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."
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We have Rendell to thank for that for threatening to veto the state budget. The Senate has to refocus on that entirely now. I don't get Rendell. He's holding out for that last little bit of pork for Dems, the DCED grants, the last bit of WAM, the tiniest increase in education funding even as he got concessions on education funding. Rendell is a truly take-no-prisoners guy. Or, he doesn't think Philly really needs the sales tax hike more than cuts and other fixes compared to what he thinks he could get from holding out. Do we even know what the real Plan C contains? PICA hasn't gotten the real Plan C yet until 9/25, so how do we know what Nutter is really going to cut? Can't we FOIA that info?— CleanupPhilly- I personally think that Nutter is only going to be able to cut cops on disability leave from getting full pay, something he talked about with Ramsey previously. The rest of the 2,700 city employees will be from other departments, but I don't think he's going to full shutter Planning and the Historic Commission, for example so he can keep all but 2 free clinics at a time when there is more ABC and Medicare/aid than ever. PICA has accepted Oct. 1 as the date when the sales tax hike passes. My question is how much of these cuts are going to be political theater, and how much are truly aimed at cost savings and right-sizing?— CleanupPhilly
- Nutter's team seems to have the firm belief that "we don't have to let you know what we are doing until we do it." This is not what he ran on.— CleanupPhilly
- There's no way to avoid layoffs now. The chance that the sales tax hike will pass before 9/18 is nil. The chance that it will pass before 10/2 is slim to none. When do the deign to tell us who and what gets cut?— CleanupPhilly
- I mean, when do they deign to tell us who and what gets cut? What city runs like this?— CleanupPhilly
- What time do you receive the GOP talking points each morning Cleanup? Do you realize the devastation these layoffs and service cuts will cause? Do you think people or businesses will want to come to Philadelphia after all this cuts occur? You seem to be the head cheerleader for Plan C. That is disgraceful! Anyone who is happy to see this go down fundamentally lacks empathy and should be ashamed of themselves.— LibertyoverTyranny
- Every city runs like this. The mayor is the head of the executive branch and has absolute discression to close parts of his branch, as does the governor and the president. Thats basic to the division of government. All the layoffs in Plan C are real. If PICA requires more money for courts thats just more layoffs. Think not 1,000 cops but 1,500 cops. Keep cheering for this CUP. The rest of us will tell them to stop enforcing your neighborhood.— seand
- "intense" budget discussions. really. taxpayer dollars at work here. must be nice to forgo deadlines, continue working on the same project on end, i wish i had that luxury in my job. meanwhile, the lives of cops, firefighters, and children are at stake. beautiful.— Philly85
- Yeah CleanupPhilly last week I wasn't killing the messenger but rather killing your support for Plan C and this will 1828 be passed in time and I will prove you wrong and help support Rendell and Nutter to the end. And do not go crying to me if you take mass transit in the event SEPTA goes on strike because I heard rumors about the possibility of that next month so you. In regards to Harrisburg both the city and state budget bills will be passed and I will end proving you and your dirty politics wrong.— CVPI19
- CleanupPhilly, don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself speak? You post like 5 comments in a row on every article about this. Way to have a conversation with yourself. Get a life!— ppm107
- looks like some city workers are going to need to find real jobs. thankfully pileggi's not giving into to the unions and democrats's blackmail— alfred von tirpitz
- so cops, firefighters and people who keep Libraries and rec centers open for the public are not performing "real jobs"? idiot— Lisa314
- Rendell cannot turn a wrench or screwdriver according to his wife and he screws up the budget by threatening to veto it!— James
- Lisa, sweetheart, no, i don't consider the halfwits who sit around all day at "rec centers" (basically make-work jobs for people with no skills) and the libraries "real jobs." nutter won't axe that many cops. there are plenty of white and blue collar hacks who take three-hour lunches to lay off— alfred von tirpitz
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