City Council on Thursday unanimously approved legislation detailing a new prison oversight system and a measure designed to reduce problems associated with ‘absentee’ landlords.

Meanwhile, the sponsor of a ballot question altering Philadelphia’s resign-to-run rule moved to scrap the proposal.

Jail oversight

Voters in the May 2025 primary election OK’d the creation of the Office of Prison Oversight and the Prison Oversight Community Board, but Council needed to pass additional legislation outlining the authority and responsibilities of both entities.

The Office of Prison Oversight, a staffed city department, is tasked with investigating concerns over use of force, building conditions and inmate access to out-of-cell time, food and health care at the county jails on State Road, according to the bill passed Thursday.

Leaders from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons are required to notify the office of any inmate fatalities, hospitalizations, riots, escape attempts and prolonged lockdowns, the legislation states.

Office employees have the power to inspect the jails without prior notice; access files and records; collect photo and video evidence and subpoena witnesses.

The nine-person community board, whose members have already been selected by the mayor, Council and City Controller, is expected to hold monthly public meetings and offer recommendations to the PDP.

Establishing the office and board is the result of a yearlong legislative effort to improve accountability and transparency at PDP, which was plagued by a severe staffing crisis, spike in inmate deaths, escapes and violence following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For us to get it accomplished, it’s really significant, and I anticipate other municipalities and counties replicating it,” Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, one of the primary backers, told Metro.

The board and office is replacing an existing prison advisory board that has been criticized for lacking authority, transparency and independence.

Absentee landlords

Out-of-town landlords will soon have to provide more detailed contact information and hire a local agent to respond to building issues at their rental properties, under another bill approved Thursday.

Anyone applying for a rental, vacant property or commercial activity license would need to provide the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections with their name, phone number and physical address, not a post office box or mail-forwarding service, the legislation states.

Those who do not reside or run a business in Philadelphia will need to hire someone locally, like a property manager, and submit their contact information.

Property owners could face a $500 fine and license suspension if they are cited for violating the law and do not submit the correct information within 30 days. Tenants are authorized to use noncompliance to withhold rent and fight an eviction case.

Councilmember Anthony Phillips, who introduced the bill in November, has said municipal inspectors and renters often have difficulty reaching the owner of a property, particularly if they live outside of the city.

“If you own property in Philadelphia, you must be reachable and responsive,” Phillips said in a statement Wednesday. “Residents should not have to navigate unsafe conditions or delayed repairs because the party responsible cannot be found.”

If and when the ordinance is signed by Mayor Cherelle Parker, it will go into effect in 90 days.

The bill is not connected to the Safe Healthy Homes Act, a series of renter protections being pushed by Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke that has been the subject of at least one lawsuit and fierce opposition from some landlords.

Resign to Run

Philadelphia’s resign-to-run rule, incorporated into the city’s governing document in the 1950s, requires municipal employees, including elected officials, to step down before seeking political office, unless they are running for reelection.

Late last month, Council voted in favor of a ballot measure that would allow local elected leaders, other than the mayor, to remain on the job while pursuing state or federal positions. Candidates would be barred from appearing on the ballot for two positions in the same election.

Parker signed the legislation March 10, setting the stage for a question on the May 19 primary ballot. However,  the author, Thomas, offered a bill Thursday rescinding the ordinance.

“I think that we just kind of misread some things,” he said in a phone interview. “I received way more negative feedback than positive.”

Thomas said he may revisit the regulation, though not in the near future.

Voters rejected proposed repeals of the resign-to-run in 2007 and 2014. Thomas’s proposal was more of a reform than a wholesale removal, though the Committee of Seventy, a local organization focused on government ethics, opposed it.