IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Recession style budgeting

The housing market is cooling nationwide, inflationary fears are creeping into the public mind, casino revenue is years off and the school district is still in the red.

With all of this, it's no wonder the Nutter Administration needs to make some late game tweeks to its proposed 2009 budget.  WHYY's Susan Phillips talked to one city councilwoman who has some suggestions of her own.

In other news:

It's Our Money reporter Ben Waxman took a deeper look at the numbers and believes that Philadelphia deserves greater representation on the SEPTA board. Do you agree? Disagree? Join in the discussion....on the blog!

From the Blog

Read more of the It's Our Money blog »

What happens to Our Money?

Check out this section for useful information about how our money goes into the Philadelphia budget and what we get out of it.

L&I: Too much with too little?

Did you know that a single agency is responsible for checking to make sure that every building and home in the city is safe? Did you know the same department is also responsible for enforcing zoning and building rules? Meet the Department of Licences and Inspections.

City Health Centers need a booster shot

For a large number of lower-income and uninsured Philadelphians, public health centers are the best and most reliable way to get the preventive and non-emergency care that they need. But the centers are understaffed and wait times for appointments are long.

How do they "bring home the bacon?"

Elected officials like Vince Fumo often tout their success at bringing state money back to Philadelphia.  What does this mean and how do they do it?  We take a closer look at funding that Fumo provided for the city and we get a lesson in budgeting and appropriations from State Representative Dwight Evans.

The 4-1-1 on the BPT

Whether you're a business owner, employee or someone who depends on the services made possible by this source of revenue, you can get your questions answered about the Business Privilege Tax.