citizen engagement

66% Opted to Raise Sales and Property Taxes; Majority Reject BPT and Wage Tax Hike 

Mayor Nutter is a frequent visitor to Harrisburg these days in pursuit of support for the city’s plan to increase Philadelphia’s Sales Tax and adjust the city pension fund to balance the FY2010 budget. Are citizens on board with these ideas, or not? Find out in the first Philadelphia Budget Challenge report, a survey of the budget choices made during the first 30 days of the web-based, interactive budget balancing program.

It's budget season for the Commonwealth, too, and to help people better understand the tough choices the Governor and the Legislature face, the Penn Project for Civic Engagement, WHYY, and the Economy League held a televised town hall meeting on April 30, which aired on WHYY 12.

In February, Governor Rendell announced that future revenues are predicted to be down significantly, and in his budget he proposed cutbacks throughout state government. Economy League executive director Steve Wray briefed the participants and provided a Budget Primer to help guide the discussion.