06-12-19 Personnel and Finance - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY OFSOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK Committee Chair White stated, I want to open it up. I really appreciate your work as well as with your staff This is very informative, and again, this is part of our Educational Budget Series. Excellent information. I wish that, you know,that we could have more of our citizens. I'm looking at ways in which we can really try to foster greater engagement because this is important information. As well as that we as a Council, we're doing our best to be flexible, to be responsive to what we've heard through the budget processes, and to assure our citizens that we're not just sitting here blindly and not taking to heart the work that we have before us. Again, we're looking at these numbers,we're dealing with the numbers,but most importantly,we want to make sure that as we move forward, that the priorities are meeting the needs of our citizens, as well as ensuring that the City's moving forward as well. But most importantly,that we have the revenues to support what needs to be done. Committee Chair White then opened the floor to members of the public. Mr. Dunn stated, You mentioned a lot of these analytics. Each time you're presenting to Council with a request for a new debt obligation, are those documents included in the packet that's sent out in advance of the council meetings? Mr. Parker replied, So, I'm not sure what's been included in Council packets in the past. A lot of this analysis is internal analysis to make sure before we ever get to the point of bringing it either to the Mayor's Office or to the Council, that we are all comfortable in the City that we can handle the debt. To the extent that analysis goes to the Council I guess some of it needs to because they need to feel comfortable as well. I don't know what else is included. Mr. Dunn followed up, Well, I present this to the Council because it's good if you're getting those. You ought to be getting those and concurring with them or challenging them. But if those are not flowing out to the residents, the citizens, then don't we have a transparency issue here? Where we don't know, if we don't see those, then we don't know what you used to make your decisions on our behalf. Sue Kesim,4022 Kennedy Drive, interjected, That is a problem. We look at the packets,well,you know I look at the packets, and it wasn't in there. So, that makes it harder to make a decision or to ask questions. Of course, there's only forty-eight (48) hour notice, so there's no time to research. So,there's a real time limit on that as well in terms of coming up with it. I had some other questions. Aaron Perri brought up at one(1)of the Park Board meetings,that he will spend all the park money within two(2)years,yet we're going to be paying for it for the next twenty-five(25). Which brings up the question, how do we maintain? Because those park facilities for the next twenty-five (25) years are going to need more money. He will spend it all,he said, within the next two (2) years, so he said he wanted a development person, an assistant director right under him to go out and try and solicit private funds to fill that gap for the next twenty-three (23) years, which I'm not sure how we are going to do that. But I think that's something Council needs to look at. She continued, I didn't see where, and I know it's a short presentation, but cash reserves for the TIF,in past years before you,they had dipped below the limits in the River West and I think Eddy Street too, but I'm doing that from memory. I know they have dipped below in the River West District. So,I think cash reserves,when you give a presentation,needs to include TIF cash reserves as well because there have been some deficits in the past in those funds. EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY INNOVATION INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 227 W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana46601 p 574.235.9221 f574.235.9173 TTD574.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov 20