Honoring the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter by the voters of the City of Philadelphia and celebrating the importance of local government and civic engagement.

Honoring the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter by the voters of the City of Philadelphia and celebrating the importance of local government and civic engagement. WHEREAS, On April 17th of 1951, the voters of the City of Philadelphia voted to adopt the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter, forever changing the trajectory of municipal government in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and WHEREAS, Prior to the adoption of the charter, governance in Philadelphia took a few different forms. Prior to 1854, Philadelphia County consisted of the City of Philadelphia and over 25 independent townships, districts and boroughs, each with their own governance and law enforcement; and WHEREAS, This lack of coordination in such a condensed area led to district and chaos and in 1854, The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the Act of Consolidation, dissolving the 28 separate entities and creating one municipal entity we know today as the City of Philadelphia; and WHEREAS, In 1949. The General Assembly passed the First-Class City Home Rule Act, granting cities of the first-class broad authority to self-govern with complete powers of legislation and administration to reduce reliance on the state legislature for municipal affairs, allowing for fiscal flexibility needed by cities with larger populations unique challenges; and WHEREAS, In the 75 years since, the Charter has served as Philadelphia’s "Constitution," providing the legal framework for the City to enact lo…