09-14-16 Personnel and Finance - Laserfiche WebLink

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haven't had the time to tackle it. Now there is a lot of incentive and push by the County to look into that. We have been essentially functioning as Code Enforcement for the County but are not really set up to do that. We do it via the zoning ordinance and use the zoning districts as leverage against certain uses. Councilmember Regina Williams- Preston stated she thinks the seminars for homeowners is a wonderful idea. She asked if there is a way to help seniors, and all homeowners, find reputable contractors. She stated she gets a lot of calls from seniors in particular who spend a bunch of money on a project and then the contractor did not do the work correctly and they have no recourse. Mr. Bulot responded that has been an ongoing problem and he spends a lot of time tracking down these disreputable people. We cannot legally recommend a contractor because of liability issues but we can tell people if the contractor is currently registered with the Building Department to work on property in St. Joseph County. We also try to emphasize to homeowners that they should not pull the permit themselves, the contractor should do that. The permit is a legal document that connects the contractor to the property. If the homeowner pulls the permit then the homeowner technically becomes the contractor and they release liability on who is doing the work. Councilmember Williams- Preston asked about how a contractor becomes registered. Mr. Bulot responded a contractor must post a bond which means that the bonding or insurance company will make sure the contractor is financially stable to a certain extent. Then the contractor fills out information and references and contact information. Councilmember Williams- Preston asked about the money designated towards the ordinance violations portion of the budget. Mr. Bulot responded that money is what it costs for us to go out and do that ordinance violations process. We do recoup some costs from the fines but it does not make up for the money to offset the volume of work. Committee Chair White thanked Mr. Bulot for the presentation. Fire Pension Steve Cox, Chief of the South Bend Fire Department with offices at 1222 S. Michigan Street, introduced Gerard Ellis who is the Fire Pension Secretary. Mr. Ellis stated his main goal as pension secretary is taking care of the retirees. In 2016, six (6) drop retirements occurred, one (1) disability retirement and two (2) normal retirements. The majority of retirements recently have been drop retirements. We have had a few guys retire at less than age fifty -two (52) but with more than twenty (20) years of service. We provided service for the passing of seven (7) widows this year and four (4) retired firefighters. That is probably the most stressful aspect of the job is helping the families in their time of need. Mr. Ellis reported H