{"id":217897,"date":"2025-09-11T10:10:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T10:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/217897\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T10:10:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T10:10:16","slug":"city-council-to-tackle-paper-bag-fees-housing-and-2026-tourism-this-session","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/217897\/","title":{"rendered":"City Council to tackle paper bag fees, housing and 2026 tourism this session"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charging shoppers for paper bags. Helping the restaurant industry prepare for next year\u2019s expected influx of tourists<\/a>. Doling out funding for housing programs. <\/p>\n

Philadelphia City Council<\/a> returns from its summer recess Thursday, and lawmakers are hoping to tackle a wide variety of issues in the fall legislative session. <\/p>\n

For the first time since Mayor Cherelle L. Parker<\/a> and Council President Kenyatta Johnson<\/a> took office in January 2024<\/a>, there doesn\u2019t appear to be one big-ticket item poised to dominate the agenda, such as the city budget <\/a>or the 76ers\u2019 since-abandoned proposal to build an arena in Center City<\/a>. <\/p>\n

There is, however, more work to be done this fall on one of the last major items lawmakers considered in June<\/a>: Parker\u2019s Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E., initiative.<\/p>\n

Another issue that will come up in a variety of measures Council takes up this fall is Philadelphia\u2019s jam-packed schedule of events in the summer of 2026, when the city will host FIFA World Cup<\/a> games, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and major parts of the Semiquincentennial celebratio<\/a>n marking the nation\u2019s 250th birthday. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, all eyes will be on Philadelphia, City Council is committed to clean streets, safe corridors, strong transit, and support for small and local businesses so we can show the world that Philadelphia is not just America\u2019s birthplace, but its future,\u201d Johnson said in a statement. <\/p>\n

While the upcoming legislative session looks like it could be a calm one, that dynamic could change quickly if President Donald Trump<\/a> makes good on his threats to reduce federal funding<\/a> for so-called sanctuary cities, or jurisdictions that decline to assist in federal immigration enforcement. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know about the upcoming Council session. <\/p>\n

Scattershot priorities <\/p>\n

With 12 of 17 members in their first or second terms, the current Council is remarkably inexperienced, and it advanced legislation at a notably slow rate in its first 18 months<\/a>. <\/p>\n

That could change now that lawmakers have their feet under them. <\/p>\n

Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson said she wants to continue her and other Council members\u2019 efforts to crack down on \u201cnuisance businesses,\u201d such as those that sell drug paraphernalia. She also wants to advance her previously introduced bill to help victims of deed fraud<\/a>, which occurs \u201cwhen a person sells a home pretending to be the owner without the permission of the legal owner,\u201d according to the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis bill aims to empower victims of deed fraud, an extreme example of a tangled title, by allowing victims to request a refund for any transfer taxes paid to the City of Philadelphia by the fraudulent party,\u201d Gilmore Richardson said in a statement. <\/p>\n

Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, the majority whip, wants to pass two measures aimed at boosting restaurants. One would give businesses that hire local musical artists a tax credit. The other, which emulates a New Yor<\/a>k state law passed last year<\/a>, would seek to give restaurants more control over reservations by prohibiting third-party booking platforms from selling reservations without notifying the eateries. <\/p>\n

The city in 2026 is \u201cexpecting the restaurant scene to see a nice boom from tourists and from residents, and we just want to make sure they\u2019re in a good place,\u201d Thomas spokesperson Max Weisman said. <\/p>\n

Councilmember Mark Squilla<\/a> wants to pass a law that would charge retail shoppers a fee for using paper bags. Squilla championed the city\u2019s ban on plastic bags<\/a>, which he said has led to skyrocketing use of the dead-tree variety. He\u2019s hopeful <\/b>his second attempt at instituting <\/b>a fee for paper and other nonplastic materials \u2014 his first attempt was pocket-vetoed by former Mayor Jim Kenney<\/a> at the end of 2023 \u2014 <\/b>will dissuade more people from relying on disposable bags entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaper bags have escalated dramatically, so we\u2019re looking for a fee on all bags, with a ban on plastic still,\u201d Squilla said. <\/p>\n

