►
Description
The Committee on Commerce & Economic Development of the Council of the City of Philadelphia held a Public Hearing on Friday, November 17, 2017, at 10:00 AM, in Room 400, City Hall, to hear testimony on the following item:
170849 An Ordinance amending Section 17-1603 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Economic Opportunity Plans: Contents," to require the provision of information relating to prior history of meeting goals established in connection with City contracts and the prior history of related corporate entities, all under certain terms and conditions.
Committee on Commerce and Economic Development
Chair: Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. (4th District)
Vice Chair: Councilwoman Cherelle Parker (9th District)
B
Number
one:
seven:
zero,
eight
four:
nine
in
ordinance
amending
section,
17
1603
of
the
Philadelphia
Code
entitled
Economic
Opportunity
plans
contents
to
require
the
provision
of
information
relating
to
prior
history
of
meeting
goals
established
in
connection
with
city
contracts
in
the
prior
history
of
related
corporate
entities,
all
under
certain
terms
and
conditions.
Thank.
A
C
You
thank
you.
Thank
you
absolutely,
mr.
chairman,
that
context
and
history
is
always
important.
So
let
me
say
good
morning
to
my
colleagues
too,
chairman
Jones
and
the
members
of
the
City
Council
committee
on
commerce
and
economic
development
and
to
all
of
those
who
stepped
away
from
your
desk
to
join
us
as
we
drill
down
another
layer
on
this
issue
of
diversity
and
inclusion.
C
Let
me
say
thank
you
also
to
the
administration
that
we
worked
very
very
closely
with,
in
particular
for
the
partnership
my
office
enjoyed
with
the
mayor's
policy
team,
the
office
of
equal
opportunity,
Economic
Opportunity
and
the
falafels
law
department.
Collectively,
we've
come
up
with
this
measure
today.
C
Please
note
that
a
copy
of
the
amendments
to
bill
number
one,
seven,
zero
849,
was
circulated
to
all
members
of
this
committee.
Let
me
begin
by
first
saying
that
again
we
live
in
a
city
where
many
of
us
have
echo
talked
about
debated,
discuss
at
nauseam
the
importance
of
ensuring
that
we
have
a
government
that
looks
like
Philadelphia.
This
includes
reducing
barriers
and
contracting
so
that
every
person
ever
business
that
has
the
skill
set,
has
an
equal
chance
to
grow
their
business
in
Philadelphia.
The
significance
of
Bill
number
one,
seven
zero.
C
Eight
four
nine
as
amended,
is
a
step
forward
in
the
continuous
battle
to
provide
a
clearer
pathway
for
more
meaningful
and
substantive
opportunities
for
minorities,
women
and
disabled
businesses
to
participate
in
all
phases
of
covered
projects
or
contracts.
As
a
minute,
this
bill
requires
a
following:
the
following
that
a
project
owner
when
developing
an
EOP
that
ultimately
has
to
come
before.
City
Council
must
disclose
prior
corporate
entities
in
which
it
had
control.
C
As
a
majority
interesting,
they
have
participated
in
projects
subject
to
an
EOP,
because
we've
discovered
in
budget
testimony
and
in
other
hearings
that
too
often
organizations
businesses
come
before
us
with
a
new
ll
P
or
a
new
LLC,
and
we
don't-
and
thus
they
don't
have
recent
history
about
how
much
they're
committed
to
MBE
WBE
opportunity.
This
bill
will
further
increase
transparency
on
the
side
of
developers
and
provide
both
counsel
and
the
office
of
equal
opportunity
with
a
better
ability
to
oversee
GOP
projects.
C
This
measure
will
also
establish
a
new
level
of
accountability,
thereby
if
a
developer
does
not
meet
certain
MBE
WBE
D
SPE
goals
in
a
project,
they
will
have
to
answer
for
that
performance
on
subsequent
projects
by
being
subject
to
increased
oversight.
Furthermore,
this
bill
addresses
the
fact
that
many
developers
create
new
LLC's
for
specific
projects.
