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Philadelphia City Council advances FY2026 budget measures and dozens of tax, zoning and finance bills
Summary
Council committees reported favorable recommendations on multiple budget, tax, zoning and finance ordinances; council suspended rules to place the measures on the reading calendar. Minority councilmember McKendree Brooks recorded opposition to the budget, while other members signaled support.
The City Council of Philadelphia received committee reports and advanced a slate of budget, tax, zoning and finance measures during its session. Committee of the Whole reported out 11 bills and two resolutions with favorable recommendations; the Committee on Rules reported out eight bills; and the Committee on Finance reported out 13 bills. Council members voted to suspend the rules so the measures could be read and placed on the calendar for further consideration.
The Committee of the Whole reported several tax-related proposals, including ordinances affecting the Wage and Net Profits Tax (Bill 250195), the Business Income and Receipts Tax (Bill 250199), a School Tax authorization and corresponding real estate tax adjustment (Bill 250201), and proposed changes to exemptions under the realty use and occupancy tax (Bill 250202). The committee also reported the operating budget ordinance for fiscal year 2026 (Bill 250196), the capital budget (Bill 250197) and a six-year capital program (Bill 250198). The committee reported a resolution approving a revised five-year financial plan for submission to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (Resolution 250214) and confirmed an appointment to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (Resolution 250539).
The Committee on Rules reported zoning and planning measures, including map changes and new or amended overlay and district rules (Bills 250431, 250432, 250525, 250291, 250293, 250334, 250523, 250524). The Committee on Finance reported measures ranging from changes to authorized city depositories (Bill 241024) to authorizations for energy-savings agreements with the Philadelphia Energy Authority (Bill 250103), amendments to capital budgets for Philadelphia Gas Works (Bills 250528, 250529), bond and indebtedness authorizations (Bills 250567, 250530), and authorizations to file federal and Commonwealth grant applications for housing and community development programs (Bills 250566, 250568).
Minority member Councilmember McKendree Brooks said he voted against the budget and criticized the process and priorities. "I was voting no on this budget. This budget falls short of what the people of Philadelphia deserve," Brooks said, adding that the budget, in his view, does not allocate new funding for several programs he cited, including tenant protection and mental health crisis response.
Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips spoke briefly to register support. "I on all bills," he said during the session.
Votes at a glance
- Motion to suspend council rules to permit reading of bills (moved by Councilmember Thomas): motion carried; bills placed on reading calendar (no roll-call tally provided). (Provenance: Committee reports and rule-suspension recorded in the session.) - Committee of the Whole reported favorable recommendation: 11 bills and 2 resolutions, including Bill 250196 (FY2026 operating budget) and Bill 250197 (FY2026 capital budget); bills returned to council with favorable recommendations (no final votes on ordinances recorded in the transcript). (Provenance: Committee of the Whole report.) - Committee on Rules reported 8 bills with favorable recommendation; bills placed on reading calendar after rule suspension. (Provenance: Committee on Rules report.) - Committee on Finance reported 13 bills with favorable recommendation, including capital and bond authorizations and grant-application authorizations; bills placed on reading calendar after rule suspension. (Provenance: Committee on Finance report.)
Why this matters
The reported measures include the city's operating and capital budgets for fiscal year 2026 and several tax code changes that would affect wages, business receipts, real estate and transfer taxes. Placement on the reading calendar advances the items toward subsequent readings and votes. Public and council attention is likely to focus on budget priorities, tax changes and zoning amendments as the items proceed through the council's legislative process.
