10-13-14 Press Release - Henry Davis

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Common 1 South 1 rts NEWS RELEASE Date: Monday, October 13, 2014 From: Council Member Henry Davis,Jr. Contact: 235-5983 2"d District 315-4112 Email: hdavis@southbendin.gov Councilman Davis requests commission over budget and TIF Priorities The South Bend Common Council has worked diligently to provide a finished comprehensive budget for the city. The budget is not only numbers but reinforces our moral template for the next year. Along with this moral document there is an effort to add more funding for perceived pet projects, and calling for the extinction of two main arteries in the city through the expansion and realignment of TIF boundaries. As much of the downtown is encompassed in the 2°d District, I feel compelled to bring some daylight to the potential disastrous impact killing off the main arteries into the City. I have worked tirelessly for the South Bend community for a decade hoping to improve the economic conditions on the western half of the city and these upcoming votes are critical for the next 20 years. With the poverty rate being more than 25%,unemployment rate well over 10%and over 74% of our children on free and reduced lunch and several schools on 100% free lunch we need to revise our priorities to help combat poverty and crime. South Bend is again at a cross road. "We will be remembered for the work we have done for the least of us and not for the favors we have paid back to the wealthy," says Davis,Jr. Today, during the Common Council meeting I will present a resolution to create a commission to examine the past uses of TIF funding and the proposed uses of these revenues. We need to know what the true impact of spending this revenue has for the city and how these dollars can be spent. The fact remains that 84% of the time these dollars have been used to create public-private partnerships in which the community has not seen the promises of these partnerships come to Tuition. It is imperative to slow the current actions to improve the transparency of these transactions. We as Council members are responsible and accountable for how we vote and the lasting impact it has on the total South Bend community.