2005 Performance Based Budget - Laserfiche WebLink

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crime rate has increased in several significant categories over the past year. South Bend has 2.4 police officers and 2.3 firefighters per thousand population. These ratios are among the highest in the state and well above the national average. We believe that these extra officers are important for officer safety and community safety. We will also complete the long awaited and much needed design for renovation and expansion of Police Department offices. The City's Fire Department is rated one of the highest in the State. We have recently refurbished three main fire trucks to like-new status. This year we will start work on new administrative offices for the Fire Department and Central Fire Station. The Mayor's top initiatives will focus on regional policing, providing in-car cameras for all patrol cars and placing mare emphasis on training and recruitment for the Police and Fire Departments. We're Building a~n Attractive City - We are working to enhance the natural and man- rnadebeauty of our city through effective City programs. For the fifth year in a row we were named a Tree City USA. The Building Block Grant Program helps residents spruce up their neighborhoods, and aggressive Code Enforcement will continue to address deteriorated and nuisance properties. The Commercial Corridors Improvement Fund provides much needed funding to address a variety of needs along five of the City's major corridors. The City is funding major programs for curb & sidewalks, neighborhood centers, weed & seed program, and transforming a former dump into a model outdoor environmental lab. We'lre Building Opportunity - A key issue for any city is education and opportunity far young people. The City is committed to keeping schools open in our neighborhoods and to maximizing their use by the community. We are building partnerships that will create new strategies far enhancing our formal education system. Working together with families, student groups, school officials, neighborhoods, the faith comm~.mity and civic organizations, we can support our local schools and improve the level of individual student performance. We i^e Building a Strang Ecanamy -Local government plays a key role in economic deveiapment. By providing adequate infrastructure and offering targeted assistance, the City can stimulate private investment, creating business opportunities and jobs. The Cites policies encourage new start-up businesses, strengthen existing business, attract new jobs, increase assessed value and emphasize direct investment in hard-to-develop areas. Efforts have been and will continue to focus on implementing the comprehensive plans for downtown and the East Bank. The City's administration will vigorously pursue the re-use and revitalization of alder industrial sites, as well as the expansion of the Blackthorn area. Budget Calendar The budget process is a key component to the overall success of managing city operations. It allows each department the opportunity to reassess goals and objectives and the means of accomplishing them. It provides an opportunity far the public to be involved and to voice their opinions. It is a process that involves a great deal of people and spans a majority of the year. As mare fully discussed in Section D of this document, the operating and capital budgets are xi