Legislation
Councilwoman Calls for Hearings on Tax Exempt Properties
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(PHILADELPHIA) Thursday January 24, 2013—Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown introduced a resolution calling for hearings on the issue of charitable exemptions from property taxes.
Currently, organizations with charitable exemptions, own 10.8% of total assessed value of properties in the City of Philadelphia and that number continues to grow as non-profit organizations acquire more land. According to a study by the Philadelphia Inquirer and Plan Philly, $528 million in property taxes were not collected due to charitable exemptions.
“Philadelphia has been faced with the same ‘economic déjà vu’ for decades,” said Councilwoman Reynolds Brown. “Our wage and corporate tax rates discourage businesses from coming to Philadelphia, or worse, by encouraging them to take jobs out of our city. We know that jobs are the key to lowering our 25% poverty rate. Therefore, for three years in a row, our remaining option on the table has been property taxes. The issue is not that our property owners have not stepped up to the plate. Our problem is that $528 million in property taxes are off the table because of non-profit exemptions. We cannot continue to ask property owners for increased sacrifice, when we have tax exempt, non-profit institutions with profit margins that rival major corporations.”
A charitable exemption status is granted when an organization passes the “HUP Test,” based on a 1985 Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision (Hospital Utilization Project vs. Commonwealth). The “HUP Test” states that an organization seeking charitable exemption must advance a charitable purpose, donate or render gratuitously a substantial portion of its serves; benefit a substantial and indefinite class of persons who are legitimate subjects of charity; relieve the government of some of its burden and operate entirely free from private profit motive.
For additional information please contact the Chief of Staff, David Forde at (215) 686-3438
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City Council Passes Hospitality Promotion Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(PHILADELPHIA, PA) Thursday, December 13 2012 – City Council passed the Hospitality Promotion Bill, introduced by Council woman Reynolds Brown, which will generate additional revenue to support the promotion of the Philadelphia tourism economy.
In 2008, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania enabled the City of Philadelphia to levy a tax of up to 1.5% of the booking of hotel room(s). At the time, the City opted to set the rate at 1.2%. The Hospitality Promotion Bill will increase the rate to 1.5%. The remaining 0.3% will be divided evenly between the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB), yielding an estimated $1 million per year for each organization to help bring additional visitors to Philadelphia.
The increase will help offset a dramatic decline in funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (see attached). Together, the organizations (GPTMC/PCVB) have lost approximately $10 million annually from previous levels, threatening Philadelphia’s ability to compete for valuable tourist dollars. The bill will add .50 cents to the price of an overnight hotel stay but will not affect Philadelphia’s 11th place ranking of effective tax rates among the nation’s 25 largest hotel markets. The new hotel tax rate will be 15.5%, still lower than New York (16.03%), Los Angeles (15.57%), Chicago (16.39%) and Houston (17.0%).
The tourism industry generates more than $9 billion per year in regional economic impact and supports 88,000 jobs; 52,000 jobs in Philadelphia alone. From 1997-2010, overnight visitation to Greater Philadelphia grew six times faster than the national average, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
“The numbers do not lie; the success stories are not a coincidence. We know that for every dollar we spend to promote Philadelphia it generates$100 in visitor spending at local businesses - plus $5 in tax revenue for the City of Philadelphia. The corporate world would classify that as a hit,” said Councilwoman Reynolds Brown. “Philadelphia is to culture and tourism what Detroit is to the automobile industry. It means jobs, paychecks and growth for our economy, so it behooves us to take whatever steps are necessary to keep our economic engine running at full speed.”
The bill will take effect July 1, 2013.
### Resolution #100209 Halt Hydraulic FracturingResolution #100209: Requested the Delaware River Basin Commission to Halt Hydraulic Fracturing operations until a full environmental impact assessment has been conducted.
City Council Passes Bill Revising Childcare Zoning
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(PHILADELPHIA) Thursday November 15, 2012—City Council unanimously passed a bill sponsored by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown that revises the zoning code as related to childcare in residential properties.
The bill will allow for the expansion of family childcare in homes through a special exception process as opposed to a variance. Currently, the burden of proof lies on the applicant to prove there is no other feasible use for the property. Even absent community opposition, a variance is unlikely to be granted.
“Childcare for up to 12 children is an appropriate residential use as long as there is strong community support. We cannot expect working families and childcare providers to jump through the significant hoops presented by our zoning code,” said Councilwoman Reynolds Brown. “We absolutely need protections in place for children and for communities—but they need to be reasonable and the exceptions have to be attainable.”
The special exception process is “variance light.” The special exception will still require a high burden of proof, however, if community support is demonstrated, the Zoning Board will have discretion to grant a special exception, which is not possible in the current code.
For additional information please contact the Chief of Staff, David Forde at (215) 686-3438
### Urban School GardensResolution calling on the Public, Private, Charter and Parochial Schools of Philadelphia to explore and investigate the value of urban school gardens.
Resolution #090915 Improve Emergency Room ProceduresResolution #090915: Hearings held to ensure best practices for Emergency Room Procedures, and to investigate whether emergency room protocols were followed at the Aria Health care facility on November 28, 2009 in the incident involving Joaquin Rivera. Read the resolution:
Bill #080758 Energy Conservation (Air Conditioning)Bill #080758: Energy Conservation (Air Conditioning) Prohibiting commercial establishments from leaving doors ajar while air conditioners and central air cooling systems are on during peak hours; to limit environmental pollution and local impacts on global warming. Resolution #090861 Plastic Bag RecyclingResolution #090861: Plastic Bag Recycling urging all Philadelphia retail stores to implement plastic bag recycling in their stores to reduce littering and plastic bag waste.
Read the resolution:
Bill #080025 Green Building BillBill #080025: Green Building Bill to improve the capacity to design, construct and operate City owned buildings that meet high standards for environmental stewardship for large construction projects.
Read the bill:
Bill #090581 Legalize PedicabsBill #090581: Permitting Pedicabs to operate legally on the streets of Philadelphia.
Read the ordinance:
Bill #100404 Renew Child Nutrition & WIC Reauthorization ActBill #100404: Requesting the United States Congress to renew the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act and preserve Philadelphia’s Universal School Meals Program. Read the resolution:
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