Adding up Kenney's wish list

Let's see, universal pre-K, $60 million.

An expanded port, $300 million.

More bike lanes, $1.4 million.

Body cameras for police, $6.6 million.

The list goes on. As he prepares to take office in January, Mayor-elect Jim Kenney is carrying the weight of almost $400 million in campaign promises. While most of that is to come from private investments, tens of millions of dollars would still be needed from taxpayers.

Given that the city's $3.9 billion budget is already strapped, even some of Kenney's most loyal lieutenants acknowledged that achieving everything will be a stretch.

"It will be a miracle if we can check everything off," said Lauren Vidas, a lobbyist who is part of Kenney's transition team. "We have to be smart how we prioritize."

Kenney is banking on a number of efficiencies, ranging from zero-based budgeting to auction-style bidding on contracts, to wring savings from the existing budget. The question remains whether these savings can match his rosy estimates.

"Putting a number up front is bold," said Uri Monson, Montgomery County's chief financial officer and the architect of zero-based budgeting there.

Kenney's wish list for the city is long and varied. Here are some highlights:

Expansion of the Port of Philadelphia to create more jobs. Estimated price tag: $300 million. Kenney has said that most of that would come from private investment. The city's cost is not clear.

Universal pre-K, a hallmark of Kenney's campaign and possibly his biggest priority. The estimated cost is $60 million over three years. The city would cover $40 million, with nonprofits and community partnerships making up the rest.

Increasing the Housing Trust Fund's $11 million budget by $5 million annually. Kenney has proposed adding $25 to the current fees for recording mortgages (now $87) and deeds ($102).

Equipping Philadelphia's police officers with body cameras. Kenney believes the city can purchase 2,000 cameras per year at a cost of $2.2 million. He envisions buying 6,000 cameras over three years at a total cost of $6.6 million. Federal grants would cover some of that.

More bike lanes. Kenney wants to add 15 miles of lanes each year of his term. At a cost of $23,190 per mile, that's about $1.4 million over four years. He also wants to build 30 miles of protected lanes, which use delineators to separate cyclists from cars. They cost at least $46,540 per mile, totaling a $1.4 million investment.

Doubling the Storefront Improvement Program, which reimburses businesses for approved restoration work. Kenney wants to increase the program's budget to at least $1 million. The city now contributes about $500,000 to the program.

Implement Shotspotter, a sound-detection system that alerts police when and where there has been a shooting. Kenney estimated it would cost $750,000 for a pilot program to cover 10 square miles.

Increase the Board of Ethics' $1 million budget by $250,000 annually, so the board can more aggressively enforce ethic rules for city employees and candidates for elected offices. He would increase lobbyist registration fees, currently at $100, to get some of that money.

As noted above, many of Kenney's initiatives would be covered by fee hikes. For others, the mayor-elect is looking at a variety of budgetary savings. Kenney, for instance, wants to implement zero-based budgeting. Under that system, every department starts with zero dollars and is forced to defend every existing program and employee.

"Conservatively estimating a savings of only 2 percent through zero-based budgeting, Philadelphia will have $80 million to reinvest in schools or universal Pre-K," according to a policy paper Kenney has released.

Kenney based the estimate on Montgomery County's experience with zero-based budgeting, which saved the county $43 million, or 9 percent of its total budget, over a three-year period.

Monson warned, however, that starting from zero works only if there is the political will to support necessary cuts.

"It's not a magic wand," Monson said.

Phil Goldsmith, managing director under Mayor John F. Street, was also skeptical that zero-based budgeting would bring in millions in revenue. Nevertheless, he said, if a mayor wants something, he can usually find the money somewhere.

"A mayor has his priorities and finds a way to pay for them," Goldsmith said. Street, for instance, was able to raise $300 million for his ambitious neighborhood transformation initiative by selling bonds, Goldsmith said.

Kenney also believes he can save about $65 million over time by using reverse auctioning in awarding city contracts. Contract seekers would bid against one another auction-style, rather than submitting a single sealed bid.

Jim Engler, Kenney's campaign policy director, said the big savings won't come in the mayor's first year. It will take time to roll out the zero-based budgeting and the new auctioning and procurement method, he said.

Kenney has said he will also consider tax-lien sales and payments in lieu of taxes for various universities and health-care nonprofits in the city as revenue generators.

Kenney's transition team will be combing through all of his ideas in the weeks leading up to the inauguration and figuring out what is achievable within his first year and first term.

A lot of Kenney's big ambitions depend on the legislature, Engler said. If the state increases school funding or allocates money for universal pre-K, that will have a direct impact on the city's budget, good or bad.

"It adds another wrinkle to the transition process," he said.

Another potential hitch would be the municipal union contracts Kenney ultimately will have to negotiate after he takes office, Goldsmith said. The more he gives the unions, the less money there will be to fund his pet projects.

At the end of the day, Goldsmith thought Kenney had a good chance of financing his campaign promises.

They are "realistic," he said, "assuming we don't have another recession and . . . if we don't have another homeland security 9/11 type of event."

cvargas@phillynews.com

215-854-5520@InqCVargas