Harrisburg – Late on July 3, 2008, Senator Vincent Fumo and House Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans held a press conference announcing a meeting with Governor Ed Rendell aimed at relocating the proposed casinos in Philadelphia. The Senate and House leaders vowed that if the casinos are not moved, they will introduce legislation that will make the gaming institutions ineligible to receive Philadelphia's ten-year tax abatement, valued in the tens of millions of dollars.

In February 2008, Councilman Bill Green introduced similar legislation in Philadelphia City Council that would have also prohibited the casinos from receiving tax abatements. In April the Councilman sent letters to Senator Fumo and Representatives O'Brien and Keller requesting they introduce legislation to remove the abatement at the state level.

"I want to congratulate Representatives O'Brien and Keller and Senator Fumo for their years of hard work on this issue. I hope the announcement from the House and Senate Philadelphia delegations will be the beginning of the end game on the casino location controversy in Philadelphia. The selection of the locations in Philadelphia was an unfair process. We want these casinos built so that Philadelphia can join the other counties in the Commonwealth in contributing to state-wide tax relief," said Councilman Green. "If they are relocated, I hope that Mayor Nutter, City Council, and the Philadelphia Planning Commission will be heavily involved."

"Councilman Green's legislation that would deny the casinos Philadelphia tax abatement provided the inspiration for the legislation introduced in the Senate. In the end, it gave us the leverage we needed to reach this historic agreement. I want to thank Councilman Green for his contribution to what I hope will be a resolution of years of collective efforts of the citizens in the affected neighborhoods. I enjoyed working with him on this issue and look forward to years of working together for Philadelphia," said State Representative Michael O'Brien.

The agreement was reached after Senator Fumo amended Senate Bill 1412, which would extend the Keystone Opportunity Zones program, to include language that would prohibit casinos in Philadelphia from participating in the city's tax-abatement program. The value of the tax abatement is estimated between $60 and $100 million over the ten-year period. While the amendment passed in the State Senate, 49-1, it was narrowly defeated in the State House, causing yet another showdown in the General Assembly. After meeting to discuss the issue, the Philadelphia delegation announced that it was time to address the main roadblock in casino construction -- the location of the casinos so close to residential neighborhoods. With a united front, the delegation vowed to seek a re-siting of the casinos in order to put an end to the controversy.

"Make no mistake -- the City wants the casinos built. Philadelphia desperately needs the jobs and the extra tax revenue that these facilities will generate. However, our citizens should not have to surrender their neighborhoods or quality of life in order to achieve those goals. I hope that the process of choosing the new, more appropriate sites will be done expeditiously, but carefully, so that we can finally put this divisive issue to rest," concluded Councilman Green.

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Seth Levi
Office of Councilman Bill Green
City Hall
Room 599
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-686-3420