On January 31, Philly's Chief Information Officer and apparent Bitcoin (BTC) advocate Mark Wheeler stated that Philly is ready to cooperate with CityCoins. CityCoins is a software application on the Stacks (STX) blockchain that assists local administrations in creating their own coin. All the transactions on Stacks settle on the Bitcoin Network.
CityCoins are already being used by New York City and Miami to expand their treasury reserves. Thirty percent of STX tokens mined are transmitted to the city's wallet, where they are sold for USD and deposited into the city's treasury.
On February 1, Wheeler said in an interview that the city would start formally assessing CityCoins to ensure that any potential partnership they build together conforms with existing cryptocurrency rules.
Wheeler addressed the environmental issue of adopting a program that uses a Proof-of-Work blockchain, such as Bitcoin, as an environmental concern. He emphasized that CityCoins does not require customers to use any additional hardware, which could cause environmental damage.
On February 1, he told Statescoop: “I think we can simply say, This isn’t Bitcoin and it’s not requiring new servers to be set up and it’s not requiring intensive energy use. I think that’s a valid, verifiable statement.”
Wheeler stated that the city of Philadelphia would attempt to incorporate blockchain technology into its government. He got the idea for the campaign from the city of Miami. Last August, Miami debuted its MiamiCoin with CityCoins to help the city raise revenue, which Mayor Francis Suarez stated could be used to cover all of the city's residents' tax burdens.
Last November, New York City partnered with CityCoins to establish the NYCCoin. NYCCoin miners, like MiamiCoin miners, get paid in STX and BTC for supplying the city with tokens. Austin, Texas, has also partnered with CityCoins, however, mining is yet to begin.