PHILADELPHIA PA – Mayor Jim Kenney released his second budget and Five-Year Plan today, asking members of City Council to approve new investments in two key areas: health and human services that will uplift our most vulnerable, and job-creating initiatives that will result in economic opportunity for all Philadelphians.
The health and human service investments are targeted at strengthening our child welfare system and combating lead poisoning, opioid addiction, and homelessness. The job-creating initiatives outlined in the budget are focused on spreading Philadelphia’s resurgence to all our neighborhoods through such programs as Rebuild. They are also focused on assisting Philadelphians facing barriers to employment, through the Fair Change Hiring Program and the Guild, a paid apprenticeship program within Mural Arts.
The $4.4 billion budget and Five Year Plan also seek to make Philadelphia stronger economically across the board by continuing the city’s reduction of wage and business taxes. By Fiscal Year 2022, the resident wage tax is projected to be under 3.7% — its lowest level since the 1970s. The Mayor also reiterated his commitment to pension reform, and is asking for Council’s partnership on a plan that would bring the Pension Fund to 80% funded in 13 years.
The proposed budget and Five Year plan also call for important investments in public transportation and public safety. The administration has prioritized dedicated Capital Program resources for roadway resurfacing over the next six fiscal years by increasing annual repaving funding more than 75% by Fiscal Year 2023. Public safety investments include the hiring of 42 paramedics and 30 firefighters, along with five new medic units, as well as new funding for L&I for increased demolitions.
The budget documents, including the Operating Budget in Brief, the FY18 Capital Budget, and the Five Year Financial and Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2018-2022 are available here.
The budget is also available as an Open Data set at http://www.phila.gov/openbudget. The release of the data is the result of efforts of the City’s Finance and Budget Departments and the Office of Open Data and Digital Transformation. The Open Data site also includes an interactive visualization tool that allows users to easily browse, filter and drill down into the data within their web browser.
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