|
Title:
|
MAYOR JOHN F. STREET
BUDGET ADDRESS - JANUARY 2001
Implementing a shared vision for a better Philadelphia.
Good morning Council President Verna, members of City Council, members of my Cabinet and Administration, special friends and guests. It is a pleasure to appear before you this morning. Last year, I came before you to describe my vision for a better Philadelphia. Today I stand before you to tell you that we have made great progress in making that vision a reality and I am truly excited for the promise the future holds for our great city.
Allow me to reflect for just a moment on the great year we had. Together, we have become the government that gets things done!
In my first budget message:
* I promised that I would assemble a diverse government comprised of the best, most qualified individuals; I am proud to say that, to date, we have assembled one of the most capable, highly-qualified, diverse group of individuals to serve the City of Philadelphia. These individuals are not simply making government work - they are making government work better.
* I promised you that we would negotiate fair, fiscally sound labor contracts; I am proud to report that our contracts give our workers more yet remain within the limits of the budget.
* I promised you that I would take responsibility for public education as one of the city's highest priorities and would work tirelessly to make a quality education available to every young person in Philadelphia's public schools; I am proud to report that we made significant changes and great strides towards providing every student with a meaningful educational opportunity.
* I promised you that our city would serve as the proud host to thousands of visitors during the Republican National Convention, and that our great city would shine in the national spotlight; I am pleased to report to you that the execution of our host responsibilities to the RNC was an unmitigated success.
* I promised you that we would initiate an ambitious campaign to remove abandoned cars from our city's streets; I am proud to tell you that in the last year, we took more than 60,000 abandoned cars off the streets.
* I promised you that we would not conduct business as usual - that we would tackle problems with creativity and innovation; I am proud to report to you that we have done so, as evidenced by the drastic improvements made to the City's snow fighting efforts. We formerly deployed 234 vehicles - we now deploy 350 snow fighting vehicles. Our goal is to plow all but the 20 miles of streets that are less than 9 feet wide. Under the new program, we will plow more than 2,360 linear miles of Philadelphia streets.
* I pledged that I would include the residents as we sought to create a new vision of our city's neighborhoods; I am pleased to report that we met with hundreds of residents at town and school cluster meetings. We toured every Councilmanic District to see first hand the problems and the struggles each neighborhood confronts, so that the plans we develop address the true needs of our communities.
* I promised you that my Administration would work to negotiate agreements that provide for the construction of two new, world-class sports stadiums; I am delighted to report to you today that we are almost home.
* I promised you that "2000" would be the 'Year of the Child.' We delivered by creating the Commission on Children, establishing the Office of Child Care, releasing the Report Card 2000 and the Children's Budget.
Ladies and gentlemen, I say to you again, we have had a great year! We are a government that gets the job done!
These great achievements did not just happen. Nor did they happen in a vacuum. They occurred through the dedication, hard work, and perseverance of many, many individuals. I would like to take a moment to thank some of the people who helped to make this first year such an outstanding success.
First and foremost, I must thank the scores of elected officials, labor leaders, members of the business community, members of the religious community, the hundreds of members of my transition team, and the wide variety of civic leaders who came together throughout the year in an unprecedented fashion to help in solving some of Philadelphia's most challenging issues. To all of you who extended a helping hand, I offer thanks.
I must especially thank Governor Ridge for his leadership, partnership, and friendship. When I took office last January, many wondered whether the Governor and I could find common ground. However, from the very beginning, the Governor evidenced a sincere willingness to help in solving many of Philadelphia's most difficult problems. I appreciate his commitment to join with me in implementing our vision for a better Philadelphia and I expect that our relationship will endure, and be constructive and productive.
I also thank Council President Verna, and every member of City Council for your hard work and commitment towards shaping and implementing the vision for a better Philadelphia. Thank you Council President Verna for your leadership and wisdom, and thanks to each of you for your help along the way.
I would also like to thank the hundreds of Philadelphians who attended the town and school cluster meetings held throughout my first 100 days in office. I appreciate the ideas, the faith, the patience and the confidence that the residents of Philadelphia have expressed throughout the year. The budget that I bring to you today is structured to address the concerns and ideas expressed by the people of Philadelphia at those meetings.
The coming year presents an array of new, more complex challenges. We can not afford to rest on the wonderful success of the last year. To implement a shared vision for a better Philadelphia will take continued discipline, dedication, and cooperation.
Some obstacles to implementing our vision are external, 'global' challenges that many cities across America are now facing, including:
* A decreasing population that is less likely to have the ability to support a strong tax structure while at the same time is more likely to require increased city services.
* National economic indicators that suggest the flourishing economy we have enjoyed over the past several years is likely to slow down.
* Changes in various state and federal programs - such as welfare reform - that will effect the economic strength of the City.
Some other challenges developed over a long period of time and only now are we gaining a full appreciation for their magnitude.
Let me be totally frank with you here today: the problems of the Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) constitute the greatest risk to the financial stability of the City. After years of poor management compounded by a monumental computer system failure, the financial problems of the company have been further exacerbated by a 400% increase in the price of natural gas, during 2000 alone! While we are pursuing every avenue to stabilize the finances of the organization - including a $45 million loan to PGW-the City has no alternative but to consider the benefit of selling the company. We simply cannot afford to fund PGW's cash-flow and operating requirements out of the City's general fund. To do so will surely bankrupt the City!
Another extraordinary challenge facing all of us is the on-going struggle to improve public education in Philadelphia. If we want families to live here and businesses to thrive, virtually no commitment is more critical to Philadelphia's long-term strength than our commitment to public education.
The School District's educational and financial problems accumulated over a period of years and may not be resolved in one year. But, important improvements are beginning to bear fruit:
* We installed strong management at the District so we get a better grasp of our financial problems and improve our opportunity to deliver on our educational
|