Mayor Cherelle Parker final week proposed a $6.74 billion metropolis finances for the 2026 fiscal 12 months that begins in July, with huge investments in housing and drug restoration packages and a brand new plan to start out slicing enterprise taxes yearly.
After she gave her finances tackle, her administration launched particulars about particular spending traces in addition to knowledge on the actions of metropolis departments over the previous 12 months.
Past the large headline objects, we’ve pulled out some highlights from the town’s five-year plan and different finances paperwork. We additionally record under Metropolis Council’s schedule of finances hearings.
The finances have to be reviewed, accepted and signed by the top of June. If you wish to dig in your self, finances paperwork have been posted on-line by Metropolis Council and the town’s Finance Division.
● Final 12 months advocates criticized the administration for apparently slicing the Imaginative and prescient Zero finances, and councilmembers not too long ago complained that it’s unclear how a lot the town is definitely spending on site visitors security measures like putting in pace bumps and separated bike lanes.
In response, officers now say they’re proposing a mixed $5 million on two Imaginative and prescient Zero finances traces within the coming 12 months, and the identical quantity for every of the next 5 years. They’d additionally spend an extra $5 million only for concrete boundaries for the Spruce and Pine Road bike lanes and for a brand new line-striping crew within the Streets Division, to place down extra roadway security markings.
● Town borrowed $100 million final 12 months to renovate and open the brand new Riverview Wellness Village, a 323-bed drug restoration dwelling in Northeast Philadelphia. Now, Parker desires to spend an extra $65 million to increase the middle with new buildings and one other 300-plus beds.
With that spending, complete capital expenditures on the challenge will quantity to $175 million, the administration says. (It didn’t say the place the opposite $10 million got here from.)
Over the subsequent 5 years, the town additionally desires to spend $216 million to run packages associated to drug therapy and Kensington’s unsheltered inhabitants, largely to function Riverview and its medical, social service, job improvement and different packages.
● Parker proposes spending $750,000 on a Market East planning research, following the 76ers’ dropping of their plan to construct an enviornment and make different investments on the hall. She mentioned Brandywine Realty Belief president and CEO Jerry Sweeney will chair the planning job drive.
(Emma Lee/WHYY)
● Whereas the Trump Administration is working to defund and erase publicly funded Range, Fairness and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, the town continues to go all in on these packages.
Doing a fast DOGE-style phrase search of Parker’s five-year finances plan, we discovered many mentions of DEI and associated initiatives.
They embrace efforts on the Philadelphia Museum of Artwork, which is attempting to spice up its workforce variety and purchase extra works by Black artists; the Free Library, which is searching for to diversify its job candidates and neighborhood programming; the Division of Labor, whose DEI mission is spelled out within the doc; and the Legislation Division, which describes itself as “an business chief” in DEI.
The finances consists of continued funding for the mayor’s personal Workplace of Range, Fairness and Inclusion. Parker appointed a brand new chief DEI officer in October.
● Parker has taken some flak for in a roundabout way answering questions on Philadelphia’s sanctuary metropolis standing, which limits police and different businesses’ cooperation with federal immigration businesses. President Donald Trump has tried up to now to withhold federal funding from Philly and different sanctuary cities, and is threatening to strive once more.
Nonetheless, the five-year plan says the Managing Director’s Workplace, which oversees the Workplace of Immigrant Affairs, will “enhance funding in authorized providers to assist immigrants with key authorized points, together with help with non permanent protecting standing, asylum, and office rights.”
The workplace will spend $450,000 a 12 months, or $2.25 million over 5 years, to pay Neighborhood Authorized Companies and the PA Immigrant Household Unity Venture (PAIFUP) to supply authorized counsel for immigrants, in line with one other finances doc. Town helped set up PAIFUP in 2019 particularly to supply protection counsel for detained immigrants.
The finances paperwork don’t say precisely how a lot PAIFUP will obtain. Town has up to now supplied as a lot as $200,000, which certified this system for extra grant funding, though extra not too long ago the determine has been $100,000 a 12 months, in line with finances paperwork.
● Town will spend $74.7 million on the Free Library in fiscal 2026. That’s a small enhance from the present 12 months, and up $1.5 million, or 26%, since fiscal 2024.