Squilla said he also wants to continue working on solutions for people experiencing homelessness, such as establishing \u201ccommunity courts\u201d to process low-level quality-of-life crimes. He also wants the city to launch a marketing campaign to encourage residents and tourists to donate to nonprofits that provide services for the unhoused rather than panhandlers.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Councilmember Rue Landau\u2019s fall plans include getting final passage of her Fair Chance Hiring bill, cutting \u201cred tape\u201d for establishing sidewalk cafes ahead of 2026, and hosting a hearing on the city\u2019s approach to artificial intelligence. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs we head into fall, I\u2019m focused on continuing to advance legislation that will make Philadelphia more equitable and accessible, especially ahead of 2026,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n

H.O.M.E. budget and bonds <\/p>\n

Council in June approved many of the most important planks of Parker\u2019s H.O.M.E. plan, including authorizing the city to issue $800 million in bonds to fund the various housing programs supported by the initiative<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The first $400 million tranche of bonds is set to be sold later this fall. (That could be good timing for the city, as the Federal Reserve is expected to lower interest rates soon.) But Council inserted a provision into the bond authorization<\/a> that requires the administration to first submit a H.O.M.E. project statement and budget for lawmaker approval before it can spend the bond proceeds. <\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: Here\u2019s how Mayor Parker plans to spend $800 million on housing<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

The administration submitted its statement to Johnson\u2019s office this summer, and lawmakers will probe the spending plan this fall. <\/p>\n

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier<\/a>, who chairs the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless, said advancing the H.O.M.E. budget is her priority because it \u201cinvests in the families who have been left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will never solve our housing crisis if we do not use this once-in-a-generation $800 million investment to finally give those who need our help the most their fair share,\u201d Gauthier said in a statement. <\/p>\n

Federal uncertainty <\/p>\n

During Trump\u2019s second term, Parker has steered clear of confronting the president in an apparent strategy of not poking the bear<\/a>, lest Philly become his next target for funding cuts or National Guard deployments. <\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: Mayor Cherelle Parker won\u2019t say how Philly is responding to President Donald Trump\u2019s demands on \u2018sanctuary\u2019 policies<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

But as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids continue and the White House continues to threaten so-called sanctuary cities, some members of Council this fall won\u2019t be shy about voicing their opposition. Gauthier, for instance, said one of her priorities will be \u201cshielding our communities from Trump\u2019s cruel and chaotic attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Landau, who previously held a hearing examining the Trump administration\u2019s potential impact on the city<\/a>, said she plans to introduce a resolution Thursday protesting Trump\u2019s cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs Trump continues to push his political agenda, we will continue to assist vulnerable communities across Philadelphia and assess whether we need changes to local law in order to protect our residents,\u201d Landau added.<\/p>\n

The Council members who make a habit of taking on Trump will be in stark contrast to Parker, who has rarely voiced direct opposition to the president, especially on immigration, despite critics calling for her to take a more aggressive stance<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Councilmembers Kendra Brooks<\/a> and O\u2019Rourke of the progressive Working Families Party<\/a> have consistently denounced Trump\u2019s policies, in Council and at other public appearances. An O\u2019Rourke spokesperson said that amid federal budget cuts impacting programs like SNAP and Medicaid, \u201clocal officials need to seek out creative solutions more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks added: \u201cIt is our duty as city leaders to tackle these issues head-on, and I will take a clear and unapologetic stance when it comes to standing up for the people of our city.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Charging shoppers for paper bags. Helping the restaurant industry prepare for next year\u2019s expected influx of tourists. Doling…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":217898,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,118950,1448,2830,1311,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-217897","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-city-council-fall-priorities-paper-bags-housing","10":"tag-pa","11":"tag-pennsylvania","12":"tag-philadelphia","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-united-states-of-america","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115185124939563613","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}