HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-10-19 Council Minutes REPORT OF SUB-COMMITTEE ON MINUTES
TO THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND:
THE SUB-COMMITTEE HAS INSPECTED THE MINUTES OF THE
June 10, 2019
MEETING OF THE COUNCIL AND FOUND THEM TO BE CORRECT.
THEREFORE,WE RECOMMEND THE SAME BE APPROVED:
TIM SCOTT
J TESHKA
APPROVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL ON: June 24, 2019
ATTEST:
KAR EMAH FOWLER, CITY CLERK
REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
Be it remembered that the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana met in the Council
Chambers of the County-City Building on Monday, June 10th, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting was
called to order by Council President Tim Scott and the Invocation (Councilmember Dr. Oliver
Davis) and Pledge to the Flag were given.
ROLL CALL
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:
Tim Scott 1st District, President
Sharon L. McBride 3rd District
Jo M. Broden 4th District
Jake Teshka 5th District
Dr. Oliver J. Davis 6th District
John Voorde At-Large, Chairperson Committee of the Whole
Gavin Ferlic At-Large
Karen L. White At-Large, Vice President
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:
Regina Williams-Preston 2"d District
OTHERS PRESENT:
Jennifer Coffman Chief Deputy Clerk
Bianca Tirado Deputy Clerk
Graham Sparks Clerk Executive Assistant
Bob Palmer Council Attorney
Morgan Gonsoski PR Intern
David Moses PR Intern
Ryan Wroblewski PR Intern
Shanita Hunt PR Intern
REPORT FROM THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON MINUTES
Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis made a motion that the minutes of the May 28th, 2019 meeting
of the Council be accepted and placed on file. Councilmember Karen White seconded the motion
which carried by a voice vote of eight (8) ayes.
SPECIAL BUSINESS
BILL NO.
19-39 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL
OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, HONORING THE
LIFE OF A GREAT MAN, ROBERT L. MILLER,
SR.
Councilmember Jake Teshka, 2419 Chesire Drive, South Bend, IN, served as a presenter for this
bill. Councilmember Jake Teshka stated, I would like to thank members of Miller's Vets for being
here tonight to honor Judge Miller's life. Also, Judge Miller's son, Bob Junior, and his
granddaughter, Amanda, are here as well. Judge Miller was someone I always looked up to and
his impact on the community was too great to even capture in just one(1)resolution,as I think our
Attorney Bob Palmer can attest to. He served our country in World War Two (II) in the Navy and
he also served his local community. His hands were in a list of things here locally that goes on,
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
and on, and on. I consider myself blessed to have known him in his later years. I gained much
wisdom from speaking with him and that is why I wanted to bring this resolution to you all tonight.
Councilmember Jake Teshka continued, A Resolution of the Common Council of South Bend,
Indiana,Honoring the life of a great man,Robert L. Miller, Senior.Whereas,Robert Lowell Miller,
Senior born on December 5, 1920, in Wilkinson, Indiana, the son of James and Emma Miller, is,
by definition, a member of what we now recognize as The Greatest Generation; and, Whereas,
Judge Miller is a member of The Greatest Generation, not only by reason of the date of his birth,
but also by reason of enlisting in the United States Navy during World War Two (II) and serving
in five (5) major campaign battles in the South Pacific during which time Judge Miller received
more than a dozen medals, including the Purple Heart; and, Whereas, Judge Miller's military
service continued when he was recalled to active duty during the Korean War;and,Whereas,Judge
Miller returned to South Bend and raised his family, which grew to: five (5) children, twelve (12)
grandchildren, seven(7) great-grandchildren and including Judge Miller being a great-guardian of
one (1); and, Whereas, Judge Miller's contributions to our community took so many forms that
any attempt to even mention all of them would undoubtedly fail due to sheer numbers; and,
Whereas, this Resolution is being presented shortly after Memorial Day, 2019 and the seventy-
fifth(75th) anniversary of the invasion of Normandy(a/k/a D-Day), so it is fitting to focus on one
(1) of Judge Miller's primary loves, Military Veterans; and, Whereas, Judge Miller's devotion to
Military Veterans, like his other contributions to our community, took many forms, but two (2)
projects in particular, are evidence of Judge Miller's greatness: Miller's Vets and the "Half-staff
for Veterans"program; and,Whereas, Miller's Vets is a drill team of uniformed veterans from the
South Bend Center for the Homeless who provide advanced skills in close order drill participation
and color guard performances, including "The Last Salute", a full Military Funeral with all
Military Honors for veterans who have no family, church, or Veterans organization to assist with
funeral plans; and, Whereas, "Half-staff for Veterans"is a program resulting from a Proclamation
from Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb which enabled Judge Miller's vision to fly the American
Flag at half-staff for all deceased veterans in St. Joseph County on Patriot Day, Veterans Day and
Memorial Day of each year; and, Whereas, Judge Miller is now one (1) of the deceased veterans
for which the Flag flies at half-staff on those days. Now, therefore, be it Proclaimed by the South
Bend Common Council as Follows: Section One (I) Judge Miller's words that "Our military vets
deserve the very best" shall continue to guide us in our actions toward all those who have served
in the military. Section Two(II)Judge Miller is unquestionably one of the greatest of The Greatest
Generation and will be missed by all. Section Three (III) Godspeed. Section Four (IV) This
Resolution shall be effective immediately upon passage by the South Bend Common Council and
approval by the Mayor.
This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and
opponents were given an opportunity to be heard.
Ed Burris, 747 S. Michigan Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I'm the Commanding Officer of the
Miller's Vets Color Guard. I don't know what else I can add from what Jake has said. Just a few
weeks ago, we did the half-staff salute on Memorial Day, which was one (1) of Judge Miller's
greatest achievements. He always pushed for that. Here is the proof of his labor. I've got eight(8)
members of the Color Guard present and four (4) are absent. From what started out as just doing
honors for deceased veterans over the past eight(8) or nine(9) years, it has gone to doing over one
hundred (100) gigs per year. That includes parades, Color Guard presentations and various
amounts of different things we do. We have a busy summer coming up. It's a good thing to do.
When Judge Miller asked me to do Miller's Vets, I expected it to be a one(1) to two (2) day deal,
it ended up being six (6) years. I can honestly say, even though I complained sometimes, I loved
every minute of it. It's great. He was a great man to be with and a great man to work with. He is
going to be missed very much by everybody that knew him. The last ceremony we did, we did in
honor of Judge Miller and that was on Memorial Day. Mr. Burris then introduced, by name, all
members of the Color Guard present and absent.
Kent Laudaman, 1845 Chaplain Drive, Niles, MI, stated, You know, one(1) thing I didn't hear in
the resolution is that Robert Miller Senior was also instrumental in starting the Robert Miller
Veteran's Center for homeless veterans. I had the opportunity to be the director for six (6) years. I
am now retired, and it still goes on. It is a twenty-four(24) bed facility. For the first (1St) five (5)
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
years, all twenty-four (24) beds were filled and we actually had a waiting list. The last time I
checked, the admission was three hundred and forty (340) admissions to the Robert Miller
Veteran's Center. That is running at about seventy-four to seventy-six percent(74% - 76%). That
is temporary housing. They can't stay there more than twenty-four (24) months at the most. It is
temporary housing and we were successful in getting at least seventy-six percent (76%) into
permanent housing when they left there, as well as part-time or full-time work, and so forth. A
couple individuals here had the opportunity to stay there. So, that is an additional part of the
resolution. Robert was more creative than Ed and I could handle, and that's all I can say. His mind
was great, and he came up with more activities and events than we could possibly handle. It was
great. To see his sharp mind was just something to behold because he kept coming up with idea
after idea.