They
have
no
history
of
meeting
MBE
WBE
goals,
so
in
closing,
goals
remain
vital
to
the
process,
but
they
only
represent
the
beginning.
Simply
focusing
on
hiring
is
not
enough.
C
When
you
take
a
closer
look
at
the
diverse
at
the
definition
of
diversity
and
inclusion,
you
cannot
have
one
without
the
other.
It's
the
fact
that
when
you
have
and
has
been
researched
and
documented
that
when
you
have
a
diverse
and
inclusive
mix
of
voices
at
the
table,
research
says
that
you
actually
end
up
with
better
decisions,
better
solutions
and
always
better
outcomes
and
I
just
left
a
PCC.
Why?
C
Where
they
have
policy
wants
from
around
the
country
looking
at
lead
and
their
Donna
Cooper
made
the
statement
that,
more
importantly,
when
you
have
diversity
and
inclusion,
it
really
does
create
a
brighter
and
more
sustainable
future
for
our
children,
and
so
with
that
mr.
Chairman
I.
Thank
you
for
these
opening
remarks
and
I
thank
the
team
for
the
team
effort.
Thank
you
know.
A
Thank
You
Councilwoman,
for,
as
you
say,
focusing
like
a
laser
beam
on
this
issue.
I
also
know
a
great
Councilwoman
that
always
said.
If
you're
not
at
the
table,
then
you
are
on
the
menu
quotes.
I'd
like
to
say
my
own
insight
to
what
you're
attempting
to
accomplish
past
performance
is
the
best
predictor
of
future
behavior.
So
if
people
start
new
companies
doesn't
necessarily
mean
that
taking
a
new
sense
of
inclusion
in
that
new
company,
and
we
want
to
know
what
your
track
record
is
so
miss
Williams.
A
D
Good
morning,
chairman
Jones
and
members
of
the
committee
on
commerce
and
economic
development,
I
also
ask
nicholas
jan,
who
is
our
director
of
data
and
policy
to
join
me
in
case
there
are
questions
related
to
data
collection.
I
am
here
this
morning
to
testify
on
bill
number
one:
seven,
zero,
eight,
four,
nine
sponsored
by
councilwoman
Blondell,
reynolds
brown
as
proposed
to
be
amended.
D
This
bill
requires
that
a
project
owner
when
developing
an
Economic
Opportunity
plan
that
will
go
before
city
council
must
disclose
prior
corporate
entities
in
which
they
had
at
which
they
had
a
majority
stake
that
have
had
projects
that
were
governed
by
ups.
This
will
require
increased
transparency
on
the
side
of
the
developers
and
provide
both
Council
and
Ohio,
with
a
better
vantage
point
to
oversee
EOP
projects
as
they
proceed.
Additionally,
it
will
create
a
new
layer
of
accountability.
D
Subsection
1
of
chapter
17,
1603
of
the
Philadelphia
code,
requires
that
project
owners
seeking
council
approval
share
information
about
their
firms
related
to
their
histories
with
diversity.
However,
many
firms
that
come
before
council
in
Ohio
for
an
EOP
are
new
entities
created
specifically
for
whatever
development
they
are
hoping
to
begin
work
on
because
of
this
fact,
these
developers
are
not
always
inclined
to
disclose
diversity,
information
of
any
other
entity
which,
with
they
were
involved.
D
This
bill
addresses
that
concern
by
requiring
firms
to
report
on
all
ELP
projects
that
anyone
with
a
controlling
interest
in
the
current
firm
has
worked
on.
This
will
be
illuminating
for
council
and
the
administration
and
can
help
Oh
EO
determine
exactly
how
to
approach
its
oversight
activities
over
the
course
of
the
project.
Oh
EO
currently
maintains
a
database
of
information
on
current
and
past
projects
with
ups.
This
data
is
accurate
for
approximately
the
last
five
years.
D
If
yo
is
given
enough
time
before
submission
of
the
EOP,
we
can
work
with
the
developer
and
provide
project
owner
and
project
owners
to
identify
and
confirm
this
information.
