In a letter to Council, Nutter said that the bill violates the Home Rule Charter and state law, which requires that any parking revenues that exceed the base amount be directed to the school district. Nutter said that funding for parks and recreation can be discussed during the budget process, "but that bill's illegal and that's why I vetoed it."
Nutter also squashed part of a controversial proposal related to the expansion of Finnigan's Wake in Northern Liberties, which is owned by Democratic committeeman Mike Driscoll and is next door to the committee's new headquarters. The set of bills were approved unanimously by Council in June.
"The veto on a district council person's area was something that many Council members may feel is an encroachment on their authority," Squilla said. He'll decide Thursday whether to try to override the veto, he said.
The bill Nutter vetoed would allow for the installation of balconies along Spring Garden Street and much of the sidewalk would be occupied for private use. In his letter to Council, Nutter notes that the city should not convert a "public-right-of-way to a primarily private use in the face of opposition of the community resident association that represents the neighborhood most affected by the proposal."
The other portion of the proposal, to make Bodine Street private property between Spring Garden and Green streets, will become law without Nutter's signature.
Staff writer Catherine Lucey contributed to this report.
Contact Jan Ransom at ransomj@phillynews.com or 215-854-5218. Follow her on Twitter @Jan_Ransom. Read her blog at PhillyClout.com.
