In the aftermath of Kada Scott’s murder, City Council on Thursday authorized hearings to examine policies related to domestic violence and abuse.
Lawmakers, during the body’s weekly session, also approved a measure granting the Department of Streets the power to regulate loading zones in much of Center Center and introduced legislation reducing the business tax rate on day care centers.
The hearing resolution, which specifically refers to Scott’s killing, calls for a meeting to bring together the District Attorney’s Office, police department, the Sheriff’s Office and the courts.
“While this hearing alone will not guarantee that all domestic violences cases proceed to trial, it is an important step toward identifying gaps in the system, strengthening inter-agency coordination, and advancing policy changes aimed at preventing future tragedies,” the text reads.
Keon King, who was charged with murder Oct. 22 after the Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Scott’s death a homicide, was arrested earlier this year on allegations he kidnapped and assaulted a different woman.
Prosecutors withdrew the case in May after the victim and a witness did not show up for a pair of court hearings, and DA Larry Krasner and the First Judicial District traded barbs in recent days over how King was able to go unpunished.
“As a City of Philadelphia, I think we failed the young lady,” Council President Kenyatta Johnson told reporters Thursday. “You got two agencies, two city departments pointing fingers at one another. And, at the end of the day, that’s not going to bring any resolution to the family.
“We're going to take a deeper dive and look at all the policies as a whole.”
Krasner has acknowledged that prosecutors could have relied on video evidence to pursue the charges in the earlier incident. During a press briefing Oct. 20, he indicated that the DA’s Office was examining ways to improve its processes.
A date for the hearing, which will occur before Council’s Committee on Public Safety, has not yet been scheduled.
Council unanimously approved a bill giving the Streets Department leeway to install and remove loading zones in a large swath of Center City, without the need for individual legislation.
The measure is a direct response to an August court decision, in which a judge ordered the city to eliminate recently installed loading zones on Spruce and Pine streets, as part of a lawsuit brought by a neighborhood organization opposed to the parking restrictions.
The loading zones are part of a two-stage project intended to improve safety on Pine and Spruce following the death of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Dr. Barbara Friedes, who was killed by a drunk driver in July 2024 while riding a bike near 18th and Spruce streets.
Cycling advocates have asserted that the zones reduce the number of cars double-parking in bike lanes, which cause riders to swerve into traffic.
Multiple amendments have been made since the bill was introduced last month. Initially, the authorization covered everything between Spring Garden and Bainbridge streets, from the Delaware to the Schuylkill rivers.
Legislators, during a five-hour committee hearing, rewrote the bill to cover only Pine and Spruce streets. Earlier this month, the final version was issued, incorporating all of Center City in the 1st and 2nd Council districts, represented by Mark Squilla and Kenyatta Johnson.
The downtown portion of Councilmember Jeffrey Young Jr.’s 5th District, incorporating the Rittenhouse Square and Logan Circle areas, was left out.
“When it comes to this particular bill, I have not spoken to the community about this bill to see how it would affect them,” Young said, after Jeremy Blatstein, author of the “Next Philly Mayor” X account and a frequent Council public commenter, criticized the decision.
Young said the loading zones will be a topic of discussion at an upcoming town hall meeting for Center City residents in his district.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas wants to cut in half the amount child care facility operators have to pay under Philadelphia’s Business Income & Receipts Tax, or BIRT.
Legislation he introduced Thursday would require day care owners to pay 50% of BIRT’s levy on gross receipts and net income, no matter where the tax rate is set.
“By providing financial relief to these providers, we are supporting the local economy by supporting those with a critical role to our city,” Thomas said in a statement. “We can create opportunities to reinvest in the operations, the staff, and the quality of the care our young people receive.”
As a result of the change, the city government would lose an estimated $11 to $14 million in annual revenue, according to Max Weisman, Thomas’s communications director.
Weisman said Thomas and his team cleared the bill with the city’s Law Department to ensure that the measure does not conflict with Pennsylvania’s uniformity clause, a state constitutional provision requiring flat tax rates. A spokesperson for the department, which falls under Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration, confirmed the determination.
The legislation is part of a broader push by Thomas to reduce BIRT, which the business community has long cited as a burden on the local economy.
In June, Parker and Council, as part of the yearly budget process, signed off on a 13-year plan to dramatically decrease business tax rates, a move that angered progressive activists and is not swift enough for others.
But Parker’s team also eliminated a BIRT exemption on a business’s first $100,000 in revenue, citing an ongoing legal challenge that claimed the benefit ran afoul of the uniformity clause.
