Title
Proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter relating to the reapportionment of Council districts; and providing for the submission of the amendment of the electors of Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, Under Section 6 of the First Class City Home Rule Act (53 P.S. §13106), an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter may be proposed by a resolution of the Council of the City of Philadelphia adopted with the concurrence of two-thirds of its elected members; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the following amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter is hereby proposed and shall be submitted to the electors of the City on an election date designated by ordinance:
Strikethrough indicates matter deleted by these amendments.
Bold indicates matter added by these amendments.
ARTICLE II LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
CHAPTER 1 THE COUNCIL
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§ 2-102. Council Districts.
(a) There shall be ten council districts. The original districts shall be:
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(b) It shall be the mandatory duty of the Council to redistrict the City within six twelve months after the publication by the United States Census Bureau of the population of the City at each decennial census. Each district shall consist of a ward or contiguous wards and divisions containing as nearly as possible practicable the population factor obtained by dividing the City's population at the preceding decennial census by ten. At the expiration of the six twelve month period, if the Council shall have failed to redistrict the City as herein required, the councilmembers shall not receive any further salaries until the Council shall have passed and the Mayor shall have approved a redistricting ordinance as herein required or until such ordinance shall have become law without the Mayor's approval.
(c) No later than three weeks after the United States Census Bureau publishes the population of the City at the decennial census, the Council President shall establish a special Redistricting Commission consisting of eleven members. The Council President shall appoint one resident of each Council district to the Commission. The appointed members shall appoint a City resident as an additional member who shall serve as the Commission chair. If the appointed members fail to appoint an eleventh member within 14 days after a quorum of members is appointed, the Council President shall appoint the eleventh member.
(d) No Commission member may be a candidate for office or lobbyist within the City or Commonwealth or a paid public employee or official. At all times during Commission service, each member shall remain a resident of the Council District from which the member was appointed. Before beginning service on the Commission, each member shall sign an attestation forswearing candidacy for district Council office in the next election under the reapportioned Council districts. The members shall be subject to the restrictions applicable to appointed City officers and employees set forth in Section 10-107 (Political Activities) while serving on the Commission.
(e) The Commission shall have the power and its duty shall be to solicit public input regarding the reconstitution of district boundaries and to produce a proposed ordinance listing the wards and divisions constituting each proposed Council district. The proposed ordinance shall be supplemented by maps depicting the proposed districts individually and collectively, as well as a report with the Commission’s findings, the principles that influenced the Commission’s proposal and an explanation of the bases pursuant to which each Council District was drawn.
(f) The proposed ordinance shall be deemed introduced immediately upon its receipt by the Chief Clerk of Council in printed form, with the Commission’s redistricting report and supplemental maps attached. Submission of the proposed ordinance shall end the Commission’s service.
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End