Reclaim the Budget!

Budgets are moral documents - they reflect what our city prioritizes and values. Since 2020, Reclaim Philadelphia has joined coalitional allies across the city to bring more political education, accountability and public engagement into the yearly budget process. We’re committed to continuing our fight for a budget that works for all Philadelphians in the coming years and shedding light through the year on how the budget is spent.

2024 Budget Cycle

Join Reclaim Philadelphia and the Alliance for A Just Philadelphia this spring as we fight for a People’s Budget! The Alliance for a Just Philadelphia is a coalition of over 35 grassroots organizations that fight year round for the city we deserve. This year we’re working together to impact the municipal budget and make sure it includes investments that will help Philadelphians thrive! Join us to testify or lobby for the investments we need. You’ll get support with civic education, preparing your statement and a community of neighbors who share your values!

What’s in the city budget?

Summary of Parker’s Proposed Budget (WHYY, 3/14/24)

Public Health

• Syringe Exchange Programs - $0 proposed ($900,000 cut from previous budget)

  Our allies demands: Sol Collective is demanding the city continue its $900,000 budget for services including syringe exchange programs.

  Why it matters : Syringe exchanges are an essential public health strategy to reduce the transmission of Hepatitis C and HIV. For decades Prevention Point has been funded by the city budget to provide syringe exchange services and studies by our own Health Department show they reduce the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C in Philadelphia. They’ve also saved the city billions. Most importantly, they reduce the amount of contagious disease in Philadelphia, which impacts all of us.

  Op Eds and City Council Testimony:

‘“There will be decreased syringe distribution and an increase in HIV cases as a result,” Kathleen A. Brady, the city’s director of HIV Health, said during a City Council hearing about the department’s budget Monday.’ (City Council Public Health Budget hearing 4/15/24)

“From my experience leading the health department’s division of HIV services, I know that ending a successful evidence-based health program will only lead to a reemergence of preventable conditions.” (Coleman Terrell, Inquirer 3/31/24)

“If the mayor and the Kensington Caucus make it harder or impossible for people in Kensington to access clean syringes, they will have thousands of new HIV infections on their consciences.” (Jose Demarco, Inquirer 3/25/24)

Sign up to lobby and/or testify on Syringe Exchange funding

Public Health/ Public Safety

• Triage “Forced Treatment” Centers - $100 million proposed

Our demand: $0 for Forced Treatment Centers

Why it matters : There are currently no clear details on this plan, however the vague proposal is consistent with “forced treatment”, an approach that has been deemed ineffective by public health professionals. In a recent budget hearing, city council member Kendra Brooks referenced that scientific data and the fact that forced treatment also results in higher rates of relapse and overdose after people are released from jail. Instead of forcing incarceration on people who use drugs, we should increase funding for housing, wrap around services and increase the number of elective treatment beds in the city. Additionally, we should reduce the time between someone’s desire to quit and their enrollment into treatment services, a bridge that has been provided by harm reduction programs which also serve as frontline protection from the immediate harms of drug use.

Sign up to lobby and/or testify about compassionate and effective responses to our overdose crisis

Public Safety

• Mobile Mental Health Units - $7.2 million proposed (2.8 million cut from previous budget)

  Our allies demands: Treatment Not Trauma is calling for $20 million dollars to effectively scale out the current mobile mental health unit program.

  A4JP Demand - Support Care, Not Cops: Provide real investments in alternatives to policing like mental health first responders, and no increases to the police or prison budget.

