Date: June 30, 2025
City Hall
- City Council recessed for the summer after finalizing the 2026 Budget, which included the Mayor’s H.O.M.E. Initiative.
- Unfortunately, the Realty Transfer Tax increase passed by a 12-4 vote. With your support, over 4,203 calls were sent to all council members, 38,650 mailers were delivered, the webpage built, hiddenhometax.com, saw 990 visits, there were 453,583 digital ad impressions, and a city-wide poll yielded 403 respondents. Additionally, GPAR staff developed a position paper and economic analysis that were sent to all council members and their staff with meeting requests.
- The Government Affairs Committee is still monitoring 5 bills that were held by Council until the fall— ADU restrictions, lead paint disclosure, limits on rental late fees, rental inspections, and tenant protections.
- Key Contact Trainings will be held this summer to enhance GPAR’s presence and voice among legislators moving forward.
State
- The State Tax Equalization Board has established 2024 Common Level Ratios for each county. If eligible to appeal property assessment values, you should have received notice by the City of Philadelphia’s Board of Revision of Taxes. The deadline to file an appeal is October 6, 2025.
- GPAR attended Hill Day on June 24th, meeting with 9 different members of the Philadelphia delegation. These meetings allowed for members to highlight the impact of Realtors®’ legislative priorities for the city.
Federal
- Fair Housing Groups Sue HUD for Withholding Funds: The lawsuit challenges HUD’s failure to administer congressionally-appropriated funds for local organizations engaging in fair housing activities.
- Advocacy Scoop: Podcast hosts discuss where NAR’s top tax priorities stand in Senate budget negotiations, what’s transpired so far, and how a “Byrd Bath” could change everything.
This report is submitted by Lexy McDowell GPAR’s Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy.