Sounds like a moratorium to me.
From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
mor·a·to·ri·um
Is there a budget-based moratorium on the designation of "districts" in Philadelphia as "Historic?" Michael Sklaroff, Chairman of the Philadelphia Historical Commission announced there was, based on the limitations of the current Commission staff to administer the individual properties and districts already so designated. This statement, made at the public meeting of the Commission on Apr 11 2003, was duly reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer of Apr 27 2003. Mr Sklaroff indicated that it might be possible to "borrow" people from a department such as Licenses & Inspections, although -- given constraints facing that and other branches of city government -- it's hardly likely that the responsible administrators would agree to such a plan.
When asked in Nov 2003 whether the moratorium was still in effect, however, contrary to his announcement at that meeting, Mr Sklaroff denied it ever had been. He asserted, instead, that staff would be available as needed.
What follows is:
Judge the situation for yourself.
From a letter dated November 7 2003
by Alan Krigman to Michael Sklaroff, chairman of the Philadelphia Historical Commission
When the Historical Commission staff was about to begin considering the Old City nomination, you announced that this would be the last such proposal the Commission would entertain until further notice. Your reason, if I recall correctly, was that the staff already had its hands full with the administration of designated properties and districts. Is this moratorium on processing of additional nominations still in effect?
From a letter dated December 1 2003
by Michael Sklaroff, chairman of the Philadelphia Historical Commission
to Alan Krigman
I repeat that we have been assured by the Managing Director of the City of Philadelphia that we will have a staff sufficient for whatever districts are approved. There is not now nor has there ever been a "moratorium" on processing additional nominations. Please, Mr Krigman, no more urban legends.
From The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 27, 2003
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Historical panel to limit new districts
The commission says it has the staff and funds to handle only one more. That means Spruce Hill will have to wait. By Linda K. Harris, Inquirer Staff Writer
With already more than 10,000 properties to oversee and its staff stretched to its limits, the
Philadelphia Historical Commission, without more resources, may be unable to take on new
historic districts, commission leaders say.
"We can handle one more," said Richard Tyler, the city's historic officer, referring to the city's
historic districts.
One more would mean Old City, currently before the commission. But it would also mean that
the controversial proposal of Spruce Hill, in West Philadelphia, would be temporarily derailed.
"The ultimate goal is to have a staff commensurate with the responsibilities," Commission
Chairman Michael Sklaroff said. "We're only talking about one more. If we go beyond that, we'll
have to make arrangements. We may need to borrow staff from elsewhere in city government."
The commission's budget of roughly $250,000 and staff of five has remained constant since
1996. Five of the city's eight historic districts have been created since then, adding about 3,500
properties, said Laura M. Spina, a commission staffer.
By comparison, the Boston Landmarks Commission has a budget of more than $300,000, said
Ellen Lipsey, the executive director. It has a staff of five, plus a city archaeologist, and 70
volunteer commissioners to oversee 7,000 properties. The Philadelphia commission has no such
extra volunteers.
Historic-district designations generally raise the property values of homes, but they add
restrictions to how properties can be altered and require permission for demolition. Proponents
say they are important because they help protect the historic heritage and significance of the
neighborhoods. Critics say they push out poor people and add another unwanted layer of
restricted zoning.
In or near Center City, three historic districts have been established - in the Society Hill,
Rittenhouse-Fitler Square and Spring Garden neighborhoods.
The designation of Old City would mean that much of the Center City area would be within the
bounds of one or another historic district.
Tyler said the commission was beginning to examine how it could handle additional districts
after Old City, but discussions are in the nascent stage.
Thomas J. Sugrue, a history professor at the University of Pennsylvania and an appointed
member of Philadelphia's commission, said the commission's resources, provided by the city, are
sorely stretched.
"The Historical Commission staff does an enormous amount of work on a paltry budget," he said.
Joel Avery, a spokesman for Mayor Street, said the mayor supported the concept of additional
historic areas for the city.
"We will work with the Historical Commission to meet that objective. Given the budget crunch
currently upon us, we will listen to the concerns of the commission and work within our means to
achieve our goals," Avery said.
Sklaroff, the only appointee held over from the Rendell administration, said he wanted to find a
way to continue the designation of historic districts.
