G-Town Beat notes: Northwest Philly 'Your City, Your Budget' town hall

The following notes were produced as part of our G-Town Beat assignments, where neighbors transform into correspondents, going to meetings that affect our neighborhood, and taking notes. Think a meeting is a good fit? Email rasheed@resolvephilly.org.

Meeting Info

Philadelphia City Council (250)
Your City, Your Budget
Neighborhood Budget Town Hall

Tuesday, April 7 2026
6–7:30 p.m. (advertised)

Meeting Start: 6:29 p.m.

Meeting End: 8:50 p.m.

The Kroc Center (4200 Wissahickon Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19129)

Facilitators

Chair: Kenyatta Johnson (Council President, 2nd District)
Cindy Bass (Councilmember, 8th District)
Curtis Jones, Jr. (Councilmember, 4th District)
Jim Harrity (Councilmember At-Large)
Quetcy Lozada (Councilmember, 7th District)
A representative from the Office of the Director of Finance for the City Council

Attendance

Representatives from Vision Zero, Transit Forward
Healthy attendance; over 100 attendees.
- Over 40 people gave public comment; The line went to the back of the auditorium.
State Senator Shariff Street spoke at the end about lead & asbestos in many of our schools.

Key Terms

Operating budget: pays for everyday services, programs, and staff costs.
Capital budget: pays for big, long-term projects.
Fiscal year: runs July 1 to June 30.
Revenues: money coming into the city.
Expenditures: money the city spends.

Meeting Overview

Philadelphia City Council held a neighborhood budget town hall on April 7, 2026, at the Kroc Center (4200 Wissahickon Ave., 19129), drawing a room of residents to weigh in on the city’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2027.

Council President Kenyatta Johnson kicked off the meeting at 6:29 p.m., with Councilmembers Cindy Bass and Curtis Jones Jr. sharing gratitude for those who came out. They shared that the budget is still under review and that they were looking forward to getting input from the public.

Within that review, the presentation shared notes that the City Council is considering:

Whether investments are reaching communities most in need
Whether departments can deliver on proposed projects
Long-term sustainability, including the economy and federal funding
How proposed tax and fee changes will affect residents, businesses, and visitors

Right now, the proposed FY27 Operating Budget is $6.97B, and the proposed FY27 Capital Budget is $8.2B.

Of the proposal’s new FY27 operating investments, the largest share — about $117.9 million, or 52% — is directed to public safety. It would also focus on housing, youth employment, addressing street homelessness, and the opioid crisis.

City officials said the proposal includes $281 million in new FY27 capital investments, with major shares for Clean and Green ($131.4M, 47%) and Public Safety ($79.3M, 28%). The administration’s recommended capital program spans multiple years.

It also includes several new or increased taxes, including a hotel tax increase, a delivery fee, and a per-ride tax on rideshare trips to generate additional revenue. The majority of the meeting was dedicated to public comment, with about 40 residents sharing feedback on the proposal.

Speakers raised concerns about the impact of the new taxes on working Philadelphians, called for greater investment in schools and community-based programs, and emphasized the importance of funding public transit, violence prevention, and neighborhood services.

Public Comment

Councilmember Bass opened the floor for public comment. Residents were advised that they would have 1 minute to share their thoughts. A timer was used. Speakers raised a wide range of issues, and several themes emerged:

Taxes and affordability

Many speakers expressed concern that proposed revenue measures (including taxes on rideshare trips, deliveries, and hotels) would ultimately fall on residents rather than corporations. Several called on the City Council to shift the burden by increasing taxes on developers, large corporations, and institutions instead of working Philadelphians, drawing strong reactions from the audience.

Unknown: “My proposal is for you to start taxing the developers. If the city taxes were supposed to be paying for the schools, why are they unfunded?…Every time we turn around, we have to give money to the kids. Give them an education first. Stop taxing the poor people. Tax the developers! They don’t live in the city, they don’t pay anything, and they’re getting rich off the poor man’s back. You aren’t looking out for us…look out for us!”

Lamar Pouncey (Third Gen West Philadelphian & Special Education advocate): “The $48 million that is supposed to come from this dollar charge of Lyft and Uber, how we know that that money is going to go to the school district? They said the sugar tax was gonna go to the school district, then they talked about some of the cigarette tax going to the school district. I stand before you right now asking for an independent audit of every city agency, including City Council. As Jerry McGuire would say, ‘show me the money.’”

