"There's been no slippage. We're going to do what we said we're going to do," Nutter insisted in a recent interview.
But the urgency that prevailed in City Hall after Inquirer articles documented mismanagement and possible corruption at the agency is gone.
That worries those who want serious change.
"There's a very limited window of opportunity to deal with any scandalous situation, especially in Philadelphia," said Zack Stalberg, president and chief executive officer of the Committee of Seventy, the city government watchdog group.
"After that window closes, people feel like they can continue to get away with doing things the way they've always done them."
If Council does not address the BRT before recessing June 18 and does not reconvene until its next scheduled meeting in mid-September, that window could close, Stalberg said.
Verna dismissed that concern and said she remained committed to restructuring the agency, but at a pace that suits Council.
"We do not yet know how long the process will take, but it is much more important in my view that we do it correctly rather than quickly," she said.
Asked what work had been done on the BRT in the last month, Verna said Council had been focused on the budget and other business.
"I've talked to the mayor about it. I don't know if you've noticed, but we've been extremely, extremely busy with other things. We've had one public hearing after another," Verna said.
Other Council members said they would not let the prospect of BRT reform slip away over the summer.
"I think there's a real strong commitment to address this in the fall," Councilwoman Maria Quinoñes Sánchez said. "A few of us have been very, very adamant that this be resolved, that we don't waste this opportunity."
