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City Council Takes Control of Job Application Fees Setting Stage for Special Election Next Month

Official:Providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of an amendment to Section 7-400 of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter set forth in a Council Resolution relating to the preparation of Civil Service Regulations, requiring that any fees to be imposed for the purposes of processing applications for positions within the City be first approved by City Council; fixing the date of a special election for such purpose; prescribing the form of ballot question to be voted on; and authorizing the appropriate officers to publish notice and to make arrangements for the special election.

Sponsor: Councilmember Blackwell

Introduced: October 28, 2004

: Committee on Law and Government

civil service finance policy change

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2004–2007 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill proposes an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter that would require City Council approval for fees imposed on job applicants. The proposed amendment and ballot question will be published in local newspapers and distributed through pamphlets.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

Any fees imposed by the City for processing job applications must be approved by City Council.
A special election will be held on a date to be determined in 2005 to submit the proposed amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia.
A ballot question will be included in the special election, asking voters to answer "Yes" or "No" to the proposed amendment.
The City's Chief Clerk's Office and other appropriate officers will be responsible for publishing notice of the special election and making arrangements for its conduct.