A survey by The Inquirer found that Philadelphia City Council takes the longest recess of any big-city government in the country.

It's good to know Council is first in something. After all, it has never been held in high esteem. Its history tells why. Consider:

Former Mayor Bill Green once called Council "the worst legislative body in the free world." The Council floor was the scene of a fistfight between two members in 1981. Then there are its periodic bouts with corruption, which have seen several members shipped off to jail, the latest Rick Mariano in 2006.

But now Council has gone from worst to first. And the competition isn't even close.

Council takes a three-month break every year. New York's council meets all year. Other big cities have off anywhere from one to six weeks.

Council members argue that while they may not be in session all summer, they still work very hard for their constituents. OK, but if they're at City Hall every day anyway, then why can't Council also meet once a week?

It's not as if there isn't pressing business facing the city. A budget crisis is still looming. The contract for city workers is up, and there is talk of a strike. Legalized gambling is knocking at the door.

Meanwhile, the Board of Revision of Taxes needs to be blown up. When the BRT's problems surfaced this spring (thanks to an Inquirer investigation), Council President Anna Verna suggested calling a special summer session to overhaul the troubled agency. But that idea fizzled faster than getting rid of the sweetheart pension perk known as DROP.

To Council's credit, the members did play a key role in shaping the city budget and spiking Mayor Nutter's plan to hike property taxes by double digits. But key pieces of the budget still await state approval. If that doesn't happen, the budget will need major revisions, but Council will be closed for the summer.

Of course, asking Council to meet more often can be a double-edged sword. More meetings could mean more empty resolutions and overly intrusive regulations getting passed, creating more red tape, and costing taxpayers more time and money.

Council has spent two years haggling over whether to regulate plastic shopping bags or to prohibit them altogether. Maybe that's a worthy issue, but it certainly shouldn't take years to resolve.

Here's an alternative to more Council meetings: Since Council isn't in session for a quarter of the year, reduce members' $112,000 salaries by 25 percent. It's hard to justify six-figure salaries for a legislative body that legislates only nine months of the year.

Council members say they are always on call. If they're arguing that their Council work is full-time, then they shouldn't hold other jobs or sit on paid boards of directors. Indeed, they need to avoid the inherent conflicts of interest that arise when a Council member works for a company or law firm, or sits on boards that do business with the city.

As it stands, Council wants to get paid and have the summer off. That helps keep alive its earned bad image.