Philadelphia City Council in 2018
Council's Busy Year: 366 Bills Introduced in 2018
The year in summary
Philadelphia City Council was at its busiest in 2018, introducing 366 bills - a 14-bill increase from the previous year. Zoning and planning dominated the agenda, with 127 and 78 bills introduced respectively. Meanwhile, issues like parking, housing, and government saw significant increases compared to 2017. In fact, parking-related bills rose by 12, while housing and traffic issues gained 7 new bills each. On the other hand, neighborhood development, planning, leasing, and infrastructure issues all saw declines.
Contested votes revealed some of the council's most contentious debates. Five bills drew opposition from at least four members, with Council President Clarke leading the charge against one measure to strengthen laws against criminal trespassers.
AI-generated analysis grounded in 366 bills from official Philadelphia City Council records.
What council worked on in 2018
Rising vs 2017: parking (+12), housing (+7), traffic (+7), government (+7). Declining: neighborhood (-14), planning (-9), leasing (-9), infrastructure (-6).
Highest-impact bills of 2018
Council Approves Plan to Give Minimum Wage Hike to Thousands of Philly Workers: Low-income employees at small businesses and non-profits would see their wages rise under a new law aimed at closing the poverty gap.
Landlords of over 1,000 city boarding houses must now install modern smoke alarm systems, a move aimed at reducing preventable fires that disproportionately affect low-income residents.
A Proposed Parking Tax Could Generate Hundreds of Millions for City Funds, but Would Also Hit Philly Residents Hardest at a Time When Gas Prices are Soaring.
Philadelphia Could Require Bars to Pay Homeless Residents for Work Under Proposed Bill Aimed at Addressing Homelessness City officials propose paying homeless residents a stipend to work in bars, sparking debate over the merits of this unique approach to tackling homelessness.
Philadelphia City Hall Is Now Required to Report Racial Breakdown of Gun Violence Incidents" A newly passed city council bill requires the Philadelphia Police Department to track and report the racial demographics of victims and perpetrators in gun-related crimes, sparking debate over policing tactics.
Most contested votes of 2018top 5 of 16
Most council roll calls are unanimous — these are the bills that split the chamber.
Most active sponsors in 2018
- Council President Clarke57 bills
- Councilmember Squilla44 bills
- Councilmember Johnson40 bills
- Councilmember Henon37 bills
- Councilmember Jones34 bills