The Committee of 70 today called for School District to end the practice of funding employees at the Board of Revision of Taxes. The decades-old tradition allows for Democratic and Republican committee members of ward leaders to hold a city job while continuing their political work. Such political activity is banned for regular city employees.

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With three other parades struggling to march in the next few weeks, including the Steuben Day Parade on Saturday, the Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday, and the Pulaski Day Parade on Oct. 4, an umbrella organization representing six ethnic parades wrote Mayor Nutter yesterday to ask him to change the policy he instituted last fall, when the city's budget crisis became apparent.

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The mayor's press office has just issued this release.

MAYOR NUTTER TO PHILADELPHIANS: PLAN C STOPS NOW

Harrisburg, September 17 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter has instructed the command staff of the city government to halt the implementation of Plan C following the Pennsylvania Senate’s approval of House Bill 1828. This afternoon the Pennsylvania Senate voted 32-17 to concur with House Bill 1828, sending the legislation to Governor Rendell for his signature.

“This is a great win for the citizens of Philadelphia,” said Mayor Nutter from Harrisburg. “I am so proud of how we have weathered this storm as a city, with a typical fighting Philly spirit. Just think of what we can achieve together when we turn that resilience, that determination, that teamwork towards the tremendous opportunities and endless possibilities that lie ahead.”

»  More Nutter's message to city workers: stop holding your breath, Plan C is kaput

After months of agonizing delays, state lawmakers granted final approval today to a temporary Philadelphia sales tax hike and a two-year reprieve on city pension payments, a pair of critically needed measures that plug the final $700 million hole in a multi-year deficit that once stood at $2.4 billion

The legislation, which was just approved by an 32 to 17 vote in the state Senate, will, at least for now, bring Philadelphia’s budget and five-year plan fully into balance, ending a political and fiscal drama that has consumed City Hall for over a year.

The bill — which Gov. Rendell is expected to sign shortly — eliminates the need for Mayor Nutter’s fallback budget, better known as Plan C.

That plan would have closed the $700 million five-year gap through cuts alone. As many as 3,000 city workers would have been laid off under Plan C, and basic services such as sanitation and police and fire protection sharply reduced.

»  More Plan C averted, city gets its budget

Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter answers questions at a news conference outside City Hall just before his trip to Harrisburg, where he will lobby legislators to pass House Bill 1828, which gives Philadelphia the tools to deal with its budget crisis.

Mayor Nutter is on his way to Harrisburg - again - this morning to push for passage of House Bill 1828.

The legislation is awaiting action by the Senate, whose leaders have not yet indicated whether they will support the measure, or when a vote would occur. Senate Republicans are scheduled to meet and discuss the bill - which would close a $700 million gap in Philadelphia's five-year budget - at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the city inches closer to its promise to send out 3,000 notices tomorrow to employees who would lose their jobs as of Oct. 2. That cost-cutting action would be part of the Plan C "doomsday" budget Nutter says he will have to implement if the legislature fails to act.

Nutter has also prepared a speech that aired at 10 a.m. this morning on Channel 64, the city's cable station, about his reluctant decision to deliver the layoff notices barring approval by the Senate of the pending House bill. The address reflects his message yesterday to city workers. Here is a transcript:

»  More Nutter goes to Harrisburg to push for Senate vote

Mayor Nutter has just written to city workers, warning them that layoff notices would be coming this week if the city does not win Harrisburg's approval for its proposed sales tax hike and pension payment deferrals.

Read the letter for yourself below:

Dear fellow City employees,

Tomorrow I will travel to Harrisburg once again to do all I can to secure final passage of House Bill 1828, legislation that gives the City the tools to overcome the damage wrought by the current recession. This bill will generate $700 million and allow us to avoid the devastating cuts that have come to be known as ‘Plan C’.

»  More Mayor writes to city workers, warns of layoff notices

Senate Republicans had anticipated meeting today to discuss where they stood on House Bill 1828, the Nutter-supported legislation that would raise $700 million for Philadelphia, in part, by raising the city sales tax.

Now, according to Inquirer Harrisburg reporter Mario Cattabiani, it seems no such discussion will occur until tomorrow, which means the earliest any vote could take place is also tomorrow. "As intense discussions on the state budget continue, today’s Senate session was changed to non-voting," said Erik Arneson, spokesman for Senate Republican Majority Leader Domenic Pileggi.

The change in voting schedule means the Nutter Administration will be just one day away - Friday - from sending nearly 3,000 layoff notices to city workers. The layoffs would take effect Oct. 2.

There's also the chance that no final action at all will occur this week in the Senate. "A vote this week is possible," Arneson said, "but if major issues emerge a vote may not happen until next week."

»  More State budget talks delay Senate action on city relief bill

Mayor Nutter was not in Harrisburg yesterday or today, but he is busy lobbying for the city's budget relief package nonetheless.

The mayor sent a letter yesterday to every state senator, urging them to support the twin measures that would allow Philadelphia to generate an estimated $700 million.

Little action was expected in the upper chamber today, with Senate Majority Leader Domenic Pileggi saying he anticipated discussing the legislation with his colleagues during a caucus meeting tomorrow.  A copy of Nutter's letter is below.

September 14, 2009

»  More Nutter pleads with senators for support of $700 million relief package

The city's financial watchdog today declined to approve - or reject - Mayor Nutter's "doomsday" budget plan.

In its place, the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority conditionally approved another financial plan, one that buys the city more time to gain Harrisburg's OK for two measures that would pump $700 million in revenue into Philadelphia's five-year spending plan.

The conditionally-approved plan assumes the state will allow the city to raise the sales tax and defer pension payments for two years - and gives the state until Sept. 18 to act. That's the day that Nutter has vowed to mail layoff notices to 3,000 employees, unless the legislature makes a move.

If the state still doesn't act by then, the city must resubmit the doomsday plan - known as Plan C - to the authority.

»  More PICA punts on a vote on Nutter's "Plan C"