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10. IONS ON PARKING (Cont'd Mr. Soltesz asked if the Redevelopment Department in its present authority is in the parking lot business if necessary, as they are in the development business if necessary, are they not, for a given area? Commissioner_ Wiggins advised not necessarily. We can use some of the property we acquire on a temporary basis for surface parking. Mr. Soltesz then suggested we eliminate the parking problem by utilizing the ground that we have already purchased in our parking lots and for- get about the private entity, and let's get it back to the public entity, which it really is. Commissioner Wiggins added at the most part, we ar not in the parking business- -the Department of ,Redevelopment is not ani does not operate lots. The area used for parking, other than those th t may be leased to the South Bend Parking Company, are leased to th2 City for nominal fee; e.g., $1.00 a year. This is by the City Pa king Authority and is used to supplement the garage income so the bonds may be met. As an example, the area next to the Water Works that we cleared out is on a monthly parking basis and is handled by the City Parking Authority. The property belongs to the Department of Redevelop- ment and is leased to the City for $1.00 a year and they collect the fees and apply it against the bonds for the city parking garages. We have done this with other properties. Mr. Lloyd S. Taylor added that there are two different situations: One is where the Department leases it to a private entity, and the other is where they lease it to the City. The responsibility of the Department of Redevelopment, Mr. Soltesz said as he sees it and stands to be corrected, is that we have lots that are leased to the private operator. Now, we have lost the building on the tax role; we have leveled it down and made it a level piece of property that no longer comes back in the 'coffers' of the City and the County- - either one - -or the state. The public then supplies additional monies to take care of a buy running a business down here, for whatever amount he is paying back to the Department of Redevelopment, and we are getting nothing back for it and we have a problem in parking. It would seem simple if we took that same piece of property that we have given out to the public for no use and brought it back to public use, and on that same basis we would be money ahead because the taxpayers are paying for the loss of the properties on the ground not being used. Commis - si ner Wiggins again emphasized that the places where we tore the buildings down, that has been leased to the city to operate as a parking lot - -if it is in fact operated as a parking lot - -so that it is in public use. Now, the one exception is the one on Washington Street, but the deal there is that the people who are operating it have surfaced that parking lot, and our agreement with them was to allow them to continue until they got their money back. Further lengthy conversations followed on the same subject. Mr. Kevin J. Butler, Commission Legal Counsel, said that there is a great deal of difference of opinion as to what the property is and what is the best way to operate the parking and to fulfill the parking needs. In reference to further questions by Mr. Soltesz, Commissioner Wiggins added the particular lot referred to was formerly operated as a parking lot, we bought the property from them, they continued to operate it as 16