Thursday, March 14, 2024, eyes across the City of Philadelphia were locked in on Philadelphia City Hall and the first budget address made by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. I don’t know what other people expected, but as far as I’m concerned, our Mayor did not disappoint.
In today’s Civics Column, let’s first explore why it’s important for Mayors to create a budget that they then present to other local lawmakers before any final decisions are made about spending for a city.
Mayors play a crucial role in the financial health and priorities of their cities. City operations and services are key to the success or failure of any Mayor. Mayors oversee the day-to-day functions of their City, and the budget allocates funds to essentially take care of services such as education, public safety, infrastructure, and healthcare. By creating a budget, the Mayor ensures that these services continue to operate efficiently.
Mayor Parker unveiled a nearly $6.3 billion budget proposal at City Council that imposes no new taxes while focusing on public safety and city cleanup efforts. (The reality is taxes will eventually rise. No way around that).
Mayor Parker unveiled a nearly $6.3 billion budget proposal at City Council that imposes no new taxes while focusing on public safety and city cleanup efforts. (The reality is taxes will eventually rise. No way around that).
Certainly addressing crime in our City is one of the top issues Mayor Parker wants to deal with, and her budget shows that. The Mayor’s plan would invest $33 million in new funding for public safety while the police department’s budget would rise 2.5%. The proposal would fund millions in tech upgrades for police, including patrol cars, drones, and surveillance cameras–while seeking to increase police recruitment. Parker says a plan for “full-day and year-round schooling” is expected to launch at 20 schools in the fall.
The Mayor has also included funding to create what she’s calling a “city college for municipal employment” at the Community College of Philadelphia. Already, there have been some concerns that funding for a new training program for potential city workers is a good thing–but at the same time, there’s been some grumbling about the fact that Community College of Philadelphia, like many other area colleges and universities, are having their own share of funding issues.
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