06-28-10 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING JUNE 28, 2010 of Public Works if this area is annexed. The Annexation Area would be expected to be added to the already existing Beat 16. Police patrols, traffic enforcement, and emergency responses will be part of the services the City will offer to this area. This proposed annexation would require officers to cove a relatively small additional area to this beat. At this time it is not expected that this annexation would cause calls for service to increase significantly and it is not anticipated that it will be necessary to increase police patrols beyond the already existing beat patrol at this time. The area under consideration is not expected to cause any unusual problems. At the present time the cost for servicing the proposed area is not expected to impact the existing budget of the Police Department with any significance. However, this area, as well as all other areas of the City, will continually be monitored for level of service demands and other criteria that would necessitate additional resources through budgetary increases or possibly shifting of existing resources, such as a beat restructure. Police services and response time in this area can be expected to be comparable and consistent with that as in all other areas of the City. Police coverage to this area could begin immediately upon annexation and coordination of the conversion of the 911 emergency phone systems for that area. The City will provide fully staffed Fire Response with a full time fire department housed in 12 fire stations strategically located throughout the city. The Annexation Area will be serviced primarily by Station #10, located at 5303 York Road, approximately 2.6 miles away. Additionally Fire Department units would respond from Fire Station #1 which is approximately 3.3 miles away and Fire Station #5 which is approximately 3.5 miles away. The South Bend Fire Department does not foresee any unusual fire protection problems related to this annexation. Response times will be comparable to other areas of the City. No additional equipment will need to be purchased or personnel hired to service the Annexation Area. Adequate water supply will be necessary as development takes place. The City, under contract with St. Joseph County, provides emergency medical response to the unincorporated areas of St. Joseph County. Of the seven ambulances currently in service, 3 are dedicated for response to the unincorporated areas. These are Medic Units #10, 11 and 12. Upon incorporation, the Annexation Area will be serviced by Medic #1, located at Fire Station #10. Emergency medical response will continue to be provided by the City of South Bend. Response times will be comparable to other areas of the City. No additional equipment will need to be purchased or personnel hired to service the Annexation Area. The Annexation Area will be added to Code Enforcement’s Area 6. The Department of Code Enforcement will be able to provide services to the Annexation Area with comparable response times. The Department will respond to calls for service upon the effective date of the Annexation. Full and dedicated response will be in place within one year of the effective date of the Annexation. Wastewater treatment services are supported by user fees, and are paid through the Water Works billing system. He noted that the Division of Environmental Services could service them at the single family rate or senior rate if applicable along with a fee for recycling. Mr. Vitton further noted that the City of South Bend provides a wide range of services other than those noted above, such as the Mayor’s Office, the Legal Department and the Park Department. These services are available upon the effective date of the Annexation. Full and dedicated response for non-capital services will be in place within one year of the effective date of the Annexation. Mr. Vitton stated that costs for these services have not been calculated. The incorporation of the Annexation Area will not effect the provision of other services currently provided to this property on a county-wide basis. The St. Joseph County Health Department, the St. Joseph County Public Library, the Area Plan Commission and the St. Joseph County/South Bend Building Department are some of the county-wide agencies and their services that will continue to provide the same type and level of services to the Annexation Area. County-wide services will continue to be supported by the County and Township tax rates that will remain in effect. The proposed annexation will add a pre-existing single-family structure to the City of South Bend in its’ current state. Any future changes to the structure will need to meet the City’s applicable building and zoning ordinances. Essential city services can be made available to the residents (and territory) of the Annexation Area in a timely and comparable fashion per the requirements of State law and this fiscal plan. The City is financially able to support city services to the territory sought to be annexed. Required improvements made by the petitioner and/or owner of the parcels must be made in accordance with the standards of the City of South Bend. Required improvements made by the City will be completed within the time frames provided by State Law and this 4