in. Meanwhile, again, we will pass out a letter dealing with the Executive Order. It also has the Community Development Block Grant application in it, and so we will pass that out now and then we'll deal with all -- they're all 9 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 housing, and we'll try to make that available. (Pause.)
While we're waiting for this revised language, we can begin our joint hearing on Housing and Appropriations, if the Chair of the Appropriations Committee would like to do that now. We can get one thing out of the way. - - - (Short recess for Committee on Finance and Joint Committees on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless to be heard.) - - -
And now we will enter our final hearing on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless. The Chair notes that we have a quorum. We have Councilman Ramos, Clarke, Miller, Brown and myself, and this is with regard to Bill Nos. 060466 10 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 and 060501. We will ask the Clerk to please read the titles of those bills and then to distribute the information that you have. Thank you.
Bill 060466, an ordinance amending Chapter 21-1600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Housing Trust Fund," to require that all Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund dollars be appropriated and expended equally between each Councilmanic District within the City of Philadelphia, all under certain terms and conditions; and Bill 060501, an ordinance 17 repealing Bill No. 050059, approved July 8, 2005, entitled "An ordinance adding Chapter 21-1600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Housing Trust Fund,' to create the Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund and establish the purposes for which monies in the fund may be used; creating ongoing funding for the Fund by amending Section 25 10-1001 of The Philadelphia Code, 11 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 entitled 'Fees of Commissioner of Records,' by increasing certain fees for the recording of deeds and mortgages and related documents; and calling for the creation of the Housing Trust Fund Oversight Board," all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you very much. Are there any comments from members of the Committee, or statements? (No response.)
Thank you very much. Does the Administration have any statement you would like to make with regard to either of these bills? (No response.)
We did hear some testimony yesterday. We're happy to move on, if it is acceptable. There were two people who wanted to speak on this. We would ask you to come now, please summarize, 12 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 because we would like to move on. (No response.)
If there are no further statements, then the Chair will entertain a motion from Councilman DiCicco asking for the endorsement of the Mayor's Executive Order, an amendment to the Housing Trust Fund. We will ask that you would ask for an endorsement for the amendment. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: So moved. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved that the Executive Order with regard to the Housing Trust Fund be amended. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
Thank you. So we have moved that we have endorsed the Mayor's change to the amendment to this Housing Trust Fund. Thank you very much. That will end the hearing and we're entering the 13 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 stated meeting, and the Chair will now entertain a motion from Councilman Ramos with regard to withdrawing Bill No. 5 060466, which is a bill requiring that the dollars be appropriated and expended equally, because as has just been said, the Mayor amended his Housing Trust Fund which then would allow members to be 10 on the Board, four recommended by the 11 Mayor, four members from housing agencies and four to be members of City Council. That is what was just endorsed by this body. Councilman Ramos, would you move that Bill No. 060466 be withdrawn.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill No. 060466 be withdrawn. (Duly seconded.)
Opposed? 14 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 (No response.)
The ayes have it and so this bill has been withdrawn. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ramos with regard to a motion to withdraw Bill No. 060501.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill No. 060501 be withdrawn. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Bill No. 15 060501 -- that is the bill to repeal the Housing Trust Fund. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and, therefore, Bill No. 24 060501 is withdrawn. So thank you very much. That 15 6/8/06 - HOUSING - BILLS 060501 & 060466 completes our business. At 1 o'clock after Council hearings, we will have a housing reorganization meeting. We'll talk more in detail about all of this so that it's clearly understood. I thank you all for your patience. I'm sorry it's been so complicated a process. It has not been our intent. (Applause.)
We thank you very much and we'll see you immediately after Council is concluded, those who will be here for housing reorg. Thank you very much. Thank you, Madam President, all members of Council for your patience. God bless you. Thank you. (Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless adjourned at 12:50 p.m.) - - - 16 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on June 8, 2006, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)