Hello Everyone,

Due to Covid-19 , PCCP's final meeting of the 2019-20 season, which will be held by webinar on May 21 at 12:00 pm, will address a low-key but enormously important body in the City of Philadelphia: the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, or PICA. After nearly 30 years watching over the city's budget and controlling some of its taxes, the state-appointed PICA board is scheduled to be disbanded in 2023 and its oversight functions ended. Whether these functions are still needed, and who might perform them instead, are just a few of the many questions soon to confront city and state leaders.

Larry Eichel, senior advisor at The Pew Charitable Trusts' Philadelphia research and policy initiative, has guided Pew's research on PICA over the past year. Last January Pew released a report detailing the history and key functions of PICA since 1993. In February Pew convened a who's who of current and former leaders to discuss the future of PICA and of city finances. Many current and former leaders want PICA to continue in some form, noting its behind-the-scenes role in financial prudence. But some people argue Philadelphia has earned the right to act like other cities and control its own finances.