Could legislation to legalize table games in casinos across the state wind up sapping cash from a community benefits agreement signed last year by SugarHouse, which breaks ground in Fishtown today?

On the editorial pages, a Casino-Free Philadelphia volunteer explains why the fight goes on to stop SugarHouse and Foxwoods, a casino planned for South Philly.

Mayor Nutter strikes a deal with the Board of Revision of Taxes to take away the power to assess properties, giving that role for now to his Finance Department.

And the city's sales tax just went up by 1 cent on the dollar to 8 percent.

Here's the press release:

NUTTER ADMINISTRATION, BRT REACH AGREEMENT ON INTERIM REFORM

Memorandum of Understanding establishes Interim Executive Director, puts assessment function under responsibility of Finance Department

Philadelphia, October 7 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced today an important step toward restoring public confidence in the property tax assessment system. Mayor Nutter and the Board of Revision of Taxes have reached an agreement which establishes the Finance Director (or his Designee) as the Interim Executive Director of the BRT and brings the assessment function under his/her responsibility.

This agreement, detailed in a Memorandum of Understanding, will remain in effect for an initial term of six months. The Interim Executive Director will immediately begin a review of all functions and operations of the BRT which will begin the process of reforming the system.

“I have been very clear that reforming the property tax assessment system is an urgent priority and we need to move as quickly as possible,” said Mayor Nutter. “I am committed to the goal of passing legislation this year which will be put to the voters in May 2010. I believe City Council shares this goal. In the meantime, we need to stabilize the system and restore public confidence, bringing the property tax assessment fully under the responsibility of the executive branch is an important step in this process.”

The Interim Executive Director will supervise all operations of the BRT relating to real estate appraisals, valuations, and assessments. The Board of the BRT will retain responsibility for matters relating to appeals of real estate valuations and will continue to make all determinations in the granting of exemptions to general real estate tax policy and any duties performed by the Board in connection with eminent domain proceedings conducted by the Board of View. The Finance Director shall report to the Mayor while keeping the Board fully apprised of day-to-day operations and future plans. The former Executive Director of the BRT resigned September 4th, 2009.

»  More Nutter, BRT Agree To Interim Reform

Watchdog group Committee of Seventy just weighed in on the Board of Revision of Taxes, urging the mayor and City Council to move forward with reforms. Read their statement

The state budget impasse hits day 100 tomorrow and local activists will protest the situation in Center City. Organizations that receive state funding have been waiting for a budget for months.

Here's the press  release:

DAY 100

WITHOUT A PENNSYLVANIA STATE BUDGET…

…and there are more than 100 ways Pennsylvania citizens are being harmed…

Join us as we mark 100 days and protest the budget impasse!

»  More Local Activists Protest Budget Impasse Tomorrow

Mayor Nutter and John Hickenlooper, mayor of Denver, have dropped the traditional baseball playoff series bet that requires the mayor of the losing town's home team to send some sort of popular local delicacy -- cheesesteaks from Philly, something made of buffalo from Denver -- to the mayor of the winning team's town. Instead, programs that help the homeless in both cities will benefit.

Nutter said he and Hickenlooper anticipated a match-up -- the National League Divisional Series between the Phillies and the Rockies starts this afternoon -- during a meeting last week of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Seattle.  The two mayors decided to try something other than the "our food is better than your food" bet, he said.

So the winning city will get $2,000 while the losing city will get $500.  In Philadelphia, the cash will go to Project H.O.M.E.  In Denver, a similar homeless outreach organization will benefit.  The money is being put up by Citizens Bank and Comcast here and First Bank in Colorado.

“We decided that we have a great opportunity here not just for some great baseball but to support a great cause," Nutter said this morning.  “This is a situation where, at least on the homelessness side, no matter what happens in the game, both of us are going to win. Obviously I’m hoping for the larger amount.”

Hurry shoppers -- today is your last chance to hit the stores before the city sales tax shoots up to 8 cents on the dollar.

The sales tax is currently 7 cents on the dollar, with 6 cents going to the state and 1 to the city. The temporary increase -- which starts tomorrow -- will bring the city 2 cents for every dollar spent.

The tax hike is one of several budget-balancing moves approved by the state legislature last month to help the city. It will expire in five years.

Food, clothing and medicine are exempt from the sales tax in Pennsylvania.

The New York Times architecture critic today takes a hard look at the design plans for the new museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway which will house the famous Barnes Collection -- and isn't impressed. Nicolai Ouroussoff says the slick new design lacks the eccentric charm of the Merion mansion where the collection has lived for decades. Here's an excerpt:

But the result is a convoluted design. Almost every detail seems to ache from the strain of trying to preserve the spirit of the original building in a very different context. The failure to do so, despite such an earnest effort, is the strongest argument yet for why the Barnes should not be moved in the first place.

To read the entire article click here.

We're 99 days overdue for a state budget and John Baer takes a look at the latest obstacle:  $12 million in funding that some in Harrisburg consider to be "walking-around money."

City Council plans to move tomorrow on legislation to reform the troubled Board of Revision of Taxes in ways that meet some but not all of Mayor Nutter's concerns.

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato comes to City Hall to kick off his statewide tour to tout his candidacy for governor.

And actor Danny Glover voices support at a City Hall protest for Philadelphia School District cafeteria employees, who are demanding better pay.

The road to reform for the city's Board of Revision of Taxes winds through City Council.  That was the message Mayor Nutter just shared with a small group of reporters, calling them to a meeting to discuss provisions he considers key for any potential legislation on the issue.  Nutter repeatedly dodged questions about when he and/or Council might move on the issue, at one point saying he had been elected "mayor, not monarch."

And that may have been the point behind Nutter's sit-down, which came a week after tensions broke into the open on Council about the pace of BRT reform.  Nutter met with Council leaders last Wednesday and emerged with no clear time-line for action.  Those leaders then called in Councilman Bill Green and asked him to hold off on legislation he was thinking of introducing the following day.  That led to frustration among Nutter's best political allies during Council's Thursday session.

Nutter today said he does not know where Council's members are in their discussions on what to do next but hopes a "piece of legislation would come soon."

"I have to be honest with you: This is not the most complicated legislation that any of us are going to see in our lifetime," Nutter said. "I think there are a few ways to do this but there are only a few."

Nutter laid out provisions he wants in the legislation.  The assessment function of the BRT should be part of the mayor's administration, he said.  A new and separate board should be appointed to hear assessment appeals.  Those board members could be appointed by the mayor alone or with Council approval.  Some BRT employees now paid by the Philadelphia School District should be brought onto a unified payroll that requires them to follow the same prohibitions on political activity as other city employees, Nutter added.