The mayor proposes $2 billion investment over five years to Make Philadelphia Safer, Cleaner, Greener, with Access to Economic Opportunity for All 

 

PHILADELPHIA — Today, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker delivered to Philadelphia City Council her proposed Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) operating budget, capital program, and Five-Year Plan that will serve as financial blueprints during the administration’s first year and Five-Year Plan. The documents can be found online.

“This is my first Budget and Five-Year Plan proposed to City Council,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “We’re calling it my One Philly budget, and it’s big and it’s bold. It invests $2 billion in Philadelphians across my five central pillars: Public Safety, Clean and Green, Economic Opportunity, Housing and Education. Let’s get to work.”

Investing in Public Safety for Philadelphia

This budget makes critical investments in public safety: $150 million in Operating and $471 million in Capital (over $600 million combined). These new investments will support priority initiatives in departments such as Police, Fire, L&I, and the Managing Director’s Office to build mutual trust and safety in our neighborhoods including:

  • Increasing Capacity for Community Policing:  The proposed budget allows the Philadelphia Police Department to hire 400 more Police Officers, get officers out from behind desks and back on the streets, and pursue Community Policing, building trust between police and communities again. Implementing new training on community policing; standing up a Community Partnerships Bureau, focusing on building trust and community engagement strategies – all are part of this budget.
  • Kensington Community Restoration: The proposed budget also includes the planned provision of long-term care, treatment, and housing for our most vulnerable residents suffering from addiction, mental health challenges and homelessness. It includes a $100 million investment to support Managing Director Adam Thiel’s comprehensive work and strategy to provide that care, treatment and housing.
  • Reducing Violent Crime: More strategic deployment of personnel; addressing staffing issues with 911; making technology upgrades to support investigations; and a $45 million investment in a new Forensics Lab. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel will deliver a comprehensive Public Safety Plan to the mayor by her 100th day in office next month.

Investing in a Cleaner & Greener Philadelphia

This budget makes critical investments of approximately $130 million for neighborhood and residential cleaning and related initiatives: $25 million for District-based residential cleaning; $8 million for Taking Care of Business support; $32 million for expanded trash collections; $18 million for CLIP staffing; $9 million for an added illegal dumping crew and camera program; $6 million to expand enforcement; and $3 million for a special bulk collections crew.

  • PHL Taking Care of Business (PHL TCB): A neighborhood commercial corridor cleaning program that is expanding citywide. It began in Northwest Philadelphia under then-Councilmember Parker’s leadership. It’s expanding across more commercial corridors and into nearby residential streets in this budget.
  • Illegal Dumping: The proposed budget funds an additional illegal dumping crew to shorten response time; supports a new special collections crew for bulk pick-up; expands CLIP staffing capacity; and includes investments to expand the City’s network of surveillance cameras in illegal dumping hot spots to support cleaning, enforcement, and prevention.
  • Street Sweeping & Cleaning: The proposed budget includes additional funding for street sweeping operations and equipment.

Investing in a City with Access to Economic Opportunity for All

This budget makes critical investments in the City’s economy – particularly focused on investments intended to help Black- and Brown-owned businesses and entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

  • Upskilling Workforce: A big idea in the One Philly budget is a $10 million investment in Community College of Philadelphia to establish a first-in-the-nation City College for Municipal Employment. The college will recruit and train people to “earn while they learn” and prepare them for careers in city government, with good-paying jobs, health care and retirement benefits.

  • Economic Opportunity Investments: The One Philly budget includes nearly $20 million in new operating investments for economic opportunity. The budget invests $1 million in the Accelerator Fund, which provides access to capital for developers, and an additional $1 million to the Innovate Capital Growth Fund, which provides diverse entrepreneurs access to equity investments.

  • Business Roundtable: This Roundtable will convene every local chamber of commerce, business leaders, and community-based business owners to develop an agenda to help grow Philadelphia’s workforce, provide access to economic opportunity, and create jobs.

Investing in Housing for Philadelphians

  • Mayor Parker’s budget proposes and envisions 30,000 units of housing.
  • The budget invests in proven programs such as Turn the Key, Restore, Repair, Renew, and the Basic Systems Repair program.
  • The budget supports a “one-front-door” approach. Residents will be able to apply for multiple programs at once – including their information and submitting paperwork one time, not a half-dozen times.

Investing in Education & Students

The One Philly budget makes over $24 million in new operating investments for education with $140 million over the life of the plan.

  • The mayor proposes a shifting the share of the Real Property Tax that goes to the School District from 55 percent to 56 percent. Over the life of the Plan, that will mean an additional $119 million for the District. This is funding that the District that can use to meet Mayor Parker’s goal of providing a world-class education for Philadelphia students of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.

  • It includes investments in a plan for Full-Day and Year-Round Schooling, modernizing our school buildings, and funding career and technical education to prepare students for the workforce.

Overview of the FY25 Budget Proposal

The proposed FY25 operating budget assumes $6.21 billion in revenues, and $6.3 billion in expenses, leaving a $486 million projected fund balance.

To embed racial equity in the City’s budgeting, the Budget Office, in coordination with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI), incorporates a racial equity lens across the budget process. This includes:

  • Minority Contracting Goals: Operating Budget meetings include goal setting for spending with minority, women, and disabled-owned businesses. Goal setting previously was independent of the budget process.

  • Connecting Funding Requests and Racial Equity: Departments requesting new operating or capital funding were asked for both quantitative and qualitative information about the impact of new funding on racial disparities.

The Mayor’s Budget Address, Operating and Capital Budgets, and Proposed FY25-30 Five-Year Plan are available online, in several languages.

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