RM 05-06-77 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6. NEW IUSINESS (Continued) a. (Continued) W. Brownell read the letter from Mr. Crighton and also the etter from Daniel B. Bowman, Director of Housing Production and ortgage Credit Division, HUD to Mr. Morris Kaufman, Emerson eighborhood Code Enforcement Office, Gary, Indiana. These etters are regarding Davis -Bacon requirements for rehabilitation ontractors involved in rehab of single - family detached homes nd residential property for use of eight or less families. eference was also made to a letter from Charles S. Leone, eputy City Attorney of the City of South Bend. Mr. Brownell hen asked Mr. Crighton if he would like to add to this infor- ation, and Mr. Crighton replied in the affirmative. !r. Crighton: Just briefly, a very important part of our com- unity development program is the self - evaluative aspect of it. n other words, we have the ability to change areas that have roven to be inefficient or unnecessary. This proposal is part f that self - evaluation process. I suppose the major points are hat we will be able to realize a 15 -20% savings on each contract; nd we should be able to further improve our production. We are rocessing about two hundred applications now and it's very dif- icult for us to get all of these processed and completed and ave them contracted, if we are unable to have contractors bid. n actual dollars taxpayer savings, on this budget alone, would e about $83,000 this year. By eliminating the labor standards rovision we should be able to realize that savings. In other ords, that would be money we would be able to put back into the ommunity. I realize that this may be viewed as a somewhat rastic proposal, but I do. firmly believe it is a necessary one. e have had a lot of probliems with contractors, as you know, nd I believe the cash bond aspect will help, and I believe the abor standards provision (elimination of) will also help sub - tantially. The paper work has gotten increasingly more diffi- ult, more complex, over the past year for contractors, and this ill help them out quite a bit. hair: The doctors tell me the same thing about filling out apers for Medicare. They spend more time doing paper work than hey do treating people. Does the Commission have any questions? Ir. Robinson: Yes. I don't totally agree with that position. [ think all you are going to do is open up Pandora's box and get nore unqualified contractors when you do not have a provision For protection in the Labor Acts and things like this. I don't think what you are trying to achieve is going to benefit the )eople in the community who are supposed to be getting the help. Jhen you are talking about eight or ten family residents, I igree. Now, at the same time, you are also talking about con - ;racts by block, so many houses to a block. To me, again, it could be interpretation -- to me, this could be part of that 8 )r 10 families just because of the way you are issuing the con ;ract, in a block grant. Whenever you eliminate some provision, 20