Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s second budget address to Philadelphia City Council sounded in many ways like an ordinary mayoral speech, with Parker waxing poetic about heroic first responders, touting wins during her first year,

Mayor Cherelle Parker is introducing her 2026 budget for the city of Philadelphia in a City Council session Thursday.

Mayor Cherelle Parker laid out a $6.7 billion budget blueprint Thursday that would hike spending and overhaul city taxes. Why it matters: Parker is keeping her foot on the gas, seeking to boost spending by nearly 6% over last year to check items off her ambitious agenda.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker ’s proposal for the next city budget will include cutting Philadelphia’s business tax, spending $100 million more on a new drug recovery center in Holmesburg, and borrowing $800 million for a major housing initiative,