Official:Amending Section 19-1801 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Authorization of Tax," to further authorize the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia to impose a tax on real estate within the City of Philadelphia; to specify tax rates for tax year 2020 and thereafter; by providing that each such tax year, the tax imposed by the Board of Education shall be at a rate set by Council by ordinance, which shall consist of a “revenue neutral” tax rate intended to produce approximately the same level of tax revenues as were generated during the prior tax year, and any specified adjustment to the revenue neutral rate as deemed necessary that tax year; and by making technical amendments; all under certain terms and conditions.
Sponsor: Councilmember O'Neill
Introduced: April 25, 2019
: Committee of the Whole
Status: Lapsed
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.
This bill allows the Philadelphia School District to impose a tax on real estate within the city at a rate set by City Council, which will be revenue-neutral and intended to produce the same level of tax revenues as the prior year.
AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.
The bill does the following
Add your view and see how other readers lean. One vote per person.
to cast your vote
School Tax Increase and City Property Tax Reduction
250201 · Signed Into Law · 2025
Philadelphia Council Eyes New Student Debt Tax Relief Program for City Residents
210007 · Lapsed · 2021
Philadelphia City Council Moves to Revise School Tax Rates for Property Owners Across the City
200289 · Lapsed · 2020
Philadelphia Students Get Boost with New Tax Break for Postgrad Expenses Paid Off Quickly
190616 · Lapsed · 2019
Council Votes to Give City Schools Power to Levy Real Estate Taxes Starting This Year
180165 · Lapsed · 2018
City seeks to stabilize real estate taxes with revenue-neutral rates starting 2020.
190318 · Lapsed · 2019
City Council Moves to Boost Homestead Tax Exemption for Philly Homeowners Amid Rising Property Values Slowdown
190317 · Signed Into Law · 2019
City Council Votes To Rewrite Zoning Maps For 9 Square Miles Near Northeast Philadelphia's Commercial Corridors
190360 · Signed Into Law · 2019
Every City Council bill since 2000, summarized in plain English.