Bob Miller Junior, 204 South Main Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I just want to add one(1)thing,
and that is how much he loved this City. He lived here for eighty(80) years. Once he got here,he
never moved. He came up from Indianapolis to play football at Notre Dame and from the first(1St)
person he met, who happened to be the Methodist preacher because his mother was a little
concerned about him attending this University of Notre Dame, different age, but from that first
(1St)person he met, to the last person he saw,he loved South Bend.
Aladean DeRose, 1421 East Washington Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I'm an attorney in South
Bend and I am also a friend of the Miller family. I've attended three (3) memorial services for
Judge Miller and in all of these services, I've learned something I didn't know about him, each
more astounding than the other. What you all don't know,probably, is that he was an inventor. He
worked hard and in the last ten (10) years of his life, between ages eighty-eight (88) and ninety-
eight(98),he's probably accomplished more in his legal career than any of us who have practiced
over forty(40) years. He was a remarkable man. He was a family man and devoted to his children,
to the community and the practice of law. He was a Judge, a Renaissance Man and an Inventor.
When we saw those in need,he met their need personally if no one else did. He is just remarkable.
It was my privilege and pleasure to know him.
Councilmember Sharon L. McBride stated,Thank you,Councilmember Teshka,for bringing forth
this resolution. And, to the family, thank you for being here. What an honor for us to have this
resolution be passed. Congratulations to the family and to the veterans, thank you for coming and
sharing this day with us. His legacy will continue to live on in South Bend. I remember going and
taking a tour of the homeless clinic for the veterans and what a great partnership and building that
he started. I want to see and know that everything he left behind will continue to move forward,
through his family and through his community. So, I honor him today and am glad this is before
us today. Thank you.
Councilmember Jo M. Broden stated, Thank you, Councilmember Teshka. This is an excellent
resolution and I'm happy to support it. You've tucked in so many nice thoughts and sentiments
and it truly is an honor to his service and also his testimony to how he impacted your life directly.
Anytime Aladean DeRose comes up and gives that type of resounding support, we know, as an
entire community, we can all get behind this. I want to thank the service members here today and
those who also support the very important work of Miller's Vets. I thank you for your past service,
your current service and your future service. We appreciate it, on behalf of the City.
Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis stated, It's truly an honor to be voting for this resolution. I would
like to thank all the Miller Vets and the family. We are blessed you are here. When I hear of
somebody who got the purple star, the bronze star, all those kinds of things, it's just amazing
bravery. The word I look at is the word influence. His influence lives forever and will live forever.
Power can fade. People can vote you out, people move forward, but influence never fades.
Influence, in fact, over time it gets stronger. It gets stronger as we look at his life and look at his
legacy and everything he has done all his life. It will be continued through his son, his
grandchildren, each one (1) of you and all of us are a part of him. And so, it has been a blessing
and an honor to see his work and to be a part of that. It teaches us to leave our cities better than
when we first (1St) came. I think that is what he has done in all of our lives. So, it's truly an honor
and I'm glad you brought this resolution to us. I look forward to supporting it.
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
Councilmember John Voorde stated, Councilmember Teshka, veterans, family members, it's a
privilege to even just consider a resolution like this. If you didn't know him, you know now,just
by what you've heard tonight that he truly was a remarkable man. I'm honored to be a part of the
resolution. Thank you.
Councilmember Gavin Ferlic stated, I'm honored to be a part of this resolution and he was a
remarkable man.
Councilmember Karen White stated, I would like to thank Councilmember Teshka for bringing
this to the Council. It indeed is an honor to support such a resolution on behalf of an outstanding
person. Not only was he a judge, but he was so committed to the City of South Bend. I personally
thank the veterans that have given your time and commitment to this country. Also, it is just an
honor to call you Judge Miller's Vets. That is a legacy that will live on and on. To the family
members, we thank you for sharing your dad with us. He was a great man and his life and legacy
will live way beyond the times we will have on this Earth. Again, thank you so much.
