Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

Mayor Nutter Introduces the FY2011 City Budget

The two biggest proposals in his budget plan are geared to bring in the revenue are needed to close a $150 million gap -

  • A "Healthy Philly Initiative" 2-cent-per-ounce sweet-drink tax (40 cents on a 20-ounce bottle of soda). The levy would cover fountain-drink syrups and powders, based on the number of liquid ounces produced. Diet drinks without added sugar and baby formula would be excluded. The new tax is expected to raise $77 million annually.
  • A "Keep Philly Clean" fee on city trash collection - roughly $5.77 a week or $300 a year for property owners that would be placed on residents' real estate tax bill. Some low-income households would qualify to pay a $200 fee instead. This fee would be effective July 1 and is expected to bring in $108 million annually.

As it stands, allocations for all arts and cultural items maintained level funding for fiscal year 2011. The Mayor pledged that all library branches would remain open, and all fully functioning city pools (59 of 62) would be open this summer. This is great news - but these plans depend on the passage of the Mayor's aforementioned revenue proposals.

All the latest on the Fiscal Year 2011 budget, including the full text of the proposal and more details on the new initiatives is located on the city website.

The Cultural Alliance will continue to keep you posted on the city budget and ways to take action.

It's beginning to look a lot like spring, and the budget season for Philadelphia is in full swing. On March 4, Mayor Nutter took to the podium in a packed City Council meeting to offer his Fiscal Year 2011 budget address amidst a still tough economy and lower-than-projected tax revenue. The Mayor's biggest objective was made clear at several points throughout the address - maintaining essential services for Philadelphia citizens without taking a slash-and-burn approach at cutting programs or increasing the city's major taxes.