Inquirer Editorial: Kenney's budget ambitious, but expensive

Mayor Kenney's first budget exudes all the optimism of a metropolis well-positioned to escape its long-held status as a prisoner of low expectations. But the cost of his agenda and method of payment - yet another tax - is sobering.

City Council has 90 days to analyze the proposal. Kenney, a former councilman, well knows the process. The hope of the city is that he can use that knowledge more effectively than his predecessor, whose experience as a Council alumnus too often seemed more detrimental than beneficial.

Kenney's $4.17 billion budget includes three outstanding ideas: expanding pre-kindergarten; financing long-needed repairs to parks, recreation centers, and libraries; and providing social services within newly dubbed community schools.

But paying for the initiatives is a heavy lift. Kenney wants to tax sugary drinks even though Council twice killed similar proposals by Mayor Michael Nutter. Kenney was one of the no votes. It will take some sales job for him to get a 3-cents-per-ounce tax when Nutter couldn't get 2 cents. Kenney says the difference is how he would target the revenue.

Kenney wants to provide 25,000 pre-K slots in neighborhoods with few early childhood education options. Since the 1960s, studies have demonstrated that children who attend pre-kindergarten are more likely to have good attendance, graduate from high school, and hold on to jobs as adults. They are also less likely to get in trouble with the law.

Since the pre-K funds will go to independent operators, there is a question of how the city will ensure the quality of their services. The state primarily regulates health and safety standards for day-care and child-care programs. The Keystone Stars program goes beyond state regulations, but participation is voluntary.

Maybe the best part of the mayor's plan to enhance parks, libraries, and recreation centers is an accompanying evaluation of existing facilities to determine where money should be spent and where additional investment would be a waste. Kenney says he will work closely with district Council representatives to make sure the best decisions are made.

What Kenney's road map does not adequately address is additional funding for the School District and a voracious pension system that eats 15 percent of the city budget. The mayor told the Inquirer Editorial Board that he has already reached out to the unions. The close relationships with labor that Kenney developed as a councilman may be tested as he seeks concessions.

Despite his feisty reputation, Mayor Kenney has begun his tenure with the deportment of a diplomat. During his budget address Thursday, he acknowledged each Council member by pointing out which of their specific requests was in his budget, including police body cameras, an inspector to enforce wage rules, and ID cards for immigrants.

Council President Darrell Clarke says the millions Kenney proposes for his pet projects, including an energy-efficiency program, won't sway him. That's good to hear. Each idea in Kenney's bold but expensive budget must be judged on its merit.