Nutter Confirms Temporary Property Tax Hike, Says No Police or Fire Layoffs
Mayor Nutter just announced that his upcoming budget won't include layoffs in the police or fire departments. Nutter, joined by Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers, also said there will be no closures of facilities or elimination of equipment. His plan last fall to close libraries and eliminate fire companies drew legal challenges and prompted wide-spread controversy.
Nutter Confirms Temporary Property Tax Hike, Says No Police or Fire Layoffs
Chris Brennan
Mayor Nutter just announced that his upcoming budget won't include layoffs in the police or fire departments. Nutter, joined by Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers, also said there will be no closures of facilities or elimination of equipment. His plan last fall to close libraries and eliminate fire companies drew legal challenges and prompted wide-spread controversy.
"I refuse to do anything that halts our progress on a march to a safer city," Nutter said.
Nutter – who must close a five-year $1 billion budget shortfall -- is set to release his budget and five-year financial plan in City Council on Thursday.
Nutter also said that he plans to propose a temporary two year property tax increase of 19 percent over the current rate in the fiscal year that starts on July 1 and 14.5 percent over the current rate in the fiscal year that starts in July 2010. Although real estate tax revenues are split with the School District of Philadelphia, the entire increase would go into city coffers, Nutter said.
Without that tax increase, Nutter said drastic cuts would be required, including police and fire layoffs.
Advance versions reviewed by the Daily News and reported on last week showed Nutter was planning temporary hikes to sales and property taxes, as well as service cuts. Nutter said the property tax hike was changed from 17 percent for both years -- as the Daily News had reported -- because an increase deterioration in revenues is going to make the next fiscal year a "financially challenging year."
Nutter said the increase would mean homeowners would likely see a tax increase of $50 a month or less.
Nutter also stressed that he does not want to make an increases -- temporary or otherwise -- to the wage or business taxes.
"We will not take temporary steps that will have a devestating long-term impact," he said, noting that planned reductions to the wage and business taxes were already frozen in a round of budget cuts last fall.
Councilman Bill Green said he didn't agree with the strategy. "I don't think we should have anything off the table at this point," he said.
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There should be monthly fines for those who fail to maintain their empty lots. This could help clean up our city. If the owner refuses to pay the fines, the city could take over these properties and sell them. Our cities vacant properties have been neglected enough. Transform these into productive areas.— mwthread- Is there a reason that we're not trying to collect back-owed property taxes?— sariajacobs2000
- If instead of raising taxes on the people already paying them, the city collected the unpaid taxes of the people NOT paying them, there would be no need to raise property taxes. A tax hike right now would serve only to force more people to sell and leave. Keep that up, and soon Scranton will be the second largest city in Pennsylvania.— DonQ
So in 2009, I get to pay 19% over the 2008 taxes I just paid, and then in 2011, I pay 14.5% of what my 2008 taxes are (in other words, less than I paid in 2010). That's cheaper than the $5 a week for trash service proposal, if your yearly taxes are $1,400 or less. $5 x 52 weeks = $260 trash proposal. $1,400 taxes x 19% = $266.- maybe they should just collect the taxes, gas bills, water bills, that are already owed to them. do away with the "consultants" who just collect a check every month because they have some connection....hey after all these years, the chickens have come home to roost ! 250K to live in a row house in s phila ? wow , you could get something nice outside the city, and have an easy place to park your car, and not have the whole neighborhood know everytime you bang the old lady.— Lil Bobby
- No such thing as a temporary tax. A tax in this city never gets repealed. Think of the City Wage Tax.....— The-Roof-Is-On-Fire
Talk about timing.....I just received an offer to transfer to a position back home in Philly. I was already second guessing the transfer because the taxes are so high, but now this clown wants to raise them?!? Its like they are intentionally trying to drive everybody who can earn a decent living out of the city. Philly politicians are their own worst enemy.- Comment removed.
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- How do you think New Jersey property taxes got so high? This is NOT temporary. Like everything else that has come out of Nutter's mouth, it is a lie. Let's see... somehow, the budget shortfall magically doubled overnight from 1 Million to 2 Million. Or was it Billions? Who cares at this point. Just a bunch of lies, and we are all just going to keep getting screwed. He is probably hoping that we all forget two years from now what he said. Just can't wait to see the roll-back... Why is it that Obama can magically find Billions of dollars and Mayor Nutter can't?— dee99999
- Aren't we in a housing crisis where the federal gov't passed stimulus to entice buyers? Incredible.— tg
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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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