10-30-13 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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SPECIAL MEETING OCTOBER 30, 2013 Council Attorney Kathleen Cekanski-Farrand: You have technically amended everything by accepting the amended pages. Councilmember Varner, Chairperson of the Personnel & Finance Committee, reported that Bill No. 45-13 including amendments as amended was heard in committee this afternoon and comes to the Council with no recommendation. Council Attorney Kathleen Cekanski-Farrand: Councilmember White at this point I would like for you to call upon Council President Dieter to make a disclosure. Councilmember Dieter: That I’m a member of the South Bend Police Department disclosure? Since 1975 and I am able to discuss and vote on this and receive no monetary compensation for my vote either way. Council Attorney Kathleen Cekanski-Farrand: If I could add to that Mr. Dieter’s has also filed the conflict of interest forms required by State Law and they are on file with the Circuit Court as well as with the State Offices in Indianapolis and Office of the City Clerk. Chairperson White advised to the public that this bill is in the Council Portion Only and so that there will not be a Public Hearing on this particular bill. Mayor Buttigieg: Again, I will try not to spend too much time covering this bill this evening. I want to thank the Council for all the work that was done on this bill and thank all the members of the community who came out because budgets are not always flashy. But this budget is about what kind a city we are going be and what kind of government we are going to have. Which it is why it has been so important because of the process that has led us to where we are? This has been a compilation which I mentioned earlier has involved over a dozen meetings and discussions with great deal of difficulty. I hope the spirit of give and take is the prevailing one. We certainly feel that this is a finely crafted budget that goes well over the fifty yard line in working to assure that those concerns brought to light by Council are addressed by the administration’s proposal. It addresses not only the day to day operations of government but also finds resources to support two (2) priorities like job creation throughout the city with the continued development of our 311 service and tackling vacant and abandoned housing. It is a prudent budget that balances the general fund and keeps the city within our needs and helps to preserve the outstanding fiscal strength and reputation that South Bend has. Also, again thanks to input from the Council in the more recently amended version. More resources for neighborhood concerns; concerns including safety, including the need for lighting and an elevated amount of resources for curbs and sidewalks and also setting aside funds to address the residents around the New Energy Plant to have more certain about the ability to keep water out of their homes. It makes the investments that we need in order to change the way we do business, create a place where people want to live and businesses want to invest. I just want to dwell a moment on one of the most publicly commented on dimensions of this bill. Because I think that there have been some ideas discussed today about late breaking changes to that and that is the Smart Streets program. Specifically to make sure that the streets near and around the downtown area are configured in a way that supports growth. The current proposal has taken on more input including to make sure that we are doing the work in phases and that we are doing this work in the most cost effective way. It is not just a result from conversation with Councilmember’s but with members of the community, in public meetings and focus groups and has not only community perspective, Council perspective, and Administration perspective and of course a great deal of engineering and design knowledge built in. I am concerned that any further changes that may be applied during its growth and development would represent a delay on the kinds of projects that could be given an opportunity to be addressed. (inaudible) We have