Nutter Announces More Layoffs, Delays Police Training
Mayor Nutter today said that the city will lay off 12 more employees and delay training for new police recruits to deal with a shortage in revenues due to a delay in getting state approval for a temporary sales tax hike.
Nutter Announces More Layoffs, Delays Police Training
Catherine Lucey & Chris Brennan
Mayor Nutter today said the city will lay off 12 more employees and delay training for new police recruits to deal with a shortage in revenues due to a delay in getting state approval for a temporary sales tax hike.
Nutter plans to delay a Police Academy class due to start in the fall. He is also eliminating six full-time positions in the Mayor's Office [two of the six positions are filled] and laying off six employees in the city's 311 call center and four employees in the Finance Department. Layoff notices were issued Friday. The cuts take effect at the end of the month.
Nutter’s budget -- passed in May – counted on getting state approval to increase the local sales tax by 1 cent on the dollar for five years and to make changes in how the city's pension fund is replenished. Those changes, worth $700 million in the city's five-year plan, would help balance the budget.
But Harrisburg lawmakers still haven’t given the city the go-ahead on either item. And the budget plan counted on getting $10 million per month in sales tax revenue. If approved, the sales tax increase would take 4 to 6 weeks to implement. So the city has now lost $20 million in revenue for August and September – and October may be next.
"Ten million dollars a month is real money," Nutter said in a City Hall news conference. "That’s the real cost of delays in Harrisburg."
Last week, Republicans in the state Senate said they were on track to approve legislation needed by the city by Aug. 26. That would give Democrats who control the state House, which approved the city's legislation Aug. 5, just three business days to vote on the Senate's amended version before the city's fallback budget would have to be implemented.
Nutter called on the Senate to pass the legislation without amendments so Gov. Rendell could sign it into law without it having to go back to the House for another vote. He worried the city's budget issues could turn into the old video game Pong, with the legislation facing further delays if changes are also made in the House. "We'll just go back and forth, back and forth, between the Senate and the House," he said.
I don't think there was ever going to be a fall academy class. Nutter and Ramsey were always going to say that the fed money would help save cops from layoffs, not provide for new ones. Nutter is falling back on good ole scare tactics, the best being public safety cuts. He is hoping people get outraged over fewer cops and firefighters because no one cares if he dumps out the MSB.— Trident252- One aspect I believe is being overlooked is that a one-percent increase in the sales tax may encourage those with the means to order merchandise online (which I believe is exempt from sales tax) instead of in the stores. Those who can will circumvent it; i.e. those who would contribute to the tax base. I agree with previous posters; there is much waste and welfare spending that be cut before touching one cop or firefighter.— davesju93
- 12 layoffs, it is good start, keep going— Matt in Deptford
Comment removed.- Mr. Mayor, Delaware loves you!— Dumfounded
- is this why my trash didn't get collected last week?— philafan
- CleanupPhilly, sales tax has nothing to do with grocery stores not coming to Philly. Most groceries aren't subject to sales tax. And even if they were, the consumers pay the tax, not the store.— AMC4232
- sdls1603, even though you did not put the questions to me, I'll be happy to answer...yes the trash does get picked up, but the mess the trash men leave requires cleaning, particularly since the neigborhoods don't get cleaned like downtown does, Queen's Village, University City, Chestnut Hill, etc...As for schools for the kids to go to? Yea right, unless your on the School Board, a principal of a school, or a politican, or someone who has pull with these groups, your stuck sending your children to crime infested public schools. Anybody with a brain and a buck is forced to pay for private schools, because the city is unable to provide safe learning enviornments. Police? Yes, the police come, if your situation allows you to wait an hour or so for them to respond. Of course if your shot in the head, or stabbed in the back, they will probably come sooner, however a car accident where no one is hurt, or a robbery with no one hurt, your waiting an hour or more for the police to arrive, except of course if your in Center City, Rittenhouse Square, Chestnut Hill, Queen's Village, etc. Ambulance? If your lucky enough to have one in your local firehouse (assuming you still have a local firehouse and they don't have to come from the next district over), they get to you quickly. Library? Hours have been cut back drastically, unless again, you are in Center City, Chestnut Hill, etc etc.. Property taxes? Yes, they are low, but since property taxes basically fund a dysfunctional school system, why should we have to pay high property taxes for such poor schools? Do you really think sinking more money into the system will help? Your dreaming, or have not been living in the city very long.— Anthony Palmer
- Please Stop describing Mayor Nutters proposal as a Temporary "one cent on the dollar" sales tax. It is a One percent Sales Tax Increase and it is not going to be Temporary. Anyone who believes this tax will be repealed in five years is a moron. Mayor Nutter, Please continue to lay off and cut salaries of city employees. You have allot more to trim before you think about raising our taxes. Start with any "assistant" who is making more than 50k. Get your house in order before you Tax Mine!!!— JACKSKELETON
- Where's the money that VP Biden approved for our officers?— germany
- WOW! A whole 12 employees laid off. What bold action!— stop2think
- The solution to the constant budget problems has always been here. ELIMINATE THE WAGE TAX - New business will flock to the city!— mortgage_wizard
- this city is just rediculous— PhillyFuture
- this city is just rediculous— PhillyFuture
- AS I KEEP SAYING ALL YOU PEOPLE IN PHILLY DESERVE WHAT YOU GET FOR STILL ELECTING THE SAME PEOPLE OVER AND OVER AGAIN LOL— bobbyboob
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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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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. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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