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.
PICA's actions today prevented the authority's five-member board from having to possibly reject Plan C - a move that may have "embarrassed" the city, said City Councilman Bill Green - while at the same time giving the legislature more time to do something.
To be clear, though, Plan C may have been on the path to rejection, with PICA chairman James Eisenhower saying it was not "reasonable" for the mayor to submit a budget plan that did not fund Philadelphia's court system, which Plan C did not.
"It goes without saying that this is unprecedented, and these are unprecedented times," he said.
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"Plan C" should go down into the Philly vocabulary as a word symbolizing "empty threat". As in "So, you say you gonna beat me up? That's you Plan C"?— DonQ- Oh, Eisenhower. You're like Andy Reid with his two oldest boys. "Sure, kids, here's a hundred bucks and the keys to the SUV. Don't kill anyone." If you give a bad teen one break, they'll break five things more. There's NO realistic CHANCE the Senate will approve a complex pension reform bill that raises taxes in seven days. At the least the real Plan C is ready, and PICA can have it due on the same day as the vote, Sept. 18. and the layoff notices. The real Plan C is going to be even tougher than ersatz poison pill Plan C. Notices should go out as promised on 9/18. Letting the city delay just encourages them to do nothing. It's not generous, it's enabling the city government to refuse to make decisions.— CleanupPhilly
Comment removed.- Any word on if Plan C's implementation date of 9/15 is still unchanged? Seems like the Mayor has no reason to change it, it will just confuse and upset people more, and make them think that nothing is going to happen.— CleanupPhilly
- Does this extension affect the closure date of libraries, rec centers, the Planning Commission, etc.? Is the schedule of Plan C still a go 9/15? The longer we wait to make cuts, the harsher the cuts have to be, because the revenue is finite, and the untouched spending every month cuts into that more than it has to unless we cut on schedule. Even if the sales tax bill passes, these are cuts that still must happen. That's the part no one wants to say. But that is the math.— CleanupPhilly
- Great one Donq PICA is the reason we are in this mess to begin with. They have allow this city in past to defer charges with out asking how they intend to pay when the bill finally arrives in the future and here they go doing it again. They need to get rid of this bunch phonies and get people who care about our city.— DennisR
- We know what Pileggi's going to do, he already told us. There's no need to wait two weeks until 9/25 for the real document of Plan C. The Senate will put the amendments back in, almost without a change and send it right back to the House, asap, like a hot potato. I hope the House is ready to consider serious concessions based on their hope of passage or else they've consigned the sales tax hike to the graveyard.— CleanupPhilly
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Plan C from Outer Space.— uandwhosearmy
- I worked on my feet my whole life, and I would never work for the city, not under the terms that city employees have to accept. I'm saying we can't cut fire, police, and sanitation. I'm saying that we have to cut the least critical first. I'm saying that people have to know that Plan C is on. It's spin from the Philly Democrats that they have some chance of a reprieve from this, so they can have you guys as calm as possible when you get the knife. But I prefer to treat you like adults and human beings who need to ready. You need to be ready. You need to have a resume and references, and get ready.— CleanupPhilly
- Wassup, if you work in the city nursing home, prepare to have that office cut, as big cuts are scheduled in the health care sector of city government. That means the city can't be the primary care provider anymore, owning and operating free medical clinics. You're co-workers are lucky, because health care is robust. They'll only run into trouble if they do nothing and wait for magic legislation to fall from the sky.— CleanupPhilly
- People need to start thinking of other employers besides the city, and they have to start now.— CleanupPhilly
- I have no sympathy for city workers. Just spent two hours on the phone with PGW. They told they have no record of me ever having service despite the fact that I had service for three years at my previous residence. So I have to go to the office to prove that I had service as well as prove that I own my home. Everyone including the supervisors didn't seem to think this was a big deal, and couldn't understand why I was upset. Every city service I've dealt with has had a similar outcome. Are there no competent people to hire?— BLKMD
Fear and Chaos is the Mayor's plan C. If it is posturing is has the same effect on the Philly Pysche..NEGATIVIVITY. A Leader should be positive leading us to green valleys not to darkened barren caves. What happened to the man we voted in??
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