Public safety, triage and wellness centers received scrutiny at City Council hearing on proposed budget

Just a week after Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker submitted her nearly $6.3 billion spending plan for the next year, City Council held a public hearing on the proposed operating and capital budget on Tuesday.

The event was the first of several hearings scheduled to allow public input into the spending plan.

“Council takes the duties of vetting and approving a balanced budget seriously and Councilmembers are looking forward to robust discussions with the Administration about the budget in the weeks ahead,” City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said in a statement.

During the day, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel discussed how his department is working to respond after teens were involved in gun violence at bus stops in the city.

According to city data, already this year, 27 children have been shot in Philadelphia -- five of them fatally.

On March 6, eight teens were shot at a bus stop in Northeast Philly in an incident that may be connected to a shooting a few days earlier in which a 17-year-old was shot and killed.

"Rising Sun and Cottman would have never been a location we would have thought eight children would be shot in the manner they were," said Bethel. "Now, we’re trying to see how we can put more men and women in those corridors where our kids are moving through."

He said the city's police force is working with SEPTA to bolster safety at mass transit hubs across the city.

The Parker's administration's plans to invest $100 million in triage and wellness centers got a lot of questions at the Tuesday's hearing.

"We are looking to be able to have our first triage center available in a matter of weeks that is an extremely aggressive target and timeline," Adam Thiel, managing director of the City of Philadelphia, said.

Council President Kenyatta Johnson asked if Thiel knew where they would open this triage center and Thiel answered no.

Thiel did say officials are still doing their due diligence on potential sites and talking to providers. The triage and wellness center would fall under his office.

The concept is a key piece of the administration's efforts to address crime, drug used and homelessness in the city's Kensington neighborhood.

City officials will hold a number of hearings on the budget proposal through May 1.

For a complete schedule, visit phlcouncil.com/Budget2025.