Philadelphia City Council Takes On Demolitions
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- City Council has another hearing scheduled Thursday afternoon on its plan to overhaul how demolitions are carried out in Philadelphia, and some differences exist among the lawmakers on a few proposals.
More than 70 changes to the demolition process are now contained in five different pieces of legislation, but the devil of course is in those details.
One sticking point among the council members is whether demolition workers should be required to carry city-issued photo identification.
Supporters believe IDs will ensure that workers are trained and paying city taxes.
But strongly objecting to that is Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez, who fears that undocumented workers will lose out.
"I think it crosses the line in terms of us being INS and trying to figure out who's documented and who's not. If the goal is to make sure that everybody on a site is paying taxes, the ID is not the way to get there," she said.
Council members hope to secure final passage of all five bills by year's end.
