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Thursday, July 30, 2009

City Will Slash 3,000 Jobs If Budget Woes Continue

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PhillyClout has taken to calling it "Plan C for Calamity," the third version of the city budget for the fiscal year that started on July 1 that will be implemented if the state General Assembly doesn't approve a 1-cent increase in the city's sales tax and changes to how the pension fund is replenished.

Here are the gory details:

  • The Police Department will eliminate 972 jobs, including 739 officers, 43 civilians and 190 jobs left empty.
  • The Fire Department will deactivate six engine companies, three ladder companies and five advanced life support medic units.  It will also eliminate 36 officer jobs, 120 firefighter jobs and 40 paramedic jobs.  Five fire houses would be closed.
  • The Health Department will close two Health Centers, eliminate the Medical Evaluation Unit and cut 112 jobs.
  • The Streets Department will reduce trash pick-up to every other week and cut 400 jobs.
  • The Department Parks & Recreation will close all recreation centers and cease all programs while cutting 450 recreation jobs and 142 park jobs
  • The Free Library of Philadelphia will close all branches and eliminate 490 jobs.
  • The Commerce Department and City Planning Commission will lay off a combined 59 jobs and cease operations.
  • In all, about 3,000 jobs will be eliminated, including posts in the Mayor's Office, the Managing Director's Office, the Department of Licenses & Inspections, the finance Department, the Division of Technology, the Human Resources Department, the Records Department and the Department of Revenue.
Posted by Chris Brennan @ 3:11 PM  Permalink | 124 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:25 PM, 07/30/2009
    Why no cuts to OHCD, PHA, Council, and more cuts to the Health Dept.? We can't afford a dozen free health clinics. Why not cut the city nursing home, or sell it? Sell the Dell. Sell the STD clinic on Broad. List RDA properties for sale in a normal selling process. Collect the $425 million in overdue property taxes, collect the $1 billion in forfeit bail, and abolish patronage row offices -- use municipal service providers and contract assessments and collections out.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:28 PM, 07/30/2009
    Maybe now we can talk about putting AVI in place, and changing the millage.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:28 PM, 07/30/2009
    Will anyone really notice if the city eliminates jobs, cuts services, and shutters various propgrams? It's tough to get a pulse on the city as it is.
    — David Sirkin
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:28 PM, 07/30/2009
    Why does the city always target police and fire? I'll tell to create a stir and upset people. I am sure that the city could save all the police and fire and cut more fat out of the budget. Maybe city council could cut back on it's staff and excess. Mayor Nutter has proven himself to be nothing more than the same ole poor politics mayor. He hasn't done 1 thing for the city, sad as he had so much promise.
    — thebaron
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:29 PM, 07/30/2009
    This is a chance to remake a modern city government, throwing out whole old ineffective systems. This is what Nutter promised to do, and he has the talent in his administration to do it.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:30 PM, 07/30/2009
    Let people bring their trash and dump it in front of Fumo's house, and see if Citizen's Alliance picks it up.
    — Philly_Guy
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:35 PM, 07/30/2009
    Trash pick up 2x a month!! I bet the fat rats voted for that one...
    — lonster99
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:42 PM, 07/30/2009
    This will end up costing lives: 739 police officers, six engine companies, three ladder companies and five advanced life support medic units, and close five fire houses. Disgraceful. Start cutting bureaucrats.
    — CrazyIvan
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:49 PM, 07/30/2009
    scare tactics only go so far.
    — bgrimes24
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:53 PM, 07/30/2009
    Shabba you're an idiot, 3:30 in the afternoon and you seem to have time to pontificate your ignorance. How about getting a job. You are typical of the many malcontents who like to blame everything on things of which you know nothing. Union employees wither they be trash men or police and firemen, they earn their money. Let’s recap your suggestions tax breaks for business, great idea? This is exactly why we are in the predicament we are in…dope. All we have to do is not spend more than we take in, let’s stop all the wasteful spending on charter schools and neigborhood programs like CLIP. I’m all for cutting hand outs let’s start with the biggest welfare give away…..education, but I’ll bet you’re a product of our fine “pulic skools”. I hope you can appreciate sarcasm….?
    — Papist
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:54 PM, 07/30/2009
    People have to call the mayor's bluff, and tell him that he can't cut fire, police, and trash, when he hasn't even foreclosed on any of the $425 million in overdue property taxes owed the city, or the $1 billion in forfeit bail. His people need to get this set up now.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:56 PM, 07/30/2009
    I agree with Shabba but for nonuniformed employees. The city has to competitively hire and get the best deal for the dollar. We can't afford to sign anymore nonuniformed labor contracts. We need at-will hiring and firing.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:58 PM, 07/30/2009
    A sales tax increase that is higher than the surrounding counties will hurt the main street businesses that have price-elastic demand. It will hurt business in Philly that is already struggling through a recession. Why do that last, once we have exhausted all the other options?
    — CleanupPhilly


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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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