02-10-14 Council Agenda & Packet

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CITY OF SOUTH BEND PETE BUTTIGIEG, MAYOR OFFICE OF THE MAYOR February 5, 2014 Mr. Oliver Davis President, South Bend Common Council 4th Floor County City Building South Bend, IN 46601 Re: Resolution Opposing the reduction or elimination of the business personal property tax Dear President Davis: Currently two bills are making their way through our state legislature regarding the proposed reduction or phased out elimination of the business personal property tax here in Indiana. If either of these bills were to be signed by the Governor as passed they would cause serious damage to our local budgets. The state legislative service estimates that revenue losses from total elimination of the business personal property tax to the City of South Bend would be on the order of $8,000,000 and on the order of $3,413,000 for our schools. Revenue losses of that magnitude would necessitate cuts to public safety, public works, parks and recreation, and other essential city departments. It would also force our schools to cut and scale back things like planned technology upgrades, bus and transportation services, and school building maintenance. These cuts would be disastrous without a state guaranteed source of replacement revenue. Neither of the bills currently under consideration provides adequately for this replacement revenue. For these reasons I urge the Common Council and South Bend Community School Board to pass this joint resolution and speak with one voice on our need to maintain high quality services for the City of South Bend. I will present this Resolution to the Council at its Committee meeting and at the full Council regular meeting. Filed in Clerk's Gffl n Sincerely, — Pete Buttigleg, 56t -4'a Va;c City of South Bend CITY CLERK, WiWH rzr &END, IN 1400 COUNTY -CITY BUILDING • 227 W. JEFFERSON BOULEVARD • SOUTH BEND, INDIANA 46601 PHONE 574/235 -9261 • FAx 574/235 -9892 • TTY 574/235 -5567