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Council proposed Philadelphia Land Bank expansion to acquire tax-delinquent properties.

Official:Providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of the proposal set forth in a Resolution approved by Council proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter relating to the Philadelphia Land Bank's ability to acquire vacant, tax delinquent property and to return such property to productive use while revitalizing neighborhoods fairly and equitably, and to Council's authority to enact legislation with respect to how the City exercises its powers and duties with respect to the Land Bank, and making conforming changes to the powers of the Law Department to collect all debts, taxes and accounts due the City; and authorizing the appropriate officers to publish notice and to make arrangements for the special election; all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Council President Clarke

Introduced: January 25, 2018

: Committee on Law and Government

housing land bank planning

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2016–2019 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 allow the Land Bank to acquire vacant and tax-delinquent properties more easily, with the goal of revitalizing neighborhoods. The proposal must be approved by voters at the November 2018 election.

What This Bill Does

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

The Land Bank will be allowed to acquire vacant and tax-delinquent properties more easily.
The amendment will allow the City to return such properties to productive use.
The powers of the Law Department to collect debts, taxes, and accounts due to the City will be adjusted to conform to the new Land Bank authority.
A special election will be held on November 6, 2018, to allow qualified electors to approve or disapprove the proposed amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter.