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REGULAR MEETING JULY 9, 2007 <br />targeted areas by a substantial amount of money, they have created the new dollar house <br />program that will be available in three neighborhoods in South Bend for the initial year. <br />They have created financial incentives for home builders for new single family home <br />construction. They are pondering and looking at financial incentives to the real estate <br />community to compensate for lower than average sales commissions in target areas. <br />They will be looking at demonstration blocks for substantial rehabilitation in new <br />construction. And lastly, they are taking a look this year particularly a critical look at <br />future Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds and home funding <br />allocations. They will be looking at the formula for those allocations very carefully <br />before they recommend them to the Council for full funding. Mr. Gibney stated that on a <br />personal note program evaluation and reorganization is a very difficult and sensitive task. <br />It often involves peoples jobs and personnel matters. He stated that he would be pleased <br />to meet with any of the Council on an individual basis or in the past have met on a <br />Saturday, to talk about tax abatement, TIF programs and topics of that nature. He would <br />be pleased to review with the Council the findings that they have on several of the City's <br />very closely held not-for-profits, recommendations that they are making for future of <br />those programs and again evaluate the new programs that they are putting into place. <br />Councilmember Pfeifer stated that one of things that should to be done while the <br />restructuring of the department is going on is to be conscious of and pay attention to <br />constructive ways that City Department Heads will interact with neighbors. It is critical <br />that continued dialogue between residents and various city departments continues. A lot <br />of good neighborhood resolutions on issues that were going on in their various <br />neighborhoods came out of having the partnership centers in the various districts of the <br />City. Relationships were formed during those years that the partnership centers were <br />active. She encouraged Mr. Gibney to make the Council an integral part of the <br />restructuring because they are the ones who receive the phone calls. She commended the <br />Department Heads for making every effort to attend the Partnership Center meetings, day <br />or night, they were very respectful and they really worked with the neighbors to come up <br />with constructive solutions. She stated that she would hate to see those relationships go <br />by the wayside. <br />Councilmember Dieter asked about the portfolio for the HDC and the Corporation for <br />Entrepreneurial Development. <br />Mr. Gibney stated that the portfolio for the HDC and the Corporation for Entrepreneurial <br />Development has been very lightly funded, has very limited resources, the amount of <br />lending that has been taking place in that particular not-for-profit organization is <br />extremely modest. He stated that he is very sorry to say that the default rate is extremely <br />high and there is a new audit on file that states from an objective outside auditing firm <br />that it was time to close the organization down. Mr. Gibney advised that it was not a <br />terrible hard decision to make, but he said that those programs were put together some of <br />them twelve to fourteen years ago, when they did not have as much active participation <br />from the lending community towards small businesses and neighborhoods as they have <br />today. <br />Councilmember Kirsits stated that atone time there was some push by the NRC to get <br />some of the smaller independent neighborhood groups up and going. He stated that is a <br />tough issue, like running a little league, ninety percent of the work done by ten percent. <br />There has been a problem with some of the smaller neighborhood groups coming and <br />going and they were working on getting those relationships and boundaries established. <br />Mr. Gibney stated that getting those smaller neighborhood groups up and running will <br />continue to be a central goal. Mr. Gibney stated that in their history they help to establish <br />more than a half a dozen new neighborhood associations, and will continue to provide <br />them with some technical support and there will be more financial resources available to <br />send people to training and to look at special projects. <br />Councilmember White advised that it is very important that as Community & Economic <br />Development begins to continue with their department's evaluation of various programs, <br />