January 23, 2008
The Economy League and The Pew Charitable Trusts commissioned this study to understand why pension and healthcare costs are expected to overwhelm Philadelphia’s budget in the near future, growing at rate higher than inflation to equal a quarter of spending by 2012. With its mission of promoting sound public policy and increasing the region's prosperity, the Economy League understands that addressing these issues is essential for simultaneously providing world class municipal services and advancing a more competitive tax structure.
Based on independent and objective analysis of data from Philadelphia and 10 other cities to place Philadelphia’s experience in context, plus interviews with national and local experts in these areas, this report provides the facts about the taxpayer dollars allocated to pension and healthcare costs and it identifies strategies for Philadelphia to:
- Improve data collection and analysis to guide future decision making;
- Promote accountability and transparency; and
- Reduce costs and redeploy resources to better serve the community.
Philadelphia has the potential to be a leader in the region and throughout the nation by proactively and creatively tackling employee benefit cost trends that are overwhelming large and small communities around the country. With the inauguration of a new mayor and upcoming contract negotiations between Philadelphia’s management and workforce, the choices made in the coming year will affect generations of Philadelphians and the economic vitality of the entire region. Philadelphia's Quiet Crisis offers tactics to allow all participants in the negotiation process to work cooperatively to achieve the best outcome for Philadelphia.
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