WHEREAS, While the residents of Philadelphia sleep, many of Philadelphia’s essential employees are hard at work making sure our City is safe, clean, and provided for; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Police Department, the Fire Department, the Department of Prisons, the Water Department, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Streets, and the Department of Parks and Recreation, as well the District Attorney’s Office, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and the Philadelphia Gas Works all have certain responsibilities that arise during the evening and late-night hours; and
WHEREAS, Whether it be recreation centers staying open until 10:00 p.m., the fire department responding to an urgent EMS alert, a water outage, a power stoppage, or the police department responding to a shooting in progress, numerous city departments, agencies, and affiliated offices play a role in keeping our City moving; and
WHEREAS, So much is unknown about the City’s nighttime operations, and much more must be to illuminate the actions of our workers on a day-to-day basis; and
WHEREAS, One way for the City to gain a more in-depth understanding of this issue is to take a deeper dive into the work of City employees. For example, this could mean shadowing opportunities with officials in the Department of Human Services, trips on SEPTA transportation to understand the role of transit workers, or “ride-alongs” with members of the police and fire departments; and
WHEREAS, Better understanding of how Philly works at night, can be an invaluable resource to City Council as it works to understand the needs of departments during budget hearings and discussions about the biannual transfer of appropriations; and
WHEREAS, In order to understand how Philly works at night it is necessary for the Administration to work with City Council to address the needs of our City workforce at all times of the day; now, therefore, be it.
RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby calls on Representatives of the Administration to join with Members of City Council to better understand how Philly works at night by doing nighttime tours with various City Departments.
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