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Below are the four questions in the order they will appear on the ballot and their accompanying Plain English Statements (provided by the Philadelphia Law Department or the Pennsylvania Department of State).
Bill # 080543
Do you favor the incurring of indebtedness by the commonwealth of $400,000,000 for grants and loans to municipalities and public utilities for the cost of all labor, materials, necessary operational machinery and equipment, lands, property, rights and easements, plans and specifications, surveys, estimates of costs and revenues, prefeasibility studies, engineering and legal services and all other expenses necessary or incident to the acquisition, construction, improvement, expansion, extension, repair or rehabilitation of all or part of drinking water system, storm water, nonpoint source projects, nutrient credits and wastewater treatment system projects?
Plain English Statement
The purpose of the ballot question is to determine whether Pennsylvania voters approve of the commonwealth borrowing $400 million to make grants and loans to municipalities and public utilities for the acquisition, construction, improvement, expansion, extension, repair or rehabilitation of drinking water system, storm water and nonpoint source projects, nutrient credits and wastewater treatment system projects.
A “drinking water system” consists of reservoirs, wells, water-treatment facilities and equipment such as pipes, tanks, filters and pumps, which collect, treat, store and supply safe drinking water for public use.
“Storm water” is drainage runoff from the surface of land resulting from precipitation or snow or ice melt.
A “nonpoint source” is a pollution source not regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. Examples include pollution from past mining activities, urban and agricultural runoff, atmospheric deposition, on-lot sewage systems and sediment.
A “nutrient credit” is a unit of compliance approved by the Department of Environmental Protection that corresponds to a pound of reduction of nitrogen or phosphorous.
A “wastewater treatment system” consists of sewage-treatment facilities and equipment such as pipes, tanks, filters and pumps, which collect, treat, store and discharge wastewater from homes, business and industry.
A limitation of the ballot question is that, of the $400 million borrowed, the amount that may be used for grants, as opposed to loans, may not exceed $200 million. Another limitation is that the amount of the grant, loan or combination of grant and loan awarded for a project may not exceed the monetary limit set by Act 64 of 2008, which vary based on the annual average daily flow of a sewage treatment system or the population served by a water system.
The effect of the ballot question is to authorize the commonwealth to borrow $400 million to fund grants and loans to municipalities and public utilities for the acquisition, construction, expansion, extension, repair or rehabilitation of drinking water system, storm water and nonpoint source projects, nutrient credits and wastewater-treatment system projects. The grants and loans are to be awarded by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, which is given authority under Act 64 of 2008 to adopt regulations and take all other actions necessary to implement and administer Act 64 of 2008.
Bill # 080169
Shall the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to merge the powers and duties of the Fairmount Park Commission and the Department of Recreation into a newly created Department of Parks and Recreation, “to establish a new Commission on Parks and Recreation,” and to provide for its powers and duties?
Plain English Statement
Fairmount Park is now managed by the Fairmount Park Commission. The Commission consists of six city officials and 10 persons appointed by the judges of the Court of Common Pleas. The Commission also manages certain other parks listed by ordinance.
The Department of Recreation manages all parks that are not managed by the Commission. The Department also manages city recreation facilities. The Department is headed by a commissioner appointed by the managing director with the mayor’s approval.
Under the proposed amendment to the Home Rule Charter, the management of all City parks and recreation facilities would be consolidated into a single “Department of Parks and Recreation,” accountable to the mayor. The Recreation Department and Fairmount Park Commission would be abolished. The new combined Department would be headed by a commissioner appointed by the managing director with the mayor’s approval. The commissioner would appoint a deputy commissioner for Recreation and a deputy commissioner for Parks.
The new department would be guided in its work by a new Commission on Parks and Recreation. The new commission would consist of six city officials and nine persons appointed by the mayor from nominations made by City Council after a public application and hearing process. Members would be required to have experience or skills relevant to the powers and duties of the commission.
The new commission, after receiving public input, would adopt standards and guidelines for the management of City parks and recreation facilities. The standards and guidelines would address land use, preservation of green space, watershed management, sustainability, the sale or transfer of park or recreation land and facilities and other issues. City officials would be required to give substantial weight to those standards and guidelines. The comission also would promote City parks and recreation facilities, and assist in fundraising.
Ballot Question Submitted to the Voters By: Bill No. 080169 (approved August 4, 2008); Resolution No. 080181 (adopted June 19, 2008).
Plain English Statement Prepared As Required By Section 201.1 of the Pennsylvania Election Code.
Shall the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to require that those candidates seeking civil service positions who have maintained a bona fide residence in Philadelphia for at least one year prior to the date of the civil service examination shall have priority over all other persons receiving an identical test score?
Plain English Statement
Candidates for most Philadelphia civil service jobs are given a test. Candidates are scored from 0 to 100, with bonus points given to veterans and to others, as required by law. Candidates are placed on a list in order of their scores. Job vacancies must be filled by offering the job to one of the two persons ranking highest on the list.
Civil service regulations provide methods to break ties should two or more persons receive the same test score. The proposed amendment would change those methods to give a preference to certain City residents. It would require candidates who have lived within the City for at least one year before taking the test to be ranked above any other candidates with the same test score.
Ballot Question Submitted to the Voters By: Bill No. 080320 (approved May 14, 2008); Resolution No. 080336 (adopted May 1, 2008).
Plain English Statement Prepared As Required By Section 201.1 of the Pennsylvania Election Code.
Bill # 080320
Should the city of Philadelphia borrow $53,840,000 to be spent for and toward capital purposes as follows: Transit, Streets and Sanitation, Municipal Building, Parks, Recreation and Museums, and Economic and Community Development?
Plain English Statement
Pursuant to Ordinance approved Sept. 23, 2008 (Bill No. 080543), the Nov. 4, 2008, Election Ballot includes a $53,840,000 loan question addressed to electors of the City of Philadelphia.
The purpose of the ballot question is to determine whether Philadelphia voters consent to the city government borrowing $53,840,000 to finance city capital expenditures. The borrowed money would be spent to acquire interests in real estate, make improvements to buildings, property and streets, and acquire other items of property and equipment, which, because of their relatively long period of expected useful life, are deemed “capital” in nature.
Bill No. 080543 specifies that no more than $53,840,000 may be borrowed pursuant to its authorization and that the borrowing may not be made unless and until a majority of the voters at the Nov. 4, 2008, election give their approval for the borrowing by voting “yes” on the subject ballot question. The effect of the proposed borrowing will be to increase the indebtedness of the city payable out of city taxes and other available city revenues.
Bill No. 080543 specifies how much of the total $53,840,000 is to be spent for or in connection with each of five categories of functions and activities of the city government. It is those functions and activities which are listed in the ballot question, although amounts allocated to each function or activity are not listed in the ballot question. In some instances, a function or activity is identified by description of the physical facilities which are the focal point of the particular activity, such as “Parks.” In other instances, the function or activity is specified, such as “Economic and Community Development.” Bill No. 080543 authorizes the use of loan proceeds to reimburse the city for previous capital expenditures on the projects covered by the five categories of functions and activities, which are listed in the ballot question.