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RESOLUTION NO.
<br />6t-u A)0.
<br />A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,
<br />PLEDGING ITS INTEREST IN THE DEVELOPMENTS PROPOSED BY THE
<br />POKAGON BAND OF POTAWATOMI INDIANS AND RECOGNIZING OUR STRATEGIC AND
<br />VITAL PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIANA'S ONLY FEDERALLY - RECOGNIZED TRIBE IN THE STATE
<br />�, the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana recognizes that on January 14, 2013,
<br />the Common Council adopted Resolution No. 4228 -13 which approved a petition of the Area Board of Zoning
<br />Appeals (ABZA) for the property located at 3733 Locust Street, South Bend, Indiana; after it received a
<br />unanimous favorable recommendation on the request from the ABZA; and
<br />the 2013 petition requested a Special Exception for the Locust Street property to permit "a
<br />government facility; Indiana Tribal Government Office for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, a federally
<br />recognized Native American Tribe with a service area in the State of Indiana"; and
<br />emu, the Common Council further recognizes that the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is the only
<br />federally- recognized Indiana tribe; and further notes that the Locust Street property in South Bend provides
<br />needed administrative services to area Tribal citizens, with testimony at the ABZA meeting noting that "we do
<br />have a high concentration of Pokagon citizens in the South Bend area, northern Indiana, about 500 so we think
<br />that our data would show that we would probably triple that... serving 60 to 90 citizens a month in our building.
<br />Some of the services we would provide are tutoring for our young students. Enrollment into our programs, our
<br />education programs, housing, financial empowerment and social service'; and
<br />Naw; the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians has made "enormous strides... to further economic
<br />development, to develop tribal infrastructure and resources, and to improve healthcare, housing, education, and
<br />elder services to its citizens... [and] has made it a priority to develop language and cultural programs for its citizens
<br />to fully engage the Pokagon community in the cultural heritage and traditional lifeways of the Pokagon people
<br />...which benefit the Indian and non -Indian communities alike ": and
<br />WACyt.y the Common Council further notes that the Pokagon Band's recognition of the "importance of
<br />maintaining a strong, self - sustaining government and strategic partnerships with state and local governments" has
<br />only continued to grow over the years which has resulted in sustained collaboration and positive involvement.
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<br />Section I. The South Bend Common Council is proud to recognize that the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
<br />Indians has a ten - county service delivery area with four (4) counties in southwestern Michigan and six (6)
<br />counties, namely St. Joseph, LaPorte, Elkhart, Starke, Marshall, and Kosciusko in Indiana which includes much
<br />of their ancestral and historical lands with the largest population concentrations remaining in the vicinity of the
<br />"traditional villages in the St. Joseph River Valley, near the towns of Dowagiac and Hartford, Michigan and South
<br />Bend, Indiana.
<br />Section II. The Common Council recognizes considerable potential benefit to the City from a proposed
<br />tribal village and related developments near Rum Village in the 6`^ Councilmanic District in South Bend. The
<br />Pokagon Band's vision includes housing units, healthcare service areas, tribal government facilities, hotel,
<br />aparnnents,,meeting and conference facilities, a gaming facility and parking garage; while potentially creating an
<br />estimated 1,400 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs which would represent an in increase jobs in St.
<br />Joseph County by 2.9 %.
<br />Section III. This Resolution shall be in full force and e t fro i and &� its ad tion by �thcConmnon
<br />Council and approval by the Mayor.
<br />Tim Scott, 1" District er J. Davis, 6 District
<br />Henry Davis, Jr., 2"d District
<br />Valerie Schey, 3rd District
<br />Dr. Fred Ferlic, 4i1 District
<br />Dr. David Varner, 5'° District
<br />1gFM ,
<br />Office of the City Clerk
<br />Derek D. Dieter, At Large
<br />Gavin Ferlic, At Large
<br />Karen L. White, At Large
<br />Kathleen Cekanski Farrand, Council Attorney
<br />Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend
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