Ethics: That'll Cost You

Ethics reforms passed by Philadelphia voters last week will cost $1 million to implement, the Philly Inquirer reports today. Want to regulate no-bid contracts more tightly? Well okay, but the computer systems for tracking contracts will need some work ($500,000). Other costs include materials to educate vendors, the public and city staff, and, as always, consultants.

Bonus: the contracting reforms, it turns out, don't apply to municipal bond transactions. That's where the hanky panky that sparked the reform drive in the first place was happening.