FY2024 Budget Hearings - Mayor's Office 3-28-2023

Transcript Summary

This is a transcript of a budget testimony for the fy24 budget. The conversation revolves around the challenges faced by district council members in dealing with capital issues and the time it takes to get projects moving.

Standardized Play Equipment

• Council members face challenges dealing with capital issues due to the time it takes to get projects moving.

• There are certain types of play equipment that are standardized, such as swings and slides.

• Every time there's a meeting with a council person or community, they request swings or other equipment that starts a long arduous process.

• The suggestion was made to buy all standardized equipment and have it in a warehouse so when needed, it can be installed instead of starting a lengthy procurement process every time.

Funding Issues

• The Parks and Rec commissioner believes that funding is an issue for buying standardized equipment.

• Basketball standards go up at all parks, but funding is required to purchase them in bulk and store them in warehouses.

Investigating Efficiencies in Purchasing

The speakers discuss the possibility of investigating efficiencies and savings in purchasing by buying materials for parks and recreation in bulk.

Potential for Negotiating Lower Rates

• Monique Smith, the procurement commissioner, suggests that they could potentially negotiate lower rates if they were to purchase materials for parks and recreation in bulk.

• Conditions would have to be considered regarding being able to warehouse at a large volume.

Warehouse Space

• Bridget Collins Greenwald, public property commissioner, explains that they currently store donations or bulk furnishings in buildings that are not being used.

• They also have warehouses available depending on what needs to be stored.

• They would need to figure out how much space is needed based on the amount of materials purchased.

Pricing Out Materials

• Councilman Kenyatta Johnson requests that before the budget is done, they price out 100 basketball standards to see what it would cost to purchase them in bulk.

• They will then figure out how much warehouse space is needed based on the amount of materials purchased.

Advocating for Youth Programs and Gun Violence Prevention

In this section, the speaker discusses two key areas of focus in the budget process: expanding the recast program to address trauma in young people impacted by gun violence and increasing youth employment opportunities.

Save Our Youth Initiative

• The speaker advocates for expanding the recast program, which stands for Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma, to address trauma in young people impacted by gun violence.

• The initiative aims to target specific neighborhoods and communities that are most vulnerable to gun violence.

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of addressing not only those who have been directly impacted by gun violence but also their family members, friends, and children who may be dealing with trauma as a result.

• Feedback is requested from representatives from dbhids regarding how to expand on this initiative.

Youth Employment Opportunities

• The speaker discusses the issue of youth summer jobs and advocates for expanding opportunities for young people in high gun violence zip codes.

• The goal is to keep young people occupied with productive activities so they do not engage in negative behaviors such as crime or vandalism.

• Collaboration with Philadelphia Youth Network is mentioned as a potential solution to increase youth employment opportunities.

Recast Program Overview

In this section, Dr. Joe Bowen provides an overview of the recast program.

Recast Program Details

• Recast is a multi-year grant focused on six neighborhoods selected based on certain criteria related to political unrest, violence, minority populations, disinvestment, and disadvantage.

• The program provides funding for communities to develop programs that address trauma and conflict resolution, including the use of evidence-based approaches such as the Playy program.

• The ultimate goal is to have proof of concept for the program's effectiveness in addressing trauma in young people impacted by gun violence.

Sustainment Strategy

This section discusses the sustainment strategy for effective programs. The focus is on skill-based training and funding to expand capacity and reach.

Infusing Effective Programs

• Skill-based training can be infused increasingly wider.

• Additional funding has been added to expand capacity and reach of programs.

Trauma-Focused Efforts

• Trauma is a major focus beyond one program.

• External Stakeholders Learning Collaborative brings together over 100 stakeholders across the city.

• Five subcommittees have been formed, including one on trauma related to gun violence and one focusing on children.

• Subcommittee recommendations are being turned into recommendations to action.

Tech Conference

• The first-ever inaugural Tech conference was held with 400 registrants.

• The goal is to integrate and coordinate efforts for an organized approach to address trauma in the city.

Summer Youth Work Ready Program

This section discusses the summer youth work ready program, including applications, registration, hourly wage, eligibility requirements, payment issues, and notification process.

Program Details

• Applications and registration have already started for the summer youth work ready program.

• The goal for this year is 8,000 positions of which they pay for 4,000 of them (50%).

• Hourly wage has increased to $11 per hour.

Eligibility Requirements

How will young people who are eligible but do not bring back their documents be addressed? Strategies are being developed to address this issue.

Payment Issues

What strategies are in place to ensure that children are paid on time?

Notification Process

What is being done to ensure that young people who are eligible and did not follow up on paperwork are notified?

Funding for Summer Work Ready Program

This section discusses the funding for the summer work ready program and how they are addressing concerns from last year.

Addressing Concerns from Last Year

• The council has met with Pym to discuss their concerns and is monitoring them closely.

• They are working with different venues, including school counselors, to educate young people on completing paperwork.

• Pyn sponsors orientations and workshops to help young people figure out what paperwork they need and how to complete it. There is also a website and hotline available.

• If all else fails, young people can call the Office of Children and Families for assistance.

Payment Options

• Direct deposit or a paid Visa card are encouraged payment options instead of cashing checks.

• Banks are working with Pym this summer to teach financial literacy and help young people open bank accounts.

Turnover at Pym Work Ready Program

This section discusses turnover at the Pym Work Ready Program and whether new staff will address issues from last year. It also explores whether there is a correlation between participation in the program and involvement in negative activities.

Turnover at Pym Work Ready Program

• Councilman Thomas introduced a resolution to hold hearings around issues related to pay and proper paperwork for young people participating in the program.

• New staff has been hired, but it's unclear if they will address previous issues.

Correlation Between Participation in Program and Negative Activities

• No data exists on whether former employees or participants have been involved in negative activities.

• Data collection may be explored in the future.

• The program aims to offer summer jobs to the most vulnerable and those at highest risk of being involved in gun violence.

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Water Contamination and Distribution Plan

In this section, the councilwoman discusses the water contamination incident that occurred in Philadelphia and the need for a formal written plan for water distribution.

Water Contamination Incident

• The city did not issue a "do not drink tap water" alert, but people interpreted it as such.

• The councilwoman needs to get bottled water in mass quantity.

• There is water in stockpiles, and a distribution plan is being put together by the Office of Emergency Management (OEM).

• The OEM's priority is to get water to vulnerable citizens such as seniors and those who cannot afford it.

Formal Written Plan for Water Distribution

• A formal written plan for water distribution is needed.

• The OEM is putting finishing touches on the plan, which should be completed by the end of the week.

• Council offices may play a role in advising on distribution hubs and communities.

• Potential distribution locations include rec centers, libraries, faith-based institutions, food pantries, etc.

• A formal written plan for water distribution is essential for emergency preparedness.

• It's surprising that such plans are not already in place.

Caution Around Water Safety

• Daily notices are being put out around how long the water is safe to drink.

• Caution needs to be exercised since we don't know how much caution we're really exercising.

Emergency Water Distribution Plan

In this section, the speaker discusses the emergency water distribution plan and how it was communicated to citizens.

Emergency Water Distribution Plan

• The plan was ready and would have been implemented quickly if needed.

• Churches and businesses were contacted for donations of water.

• Testing levels were monitored to determine when the plan would need to be put into action.

• The priority was making sure citizens were aware of what was going on in a timely manner. Mistakes were made but lessons were learned.

Employment in Philadelphia

In this section, councilman Thomas asks about employment in Philadelphia and how much money will be allocated towards marketing and promoting jobs.

Allocated Funds for HR Issues

• $3.8 million is allocated towards HR issues related to addressing the workforce crisis in Philadelphia's budget proposal.

Marketing Jobs in Philadelphia

• Councilman Thomas asks how much money will specifically be spent on advertising jobs in Philadelphia out of the $3.8 million allocated funds for HR issues.

Increasing Digital Advertisement for City Jobs

In this section, the speaker discusses the need to increase digital advertisement for city jobs and address the hiring crisis. They suggest that more needs to be done in terms of social media presence and digital advertising to fill city vacancies.

Urgency of Hiring People for All Departments

• The speaker suggests that there is a need to have a much bigger presence on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Handshake, Instagram, etc., to address the hiring crisis.

• They ask their colleagues and administration to look at increasing what they're doing as it relates to digital advertisement so they can fill city jobs ASAP.

• The speaker emphasizes that if 10 out of 3.8 million dollars are spent on digital advertisement, then they are not understanding the sense of urgency as it relates to hiring people for all departments.

• They ask everyone to go back to the drawing board and look at increasing what they're spending on digital advertisements so people understand the sense of urgency around jobs.

Specific Amount Spent on Digital Advertising

• The speaker asks how much money is specifically going to be spent on digital advertising of city jobs.

• They want information out there as soon as possible so they can address the vacancies because when they knock on doors and talk to people, they always tell them they need a job but then when they come down here, officials say they can't hire people.

• The speaker suggests that if we could spend money addressing this crisis, we could fix some constituent service issues in city government.

Need for Deviation from Current Practices

• The speaker suggests that the current practices of spending a hundred thousand dollars on LinkedIn and Handshake are not effective as they go after a certain professional, and we're missing the mark.

• They suggest that we need to deviate away from these practices and have a plan to put out digital advertisements for city jobs.

Alignment with City Council

• The speaker assures council members that they are very much aligned in doing everything they can to fill city vacancies and improve processes for residents.

• Another council member agrees with the need for digital advertisement and suggests making room to open up centers such as recreation centers so people can be trained for any test.

Vacancies in the City

Councilman Thomas and Councilwoman Bass discuss the issue of vacancies in the city.

Vacancies in the City

• Councilman Thomas and Councilwoman Bass express concern about unfilled vacancies in the city.

• Councilman Thomas clarifies that he is referring to digital communication for sponsorship through social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

• Councilman Thomas further clarifies that he is referring to "OTT communication" that comes through messaging on platforms like Hulu or Netflix.

• Councilman Thomas asks about the administration's thought process on partnering with CDFIs to address issues around black businesses and poverty, particularly targeting neighborhoods with high gun violence rates.

• Commerce Director Ann Nadal responds, stating that there are proposals in this year's budget regarding CDFIs, including a public-private partnership to expand capacity for black and brown businesses. She also mentions working closely with school district partners to ensure safe facilities.

Youth Gun Violence

Councilwoman Gim discusses youth gun violence statistics.

Youth Gun Violence

• Councilwoman Gim brings up statistics on child and adolescent mortality rates rising by 20% between 2019 and 2021, with gun violence being one of the main contributors.

• She notes that Philadelphia has seen a steady increase in shooting victims under 18 since 2015.

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