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REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 26, 2012 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Mayor Pete Buttigieg gave an update on city activities: <br /> <br />Mayor Buttigieg stated that he is trying to emulate some the members of the Council and trying <br />to go paperless. He stated that he is young, but old fashioned, and it will take some time to get <br />used to his i-pad. He stated that he is trying gradually to make that transition. He hoped that <br />everyone had a good Thanksgiving holiday with their families, he stated that he did. Hope <br />everyone was able to take the time to get a little bit of rest. He wanted to acknowledge all of the <br />city employees, especially those in public safety who did work during the course this <br />Thanksgiving holiday. He stated that he would be remiss if he did not mention the major local <br />achievement, for which we in City government can take no credit and that’s the #1 Notre Dame <br />Football Team that we have. He stated that he is already working with others in the community, <br />particularly in the Economic Development community to look at ways that we can make sure <br />that the City of South Bend is taking advantage of any additional publicity and economic <br />possibilities that may arise from the fact that we have a nationally ranked #1 team and make sure <br />that we do what we can as we build up to that game. Mayor Buttigieg advised that we have <br />completed the open enrollment period for employee benefits and health care. He stated that <br />every city employee had to go in and register their preferences even if they were not making a <br />change. It was a lot of work, but it was a success. He stated that he really appreciates Mark Neal <br />and the Department of Administration & Finance after having just come off the budget period <br />and turning right around and getting that open enrollment process taken care of. This week <br />coming up on Wednesday, we have the last Mayor’s Night Out for the year. He stated that his <br />nd <br />goal was to cover every district in the City over the course of the year he started in the 2 <br />st <br />District and now coming full circle and will be in the 1 District, Councilmember Scott’s district <br />and he has been making sure that constituents know about that opportunity. He stated as always <br />it is open to folks from anywhere in the community. He stated that it will be from 5:30 – 7:00 <br />p.m. He stated as we get to the end of the year we start to do the math on how many people we <br />have helped, and well over a couple hundred that they have been able to spend time with, so they <br />are pleased with this program and intend to continue it going into next year. Over the next few <br />weeks he is working on rounding out some final appointments for key positions in the City, <br />which we aim to have complete by the end of the year. The process has taken time, more time <br />than he initially anticipated, but that what is taking to find the best people for the right positions <br />in the City and looks forward to sharing announcements with the Council and the people of <br />South Bend very soon. He reminded the Council that the Administration will be approaching <br />soon regarding tweaks that they would like to make in the structure of the Mayor’s Office. This <br />is something that was contemplated in the budget process and they will in a matter of weeks <br />bring to the Council. The main idea again, is to make sure that they are set up in the best <br />possible way to address community relations and constituents concerns for all the different <br />segments and elements in our diverse community and looks forward to getting some feedback <br />from Council on that vision and structure once they have a chance to share a little more. Mayor <br />Buttigieg advised that the Department of Community Investment and the Department of Law are <br />switching office spaces here in the County-City Building. There was a real unevenness in the <br />square footage that was available and a lot of folks were getting piled on top of each other in the <br />Community Investment Department. So this is a chance to try to even that out a little bit. Also a <br />nice chance to signal to potential folks who might be creating jobs in our community, how <br />seriously we take community investment that we are going to have those folks right on the same <br />floor with the Mayor’s office. The vital work in the legal department continues to be extremely <br />important and will continue to work with that department on a daily basis. He stated that today <br />is the day that the Administration has filed for first reading the ordinance that will make Martin <br />Luther King, Jr. Day a designated city holiday. He stated that he hopes very much that the <br />Council will support this opportunity to honor a great American something that many other <br />communities and the Federal Government do every year. He stated that they have the finishing <br />touches coming on the vacant and abandoned properties task force report. It is very detailed <br />because so much rich information and input came into it. It has proved to be a very thick <br />document so they are working on an executive summary that will be easy to understand and <br />share even as we have all the detail coming together behind it, and is something that he looks <br />forward to doing. He stated that they have started building for the 311 Customer Service line <br />internally and have been advertising some positions that are going to make that a reality. He <br />thanked the Council during the budget process for funding that opportunity, it is going to make <br />our city more accessible to people throughout the community. Last but not least, this is his first <br />opportunity to address the Council since the November elections, thankfully none of us were on <br />2 <br /> <br /> <br />