Title
Amending Title 21 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Miscellaneous," by providing for the preparation of Fiscal Impact Statements regarding pending legislation and directing the Finance Director and Controller to provide such statements upon request, all under certain terms and conditions.
Body
WHEREAS, To facilitate strategic decision-making that takes into account both policy priorities and also the cost of pursuing those priorities, analysis regarding the fiscal impact of proposed legislation on the City's finances should be made available to City Council; and
WHEREAS, Providing for fiscal impact analysis regarding the costs and benefits of proposed legislation will bring Philadelphia in line with national best practices; fiscal impact analysis is required in cities including Washington, D.C., San Francisco, CA, and Los Angeles, CA, and in states ranging from Iowa to Virginia to Colorado to Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, In Pennsylvania, for example, state-level legislation requiring the expenditure of governmental funds may not be passed before the preparation of a fiscal note detailing the financial impact of the bill in the year of enactment and for the five succeeding fiscal years; and
WHEREAS, In Philadelphia, the Finance Director and City Controller are best positioned to prepare such fiscal impact analysis, given their access to financial records and such analysis being consistent with their existing duties under the Home Rule Charter; and
WHEREAS, The Charter-mandated duties of the Finance Director include "Cost Analysis," which is further described as "mak[ing] studies of the cost of performing the various functions which are committed to the several officers, departments, boards or commissions," while those of the Auditing Department, under the direction of the City Controller, include "mak[ing] recommendations to the several officers, departments, boards, commissions or ot...
Click here for full text