  Why it matters : Across Philadelphia, 21% of adults—approximately 260,000 Philadelphians—have a serious mental health issue. This means that at least 1 in 5 adults in Philadelphia is at risk of experiencing a mental health crisis. When a neighbor or loved one is experiencing a behavioral health crisis, a mobile crisis team consisting of a compassionate mental health professional, nurse and peer specialist, who can de-escalate the situation and connect them to the help they need should be the first responder–not the police. Right now, it takes over an hour for mobile crisis teams to reach a person in crisis–if they come at all. An hour and eight minutes is too long for someone in crisis to wait for help. Funding for mobile crisis units must be doubled from its current levels to $20 million in order to at least cut response times in half. The FY25 budget is going in the wrong direction by proposing to cut funding for mobile crisis from $10 million down to the original pilot funding of $7.2 million. A budget that prioritizes the health and safety of Philadelphians must expand mobile crisis teams, not flatten or reduce them. (Treatment Not Trauma Coalition)

Sign up to lobby and/or testify for Mobile Mental Health Units

Affordable Housing

• Rental Assistance - $15 million from Housing Trust Fund proposed (15 million cut from previous budget)

Our allies demands: $35 million additional from the general fund budget

Why it matters: Rental assistance has helped thousands of tenants and small landlords since being introduced as an emergency program during COVID. So many aspects of public health and safety rely on access to stable affordable housing and the program’s effectiveness makes it necessary to continue and increase funding. According to the Inquirer “Since its creation, agreements have been reached in two-thirds of cases in the program, and eviction filings are 39% lower citywide compared to pre-pandemic levels.” With an anticipated 15 million for rental assistance expected from the Housing Trust Fund, an additional 35 million is needed to expand the program from its previous yearly funding of 30 million.

• Home Repairs through Built to Last - $0 proposed (5 million cut from previous budget)

Our allies demands: Philly Thrive is calling for $5 million in funding for the Built To Last program, which delivers critical home repairs, health and safety improvements, and energy efficiency and clean energy improvements and is funded in part by PA’s Whole Homes Repair program.

A4JP supports Healthy and Safe Homes: Fund programs that provide holistic, resilient, and green home repairs that keep people in their homes and prevent displacement of communities.

Why it matters: Home repairs prevent displacement and keep communities intact.

• Home repairs keep people, especially seniors, in their homes!

• Home repairs are a form of violence prevention – studies show that repairing even one home on a block reduces rates of gun violence on that block.

• We need healthy and safe homes that include weatherization and clean energy upgrades - this will lower utility costs and make our city more climate resilient.

• We need $5 million in the Philadelphia Energy Authority’ budget for the Built to Last program, which provides holistic, resilient, and green home repairs!

Sign up to lobby and/or testify for Rental Assistance and/or Home Repairs

Workers Rights

• Office of Worker Protection Funding - $50,000 cut proposed

Our Allies demands: Domestic Healthcare Workers call for $2.66 million additional funding for the Office of Worker Protections.

AJP Demand - Protect Workers: Fully fund the Office of Worker Protections to ensure that some of our most vulnerable and essential workers have workplace protections when they are exploited by their employer.

Why it matters: Philadelphia workers have fought for and won groundbreaking labor rights protections, such as the Wage Theft Ordinance, Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, Fair Work Week, and Paid Sick Time. The duty of the Office of Worker Protections (OWP), which is under the Department of Labor, is to enforce those laws when they are violated by employers. “I stand here today as a testament to the resilience and determination of workers like myself. For 27 years, I have poured my heart and soul into my work, facing hardships, abuse, and injustices. But through it all, I have found strength in unity and solidarity. We must continue to fight – not just for ourselves but for every worker who deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. I am proud of my work and here to ensure that our rights are acknowledged, fiercely protected, and valued.” - Maria del Carmen Diaz, Domestic Workers Alliance

• OWP is the front line defense for 750,000 workers in Philadelphia, most of whom are low wage workers of color who do the work to make our city run.

• However, with a chronically underfunded OWP, those rights are not being respected and justice is not served to the low wage workers who need it. There is just one full time staff member for every 197,000 Philadelphians!

• This results in long wait times, workers not feeling safe and supported to defend their rights and file claims, few consequences for retaliation when workers stand up for their rights, and lack of knowledge of existing laws by workers and employers.

