Summary
PICA’s Staff Report on the City of Philadelphia’s Quarterly City Managers Report (“QCMR”) for the first quarter (July 1 – September 30, 2017) shows the City’s General Fund revenue collections were $741.9 million, $45.5 million more than the first quarter of FY2017. General Fund obligations totaled $1.25 billion, an increase of $22.o million over the first quarter of last year. The QCMR projects revenues to increase for the full fiscal year, while obligations are projected to decrease due to lower than expected City employee benefits costs—more specifically, a $2.7 million reduction in employee disability costs. Additionally, the City’s year-end fund balance for FY2017 totaled $189.2 million, over $100 million more than projected, thus, the City’s projection for FY2018’s year-end fund balance has increased by a similar amount. PICA’s Staff Report also identifies key management issues and tracks departmental performance for several City departments: • Overtime. Overtime costs represented 12.5 percent of wages and salaries in the first quarter of FY2018, slightly lower than the first quarter figure of 14.5 percent in FY2017. This reflects a downward trend in overtime spending that began in FY2017. • Police: Homicide totals decreased in the first quarter of FY2018 compared to last fiscal year; additionally, the homicide clearance rate (homicide cases in which an arrest is made) improved to 42.7 percent, from 35.3 percent over the same period. • Prisons: Through the first quarter of FY2018, 77.9 percent of sentenced inmates were participating in educational or treatment programs, while the rate of reincarceration was 37.2 percent, on par with a five-year low of 37.1 percent recorded in FY2o17. • Human Services: The dependent placement population has dipped to 6,000, after a period of steady increases. However, the percentage of the dependent population in care more than two years was 37.6 percent in the first quarter—a five-year high rate, and DHS is working to rectify delays in the adoptions process.