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1110 CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK <br /> Mr. Buckenmeyer replied, The designation is just another way of saying it will be part of a tax <br /> abatement. <br /> Councilmember White followed up, So, it's just a designation and there are no additional dollars <br /> forthcoming besides the tax abatement that is being asked of? <br /> Mr. Buckenmeyer replied, No. <br /> Councilmember White then asked, So, any other developer that wanted to expand and develop in <br /> this area, that would be the designation, right? <br /> Mr. Buckenmeyer replied, The economic revitalization area will be ordained as just this property <br /> for only this recipient. They are going to develop that entire property. <br /> Councilmember White followed up, So the other incentive is the tax abatement? <br /> Mr. Buckenmeyer replied, Yes. And, this is jumping ahead a little bit but one (1) important thing <br /> I want everyone to know, and this has been shared with a lot of developers and the folks in that <br /> region, this falls right below Portage Prairie where we've had a lot of wonderful growth but a lot <br /> of growing pains in terms of increased traffic issues, frequency and also with trucks and speeding <br /> cars. We are working on a lot of different things in that vein. We are working with the County, the <br /> companies and the developers to make sure that all of the appropriate rules, and so on, were <br /> followed. We are also looking at this from the standpoint of TIF investment versus tax abatement. <br /> So traditionally with spec building and other things developing in this region, we've supported <br /> them with TIF to help with some of the infrastructure developments going the last mile to the <br /> building. With TIF, for example, parking, and what-have-you. We are redirecting any TIF <br /> spending in that general region to infrastructure surrounding it. Largely, traffic, Ameritech Drive, <br /> and the Cleveland Road interchange. One (1) thing we have set aside some funding for is what <br /> will be a pretty massive project to completely redo that interchange next year.The State is planning <br /> some work along the bypass that will be done in that same timeframe. We wanted to dovetail with <br /> that. So, we've just in the recent weeks and month made clear that our TIF allotments and <br /> expenditures in that area will go to infrastructure like that. But, yes, only tax abatement. <br /> Councilmember Broden stated, This is an intercity move from Sample Street to here. Could the <br /> petitioners address the benefits of this site, as opposed to where you are currently at? <br /> John Hopkins, 38 Country Club View, Edwardsville, IL, replied, If I could, I will do a little <br /> background and then I'll come right to your question. We are forty-nine (49) years in business <br /> when we acquired Hill Truck sale. They had been in this area for fifty-four (54) years and we <br /> acquired them in January of 2016. So, we gave them all the seniority of all of their previous years <br /> of employment. We are multi-generational, and we are proud of that. We have twenty (20) <br /> employees that have been with us for over forty (40) years in our company right now. We just <br /> awarded last week a forty-five(45) year employment award which included a very nice check and <br /> plaque to one(1)of our long-time technicians up here. Today I just awarded a thirty-five(35) year <br /> award, a nice plaque and check to another long-time employee. One hundred and sixty-five (165) <br /> over twenty(20) years with us. Training and education are really huge for us because our industry <br /> keeps evolving and changing and there is a lot of construction going on, so we have to be really <br /> EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY INNOVATION INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT <br /> 455 County-City Building 227W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 f 574.235.9173 TTD 574.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov <br /> 6 <br />