Title
Amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," and Title 16 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Public Property," to provide for a comprehensive plan for the placement of advertising on municipal property, and further, to allocate the proceeds of advertising on municipal property to an Education Fund, all under certain terms and conditions.
Body
WHEREAS, The State proposed unprecedented cuts in education throughout the Commonwealth, including more than $1.6 billion for public schools and state-supported universities and colleges; and
WHEREAS, In 2011 cuts for the School District of Philadelphia ("SDP") provided funding to the SDP at a lower levels than in previous years, and a reduction of all Commonwealth-provided funding to the SDP by the staggering amount of approximately $292 million; and
WHEREAS, Providing a fundamentally sound education ranks among the highest of all governmental missions and is the only way to prepare today's youth to become tomorrow's workforce; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has a vested interest in exploring new and innovative methods of raising revenue that can the City in aiding the financially struggling Philadelphia School District; and
WHEREAS, Many cities, including New York, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, and St. Louis, are generating significant revenue in the millions and even billions of dollars from implementing coordinated municipal advertising programs; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has hundreds of municipally owned properties that are attractive to advertisers and can help raise revenue comparable to that in other cities from allowing certain private entities to utilize approved public facilities for advertising purposes, and even further through private sponsorship of certain public facilities; and
WHEREAS, With the proper oversight and controls, a coordinated municipal property advertising program can significantly improve the appearance, qualit...
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