Ballot Questions
The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter is like the city's constitution, describing the overall structure of government. The Charter can be amended when City Council sends proposed changes to voters in the form of ballot questions. On the May 2023 primary ballot, there will be four proposed Charter amendments for voters to consider for a yes/no vote.
It's important to note that while only registered Democrats or Republicans can vote for candidates on the primary ballot, due to PA's closed primary system, any registered voter regardless of party affiliation can vote on these ballot questions.
Question #1: Making Certain Changes to the "Rainy Day Fund" (Resolution 220743)
Ballot Question: Should The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to expand the requirements for annual minimum appropriations to the Budget Stabilization Reserve, more commonly known as the “rainy day fund”?
Plain English Statement: The Budget Stabilization Reserve is a required amount of money set aside each year in the City’s operating budget that cannot be spent except in extraordinary circumstances, such as during the pandemic. It is sometimes called the City’s “rainy day fund.” The City’s Home Rule Charter, which sets up the framework of City government, establishes rules for Council’s adoption of an annual operating budget. Those rules determine the amount of money that must be set aside in the rainy day fund each year. If you vote “Yes” on this ballot question, that means you approve of increasing the amount of money that might be set aside in the rainy day fund each year.
Seventy says: The Budget Stabilization Fund is the formal name for the city government’s “Rainy Day Fund.” The fund exists to set aside money when there’s a budget surplus to fill a future shortfall due, for example, to a recession or other emergency. The contribution last year was $40 million and in 2021 it was $34 million, but those budgets were padded with federal pandemic-relief funds. These were the only years in which the City made contributions since the fund was established in 2011. The Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, an independent oversight body, found in a 2021 study that Philadelphia ranked 16th of 18 major cities in its maintenance of a rainy-day account. This amendment, proposed by Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson and supported by the Kenney administration, would require the city to put a larger percentage of an annual surplus into the fund than it currently does.
Question #2: Creating a Division of Workforce Solutions within the Commerce Dept (Resolution 220872)
Ballot Question: Should The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to create the Division of Workforce Solutions within the Department of Commerce and to define its duties?
Plain English Statement: The City’s Home Rule Charter is the document that sets up the framework of City government. It is the City’s constitution. Under the Charter, the Department of Commerce is mostly responsible for promoting economic development. If you vote “Yes” on this ballot question, that means you approve of adding a Division of Workforce Solutions to the Commerce Department. The Division would be responsible for promoting workforce development in the City.
Seventy says: A Division of Workforce Solutions would be the city’s clearinghouse for residents looking for jobs in both the public and private sectors. The new division, according to the amendment, would offer connections to job-training services and employment opportunities, and promote workforce-development initiatives. Currently, the city’s Commerce Department operates an Office of Business Development and Workforce Solutions, which offers services to employers (e.g., financing opportunities, assistance for startups) and works to attract new businesses to Philadelphia while retaining those already here. The measure was proposed by Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson and President Darrell Clarke and is supported by the Kenney administration.
Question #3: Civil Service Carveout for Citizens Police Oversight Commission (Resolution 230016)
Ballot Question: Should The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to make employees of the Citizens Police Oversight Commission exempt from civil service hiring requirements?
Plain English Statement: The Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) is an oversight agency designed to ensure the just, transparent, and efficient administration of criminal justice in Philadelphia through fair and timely investigation into, and oversight of, conduct, policies, and practices of the Police Department and its officers. The City’s Home Rule Charter sets up the rules for the operation of City government. Under the Charter, most City employees are employed through the civil service system. The civil service system requires hiring for most positions to be based on the ranking of employees through testing. Hiring for positions exempt from the civil service is not subject to those requirements. If you vote “Yes” on this ballot question, that means you approve of including CPOC staff among the City employees who may be hired outside of the civil service system.
Seventy says: This proposal would exempt the staff of the Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) from the civil service system, which is intended to ensure hiring and promotion of city workers is merit-based. (The nine commissioners are not city employees and receive nominal compensation for their duties.) Commission officials argue the carveout is needed to ensure their employees have separation from those in the Police Department, most of whom are civil service and may be impacted by the Commission’s work. The change would also release CPOC from cumbersome civil service rules and procedures, which have contributed to a staffing shortfall in many other agencies. In written testimony, Seventy expressed concern about a carveout if not essential to the Commission’s oversight function, and urged lawmakers to instead focus on the systemic and underlying issues in recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion that plague the city workforce.
Question #4: Creating a Public Safety Officer (Resolution 230115)
Ballot Question: Should The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to create the Office of the Chief Public Safety Director and to define its powers, duties and responsibilities?
Plain English Statement: The City’s Home Rule Charter is the document that sets up the framework of City government. It is the City’s constitution. If you vote “Yes” on this ballot question, that means you approve of adding a new position to the City Charter, called the Chief Public Safety Director. The Director would have responsibility for coordinating the use of resources, such as personnel and equipment, within various City departments, such as the Police and Fire Departments. The Director would also provide those departments with guidance and approvals concerning City policies and City programs, such as violence prevention programs, and would conduct studies and prepare reports concerning the City’s public safety operations.
Seventy says: This proposal would create a Chief Public Safety Director, a new cabinet-level position intended to coordinate the operations of the police, fire, prisons, and emergency management departments, as well as other agencies that play a role in public safety. This official would be appointed by the mayor but subject to City Council approval. The measure, which passed Council unanimously, was spearheaded by Council President Darrell Clarke, who pointed both to the epidemic of gun violence in Philadelphia and similar positions on other cities including Chicago, Columbus, Trenton, and Newark. The Kenney administration opposed the legislation, arguing the new position would complicate the coordination and oversight duties that already belong to the Charter-mandated Managing Director. Seventy expressed similar concerns, also pointing to its rushed approval when voters are about to choose a new mayor.
(Ballot Question and Plain English Statement language provided by the Philadelphia City Commissioners office.)
