04-09-18 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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REGULAR MEETING April 9, 2018 component. That will be the local government's responsibility and I think it is an appropriate responsibility to take on. We want a good job, at the right price, and for it to be done in a timely manner. I do think this hits a number of marks for our community aside from the taxpayer value of the dollars spent. Safety is embedded in this,whether it be in the apprenticeship training or other areas. The qualifications being asked for the skilled workers is another good piece. I think economic development and workforce development will improve from this. My last comment is, aside from the collaborative work from the work group, a tremendous amount of work was done by the Legal Department. They examined over thirty-nine (39) other ordinances that exist throughout the State of Indiana. Much gratitude to the Legal Department for that technical assistance. I would also be remised to not mention the work of the St. Joseph County Council as they really set the stage for this. Specifically, Bobby Kruszynski and Diana Hess and their work. They brought it up and saw it as a meaningful goal for County-wide development and made a great case for it. They overrode the vote on it and basically set the stage for this. I want to acknowledge that work here within our local community that set that stage. Councilmember Tim Scott stated,That is a very good point.The other thing is there was talk about diversity within this and I think this compliments the work done on MBEs and WBEs. Councilmember Jo M. Broden stated, I think you are right and the random audits in this should inform us, as we roll this out, whether it is effective and if there is any adverse impact. We know, statistically, from other entities that have adopted this that there has not been any adverse impact but I commend everyone who came together and saw that as an important component. Councilmember Tim Scott stated, There were concerns about that in Committee. I am willing to bring this back up a year from now to evaluate this. Dr. James Mueller, Executive Director of Community Investment with offices on the 141' floor of the County-City Building, South Bend, IN, stated, I do want to thank everyone on the Committee for a good process. There was a lot of healthy discussion. I don't think anything wasn't discussed and deliberated at length. We came up with a good and healthy compromise. There was real compromise in this that differs from other responsible bidder ordinances across the State and that is that the $150,000 threshold applies not just to the overall project level but to individual components for subcontractors as well. So even if a project is over$150,000, if a component for a subcontractor is under that,they would have to face these requirements. We are excited to join the other leading cities in the State including the best-growing city in Indianapolis that has this Ordinance on the books. Councilmember Dr. David Varner asked, It wasn't that many years ago that they brought the maximum fine that could be levied to $2,500 and this says $5,000, why is that? Dr. Mueller replied, That has since changed. This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. Murray Miller,23698 Western Avenue, South Bend,IN, stated,I just want to thank the Committee and everyone that worked on this RBO. It shows, truly, that working together can work. I would say that in this Ordinance it talks about the apprenticeship program which works both for merit shops and unions. This will make sure South Bend has a well-trained and diverse workforce for the future. I do have some letters of support that I would like to give to the Council. Mr. Murray submitted the letters into the public record and are now filed with the Ordinance available in the City Clerk's Office. Shaun O'Brien, 3215A Sugar Maple Court, South Bend, IN, stated, I'm the Executive Director of the Michiana Builders Association and we represent around sixty-five(65)of the large commercial contractors in the area that very much welcome an ordinance like this. It strengthens the accountability and transparency that is required for bidding on City and Public works. We think it is a great idea and we urge this Council to pass it. Councilmember Regina Williams-Preston stated,Thank you to all for this work being done. I look forward to this laying the groundwork and opening doors for minority contractors and improving the City of South Bend. 4