Pledging its Interest in Developments Proposed by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians

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RESOLUTION NO. L 3 r-1 r A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, PLEDGING ITS INTEREST IN THE DEVELOPMENTS PROPOSED BY THE POKAGON BAND OF POTAWATOMI INDIANS AND RECOGNIZING OUR STRATEGIC AND VITAL PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIANA'S ONLY FEDERALLY - RECOGNIZED TRIBE IN THE STATE 4 the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana recognizes that on January 14, 2013, the Common Council adopted Resolution No. 4228 -13 which approved a petition of the Area Board of Zoning Appeals (ABZA) for the property located at 3733 Locust Street, South Bend, Indiana; after it received a unanimous favorable recommendation on the request from the ABZA; and Gq the 2013 petition requested a Special Exception for the Locust Street property to permit "a government facility; Indiana Tribal Government Office for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, a federally recognized Native American Tribe with a service area in the State of Indiana'; and e the Common Council further recognizes that the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is the only federally- recognized Indiana tribe; and further notes that the Locust Street property in South Bend provides needed administrative services to area Tribal citizens, with testimony at the ABZA meeting noting that "we do have a high concentration of Pokagon citizens in the South Bend area, northern Indiana, about 500 so we think that our data would show that we would probably triple that ... serving 60 to 90 citizens a month in our building. Some of the services we would provide are tutoring for our young students. Enrollment into our programs, our education programs, housing, financial empowerment and social service'; and q the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians has made "enormous strides ... to further economic development, to develop tribal infrastructure and resources, and to improve healthcare, housing, education, and elder services to its citizens... [and] has made it a priority to develop language and cultural programs for its citizens to fully engage the Pokagon community in the cultural heritage and traditional lifeways of the Pokagon people ...which benefit the Indian and non - Indian communities alike "; and the Common Council further notes that the Pokagon Band's recognition of the "importance of maintaining a strong, self - sustaining government and strategic partnerships with state and local governments" has only continued to grow over the years which has resulted in sustained collaboration and positive involvement. Section I. The South Bend Common Council is proud to recognize that the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians has a ten - county service delivery area with four (4) counties in southwestern Michigan and six (6) counties, namely St. Joseph, LaPorte, Elkhart, Starke, Marshall, and Kosciusko in Indiana which includes much of their ancestral and historical lands with the largest population concentrations remaining in the vicinity of the "traditional villages in the St. Joseph River Valley, near the towns of Dowagiac and Hartford, Michigan and South Bend, Indiana. Section II. The Common Council recognizes considerable potential benefit to the City from a proposed tribal village and related developments near Rum Village in the 6`s Councilmanic District in South Bend. The Pokagon Band's vision includes housing units, healthcare service areas, tribal government facilities, hotel, apartments, meeting and conference facilities, a gaming facility and parking garage; while potentially creating an estimated 1,400 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs which would represent an in increase jobs in St. Joseph County by 2.9 %. /--// �./ D . red erlic 4`h Dct Dr. id Varner 5°i District Office of the City C erk be in full force and t m and afte its ption by the Common S Oi tm)ft - Der� Large Gavi.� Ferliq A�arge� Karn L. W Cj a--- /U Kathleen Cekanski Farrand, Cou-nncilAA tt Attorney roaed� da" ,E'O!s. Pete Buttigie ; ayo South Bend �:,..