With
the
amendments
developed
jointly
by
Councilwoman
Browns
office,
Oh
EO
and
the
chief
administrative
officer
developers
will
be
required
to
identify
and
report
our
previous
firms,
which
were
with
which
they
were
involved
in
all
ELP
projects.
Those
firms
worked.
100
will
then
check
its
records
for
performance
data
related
for
performance
for
performance
data.
D
Excuse
me
on
those
firms
and
projects
and
add
it
to
the
EOP
prior
to
its
submission
to
counsel
by
the
developer.
We
will
coordinate
with
the
office
of
developer
services
to
determine
how
to
implement
this
new
process
efficiently
and
effectively.
We
have
also
communicated
with
developers
and
construction
managers
on
how
this
bill
will
affect
their
work,
and
we
believe
that,
if
yoh
supports
their
data
collection,
the
new
reporting
work
requirement
will
not
impose
an
excessive
burden.
For
this
reason,
it
is
important
that
this
bill
be
scoped
to
EOP
performance.
D
Only
over
time,
we
will
increase
the
EOP
record
retention
requirements
to
5
years
in
order
to
give
developers
the
opportunity
to
comply
with
accurate
information
and
ensure
that
we
have
solid
and
verifiable
data
upon
which
we
can
rely
for
past
performance.
We
believe
that
this
bill
helps
to
increase
transparency
and
accountability
and
will
ultimately
make
you
more
effective
in
terms
of
data
collection
and
oversight.
We
are
happy
to
work
with
Council
to
get
this
done
on
behalf
of
the
administration.
D
I
would
like
to
thank
the
sponsor
Councilwoman
Brown
and
her
staff
for
inviting
us
to
work
closely
with
them
in
developing
the
amendments
that
are
before
you.
We
believe
that
they
enhance
the
bill
as
a
tool
for
oversight
and
accountability.
Thank
you
and
I'm
happy
to
answer
any
questions
that
you
may
have.
C
A
You
counts
warmer
brown
and
I
would
say:
I
listened
to
your
testimony
intensely
and
it
answered
99
percent
of
the
questions.
I
would
have
so
I
have
one
you
mentioned.
You
wanted
to
limit
it
to
the
scope
of
the
OEO.
Could
you
elaborate
a
little
bit,
but
we
have
data?
Why
you
want
to
limit
it
to
that?
Just.
D
A
A
C
A
Has
been
moved
and
properly
seconded
that
the
amendment
to
bill
number
one:
zero,
seven,
zero,
eight
four
nine
be
approved
all
those
in
favor
signify
by
saying
aye,
all
those
opposed
the
eyes
have
it
in
motion
carries
and
the
amendment
to
bill
number
one:
seven,
zero.
Eight
four
nine
has
been
approved.
Chair
again
recognizes
council
woman,
Reynolds
Brown
for
motion
on
the
amended
bill
number
one:
seven,
zero,
eight,
forty,
nine
Thank.
C
A
All
those
opposed
got
it
the
eyes.
Have
it
and
the
motion
carries
bill
number
one:
seven:
zero,
eight,
four:
nine
Esmond!
It
will
be
reported
from
this
committee
with
a
favorable
recommendation
and
with
a
request
that
the
rules
accounts
will
be
suspended
to
permit
first
reading
at
our
next
session
of
council.
This
concludes
the
business
of
this
committee,
the
committee
on
commerce
and
economic
development,
and
would
the
author
of
this
successfully
passed
I.
C
A
Thank
you
for
again
staying
focused
on
this
issue.
It
is.
It
is
important
for
the
public
to
know
that
we
are
interested
in
inclusion
and
diversity
within
a
contracting
process.
What
miss
Harper
does
is
an
essential
part
of
that,
and
so
thank
you
for
staying
focused
on
this.
This
concludes
the
business
of
the
Committee
on
Commerce
and
economic
development
for
today.
Thank
you
very
much.