Nutter Writes Council President Verna About 'Troubling Misconceptions' Related To School Funds
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Nutter Administration has written a three page letter to Philadelphia City Council President Anna Verna, saying there were "troubling misconceptions" related to school funding and the city budget.
Signed by Chief of Staff Clay Armbrister, but for all intents and purposes, coming from Mayor Nutter, the letter states that there is some apparent confusion about last year's 9.9-percent tax hike to help the city's finances and stave off enormous cutbacks. Armbrister points out that there has been "no change, and no loss of funds" to the Philadelphia School District.
He says the millage rate that helps fund the schools has remained steady, at about $600-million, this fiscal year, as it has in the last several years.
And the administration is emphatic that any talk in council about shifting property tax millage to support the schools would "open a painfully large gap in the City's budget."
He then lays out scenarios that include cancellation of the new police class of 120 recruits, deactivation and more brownouts of fire and EMS companies, including reducing uniform personnel, as well as cutbacks in recreation centers, homeless shelter beds and library branch closings.
Reported by Steve Tawa, KYW Newsradio
