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CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK we need to increase these salaries to match what other people are getting." I think we've got to start deciding what the threshold is for somebody to be a manager and what somebody to be a director is. I think some of that has to actually start with managing the people, not just public dollars. Joseph Shabazz, 208 Rue Flambeau, stated, I've been watching the whole Diversity Inclusion process for the past decade. I remember when I first(1st) sent in a public access request to ask the City why they weren't following the then Affirmative Action Ordinance that was put together in 1987. Some other people called it the Minority Affairs Council. And I remember how Carlson v. Virginia,through the whole thing and the turmoil and the City Legal Department decided, "Shush, don't tell nobody, we just going to let it lay there." And I remember when Ms. Brooks first (1st) took her job and she was literally overwhelmed with an ordinance that we put together that really had no teeth at all and how she was forced to kind of work around all of that, and still try to do the job. Diversity Inclusion is important in this City because we've got some communities that have suffered through the worst progress of any communities in this City. I'm going to give you an example. Census Tract Twenty-One (21). The overall poverty rate in this community is twenty- three percent (23%). The black poverty rate is fifty-six percent (56%). It's a food desert. In other words, there is no food or retail food market that is easily accessible in these communities. It's a transportation desert.TRANSPO changed their routes so that now no bus runs through there.That's cool in the summer but it ain't much fun in the winter. It's an economic desert. They literally have no place where they can go work inside their community and that's not the only community that we have like that. The City initiative that Ms. Brooks was talking about is a real chance for us to try to do some stuff that would not only increase their procurement opportunities for second (2nd) and third (3rd) tier procurers, it also might give us the chance to begin the process of revitalizing some of these communities that have been left out while downtown got a whole lot of high-rises and tax abatements and that kind of stuff. I was shocked when I found out that Dave Matthews got $5,000 a month to rent that place for the overnight shelter, and he got how much money in tax abatements? Whatever it was, it was too much. Anyway, I know I'm running out of time. I fully support Ms. Brooks getting another person to help her do that job. When you look at all the things that she was talking about there, plenty, she really needs more than one (1). The City needs to become forthright in that, and I'm really confident that once this whole Disparity Study comes out, that there will be a new breeze blowing in South Bend that'll begin the process to change for good. That's all I got. Jordan Giger,602 South Edison Street,stated,I just had a few concerns about the operating budget. I think half a million dollars is, if I read that correctly, is like way too low. Just given the fact that there's been so much discussion in the national news about diversity-related issues in South Bend, I think we should be really looking to support the Diversity Inclusion Office in a more robust way. As it relates to procurement, adding one(1) full time employee, I mean, we know the demand out here is extremely great and so one (1) employee is not enough. I don't know how many we need but we certainly need more than one (1). So, I would hope the Council pushes for that. Perhaps Ms. Brooks could as well. And then I was confused about the organizational charts. So, is it now like the Diversity Inclusion Officer is now over the Human Rights Commission? Committee Chair White replied, That happened last year. Yes. Mr. Giger followed up, So they'd been conflated? Committee Chair White replied, They've been combined. EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY INNOVATION INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 227W Jefferspn Bvld South Bend.Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 f 574.235.9173 TTD574.235.5567 wwwsouthbendin.gov 25