Councilmember Tim Scott stated,Thank you, Councilmember Teshka, for bringing this. I am truly
honored, as well. I want to thank the family for being here. You guys in the front row, that legacy
lives on. As you pass that down, I'll remember Judge Miller from you guys. Thank you for all you
do, too.
Councilmember Gavin Ferlic made a motion to adopt Bill No. 19-39 by acclamation.
Councilmember Karen White seconded this motion which carried by a voice vote of eight(8)ayes.
REPORTS OF CITY OFFICES
Representing the City Administration: Jamie Morgan, Project Manager
PUBLIC HEARINGS
There were no Public Hearings.
BILLS —THIRD READING
There were no Third (3rd) Readings.
RESOLUTIONS
BILL NO.
19-40 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA
APPROVING THE ISSUANCE OF SCRAP
METAL/JUNK DEALERS/RECYCLING
OPERATIONS LICENSES FOR CALENDAR
YEAR 2019 PURSUANT TO SECTION 4-51 OF
THE SOUTH BEND MUNICIPAL CODE
Councilmember Jo M. Broden,chair of the Health and Public Safety Committee,reported that they
met this afternoon and send this bill forward with a favorable recommendation.
Graham Sparks, Executive Assistant to the City Clerk with offices located on the 4`" floor of the
County-City Building, South Bend, IN, served as the presenter for this bill.
Council President Tim Scott interjected, Sir, is today your birthday?
Mr. Sparks replied, No, it was yesterday.
Council President Tim Scott exclaimed, Happy Birthday!
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
Mr. Sparks replied, Thank you.
Council President Tim Scott stated, Please proceed.
Mr. Sparks stated, Thank you, Mr. President. The property in question today is located at 3109
South Gertrude Avenue. Pursuant to the South Bend Municipal Code, it is under the jurisdiction
of the Ordinance Violations Bureau to annually process the scrap metal and junk dealer's licenses.
We had a resolution approving a majority of them a few meetings ago, and we had one (1)
remaining one (1) that took some time. This is a new owner of a property that has had a
longstanding license formally under the name of Steve and Gene's Auto. The property is in the
sixth (6th) Common Council District,just south of Rum Village Park. The property does not have
any outstanding issues or former violations.The delay in approving this license was a complication
with the transfer of ownership from Steve and Gene's to what is now called 1St Choice Towing.
The property has passed Fire, Police and Code inspections. The Fire Department has inspected the
building and it should not be used as office space as it is currently configured.The applicant intends
on razing the structure. If you have any questions, I defer to my colleagues and, or,the Committee
Meeting minutes that I will be completing later. I yield my time. Thank you, Mr. President.
This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and
opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. There were none.
Councilmember Karen White made a motion to adopt Bill No. 19-40. Councilmember Dr. Oliver
Davis seconded this motion which carried by a roll call vote of eight (8) ayes.
19-41 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,
AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 4710-18 TO
INCLUDE A DOCUMENT EXTENDING AND
AMENDING THE 2017 HUMAN RIGHTS
INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE
COUNTY OF ST. JOSEPH
Councilmember Jo M. Broden,chair of the Health and Public Safety Committee,reported that they
met this afternoon and send this bill forward with a favorable recommendation.
Aladean DeRose, City Attorney for the City of South Bend with offices located on the 12th floor
of the County-City Building, South Bend, IN, served as the presenter for this bill. Ms. DeRose
stated, I'm here to request the Council approves this resolution which concerns the interlocal
agreement between the South Bend Human Rights Commission and the County of St. Joseph, to
enforce the County's Human Rights Law. That Law was passed in 2017 and is substantially
equivalent to that of the City's. At the time the County Council passed the Ordinance, it did not
have an enforcement body. So, about nine(9)months later in September, the County and the City
entered an agreement by which the City enforces the County's Human Rights Ordinance.That was
later continued through 2018, under Resolution 4710-18, but omitted from that resolution was a
document that allows the continuance of the interlocal agreement indefinitely, from year to year,
based upon the County Council's appropriation of funds for the City's services provided in the
interlocal agreement. At the time we were before the Council in April 2018, the County hadn't
begun its 2019 budget process. It did do that and appropriated the funds and,in Exhibit A-One(1),
the City can continue its services to the County on an indefinite basis, as long as there is an
agreement regarding funding.
Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis stated, Sorry I wasn't at the afternoon part. In terms of the
County fees for this, in the future, how would we go about raising those fees?
Ms. DeRose replied, That's an annual process. That is the purpose of Exhibit A-One (1). The
County and the City need to sit down and discuss the numbers of the actual work that has been
done. If there is a need to increase it, we will discuss that. At this time, we don't see the need for
that.
Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis followed up, And then we will make that recommendation to
them?
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
Ms. DeRose replied, We have our Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Ms. Christina Brooks, and she
has notified the Council that we would like the Council to continue its current appropriation.
This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and
opponents were given an opportunity to be heard.
Samuel Brown, 222 East Navarre Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I'm a Human Rights Officer for
the City of South Bend. I appreciate your blessing on passing this. I think in time you'll see this is
a good agreement. We will be willing to work in the County for a long time and finally we are
getting the pieces put together. I hope this is going to be a partnership that lasts a long time. We
just have to put the work in and prove that we are worthy of it. Thank you.
Councilmember Gavin Ferlic made a motion to adopt Bill No. 19-41. Councilmember Karen White
seconded this motion which carried by a roll call of eight (8) ayes.
19-42 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,
ADOPTING THE ST. JOSEPH COUNTY MULTI-
HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
Councilmember Jo M. Broden,chair of the Health and Public Safety Committee,reported that they
met this afternoon and send this bill forward with a favorable recommendation.
Eric Horvath, Director of Public Works for the City of South Bend with offices located on the 13th
floor of the County-City Building, South Bend, IN,served as the presenter to this bill. Mr. Horvath
stated, In front of you today is a resolution we are asking the Council to approve, adopting the
Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan for St. Joseph County. This plan is a guide for the assessment of
hazards, vulnerabilities and risks. What it does is it is a County-wide plan that aids local
jurisdictions in reviewing these hazards and having mitigation plans to help with them. It has a
number of different areas, basically aimed at preventing, protecting against, responding to, and
recovering from disasters. There are a number of strategies here that allow for potential mitigation
of impacts to these natural hazards. This plan was developed in 2008/2010. It was adopted by the
Council in 2010 but it requires continued updates and review. So, this plan was updated and
reviewed in 2017, it was adopted by the St. Joseph County Council in 2018. It has been approved
by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and FEMA. You had asked about the public
meetings, there was a public meeting at the draft forum. They took those comments, reviewed
them and incorporated them into the plan. Then after it was approved by the Department of
Homeland Security and FEMA, there was a follow-up public hearing for additional comments.
There were two (2) public meetings that happened as part of the plan update.
Mr. Horvath continued, I think I mentioned it,but I'll note there is a list of other agencies that have
been contacted. You also have meeting sign-in sheets there in the background. I apologize for not
having the County here,but it is important for us to adopt this plan. If we don't adopt it, we won't
be eligible for certain disaster mitigation funds and grants that are available. As part of our
continuing cooperation with St. Joseph County, I'm requesting the Council approves this plan. I'd
be happy to answer any questions.
This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and
opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. There were none.
