Philadelphia has avoided many recession-related blues thanks in part to Mayor Michael Nutter's leadership, reports NPR.
In 2009, Mayor Michael Nutter and the City Council doubled the local sales tax from 1 to 2 percent. In 2010, they increased property taxes 10 percent. And most recently, the city's Democratic leadership raised property taxes again --3.85 percent to help pay for schools.The tax hikes are temporary, but they allow Nutter to brag that the recession did not result in big cutbacks to city services."All 70 of our swimming pools are open. Every rec center is open. Every library is open. Every park is open, and all of our services are being provided," Nutter recently told a cheering crowd at the Philadelphia Senior Center.Original source: NPR
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