• In this budget cycle, the Mayor is proposing to cut the Department of Labor budget by $400,000, including $50,000 in cuts to the Office of Worker Protections. Instead, we need the City to stand with all workers and make our hard-fought rights a reality by funding the OWP with the $2.6 million it needs to defend labor justice!

Sign up to testify and/or lobby for worker’s rights

Education

• Community College Funding - $51 million proposed

AJP Demand: $73 million

Support Philadelphia’s College: Increase funding for the Community College of Philadelphia so that students and staff alike are supported with robust resources, small class sizes, and a dignified workplace.

Why it matters: While the administration touted a $10 million increase to community College, that funding is for a specific jobs pipeline pilot. Students, staff, and faculty deserve dignity and respect in their classrooms and at their jobs. We need a community college that doesn’t put Black and Brown students in debt. That requires a fully-funded operating budget that allows us to hire and retain the staff our students depend on.

• Full staffing means much smaller class sizes for more hands-on learning and manageable student ratios for counselors, librarians, advisors, and learning lab faculty. CCP’s students deserve the same classroom experiences as community college students in whiter suburban areas.

• Meet the immediate needs of our students and staff so that they can show up to learn by addressing student hunger, transportation, and childcare on campus.

• 21st century learning facilities for all students, staff, and faculty – CCP needs updated, energy efficient facilities that support the health and well-being of the campus community.

• CCP needs a $20 million annual increase in funding from the City. The state has proposed increased higher education, and the City needs to do the same.

Sign up to testify and/or lobby for Education funding

Parks and Rec

• Parks and Rec $1.78 million cut proposed

AJP Demand - Invest in Frontline City Services: Increase funding for the public services in our communities that provide a safe environment for our youth and all Philadelphians, especially our parks, recreation centers, and libraries.

Why it matters: Our parks, recreation centers, and libraries are the frontline that connects our communities to resources and city services. All the neighborhoods we serve across the City deserve to be fully-funded and fully-staffed. Our frontline facilities need:

• An immediate $25 million increase for the staffing and operations costs of parks and recreation centers.

• A five-person staffing minimum to keep each recreation facility safe and operational. Sustainable staffing to ensure library services are available on Saturdays, without needing to compensate with unexpected midweek closures.

• Robust raises for workers and universal full-time employment, so no city worker lives in poverty.

• Thousands of dollars in standardized program funding for every site to ensure free and equitable access to creation for all youth.

• On-site social workers, recreational aides, and municipal guards at our parks and recreation centers who can intake and refer the community to treatment plans and other city services.

• A streamlined hiring process to fill vacancies.

• Urgent physical repairs to all recreation centers, parks, and library branches that have been neglected during decades of underfunding. Let’s increase funding to scale up and increase the pace of the Rebuild program.

• A teen, adult, and children’s librarian at every site.

Sign up to testify and/or lobby for fully funded parks and rec centers

Events

Attend a City Council Budget Town Hall :

City Council District 5 with Councilmember Jeffrey Young Jr.

Date: Thursday, April 25th
Time: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Location: John F. Street Community Center, 1100 Poplar Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123.

City Council District 4 with Councilmember Jamie Gauthier

Date: Monday, April 29th
Time: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Location: West Philadelphia High School, 4901 Chestnut Street (corner of 49th and Chestnut Street), Philadelphia, PA 19139.

How Does the City Budget Get Passed?

Each year, the mayor proposes a budget and introduces it to City Council. City Council holds hearings about different aspects of the budget and invites members of the public to testify. This year there are two days for public testimony - April 24th and April 30th. City Council members will make changes to the mayor’s proposed budget and must vote to approve an amended budget by the end of June.

While the Mayor proposes the budget, it’s City Council’s responsibility to amend the proposal to ensure it will fund the programs and services the city needs.

Philadelphia residents can weigh in on the budget by providing public testimony on April 24th or 30th, joining neighbors for lobby visits to city council members and calling their district and at large city council members to share your investment priorities for this year’s budget.

