After the administration released its proposed FY10 budget and FY10-14 Five-Year Plan, Council members heard from citizens across the City who were concerned about the impact of the proposed tax increases -- and, particularly, the proposed property tax increases (19% in FY10 and 14.5% in FY11) -- on low- and moderate-income families.

City Councilmembers Bill Green, Jannie Blackwell and Jack Kelly today filed a lawsuit to compel the Mayor and the Free Library to comply with their duty under state and local law to seek City Council approval before closing eleven neighborhood library branches. A hearing on the case is scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 426.

The petition papers have been posted as a PDF here.

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Seth Levi
Office of Councilman Bill Green
215-686-3420
seth.levi@phila.gov

What: Rally to express opposition to the administration's plan to close 11 libraries
Who: The Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Vicinity
When: Monday, December 22, 2008 at 1:00 p.m.
Where: Main Library on the Ben Franklin Parkway

Below is a letter from the Black Clergy regarding the rally (a PDF version of the letter is attached to this post).

Please come out to the rally to support the libraries!

Seth Levi
Office of Councilman Bill Green
215-686-3420
seth.levi@phila.gov

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Greetings Co-Laborer and Concerned Citizen:

Due to the increasing public outcry over the proposed library closings in the City of Philadelphia as a way of dealing with the City's budget deficit, Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity finds that we must stand in opposition. Having considered the process and rationale as put forth by the Mayor's office, we still find the proposal highly objectionable.

Consider the following points:

PHILADELPHIA, PA – At-Large Councilmembers Bill Green and Bill Greenlee today announced legislation that would require Philadelphia drivers to put down their cell phones when stepping behind the wheel.

“A distracted driver is a dangerous driver,” observed Councilman Bill Greenlee. “Experience shows that a driver using a cell phone to dial a number or to send a text message is not giving his or her full attention to the road and that puts us all at risk – drivers, bikers and pedestrians alike.”

Harrisburg – Late on July 3, 2008, Senator Vincent Fumo and House Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans held a press conference announcing a meeting with Governor Ed Rendell aimed at relocating the proposed casinos in Philadelphia. The Senate and House leaders vowed that if the casinos are not moved, they will introduce legislation that will make the gaming institutions ineligible to receive Philadelphia's ten-year tax abatement, valued in the tens of millions of dollars.