Councilmember Jo M. Broden stated, I just wanted to highlight a couple points that were made in
Committee. I think it's important we get some follow-up on the storm readiness and the emergency
exercises in terms of when they are scheduled and that type of thing. Then the community,looking
at the emergency exercises and the public readiness component of this plan. I would like the
Council to receive an update from our County counterparts. Then I think we asked if there were
any significant changes reflected in this updated version. I believe we also asked about any dollars
that are being allocated, currently, for mitigation. I don't think I mentioned that at the Committee
level. Just a follow up, I don't need a reply,just at a later date would be appreciated. My concern
is that, you know, we've had significant events and I would like Council to be aware of what the
overall plan is. That is important. I also want to make sure it's responsive. It's good to update these
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
things but the broader that people are brought into the process, there needs to be the actionable
pieces that should be a part of the planning and the readiness components.
Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis made a motion to adopt Bill No. 19-42. Councilmember Gavin
Ferlic seconded this motion which carried by a roll call vote of eight(8) ayes.
19-43 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL
OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ENCOURAGING
CONTINUED AND INCREASED PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND
THE REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
Councilmember Gavin Ferlic, chair of the Community Investment Committee, reported that they
met this afternoon and send this bill forward with a favorable recommendation.
Councilmember Gavin Ferlic then made a motion to accept the Substitute version of Bill No. 19-
43. Councilmember Karen White seconded this motion which carried by a voice vote of eight (8)
ayes.
Councilmember Jo M. Broden,201 West North Shore Drive,South Bend, IN,served as a presenter
for this bill. Councilmember Jo M. Broden stated,There are just a couple of pieces on this,in terms
of how it was put together. I want to thank our Attorney, Bob Palmer, and Councilmembers Karen
White and Gavin Ferlic for their assistance. Then of course,the rest of the Council for entertaining
this change, if you would, over the course of the past couple of years. We would like to formalize
this request for this change and hope it might bring about some changes. In terms of the way it's
constructed, we essentially wanted to use the resolution as a way to educate the public on some of
the responsibilities of the Redevelopment Commission and what all the Redevelopment
Commission is empowered to do. So, those are the first(1St) one (1) through seven (7) statements
there, after the first (Pt) Whereas. Then, we wanted to talk a little bit about the role of Council
relative to the Redevelopment Commission in the next areas. Then, routinely, the Redevelopment
Commission and its staff, and the Department of Community Investment, provides reports to the
Council and also participates in the budget process. So, there are opportunities where we receive
documents and then those are publicly available, as well, on the City's website. I just wanted to
acknowledge that in the resolution. So, we did that. So, that is the middle of the resolution, the
reporting requirements. That gets very detailed. Items A through F regard the Tax Incremental
Finance Districts. I think that was important to include because amongst members of the public,
there are various levels of knowledge about TIF Districts and how those funds are utilized. So,
hopefully embedding that helps clarify that.
Councilmember Jo M. Broden continued, After that item F, we go into about twelve (12) other
short and quick Whereas statements. I would like to direct the Council to the changes, regarding
the Substitute version. So,if you look at the first(1St)Whereas clause after that letter F, we deleted
some language. It should read now, Whereas, the Redevelopment Commission has stated an
expectation of having$28.4 million within its control during fiscal year 2019. It cuts the statement
there and adds `and.' So, some deleted language in that first(1St) Whereas clause. If you scroll all
the way down, kind of midway into that column, if you'd like to number them I think it goes all
the way to twelve(12),but in this section of the seventh(7th) Whereas clause, I will read it. I think
this does need to be emphasized in terms of the spirit of this resolution. Whereas, among stated
priorities of each the Common Council, the City and the Redevelopment Commission, they are
transparency,public engagement and the City's growth. Just to make sure that is emphasized,even
though we are not reading the entire resolution,that is a very important Whereas clause. Then eight
(8), or things continue down to the ninth (9th) section Whereas clause. This is actually being
responsive to the feedback that we got at the Committee level from Mr. Dan Buckenmeyer. We
thank him for his feedback. Council has taken his recommendation and we have changed it from
5:00 p.m. or later to 4:00 p.m. or later. So,that in our estimation will get around some of the issues
regarding the difficulties for staff or perhaps the petitioners to attend and participate during their
work day. I think that is a good compromise and certainly happy to incorporate that. I ask for
Council's consideration of that change.
