12-13-10 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING DECEMBER 13, 2010 when there is movement is there a way to capitalize on the local economy and bringing in more dollars and sharing more dollars with the City. His expectations on being able to do that a high degree when situations like this come up. And this is why he is getting at this point of the PUD, because he has seen examples that something like this has turned into something else. It has not been the best case scenario for the people living in South Bend. Mayor Luecke stated that Councilmember Henry Davis’ mentioned two examples: Eddy Street Commons which did employ a lot of local labor but understands that was not the perception. It was a private developer who issued the contracts and they had the authority to go out for bid and chose the contractors that they so desired to chose. The Kroc Center also had a private owner/developer and they are in fact hiring local contractors and making a special effort to reach out. He stated that it’s not the zoning that makes the difference but the owner of the property and how they want to bid that work. He stated that certainly on the part of the City it is their desire and that of the Redevelopment Commission to see as many local contractors at the Ignition Park location as possible as new buildings are being built. He noted that there are constraints in State Law as far as what they can do in the bidding process and certainly have to abide by those laws. This is really not a factor of the PUD. Mayor Luecke used an example of this property staying as industrial zoning; there is neither guarantee with industrial zoning that it would be local contractors that would build those buildings nor any other zoning. It is a function of the owner and their desire to balance the best price that they can get for the construction work and commitment to the local community. Councilmember Henry Davis, Jr., stated that the Mayor speaks as if the owner is not the City. Mayor Luecke stated that he spoke to that and said that the Redevelopment Commission and the Administration would like to see as much local participation as possible but they do have a responsibility to their rate payers and their taxpayers and State Law recognizes that and we must bid and hire the lowest qualified bidder for the job. So you can’t necessarily say that it’s going to be just South Bend companies that work on the job even if you would like to do that. Councilmember Henry Davis, Jr., stated that he understands that and that it’s called discrimination. The only thing that he is saying is that his examples have shown to be the direct opposite of what he is asking for. That’s it; it is what it is and let the horses out of the barn. Councilmember Henry Davis Jr., thanked Mayor Luecke. Coucilmember Kirsits stated that he believes Councilmember Henry Davis Jr.’s questions st concerning local contractors should be addressed with a bill that is up for 1 reading tonight and that is Bill No. 86-10 addressing affirmative action procedures. Councilmember Henry Davis, Jr., stated that his first question was does the Council really have to change the zoning classification at all on this property or could it just stay the same. Councilmember Kirsits stated that he believes the zoning change to PUD is necessary. He stated that it is a safety precaution for future potential developers to have a safety net in place and not have to worry about who is going to build next to them and wonder if it will affect his business. Councilmember Henry Davis, Jr., stated that he is fine with it and is done. This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. There being no one present wishing to speak to the Council either in favor of or in opposition to this bill, Councilmember Oliver Davis made a motion for favorable recommendation to full Council concerning this bill as substituted and to include the amendment to the PUD to include on page 21 (c) to include: An Architectural Review 7