Philadelphia Overview

Philadelphia is both a city and a county, with one geographic footprint and, since 1854, one government. It is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the only one classified as a "city of the first class" under state law. Its government is organized by a locally written home rule charter, but it operates inside a state that retains broad authority over what the city may tax, regulate and spend. Understanding Philadelphia politics largely means keeping track of which of several overlapping bodies is responsible for a given problem.

1 City and county in one

Before 1854 the City of Philadelphia was a small municipality inside a much larger Philadelphia County that contained dozens of separate boroughs, townships and districts. The Act of Consolidation of that year merged them, so the city's boundaries became the county's boundaries (see City-County Consolidation). Today Pennsylvania's constitution provides that in Philadelphia the functions that elsewhere belong to a county government are performed by the city. A few offices that elsewhere would be county offices survive here as independently elected "row offices" (see Philadelphia Row Offices).

2 The main institutions

The government created by the Home Rule Charter has a strong-mayor design. The mayor is the chief executive, serves a four-year term and may serve two consecutive terms. The mayor appoints a cabinet (see Mayor's Cabinet and Offices) and a Managing Director who supervises most service departments. The City Council has 17 members: ten elected from districts and seven elected at large, with the charter reserving two of the at-large seats for candidates outside the majority party. Council writes ordinances, approves the budget and sets taxes within the authority the state grants.^[1] For a department-by-department guide, see How Philadelphia Government Is Organized.

3 Bodies outside City Hall's chain of command

Several important institutions are not run by the mayor. The independently elected City Controller, District Attorney, Sheriff, City Commissioners and Register of Wills answer to voters. The courts of the First Judicial District are part of Pennsylvania's unified state judiciary. Authorities such as SEPTA, the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the Philadelphia Parking Authority were created under state law and have their own boards. The School District of Philadelphia is governed by a Board of Education appointed by the mayor, and the state has also constrained local finances through PICA.

4 Money

The fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. In June 2026 Council approved a fiscal year 2027 operating budget of about $7.1 billion; it rejected several of the mayor's proposed new taxes (rideshare, hotel and short-term rental, and retail delivery), which did not reach the nine votes needed, and added a use-and-occupancy tax on cell towers.^[2] The wage tax remained 3.74 percent for residents and 3.43 percent for non-residents. Philadelphia's taxing power rests on state enabling legislation (see Philadelphia Taxes and Philadelphia City Budget Process).

5 Where to take a problem

For routine service requests, residents can use Philly311. For land use, zoning and neighborhood questions, the first call is often the district Council member's office (see Councilmanic Prerogative). For voting, the City Commissioners; for court and eviction matters, the courts; for transit, SEPTA. Questions about whether a government decision was lawful or ethical may reach the Board of Ethics or the Inspector General. This wiki is general civic education, not legal advice.

See also: How Philadelphia Government Is Organized, Philadelphia Political History, Pennsylvania State Government and Philadelphia, Glossary.

References

1. Billy Penn, "How Philly works: a look at the city's governance," December 1, 2025.
2. Philadelphia City Council, "Philadelphia City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2027 operating and capital budgets on Thursday, June 11" (phlcouncil.com, June 2026).
3. City of Philadelphia, Home Rule Charter (phila.gov and the Philadelphia Code).
4. Pew Charitable Trusts, "Philadelphia's Guiding Document at 75" (March 2026).