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

Philadelphia City Hall and political coverage from the Philadelphia Inquirer City Hall bureau.

19 comments

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

POSTED: Friday, September 11, 2009, 1:21 PM

Marcia Gelbart

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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19 comments

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Comments (19)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:41 PM, 09/11/2009

"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

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0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:21 PM, 09/11/2009

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

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0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:27 PM, 09/11/2009

Plan C from Outer Space.

— uandwhosearmy

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0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:02 PM, 09/11/2009

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

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:12 PM, 09/12/2009

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??

— Clark_Kent_SuperHero

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:25 PM, 09/13/2009

Pure BS. The city like to throw out threats and create fear. "We'll cut back and eliminate police and fire jobs and everyone will live in fear that they will get robbed or their house will burn down" Give me a break. And in addition we'll close the pools and library. Wholly smoke that will change life in the big city. Go take a look at the budget. The Managing Director's Office has 850+ vehicles. The execs at GM didn't have that many. Go look at the top staff. There are so darn many jons over $00k it could make you sick. Where I grew up our library was a few rooms with books and the librarian was a old lady that kept watch over things for free. Maybe ewe need that. Nowhere do I see a legitimate desire to cut back and get things in proper fiscal form. We keep spending like there is an endless pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A sure way to bankruptcy and the question is how many hard working people will the mayor and council take down along the way. There's asimple solution. A) what's the revenue coming in now (not based on cranking up half a dozen additional taxes B0 what do we eliminate to have expenses match revenue. THAT'S IT. If you can legitimately do a better job at collecting taxes, getting employees to act frugally, getting rid of all the extrats then you can grow the organization. And to think that this wekend Rendell says he will veto the budget because we are cutting to many things out??? What a jerk.

— ritaf