By Jack Tomczuk

City Council introduced an amendment Thursday to a measure permitting the borrowing of $800 million for Mayor Cherelle Parker’s housing initiative, less than two days after she and Council President Kenyatta Johnson engaged in a war of words over the plan.

During the same session, lawmakers passed a pair of bills designed to crack down on problematic convenience stores and smoke shops, a priority for several representatives on the legislative body.

H.O.M.E.

The amendment to the bond ordinance for the Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E. initiative, which was approved in June, alters the proposal to align with the first-year budget for the program that Council advanced Dec. 2.

A provision in the amendment would give lawmakers the authority to set income qualifications for the various housing assistance programs incorporated into H.O.M.E., which Parker unveiled as an effort to preserve or build 30,000 affordable homes.

Council has argued that poor Philadelphians should be prioritized for the benefits, breaking with Parker, who has stressed the need to open up programs for middle-class residents. 

Lawmakers granted preliminary approval to an initial $277 million H.O.M.E. budget that stipulates that 90% of the funding for some key programs, such as Basic Systems Repair and Adaptive Modifications, go to those earning no more than 60% of the area median income – just under $72,000 a year for a family of four.

Parker on Thursday issued a generic response, at least compared to her earlier statement about Council’s changes to the H.O.M.E budget. She did not address specifics of the proposed bond amendment.

“Working with Council President Johnson and the members of City Council, we are laser-focused on building, repairing and restoring 30,000 units of housing and making H.O.M.E. a reality for the people of Philadelphia,” the mayor said. 

The legislation has been vetted by the city’s bond attorneys, according to Johnson’s communications director, Vincent Thompson.

Johnson said the amendment will require a hearing. Even if that happens in the coming days, a final vote could not be held Dec. 11, the body’s last session before breaking until late January, Council staff said.

After Thursday’s meeting, Johnson said he did not intend to schedule an additional special session, though he has the power to do so.

Parker’s team has been perturbed with what, in their opinion, has been sluggish movement from Council on H.O.M.E., while legislators have been frustrated that the administration seems unwilling to negotiate.

Johnson said lawmakers knew that the bond ordinance would need to be updated when they advanced the H.O.M.E. budget out of committee. Parker has said that decision will delay the borrowing until late March at the earliest.

“The mayor and I continue to have a great relationship,” Johnson said. “This is just part of the legislative process. All of us support the H.O.M.E. plan, and so we’re just working out the logistics to make sure that it’s executed in a very equitable way.”

A few moments later, he rejected any notion that the rift, perhaps the most public since both took office last year, will have a long-lasting impact: “That’s my sister, just so you know. We continue to talk.”

Problem shops

Two measures aimed at enhancing enforcement against so-called ‘nuisance businesses’ that hawk drug paraphernalia and other legally questionable products were adopted Thursday.

One piece of legislation is intended to ensure that penalties stick when such an establishment’s owner reforms the business in an attempt to elude punishment. At a hearing in March, law enforcement officials told Council that the owners play a sort of “shell game” by selling their enterprises or incorporating new limited liability companies.

The other bill amends technical language in the city code to simplify the process to issue cease operations and stop work orders to businesses in violation of existing regulations.

Addressing nuisance shops has been an emphasis for lawmakers in recent months, and Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson, who sponsored the ordinances adopted Thursday, said she has “at least five other bills in the pipeline” related to the issue.

“We were trying to get them ready before the end of this session, but we have to work through all the legal ramifications on the front end,” she added. “I look forward to sharing those efforts with you in the coming weeks.”

Keywords

H.O.M.E. initiative,

Cherelle Parker,

City Council