José Torado: “I’m a full-time gig worker for Uber and Lyft, and I just wanted to express my concern with the rideshare tax increase…I just wanted to ask for a reconsideration of that tax because it will become the burden of the drivers and the riders to pay that tax; even though the rideshare companies could pay that tax, it’s ultimately falling on us. I’ve been doing this for four years, and I work about 50 hours a week, and I’m just sort of a bit concerned about work/life balance that this will have. It’s gonna require drivers to work longer hours…to supplement the lose of income that this tax will have on us.”

Education funding and school conditions

Concerns about public education were a major focus. Speakers called for increased investment in schools, citing building conditions, accessibility issues, and the potential closure of schools.

Inella Ray (Director of Parent Advocacy and Engagement, Children First): “I’m here today with a very clear ask: I need you all to invest an additional $75 million to address the structural deficits facing the School District of Philadelphia. Let’s be clear: we are in a state of emergency, and our response must match that reality. For decades, our schools have been underfunded, and children have carried the burden of that disinvestment.”

Public transit and access

Multiple speakers emphasized the importance of continued and expanded funding for SEPTA. Residents highlighted the role of public transit in accessing jobs, school, and healthcare, and voiced strong support for programs like Zero Fare and SEPTA Key Advantage, while calling for broader access across the city.

Margaret Gara: “I’m a resident of the Eighth District and a SEPTA user, and I’m counting down the days until I get my 65 card, and I just want to speak to council to thank you and thank the Mayor for funding Zero Fare and SEPTA Key Advantage. I want you to please protect these programs, add to the Zero Fare to the extent that you can. The more people that ride transit and the more frequent transit we have, the healthier our city will be economically and in all other kinds of ways.”

Public safety & prevention

Speakers offered differing perspectives on public safety spending, though many called for greater investment in prevention strategies. Several residents advocated for funding community violence intervention programs, mental health services, youth programs, and reentry support, arguing that these approaches are more effective at reducing harm than policing alone.

Jaime Jalil Meekins (The F.A.S.T. Foundation, Executive Director): “If you look at gun violence as a public health crisis, I think nationally homicides are down about 49%, I believe it’s about 46% in Philadelphia. A lot of these deductions come from community-led strategies. And when we look at the budget, we see that there’s a lot of investments in public safety, but the majority of it goes to law enforcement. Now, if we look at community violence intervention, or community-led strategies, we co-produce public safety with law enforcement on many occasions. We stop violence before it happens, we interrupt violence before it happens, we do mediations when violence does happen…You can’t have public safety without investing into the public…How do we get community violence interventions in perpetuity, like law enforcement? I’m not one to say ‘pull from the police department.’ But I’m here to create creative ways or innovative ways on how we could put money into a CVI fund. Everyone has a social responsibility to end gun violence as a public health crisis.”

Neighborhood quality of life and traffic safety

Quality of life issues, including illegal dumping, sanitation, street safety, and infrastructure, were raised by multiple speakers. Residents described challenges with city services and called for stronger enforcement and investment in neighborhood conditions. Traffic safety advocates also pushed for increased funding for Vision Zero initiatives to address traffic deaths and injuries.

Eden MacDougall (Elementary School Teacher): “I’m here to support increased funding for public transit, both through specific initiatives like Vision Zero and just in general. A lot of these staff and teachers, myself included, at the school, use stuff that I get to work every day, as do several of our students. So public transit is very important for making sure the kids can get to school to learn, so they can grow up and do what they want to do. So making sure people have access to something is very important to me.”

Community-based programs and local investment

A number of speakers highlighted the role of community organizations in addressing local needs, from workforce development and reentry programs to food access and youth engagement. Several called for more direct investment in grassroots groups and neighborhood-led initiatives, arguing that those closest to the issues are best positioned to respond.

Darnell Artis (Lonnie Young Summer League, Founder): “I’m here to say thank you to City Council for including sports in the budget with Philadelphia Legendary Summer Hoops month. Not because you’re funding in sports programs, but because you’re investing in people. When we grow up, from kids, we want to play basketball and play sports. But, we have no idea the impact that playing sports is going to have on us going forward. So you’re not just investing in kids that are going to play basketball, but kids that are going to walk into rooms that they probably have no business being in and being able to represent themselves to the highest degree — building young men and women to be able to handle adversity. So I just wanted to come here to state for the record… we just want to make sure that sports remains a vital part of the budget because sports in Philadelphia is a staple.”

What’s Next

The representative from the Office of the Director of Finance shared that the City Council is still reviewing the proposal, hosting neighborhood town halls and council meetings, and gathering public comments to take into consideration.

The City Council encouraged residents to fill out the budget survey, attend public hearings, and submit public comments. Councilmembers will then add amendments to the proposal and return to the Mayor for signing.

Note: This story was updated on April 22, 2026, to accurately spell Eden MacDougall’s name, which we previously had down as Edith McDougall.