Speed of Spend: Philadelphia's Recent Record for Spending Borrowed Funds for Special Initiatives

Philadelphia’s H.O.M.E. Initiative plans to invest $800 million over four years in housing, with $161 million expected to be spent in the first year. This pace is significantly faster than previous initiatives such as Rebuild and the Neighborhood Preservation Initiative. The report outlines how factors like program design, administrative capacity, and stakeholder engagement can shape the timeline for spending bond proceeds, helping readers understand the complexities of managing large-scale public investments.

Graphic created with ChatGPT's DALL-E and edited by Rob Call

Tracking Progress & Building Trust: How Big Cities Share Capital Project Updates

Capital projects are major, long-term investments, and large cities are increasingly turning to dashboards and interactive tools to keep residents informed about their progress. This publication compares Philadelphia’s new efforts to share capital spending data with more advanced transparency platforms in New York City, Charlotte, and Boston, highlighting best practices for project tracking and communication. By embracing searchable maps, project-level updates, and downloadable data, cities can build public trust, improve coordination, and demonstrate responsible stewardship of infrastructure investments.

Graphic created with ChatGPT's DALL-E and edited by Marisa Waxman

PICA's Annual Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 28th at 11:00AM, when the PICA Board will vote on the City of Philadelphia's FY26-30 Five-Year Financial Plan. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person at our 1500 Walnut Street office or online via Zoom. The agenda will be posted on our website and the registration page one week prior to the meeting.

What We're Reading

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: As Pittsburgh nears a budget crisis, tax-exempt statuses have gone unchecked for years
• Under current law, tax-exempt properties in Pittsburgh are supposed to be reassessed every ten years. About 25% have not been reviewed in over a decade, despite the city approaching a budget shortfall.
• Zehra Farooq: What Empowered Women and Strong Tax Systems Have in Common
• Zehra Farooq, former Eisenhower Fellow, writes about how true empowerment demands that systems evolve too, challenging us all to confront our discomfort with real, transformative change.

$698 Million

www.picapa.org