Learn more about the budget process

The Mural Arts Program is partnering with City Council Member Kendra Brooks and The Philadelphia Revenue Project to provide education and resources on the city budget.

Check out one of their neighborhood teach ins:

Visit the People’s Budget office in Love Park

May 1 – June 21
LOVE Park, 1600 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102

2021 Budget Cycle

This year, we must make sure our communities have what they need to stay safe and to thrive.  At the FY2022 budget hearings, we demand a People’s Budget - one that makes sure our communities, youth, elders, and workers get the resources they deserve.

Mayor Kenney says the Police Department’s budget won’t go up, but his proposal actually puts more money into the department’s hands.  He proposed adding funding for reforms, and tucked other budget increases into different departments.  More importantly, his budget doesn’t re-imagine other ways we can keep our communities safe beyond police.  Most Philadelphians surveyed believe that we should cut the police budget to reinvest in under-funded community programs and services.  We won’t let Kenney pull the wool over our eyes - the PPD should not get any more of our money. Check out our blog with full demands here!

UPDATES!!!

On June 17th, City Council Committee of the Whole met to vote on moving the negotiated (amended) budget out of committee and had 4 tax cut bills slated to vote on. Two of these bills were withdrawn and didn’t require a vote - Cherelle Parker’s tax cut for Parking lot millionaires and Mayor Kenney’s tax cut for corporations. Two tax cut bills were voted on: Allan Domb’s tax cut for the rich was defeated by an overwhelming majority. Mayor Kenney’s amended Wage Tax cut was passed. The votes on this bill were not recorded via roll call, despite a request from a city council member to do so. This amended wage tax cut is a lower tax cut rate but the city will still lose revenue from non-residents who work in the city and the average Philadelphian will only see about .50 cents added to their paychecks.

The negotiated budget did pass through committee, with only David Oh voting against. A summary of our demands in the new amended budget are above, but check out this article for a deeper dive.

We’ll be releasing our full statement and analysis of this entire budget cycle on Monday 6/21, but for now we want to celebrate people power! Two weeks ago, City Council president Darrel Clarke and Mayor Kenney were trying to push a quick vote through city council. Hundreds of us called in, emailed, testified, protested and some of us sat in and took over the Mayor’s office. The amended budget we’re seeing now, the defeat of two huge tax cuts for the rich and the increased investment in Philadelphia’s communities is the direct result of all of that massive public participation in this budget fight! Shout out to everyone who made their voices heard and changed what was possible! We also want to lift up the constant leadership of Councilmembers Helen Gym, Jamie Gauthier and Kendra Brooks who spoke up early against tax cuts for the rich and have always been listening to our communities and fighting for effective, community based solutions to violence and protections for all of us impacted by the housing crisis in Philadelphia.

Previous updates below

A lot has happened in the past 24 hours!

13 City Council members have written a letter to Kenney, demanding $100 million for violence prevention. Read more here

Pressure is growing against Cherelle Parker’s terrible tax cut bill for parking lot magnates. Read more here

Want a round up of all the budget issues? Check this out.

Thursday 6/10 10am City Council hearing on the Mayor’s budget, the Mayor’s tax cuts, Cherelle Parker’s tax cut for parking magnates and more Tasers for cops. Watch here.

Take Action!

Sign on to our budget demands Here!

Our communities deserve to thrive! We know how best to solve the challenges facing our city, not big corporations or the politicians who serve them! Join Reclaim Philadelphia and cosigners Unity in the Community, West Philly Participatory Defense Hub, Beyond the Bars, PA Working Families Party, The Village of Arts and Humanities, PAR Recycle Works, Sunrise Movement, Juntos, 215 People's Alliance and Healing Communities PA as we demand : No Raise for the Philadelphia Police Department! Tax the Rich! Commit to 10 Years of Investment in Our Communities! Full demand details in petition

Watch Reclaim organizers Sergio Cea, Katia Pérez and Diamante Ortiz discuss the budget with our friends at Resolve Philly!

In the news: