WHEREAS, The Philadelphia 21st Century Economic Development Summit, held on September 14 and 15, was a continuation of a planning process initiated by Mayor John F. Street as part of his 21st Century Review Forum; and
WHEREAS, The Summit is part of a visioning and planning process to guide the future of Philadelphia’s economic development, resulting in a plan – the Economic Development Blueprint - that will recommend action items designed to encourage the profitability of business and foster the growth of jobs in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia’s economic development investments have been made, for the most part, on a deal-by-deal basis without a coherent plan for growth; and
WHEREAS, The Street Administration's idea is that the plan will serve as a tool for evaluating future economic development programs, investments and initiatives and, with the aid of such a tool, that the City’s economic development dollars will be better deployed; and
WHEREAS, The fundamental goal of the planning process is to produce an Economic Development Blueprint that outlines a number of action items, short and long term, that the City can actually implement; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Council of the City of Philadelphia hereby authorizes the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold hearings to review the findings and recommendations of The Philadelphia 21st Century Economic Development Summit and to take public testimony related to the Street Administration’s proposed Economic Development Blueprint and Investment Fund; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That in furtherance of such an investigation, the Committee is hereby authorized to issue subpoenas as may be necessary or appropriate to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents to the full extent authorized under the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter.
End