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Monday, November 9, 2009
City On Track to End Year $31 Million in Red

The city is on track to end the fiscal year $31 million in the hole, Budget Director Steve Agostini told City Council members during a briefing today.

Agostini attributed the downturn to a number of factors, including a decline in the city's expected wage tax revenues and a loss of state funding for social services and police. The overall deterioration was offset somewhat by better than expected revenues for the business privilege tax and the real estate transfer tax.

The budget office has already asked city departments to look for ways to cut 7.5 percent from their budgets for FY11. Agostini said some cuts may start during this fiscal year, but he did not detail what form they would take. He stressed that the city is closely reviewing every hire and expenditure to try and find savings.

Clay Armbrister, the mayor's chief of staff, stressed that the city still has financial pain ahead despite a turbulant year of budget cuts and tax hikes.

"We're not out of the woods by any means," Armbrister said.

Posted by Catherine Lucey @ 3:41 PM  Permalink | 37 comments
Comments   
Posted 04:10 PM, 11/09/2009
Kennedy
The City is going to be forced into some of those "dooms day" cuts even w/ the 1% tax increase. & Lets face it, there is definitely fat to be cut. You cant maintain the same employee levels of decades past when you've lost so much population & GOOD tax base in that same time. The #'s just don’t add up.
Posted 04:13 PM, 11/09/2009
lisa2604
If they are going to cut jobs, leave the police and firefighters alone. Get rid of the city workers who just answer phones. How many of those are really needed? If my house catches on fire or I'm robbed, will they come and help? NO! Get rid of them.
Posted 04:18 PM, 11/09/2009
2012 ~ Ron Paul
When I read something like this...it makes me think back when former Mayor John Street said; "the brothas and sistas run this city; we're in charge here." Good work brothas and sistas; you're so awesome!
Posted 04:28 PM, 11/09/2009
toph314
Raises and signing bonuses for everyone!!!
Posted 04:35 PM, 11/09/2009
Kenny Junod
i hope the phils sign figgins
Posted 04:38 PM, 11/09/2009
diplomatt8
Come on everyone. This is Philadelphia; "City of Brotherly Love". We've got to pass around the wealth (what little left we have) to the brothas and sistas. The worst that could happen is the city goes bankrupt and it's not like we have not been there. We will just get bailed out by selling bonds and raising taxes, just like any other city-all this made possible by the idiots we reelect and put in office for eternity because they lie and make us feel good. LMAO
Posted 04:45 PM, 11/09/2009
joeygrl
I hate when people say that Nutter is a one term mayor. He inherited this fiscal disaster from John the crook Street.
Posted 04:45 PM, 11/09/2009
bill at
No cuts of any kind. Leave the libraries open 24-7. Raises for everyone. Juicy union contracts for everyone. Nobody will mind paying ever higher taxes. Who cares if the 'rich' leave the city? Paper, not plastic. We can all hold hands, praise Lord Obama, and sing Kumbaya and all will be right with the world. Me be so smart. Me be a Philadelphia Democrat.
Posted 04:46 PM, 11/09/2009
chrissmith
Kennedy: exactly. There are way too many welfare families and city employees, and not nearly enough working families, in Philadelphia. Something has to give.
Posted 04:48 PM, 11/09/2009
seand
Dear Ron Paul guy, I bet the Congressman from TX is probably tired of you using his name to beat the same stupid off-topic racist point into the ground. Maybe you check in.
Posted 04:49 PM, 11/09/2009
ziller0604
I don,t know how anyone can afford to live in the city. You have to be nuts to put up with what goes on here. I am a life long democrat and I can tell you they have destroyed whatever good there ever was here.
Posted 04:51 PM, 11/09/2009
john 16
get rid of police commissioner ramsay and the 3 freeloaders he brought to phila to be deputy commissioners it would save over a million, ramsay is a hack who hasent done a thing about crime
Posted 04:53 PM, 11/09/2009
pj katauskas
Can you say Detroitadelphia? That's how it started. One-party rule and looting of the city coffers.
Posted 04:56 PM, 11/09/2009
xi_lives
We'll know we :- have a budget crisis in Philly when Latrice Bryant is fired. are serious about energy when we build more nuclear power plants. want to reduce the cost of healthcare by initiating tort reform. Until then, it's just vote buying.
Posted 04:56 PM, 11/09/2009
philly57
Actually, Joeygrl - Nutter inherited a surplus. He wasted it. He was elected to cut waste and corruption. And yet, even with a recession in the background, he still has not shrunk our city government, cut waste, or done anything about the corrupt way of doing business in the city. It's hard enough to change this city's entrenched status quo, but the recession makes it a little easier - due to the heightened need to cut spending. Nutter has done nothing! We need to stop electing democrats already. Lack of serious competition = complacency, laziness, and corruption.
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About Chris Brennan and Catherine Lucey
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.

Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002. Since then she has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. For the past two years, she covered the 2007 mayoral election. Now that the battle is over, she has moved down to the City Hall bureau where she will report on the Nutter administration.

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Catherine Lucey
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