11-10-75 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 10, 1975 REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 10, 1975 Be it remembered that the Common Council of the City of South Bend met in the Council Chambers of the County -City Building on Monday, November 10, 1975, at 7:03 p.m., Council President Roger O. Parent presiding. The meeting was called to order and the Pledge to the Flag was given. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Councilmen Serge, Szymkowiak, Miller, Taylor, Kopczynski, Horvath, Nemeth, Newburn and Parent. ABSENT: None. Councilman Kopczynski made a motion to resolve into the Committee of the Whole, seconded by Councilman Horvath. The motion carried. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING Be it remembered that the Common Council of the City of South Bend met in the Committee of the Whole on Monday, November 10, 1975, at 7:05 p.m., with nine members present. Chairman Odell Newburn presided. ORDINANCE AN ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $195,000.00 FROM THE FEDERAL ASSISTANCE GRANT COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS GENERAL REVENUE SHARING, FOR VARIOUS FIRE EQUIPMENT, TO BE ADMINISTERED BY THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND THROUGH ITS BUREAU OF FIRE SAFETY. Council President Parent made a motion to refer the ordinance to the Committee of the Whole because of the number of questions raised concerning the bid procedure, seconded by Councilman Taylor. The motion carried. ORDINANCE AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTIONS 20 -18 AND 20 -55, CHAPTER 20, VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC, IN THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, 1971. This being the time heretofore set for public hearing on the above ordinance, proponents and opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. Council President Parent made the presentation for the ordinance. He indicated that the ordinance would allow for free parking downtown on Monday nights and Saturdays. He explained that the cost to the city in lost revenues would be $355 per week for a six -week period or $1,592. He stated that approximately $900 would be lost the parking garages. The total loss would be approximately $2,492. To compensate for this, he was proposing an ordinance to transfer funds from the Council's budget. He felt the intent of t free parking ordinance was to do away with the obnoxious parts of the parking meter system. He also felt the proposal might help to generate more traffic in the downtown area. Mr. Simon Brazy, 1136 Helmen Drive, felt there should be a review of the parking meter system. He showed the Council a number of parts taken from the parking meters which have been found in people's yards recently. He felt that it would be nice if people could come downtown Monday evenings and Saturdays without having to worry about parking. He wondered if there was more expense than income in some of the areas regarding the parking meters. Mr. Gene Evans, Executive Secretary of the Civic Planning Association, assumed that the Council would agree to the transfer of funds from its account to supplement the loss in paid parking. He wondered about next year and the needs of the parking garage system. Council President Parent indicated that his intent was to propose the free parking on a four -month experimental period although it was not specifi- cally stated in the ordinance. He felt a long look would be given to the parking situation.: Mr. Evans indicated that he was concerned about the fact that the parking garages were not relying on their own revenues to pay them off. He stated that it was originally intended that the garages would rely on their own revenues. Mrs. Jane Swan, 2022 South Swygart Avenue, stated that a person could not take advantage of someone else's unexpired time. She felt this situation should be rectified. She felt that all meters should be workable and accomplish this. Councilman Kopczynski asked if the downtown merchants had suggested anything they could do to help the situation. Council President Parent stated that he had talked to a few of the downtown merchants, but he had not requested that they participate financially. He felt they were doing other things and a certain momentum was starting. Councilman Kopczynski wondered if the program would be monitored to evaluate the program. Council President Parent felt it would be very hard to assess the program in only a few months. He stated that the whole parking situation had gotte a bad name lately, and he felt anything that would be helpful should be tried. Councilman Nemeth made a motion to amend the ordinance in Section III as follows: This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Common Council, its approval by the Mayor, the fulfillment of all statutory require- ments and publication as required by law, and subject also to the appropriation of funds to cover any loss of revenue caused by the reduction in paid parking. Council President Parent seconded the motion to amend. The motion carried. Councilman Nemeth indicated that, under the parking bond ordinance, the city must pay for what was taken away. He indicated that this was the reason he had made the amendment to the ordinance. Councilman Miller asked the City Engineer or Controller to express their opinion on the ordinance. Mr. Rollin Farrand, Director of the Department of Public Works, indicated that the biggest concern of the administration was the money to cover the loss of revenue, and he felt the Council had addressed itself to that issue with the proposed ordinance to transfer funds for that purpose. Councilman Miller indicated that he was opposed to the ordinance. He stated that the cost, on an annual basis, would be about $20,000, and he was concerned about this because a time limit had not been identified in the ordinance. Secondly, he felt there wasn't a great deal of income from the meters; however, he expressed concern about employees parking in the metered (free) spaces in front of the stores. He wondered about providing more 12- minute meters for quick turnover. He felt the meters were doing other things which were important for business. He felt it was con- trary to the concept of the bond ordinance to allow free parking, and he wondered about a lawsuit