Just a week after Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker submitted her nearly $6.3 billion spending plan for the next year, City Council held a public hearing on the proposed operating and capital budget on Tuesday.
The event was the first of several hearings scheduled to allow public input into the spending plan.
“Council takes the duties of vetting and approving a balanced budget seriously and Councilmembers are looking forward to robust discussions with the Administration about the budget in the weeks ahead.” City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said in a statement.
During the day, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel discussed how his department is working to respond after teens were involved in gun violence at bus stops in the city.
According to city data, already this year, 27 children have been shot in Philadelphia — five of them fatally.
On March 6, eight teens were shot at a bus stop in Northeast Philly in an incident that may be connected to a shooting a few days earlier in which a 17-year-old was shot and killed.
“Rising Sun and Cottman would have never been a location we would have thought eight children would be shot in the manner they were,” said Bethel. “Now, we’re trying to see how we can put more men and women in those corridors where our kids are moving through.”
He said the city’s police force is working with SEPTA to bolster safety at mass transit hubs across the city.
City officials will hold a number hearings on the budget proposal through May 1.
For a complete schedule, visit phlcouncil.com/Budget2025.