"We're going to take this step by step. We may need to borrow staff from elsewhere in city
government," he said.
Some historic-district advocates are wondering why the issue is suddenly urgent now - just when
Spruce Hill, a controversial proposal in the works for 15 years - is about to get its turn before the
commission.
"Everyone I spoke to raised eyebrows," said Richard Thom, an architect who was at the April 11
commission meeting during which the issue was raised. "Where is this coming from? Who
authorized this Scud missile?"
Opposition to the Spruce Hill nomination is widespread in some quarters of the West
Philadelphia neighborhood.
With only 18 percent homeownership (vs. 60 percent citywide) in University City, where Spruce
Hill is located, fewer who would benefit financially from the designation. The opposition,
unprecedented in other districts, includes landlords, anti-gentrification groups and others. They
say it will drive rents up and destroy the diversity of the West Philadelphia neighborhood by
raising property values.
After hearing from Spruce Hill opponents last year, Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell, whose
West Philadelphia district includes Spruce Hill, introduced a bill that would give Council the
power to decide which areas receive a historic-district designation. The bill is still in committee.
Sklaroff said that the commission's stance on historic districts is not related to Blackwell's bill.
"The councilwoman's bill is not an issue, and Spruce Hill is not part of the thinking," Sklaroff
said.
But the Spruce Hill advocates don't want further delay.
"We are tired of waiting," said Greg Montanaro, president of the University City Historical
Society. "We're not only tired, we're exhausted. We are looking for the process to move forward
as quickly as possible."
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From the Mayor's Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2004, submitted to City Council in Jan 2003
The following table, extracted from the Budget, shows that no increases in staffing are contemplated for the Philadelphia Historical Commission through the year 2008, and that funding for the operation is projected to rise marginally then decrease in the period covered. Since, in April, Mr Sklaroff mentioned "borrowing" people from the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I), analogous figures are provided for this agency. These projections indicate that L&I staffing and budget are scheduled to decrease steadily (except for a one year budget increase in 2005), casting serious doubt on the question of whether personnel could be "borrowed" from an agency already inundated with work such as checking on compliance with safety codes, to verify that new spindles on porch railings had precisely the right profiles, new windows the historically correct muntins, and cement none of the advances in strength or durability achieved in the past 50 or 100 years of research.
| From the Fiscal Year 2004 Budget | ||||
| year | Historical Commission | Licenses & Inspections | ||
| (excluding NTI demolitions) | ||||
| staff | budget | staff | budget | |
| 2002 | $ 242,803 | $ 21,286,740 | ||
| 2003 | 5 | $ 259,815 | 433 | $ 20,808,023 |
| 2004 | 5 | $ 262,211 | 391 | $ 20,808,023 |
| 2005 | 5 | $ 265,619 | 378 | $ 24,194,862 |
| 2006 | 5 | $ 258,978 | 362 | $ 18,903,037 |
| 2007 | 5 | $ 252,504 | 355 | $ 18,130,006 |
| 2008 | 5 | $ 252,504 | 349 | $ 17,622,537 |
The overall picture for staffing of vital city services offers an even more compelling reason to doubt the wisdom of adding to the Historical Commission payroll. Here are the decreases projected in staffing from 2003 to 2005, for branches of the city government most reasonable people would consider vital to the safety and health of residents.
| Department | Staffing decreases from 2003 to 2005 |
| Emergency shelter services | down from 72 to 68 |
| Human services | down from 1,943 to 1,896 |
| Police | down from 7,909 to 7,843 |
| Public health | down from 886 to 833 |
| Streets/Sanitation | down from 742 to 640 |
| Overall | down from 25,472 to 24,351 |
Note that these cutbacks were based on estimates of the city's financial strength made during 2002, when a budget surplus of $500,000 was projected. The picture looked considerably bleaker at the end of 2003, when a deficit of $150 million appeared to be more realistic. (Click here to see what was being said at the end of December 2003 about considerably more severe belt tightning.)
In looking at these figures, and considering the voices of austerity now being heard at City Hall, ask yourself whether it's conscionable, let alone reasonable, for Philadelphia to put more staff -- implying more money -- into something as frivolous as the Historical Commission has turned out to be, while decreasing the personnel and appropriations for critical functions like those shown above.