Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson - Council Update 2023

GUN VIOLENCE IN PHILADELPHIA

number of shootings and murders in Philadelphia. Reducing gun violence in Philadelphia must be the number one priority for all city leaders in 2023 and beyond. Gun violence is widespread and relentless. In recent years, our city has seen an increase of murder victims who were women and children. In recent years, I have led the effort in City Council to get hundreds of millions of dollars spent on overall anti-violence efforts throughout Philadelphia, the most money ever spent on this issue. I will continue to push for this level of investment in the Fiscal Year 2024 operating budget. Our city must do a better job investing in prevention services that will provide opportunities for young people to not get involved in gun violence in the first place. We must be laser focused on tracking the flow of illegal guns and arresting and prosecuting the shooters to the fullest extent of the law. I am confident that if everyone in Philadelphia works together and does everything within our power to stop the devastation of lives on our streets, our homicide rate will go down. Enough is enough.

In January 2022, Council confirmed Philadelphia lawyer  Adara L. Combs as Philadelphia’s first Victims Advocate. The Office of the Philadelphia Victim Advocate offers a hub for crime victims and co-victims, a term referring to family, neighbors, colleagues, and others indirectly affected by crime. The office’s functions include coordination, planning, and policy advocacy. The creation of the Office of the Philadelphia Victims Advocate was the result of hearings and roundtable discussions convened by the Victims and Co-Victims subcommittee of Council’s Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention.

Based upon these responses, I introduced legislation to amend the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to create a permanent, independent Office of the Victim Advocate. Voters overwhelmingly approved the measure in November 2020. The new Office of the Victim Advocate is long overdue in Philadelphia. Advocates have told me that the fragmented nature of victim services leads to a lack of consistency and timing of outreach and services provided. I believe that we owe it to victims and co-victims to give them a voice within City government.

PRESERVATION INITIATIVE

In December 2022, City Council President Darrell Clarke and I were joined by housing officials and advocates to break ground in Grays Ferry on the first of 1,000 affordable homes scheduled for construction and sale citywide to qualifying Philadelphians under the “Turn The Key” program funded through Council’s Neighborhood Preservation Initiative (NPI).

The first group of 25 homes are being built at 30th & Wharton Streets and will cost $230,000 to purchase. NPI’s Mortgage Affordability Program will offer loans of up to $75,000 (subject to household income) to help further reduce the homes’ cost. These homes will be new, energy-efficient, 3 bedroom, 1½ bath homes on publicly-owned city land.

I am happy that the groundbreaking of the first 25 homes to be built under Turn the Key took place in the Second District. Philadelphia has experienced a development boom in recent years and it is important to make sure that we make housing available for citizens of Philadelphia – regardless of their checkbook or pocketbook.

The goal is for the first 25 houses to be built and ready to be occupied by the summer of 2023.

Councilmember Johnson and South Philadelphia neighbors worked together to create The Christian Street Black Doctors’ Row Historic District. The first-of-its-kind historic designation was approved by the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

CITY COUNCIL LEADERS BREAK GROUND ON FIRST OF 1,000 AFFORDABLE HOMES TO BE BUILT THROUGH COUNCIL’S NEIGHBORHOOD

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed my “Save Our Homes” Tax Relief plan into law in 2022. It was introduced in May 2022, was approved a month later, and provided significant relief for homeowners affected by the recent tax assessments.

Starting with Tax Year 2023, the City’s Homestead Exemption will rise from $45,000 up to $80,000. This means $80,000 of a property’s assessed value will be exempt from property taxes. This change will be reflected in this year’s tax bills.

For a Philadelphia homeowner, the increase in the Homestead Exemption to $80,000 means most homeowners will have an annual savings of about $1,119 on 2023’s property taxes, an increase over 2022’s $629.

Save Our Homes also expanded the eligibility to participate in the Senior Citizen Property Tax Freeze and Longtime Owner Occupants Programs; expanded rental assistance by allocating $30 million over two years; expanded community outreach by allocating over $4 million for taxpayer awareness and assistance programs; and allocated $1 million for anti-displacement legal services for low-income Philadelphians involved in landlord-tenant disputes and other matters exacerbated by the increased assessments.

COUNCILMEMBER JOHNSON FIGHTS FOR HEALTH CARE

AND PREVAILING WAGES AT PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

The PHL Prevailing Wage law that I sponsored provides specific classification of Philadelphia International Airport (PHL Airport) workers to receive up to $15.06 per hour, an additional $4.54 hourly wage supplement to obtain health insurance, and up to 56 hours of paid sick leave annually among other benefits. The law covers baggage and freight handlers, inspectors, cabin cleaners, passenger service agents, skycaps, wheelchair attendants, retail, food, and beverage service workers, food preparation workers, and other

COUNCILMEMBER JOHNSON COMMITS $320,000 IN CAPITAL FUNDS FOR NEW TRAFFIC SAFETY CALMING MEASURES ON WASHINGTON AVENUE

After years of discussions, the entire stretch of Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia has been repaved. I committed $320,000 in capital funds to the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS) in 2022 to install speed humps and hardened centerlines on Washington Avenue, west of Broad Street. The speed slots and hardened centerlines are on the roadway now.

Speed slots are analogous to speed humps or cushions and represent a measure to improve safety on arterial class roads. Hardened centerlines help reduce the elevated fatal and serious injury crash rate history associated with left turns off of Washington Avenue. I believe that the installation of these new safety measures will increase traffic safety all Philadelphians for years to come. Whether traveling by car, bike, foot, or otherwise, people will be safer on Washington Avenue.

I strongly support a wide array of safety interventions along Washington Avenue, including better intersection treatments, better lighting, and improved traffic signals. I also want more school crossing guards at key locations to make sure children get across Washington Avenue safely, and better enforcement of traffic violations. I believe that Washington Avenue can and must be much safer, with the help of strategic investments.

COUNCILMEMBER JOHNSON FUNDS IMPORTANT PROJECTS

THROUGHOUT THE SECOND COUNCIL DISTRICT

The long-awaited start of phase two construction at the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center in Southwest Philadelphia started in 2023. The new Myers will include a state-of-the-art building and recreational facilities. Improvements already completed include a mini soccer pitch, renovated tennis courts, and updated outdoor basketball courts.

In 2023, The City’s Rebuild program will also continue major construction of the Vare Recreation Center, including new buildings, basketball courts, playground, landscaping, and public art. Vare has been a pivotal public space and home away from home for its community for over 100 years.

Chew Playground officially reopened to the public in late 2022 after a nearly $2 Million renovation. The renovations included soil remediation, a new football field with goal posts, updated benches and bleachers, an improved baseball infield, new fencing improvements, and new trees.

of Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson

City Hall, Room 580

Philadelphia, PA 19107-3290