The Free Library plans to roll out Saturday hours “throughout the library system” and add Sunday hours on the Central Library, three regional libraries and as much as 5 extra neighborhood libraries. It should additionally end up a strategic-planning initiative in July and can implement the plan beginning in spring 2026.
● A piece on the mayor’s communications workplace notes its efforts resulted in Parker’s social media follower counts rising 13% in 2024, to 87,000 on X (the previous Twitter), 49,000 on Fb, and 56,900 on Instagram. Its work contributed to over 31,600 print, digital, tv and radio tales that point out Parker, in line with the finances doc.
Its goal for complete followers for metropolis and mayoral accounts is 713,543 for the present fiscal 12 months and 749,220 for subsequent 12 months.
“The workplace will additional strengthen the native information protection of the mayor and her administration and start constructing extra of a following amongst nationwide information media of Mayor Parker,” the doc says.
● Following some confusion final 12 months over how a lot the town was truly spending on Parks and Recreation, the brand new finances paperwork present somewhat little bit of readability.
The division’s accepted finances for fiscal 2025 was $81.5 million, however precise spending by this June is anticipated to achieve practically $91 million. The proposed determine for the approaching 12 months is $83.5 million — though no matter council finally ends up approving, spending might once more surpass that over the course of the 12 months.
The administration mentioned final 12 months that true spending on parks, playground and recreation facilities was truly increased than it appeared, as a result of a few of these duties had been being shifted to different departments. As well as, Parks and Rec was having issue filling vacancies and was unable to spend its full finances, officers mentioned on the time.
● The Division of Streets is on track to spend $95.8 million within the present fiscal 12 months, about $19 million (25%) greater than it was budgeted for. It’s not instantly clear from the finances paperwork why that’s the case.
● Regardless of quite a few efforts to make working for the town extra engaging, departments are nonetheless struggling to rent employees. Parker would fund 27,086 positions within the coming 12 months, however the metropolis solely had 21,943 staff as of November.
Among the many businesses with the most important staffing gaps: the Fireplace Division is budgeted for 3,392 however solely has 2,778; Free Library, budgeted for 1,009, precise 869; L&I, 448 vs. 382; Parks & Rec, 926 vs. 684; and Prisons, 2,186 vs. 1,330. Though not detailed within the finances, it’s additionally been reported that the Police Division has solely 5,021 sworn officers, nicely under the 6,380 budgeted.
● The proposed finances would signify a rise of $148.7 million, or 2.3 p.c, above the $6.6 billion the town is on monitor to spend within the present fiscal 12 months ending in June.
Town typically finally ends up spending extra over the course of a 12 months than was accepted within the preliminary finances, because of sudden prices and midyear changes. Final 12 months, Metropolis Council accepted a $6.37 billion finances, however the metropolis will truly disburse the aforementioned $6.6 billion, in line with the five-year plan doc.
That’s to say, Parker’s new proposed finances is about 6% increased than the official finances adopted for the present fiscal 2025 12 months. It’s additionally about 10% increased than the quantity spent in fiscal 2024, which lined the final six months of the Kenney administration and the beginning of Parker’s time period.
● Town’s general revenues from varied sources are anticipated to fall 2.6% in comparison with this previous 12 months, largely as a result of federal pandemic support lastly resulted in 2024.
The income image is blended, nonetheless. Collections from the wage and internet income taxes, the town’s greatest supply of funds, are literally anticipated to extend as extra folks get jobs in Philadelphia and earn more cash.
Town will even start borrowing and spending a whole lot of tens of millions of {dollars} for Parker’s housing plan and different capital packages, which can contribute to the finances enlargement.
● Metropolis Council has scheduled 4 hearings for members of the general public to present testimony on the finances proposal. They are going to be held on March 26, April 30, Might 13 and Might 14. Directions on tips on how to be added to the audio system’ record are posted right here.
Council will even maintain hearings on lots of the particular person division budgets and can query division leaders. The primary up are the Mayor’s workplace on March 25; Finance, Income and associated places of work on March 26; Know-how, Human Companies, Procurement and others on April 1; and Sanitation, Clear and Inexperienced, Streets, Water and the airport on April 2.
For the total record, go to Metropolis Council’s FY2026 Funds Heart.