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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

BREAKING: Judge halts library closures

This just in from Chris Brennan at 1:15 p.m.:

Court of Common Pleas Judge Idee Fox just ordered Mayor Nutter and the Free Library of Philadelphia to halt their plans to shutter 11 branch libraries after 5 p.m. tomorrow.

 A group of seven library patrons, along with the union that represents librarians, sued Nutter and the Free Library, saying that a 20-year-old ordinance prohibits the mayor from closing city buildings without approval by City Council. Three Council members — Bill Green, Jannie Blackwell and Jack Kelly — filed a similar lawsuit.

Although the city administration has said they don't think the ordinance is valid, Fox upheld the section of the code. She noted that Nutter did not seek Council approval. "He did not do that," she said.

Fox said that because Nutter announced plans to close the libraries, he has to go before Council. "Closed is closed. The mayor used the word closed," Fox said.

Fox put a verbal order in place until Jan 5 when she'll issue a written order.

In November, Nutter announced plans to shut 11 of the city’s 54 library branches as part of a massive cost cutting effort to shore up a $1 billion budget gap in the city budget over the next five years.

Posted by Catherine Lucey @ 1:13 PM  Permalink | 13 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:21 PM, 12/30/2008
    I AGREE WITH MAYOR NUTTER ,WE MUST CUT THE SPENDING , MY PROPERTY TAXES AND CITY WAGE TAXES ARE RIDICULOUS. GREAT JOB MAYOR NUTTER
    — stanleycoffee
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:23 PM, 12/30/2008
    MAYOR NUTTER SHOULD TAKE AWAY THE CITY WORKERS SUVs TOO , IF YOU GET A FREE CITY CAR WITH FREE INSURANCE ,FREE MAINTENANCE ,FREE GAS ,IT SHOULD BE COMPACT CAR
    — stanleycoffee
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:29 PM, 12/30/2008
    I, Black urban Democrat, did not vote for Nutter in the primary or general election. I've always seen him as a "Boy Scout". For one thing he certainly did not apply "politics" to solving the city's problems. Hey, on a second note, didn't John Street leave the city with a large surplus?
    — Tanksleyd
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:39 PM, 12/30/2008
    Stanley doesn't know that the Mayor didn't make cuts to kids before exhausting his other options, or even acting in good faith. Nutter did not do a thing to collect the $522 million in overdue property taxes owed the city. That's HALF A BILLION people. That should cover libraries, I should think. The city collects this money by foreclosing on properties at sheriff sale. Let's start with the empty properties first, then do properties with nuisance complaints next. Just do it. Here's the city's own info: http://www.hallwatch.org/proptax/about/redelinq/stats/summary
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:41 PM, 12/30/2008
    Tank is right -- Street left the city with a surplus that resulted in no small part from starting collection proceedings for back property taxes on 23,000 properties. Then Nutter brought that process to a screeching near-halt for some reason even as dark financial clouds loomed. The judge would not have stopped these closures if there was no money to be had. Nutter has not made a good faith effort to even use the basic means to collect $522 million in overdue property taxes. http://www.hallwatch.org/proptax/about/redelinq/stats/summary
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:43 PM, 12/30/2008
    Stanley, is it right that we are closing libraries kids needs when there are still whole zip codes where one in five, one in four, one in three, even one out of every two owners are simply not paying property taxes? Here's the city's own info: http://www.hallwatch.org/proptax/about/redelinq/stats/delinqbyzip/index_html?skey=pcent&rkey=pcent
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:44 PM, 12/30/2008
    My point -- fix this collection process first. Foreclose. Sheriff sale. Fix it. Then if we need to cut, then we cut the fat, not the best of what we do for kids here. Fair enough?
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:46 PM, 12/30/2008
    LOL...it always comes back to the unions. Is there anyone working in Philly besides me who stands on his own two feet (i.e., NON-union)? When your city is run by unions, there's no hope in sight.
    — chrissmith
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:48 PM, 12/30/2008
    Totally agree about the city cars. No need for SUVs, use your own car, pay your own insurance, maintenance, gas, and welcome back to reality.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:49 PM, 12/30/2008
    It's not because of unions that we are not collecting property taxes. But the Dems here are especially timid of even the smallest open shop measures when they don't have to be -- they still have the union vote.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:51 PM, 12/30/2008
    I don't understand how you want to close libraries and pools because of budget woes (which I can understand) but then at the same time I read in the paper about the Mayor's staff getting raises. Someone please explain this to me. Also, why does our city employees need SUVs? We have a car and we manage to drive around the city in the snow just fine. There are other ways that this administration can cut money (namely from City Hall) without taking away things from the public.
    — Nascarfan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:42 AM, 12/31/2008
    I am so tired of people talking about just collecting back taxes like "oh my god, you are brilliant, why didn't the people running the city just think to collect taxes owed and now we can pay for anything" And sell the property? In many cases there is not property to sell - much of that "half billion" comes from bankrupt companies. Also do you have any idea how many properties the city, and the RDA, own - its not like you can just put up a sign and suddenly sell them - these are not in areas that exactly have a booming real estate market. The mayor's staff did not get raises, get your glasses checked - they actually had to go on unpaid furloughs and in many cases took pay cuts. Do you really think an SUV is the difference causes a billion dollar gap? There need to be wholesale and massive changes to cover this budget gap - not simple small things. I'm so tired of people just throwing out ideas like they have any idea what its like to run a city government - the 5th largest in the country. "Man if only hte politicians weren't corrupt and didn't break the law and instead used common sense everything would be awesome." please, give me a break
    — Phillyguy4413
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:42 AM, 01/01/2009
    Phillyguy - It's not that the SUV would make a huge difference, but the fact remains that the administration is cutting important things to the city like libraries, the Mummers, fire companies BEFORE cutting fringe benefits like the SUVs. It just doesn't send the right message. If it comes to big closures, so be it, but at least make an effort to trim down the excess fat FIRST. Why are we paying council aides to carry on affairs with their councilmen? (Latrice, here's looking at you!) Why are we paying councilwomen to be able to drive around huge clunker cars and pick up their dry cleaning while on the clock. (Hey, what's up Blondell? Oh I forgot - you're a "working mother." Well, so am I and I find the time to do all my errands on my own WITHOUT wasting government money. And, I don't have a city car, assistant, or driver to help me do it!) I hope you can see that its just the principle of the thing. It's ok to have a Phillies parade, it's ok to give the Mayor's staff raises, it's ok to pay gas and insurance for a fleet of cars, but before cutting all that back, let's close a library in a lower income neighborhood so that those kids can go back on the streets and we can keep our cushy benefits. Come on, don't you see SOMETHING wrong with this picture?!?
    — sariajacobs2000


13 comments
About The Philly Clout Team
PhillyClout
Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics ­– which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.
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Catherine Lucey
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Chris Brennan
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