Authorizing City Council's Committee of the Whole to hold public hearings on the status of the City of Philadelphia's Rebuild Initiative.

WHEREAS,

There are more than 400 neighborhood parks, recreation centers, and libraries in Philadelphia, a majority of which are in need of dire repairs

; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, Mayor Kenney proposed that the City of Philadelphia use funding generated by the

1.5-cent-per-ounce

Philadelphia Beverage Tax to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to make physical improvements to these facilities across the city. Under the Rebuild Initiative, project budgets would range from $50,000 to more than $13 million; and

WHEREAS, The Rebuild Project was stalled for nearly two years during a court battle, but in July of 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Philadelphia Beverage tax in a 4-2 majority opinion; and

WHEREAS, While a small percentage of projects included in the Rebuild plan have been started, a majority of the projects throughout every Council district remain stalled; and

WHEREAS, To date, there have been 366 homicides and over 2,600 shootings in Philadelphia in 2021. The City’s grim crime statistics signals an urgent need for safe spaces for members of our communities and our City’s youth; and

WHEREAS, Council as a whole has not been provided with a recent update on the status of the Rebuild projects; and

WHEREAS, Given the importance of the Rebuild Project to all residents of Philadelphia, Council shall hold public hearings regarding the status of the Rebuild Initiative; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes City Council’s Committee of the Whole to hold public hearings on the status of the City of Philadelphia’s Rebuild Initiative.

End