The Controller's Office released a report yesterday charging that local tow truck companies are "gouging" citizens, and that L&I and the Police Department, responsible for monitoring those companies, have fallen down on the job of protecting us. From the DN:
Butkovitz blamed L&I for "a large gap which you can drive a tow truck through" in its poor enforcement of city codes and in its lax communication with the Police Department regarding tow-truck companies.
Butkovitz is seeking higher fines against the towing companies, and better coordination between the two departments.
As we noted after Butkovitz's recent re-election as controller, Philadelphia voters made a very specific choice on election day: They voted for targeted performance audits of specific city agencies, and even specific agency functions. Butkovitz had argued, during the campaign, that such audits were more fruitful than the yearly fiscal audits being championed by his opponent (and required in the city charter). This was the central policy difference between the two candidates. And Butkovitz won.
Yesterday's audit strikes us as a perfect example of the sort of audit Butkovitz was talking about: It's very focused and assesses performance rather than budgeting. Of course this audit was in motion well before the election, but it might still be a good occasion to reflect: Is this sort of thing a valuable use of the Controller's time? Do you appreciate this service from your fiscal watchdog (if not from the police and L&I)?
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Thank you for doing this. I had my car stolen in Philly. Police actually recovered it and I was overjoyed. Then i was robbed again when I had to pay $180 cash to a private lot (Dicicco) to get my recovered stolen car back. Thanks to a change Nutter did but still.— Economics- I don't think voters made a concious decision that this was the type of audit they preferred, they probably didn't understand the difference and just voted for the democrat. Yes, this is good for someone in govt to do, but how difficult was this? Didn't the DN run a piece on towing fees a few years ago?— spider9
- As I stated yesterday, this should be "Old Hat" stuff. There are new doors to open and peer in on. Get down to the nitty gritty, and put some money back in our pockets, that government has/is squandering.— FJG JR
- As I stated yesterday, Butkovitz should have audited the Parking Authority for the past four years. Saying he doesn't have the authority is nonsense. Get John Perzel under subpeona and get the books opened to the public.— mikeyg
MONEY AND JUSTICE DON'T MIX
WILL THE NEW COUNCIL GIVE YOU A SAY?
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Contact:
Doron Taussig:
215-854-5307
doron.taussig@gmail.com
@dorontaussig
Holly Otterbein:
215-854-5809
hm.otterbein@gmail.com
@hollyotterbein
Juliana Reyes:
215-854-5855
juliana.f.reyes@gmail.com
@juliana_f_reyes
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