07-12-71 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING JULY 12, 1971 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING (Continued) Mr. Keith BonDurant, President of the South Bend Civic Planning Association, asked the Coun- cil to "hold the line" by not increasing the 1972 police pay due to the increases of the wel- fare services, aid to dependent children, poor relief, teacher's salaries and the doubling of sewage charges. He read the following letter: "South Bend Common Council South Bend School & Library Board St. Joseph County Council Public Transportation Corp. Board Ladies and Gentlemen: June 11, 1971 Officers and directors of the South Bend Civic Planning Association have been making an in -depth study of the local economic conditions and must request on be- half of the citizens and taxpayers of the community, that no salary increases be allowed for 1972. We make this recommendation on the basis of the following facts: First four months 1970 1971 Public Welfare costs $ 1,718,000.00 Ai..d to Dependent Children cost 807,000.00 Number of cases 3,980 Portage Township Poor Relief $ 146,000.00 $ 1,921#'-000.00 1,230,000.00 6,425 Per Cent Increase 11.8% 52.4% 61.4% $ 320,000.00 119.2% Number of Cases 820 2,678 226.6% The Portage Township Trustee has requested an additional appropriation of $500,000 for the balance of this year (1971), which will cost the taxpayers 22� more in the 1972 tax rate without consideration of the 1972 budget and rate. The sewage rates, as proposed, will increase from a minimum of $1.60 per month to $ 3.40 per month which will place a further burden on the citizens and taxpayers. Unemployment in St. Joseph and Marshall Counties was 7.5% as compared to the national average of 5.9% for the first quarter of 1971. The cost of living increase has been slowed down. 1966 -67 Schools: Teachers average salary $ 7,390.00 $ Number of teachers Pupil- Teacher ratio 1,451 25 to 1 Per Cent 1971 Increase 10,053.00 36.0% 1,551 6.9°% 23 to 1 We ask the School and Library Board not only to retain the present salary sched- ule but the present salaries, except where an individual has changed classification. This would mean a savings of $358,120 for teachers alone and would amount to over 114.1 on the tax rate. We are making one exception in our request to "hold the line" and this is in the Township Trustee office where the employees have received no increase in some thirteen years. We understand that in a number of instances these employees earn less than some of those asking aid. We recognize there are many people in government service who are doing very good jobs and should be properly compensated. We know practically all of the employees have received salary and /or fringe benefits over the last few years. We also know there are many more people who are unemployed, others who are on fixed income, and these too deserve your and our special consideration. Regrettable as the situation may be, these are the facts in St. Joseph County today and are the basis of our request to hold the line on salaries for 1972. Respectfully submitted, SOUTH BEND CIVIC PLANNING ASSOCIATION, Inc. /s/ Keith J. BonDurant Keith J. BonDurant, President by order of the Board of Directors" Mr. Kenneth DeVoe, 15978 Highland Drive, South Bend, speaking for the policemen, urged support of the ordinance. Miss Virginia Guthrie, executive secretary of the Civic Planning Association, stressed the potential burden this raise plus the possibility of the other city salary raises which would follow, will be to the taxpayers which could create a serious tax delinquency that we wouldn't want. She urged the Council to consider this added tax strain on the people and to deny the 5% increase. Mrs. Lee E. Swan, 2022 Swygart Street, South Bend, stated that we have recently been taxed with the additional sewage; there is a possibil- ity that there will be a new tax for municipal trash collection; 66% of the newly married young people are moving out of the City because of these higher tax rates - she cautioned there will be very few left to pay these taxes. Councilman Reinke stated that the Council