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PICA approves Nutter's five year financial plan

After some uncertainty, the city's fiscal watchdog today approved Mayor Nutter's five-year financial plan.

Board members of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority voted 4-1 in favor of approving the plan. They delayed a vote last month after requesting and receiving more information on how Nutter would pay for a potentially costly arbitration award for the city's firefighters.

Board President Sam Katz had raised questions about the city's declaration that if an appeal fails, they would pay for the award -- which would add $200 million in costs to the five year plan -- through service cuts. But today Katz said that after discussions with the administration and his own review of the plan, he was comfortable that the city had more options than just cuts.

But Katz said that he wanted to see the city resolve contracts with the city's non-uniform unions before next year's five year plan comes around. Those unions have been without contracts since 2009.

"Next year if it's still not resolved, I'm not going to suppor the five-year plan," Katz said.