Council sets up the required public hearing on the city's police contract proposal
Resolution 260932 hands the hearing to the Committee of the Whole, all 17 members. The mayor had asked for it within 30 days of her Oct. 20 letter.
City Council has acted on Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's request for a public hearing before the city starts bargaining with the police union. On Thursday, Council adopted Resolution 260932, which authorizes the Committee of the Whole, meaning all 17 members sitting together, to hold the hearings required by Chapter 17-2300 of the city code. Our record of the Oct. 29 session shows it as adopted.
The police contract shapes pay and overtime, but also discipline and how misconduct is investigated. This hearing is the one point in the process where residents can speak publicly before the city and the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5, begin talks.
How we got here
- Oct. 20: Parker wrote Council that her administration plans to submit a contract proposal to the FOP under Act 111, the state law for police and firefighter bargaining. She asked Council to "promptly schedule a public hearing." If Council could not hold one in the next 30 days, she asked Council President Kenyatta Johnson to certify that Council was unavailable, which the letter said would satisfy the law (letter, PDF).
- Oct. 22: The letter was read and filed. Our story.
- Oct. 29: Council adopted the hearing resolution.
The law, passed in 2020, requires the hearing before the city submits its first proposal, CBS Philadelphia reported at the time (ordinance text). The FOP sued over it in 2020, WHYY reported. Council has held hearings under it since, including one on Nov. 21, 2024, according to a Citizens Police Oversight Commission report.
What our records add
- Sponsors. Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson, who wrote the 2020 law, is the primary sponsor. Co-sponsors are Jim Harrity, Kendra Brooks, Nicolas O'Rourke and Quetcy Lozada.
- Nine days. From the mayor's letter to Council's resolution took nine days. Thirty days from the letter is Nov. 19.
- The calendar is tight. Our records list the next stated meeting on Nov. 12, with the Academy of Natural Sciences hearing on Nov. 16 and a Rules Committee zoning hearing on Nov. 17. No date for the FOP hearing was posted on our calendar when this was published.
- The last contract. The current deal came from an arbitration award announced in August 2025, with 3% raises in fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027 and a one-time $3,000 payment (city announcement).
What's next
Watch our meetings page for the hearing notice. The law requires the hearing to be public. The resolution itself does not set terms for the contract; those come from the administration's proposal, which the hearing is meant to air.