Nutter lays out dire future unless state helps

A city without courts? Without libraries, recreation centers, and a usable park system? And with 3,000 fewer workers?

That's the scenario Mayor Nutter continues to paint if state lawmakers fail to act fast on two Philadelphia measures - and no matter how ludicrous it seems, the mayor insists he's not bluffing.

"This is not a game, not an exercise, I'm not crying wolf - we have no money. I don't know what's so difficult to understand," said Nutter, testily answering a reporter's question yesterday during a news conference in which he laid out drastic spending cuts that he said could become real.

Still awaiting Harrisburg's approval to increase the city sales tax and defer payments to Philadelphia's pension fund, the mayor yesterday delivered to City Council a revised five-year spending plan that assumes lawmakers will fail to act in the coming days.

He is also required to submit the plan by the end of the month to the city's fiscal monitor, the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, which must vote to accept or reject it as being based on "reasonable" assumptions.

"Today," Nutter said, "we formally began the process of preparing to cease operations in vast segments of city government."

Nearly 3,000 layoff notices - including 1,000 in the Police Department and 200 for firefighters - may be in the mail before Sept. 18, with job losses effective Oct. 2.

At least 23 civil-service exams scheduled for September might be canceled, in addition to 25 that were already canceled this month.

The District Attorney's Office's budget for this fiscal year could drop from $29 million to $7.2 million, while the public defender's could sink from $36 million to $9 million.

The First Judicial District, the formal name of Philadelphia's court system, could receive no funding for the remainder of the fiscal year, and the next four years as well.

Asked about the absurdity of shutting down the entire city court system, Nutter said: "The whole circumstance we find ourselves in is absurd from the start."

Philadelphia found itself in limbo after approving a budget earlier this year that hinged on new revenue derived from a temporary penny-per-dollar sales tax increase and a two-year deferment in pension payments. Both steps required the approval of the state, which has been tied up with its own budget impasse.

Nutter said the city cannot rely only on spending cuts to deal with depleted tax revenues stemming from the national economic downturn. "It is not an outrageous or unusual request of the commonwealth . . . to give us the tools we need to run our government," he said.

The Senate could pass the legislation - which would add $700 million to city coffers - as soon as Wednesday. The House has already acted, though it may be asked to vote again if the Senate amends the legislation.

In the interest of time, Nutter said, he has asked Council not to hold a public hearing on the revised five-year plan. Council President Anna C. Verna will announce a decision next week, a spokeswoman said.

For the most part, the mayor's comments yesterday reiterated his plea in a letter two weeks ago to Republican Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi of Delaware County: "Don't let our great city die, please pass [the legislation] as quickly as possible."

Yet despite outlining the dramatic service cuts, the mayor failed to provide certain details, such as the locations of six fire-engine and three ladder companies that would close under the revised plan, as well as two city health centers.

"The crisis is real," Nutter said. "The impact of inaction will be devastating. The clock is ticking."