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Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker on Thursday called for installing a “Philly GPS” — short for growth, prosperity and security — in what she described as a “roadmap to self-sufficiency, a path that makes it easier for every Philadelphian to move up, not just get by.”
The plan includes spending more money — from $10 million to support a modular home factory to $25 million for community-based anti-violence services to keep the city safer.
In a budget address to City Council that clocked in at two hours and eight minutes, beating President Donald Trump’s record-setting one-hour, 47-minute State of the Union address, Parker started by talking about what she sees as her administration’s accomplishments and the city’s ability to survive a rough economy, albeit with more than a billion dollars in federal COVID funding.
That money is gone now, and the city’s plan is to set aside $91 million on reserve, just in case the Trump administration cuts funding to the city.
The mayor said she wants to provide people with the ability to move forward economically.
“If we get this right — by making value-driven, data-informed investments — Philadelphia can become the national model for economic mobility. This is our moment, our chance to do what no city has done before,” Parker said.
Parker’s plan includes spending to support her initiative against homelessness, an effort that aims to add 1,000 new shelter beds in city-owned and city-leased facilities.
To pay for that, Budget Director Sabrina Maynard said there will be an additional 2% added to the cost of renting a hotel room in the city.
“This is something that would bring in $20 million a year, our ambitious goal is to end street homelessness in Philadelphia,” Maynard said.
The plan would also help spruce up city facilities, including some famous destinations.
The plan proposes $33 million over the capital program dedicated to HVAC upgrades at libraries.