A MESSAGE FROM COUNCILMEMBER BASS

Greetings!

Inside these pages, you'll find Team Bass has been working diligently to serve you.

I closed out 2022 by addressing the skyrocketing rate of catalytic converter thefts with the unanimous passage of bill #220923. The ordinance increases or adds penalties for anybody who steals or purchases the stolen parts. It also requires robust tracking of every catalytic converter sold, among other key provisions.

Now, a new Council season is underway and I'm sharing my slate of updated legislative priorities, which I developed based on your calls to our Constituent Services team and other feedback you've provided:

• Repairing the City’s property reassessment process to prevent unexpected, dramatic property tax increases.

• Gun violence.

• Trash dumping and blight.

• Renewed focus on the administration’s REBUILD Initiative to ensure its leaders commit to the original plan to overhaul and spruce up our parks, recreation centers and libraries.

And as always, my Constituent Services team is available to you by phone or in person, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 pm. We’re located in Nicetown at 4439A Germantown Ave. Call us at 215.685.9182. At City Hall, we’re in room 508 and available by phone at 215.686.3424. You may also submit a question or comment online via my webpage, <https://phlcouncil.com/CindyBass>.

Lastly, a reminder to take me up on my offer to join me for a “Coffee with the Councilwoman,” our monthly, one-on-one conversations about any issues that matter to you. Best of all, they’re back in-person! Visit </tinyurl.com/CoffeeWithCW> to fill out our online form and request your meeting. You can also access it via the QR code. I look forward to hearing from you!

Yours In Service,

Heater Help

In January, we helped a Germantown woman whose heater had broken down. With several health-related conditions, she was unable to afford the repairs. Our team member immediately contacted the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC) to coordinate the repairs. Meanwhile, she continually followed up with our constituent to update her. In the end, our neighbor was able to stay in her warm home in the middle of the cold winter season.

Abandoned Auto

One Mt. Airy resident called our City Hall office to alert us to a car that appeared abandoned on his street at a nearby intersection. He told our Constituent Services team member steering column damage and a shattered window led him to believe it was stolen. He emailed us photos of the vehicle, and 10 minutes later a police officer was on the scene to investigate.

Downed Wire

A Mt. Airy resident reached out to the team to get help with a utility wire that had fallen and had been drooping about “chin height” over the sidewalk and blocking neighbors’ garage doors. Our constituent, as well as several of her neighbors had tried without success to get electric and cable companies to claim responsibility and come out and repair the wire. She credits our team with finally getting the utilities’ attention. After our persistent outreach and coordination, the wire is now repaired.

If you need help with an issue in your home or neighborhood, do not hesitate to call Team Bass at the District Office, 215.685.9182 or City Hall, 215.686.3424.

Several news organizations interviewed Councilmember Bass to share information about the bill she introduced to crack down on catalytic converter thefts and its associated illegal trade. It ultimately passed unanimously and is now the law in Philadelphia.