Councilmember Helen Gym Calls for PPA Officials to Testify at June Hearing on PPA Mismanagement
PHILADELPHIA — Today, Councilmember Helen Gym (At Large) issued a subpoena for Acting PPA Director Dennis Weldon to testify before a City Council Committee Hearing in June and requiring the PPA to share documents relating to the Authority’s finances, accounting practices, and contributions to the City and School District of Philadelphia.
“The issues at the Parking Authority are far bigger than their latest multi-million dollar fiasco with the District,” said Councilmember Helen Gym (At-Large). “For years, the City and the District have had ongoing questions about shortfalls and expenses that rob Philadelphia’s schoolchildren of funding. Philadelphians deserve transparency and clarity on how public funds are spent. Today’s subpoena seeks to answer long standing questions and concerns into the PPA’s finances. With hundreds of millions of dollars at stake, there is no room for error.”
The subpoena is the latest step in City Council’s investigation into the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s accounting and finance practices. In December 2021, Councilmember Gym revealed the PPA was seeking an $11 million repayment from the School District of Philadelphia without providing any supporting documentation. In February 2022, Gym announced a formal investigation into the PPA’s finances and accounting practices. Earlier this month, the PPA announced they would no longer seek to collect on the payment to the School District, a concession which Gym said proved “they egregiously overstepped and once again, underestimated the power of our school communities.”
A Joint Hearing between the City Council Committees on Finance and Children and Youth on Resolution No. 220149 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 10:00 AM.
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