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
Councilmember Jo M. Broden went on, So, that is change number two (2). If you go down to the
next Whereas clause, we have deleted the word `necessary' in that section. Then, kicking to
sections one(1),two (2), three(3) and four(4), I'll quickly go through those changes. They are all
very minor and coincide with some of the earlier changes. So, section one (1), we are suggesting
a change in the scheduled meeting time. From 9:30 a.m. to the recommended 4:00 p.m., the
compromised time or later. We actually inserted the word 'may' to read ...may provide more
citizens of South Bend an opportunity to attend the meetings.' Then we inserted some additional
language there that basically talks about being respectful to the Commission, its staff, volunteers
and petitioners,by going with this compromise time.Then the last item is in section two(2), `...the
Commission should adopt rules and procedures by which any person attending such a meeting is
able to engage the Redevelopment Commission per agenda item.' That actually coincides with an
earlier portion of the document just suggesting both the Commission Members will be served well
by public input and perhaps even the petitioners themselves. Just as many of our Boards and
Commissions meet and they have an opportunity to do that, members can speak per agenda item.
We thought that was important. There will be an in favor and against, similar to here. The merits
of the Commission item will still be weighed and voted on by the Commission. I think we are
staying in our lane as a Council. I think we are being respectful to the changes suggested but we
certainly wanted to formalize the request for the meeting time change and then a change in the
format for public engagement.
Councilmember Karen White, 1912 Malvern Way, South Bend, IN, served as a co-sponsor to this
bill. Councilmember Karen White stated, I think Councilmember Broden has done an excellent
job at summarizing the resolution as well as the changes. I wish to thank Councilmember Gavin
Ferlic, our Attorney, Bob Palmer, and Dan Buckenmeyer from Community Investment. We have
a substitute version because he made comments at Committee and we were able to incorporate
those suggestions within this particular resolution. The resolution, I believe, is important because
it really clarifies, for our public, the role of the Redevelopment Commission, what it does, and
then our role as Council Members. Again, it is a resolution that encourages continued
communication as well as public engagement. Again, I'm excited to be a part of this resolution
and we ask the Council adopts the resolution as presented.
Councilmember Gavin Ferlic, 1109 Duey Street, South Bend, IN, served as a co-sponsor for this
bill. Councilmember Gavin Ferlic stated,Thank you Councilmembers Broden and White,Attorney
Bob Palmer, and for being responsive to what Mr. Buckenmeyer said.
Councilmember Jo M. Broden stated, So,in closing,if I may,this is non-binding.That is important
to point out. However, we hope it is embraced by the Department and the Commission Members,
both current and future, Mayoral and Council appointments, and by the Administration, as well.
Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis asked, Do we know when we will hear any response back from
the Administration on this? Are they in agreement to this being put in place?
Councilmember Karen White replied, I can only speak to the brief conversation with the Mayor.
He is aware of this resolution being forthcoming.
Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis followed up, Ok,because I like the 4:00 p.m. Area Plan starts at
3:30 p.m. and other things start at 4:00 p.m. so I think that is good. TRANSPO starts at 4:00 p.m.,
so,there are other meetings that start around that time that the public want to go to. So, I think that
was a good move from that standpoint. I see the wisdom in doing that. I am hoping they will
respond to us and they appreciate the spirit of it and they are able to move forward with that.
This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and
opponents were given an opportunity to be heard.
Conrad Damion, 718 East Broadway Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I wish I had known you were
doing this. Some way or another, you didn't get the word out very well. This is something I've
been concerned about for ten (10) years and have complained about for that long. I'm glad to see
you are dealing with this issue. I fairly regularly attend the Redevelopment Commission meetings
and I haven't seen the resolution, but I'm glad it is as comprehensive as Councilmember Broden
suggests it is. I don't think the community understands what the Redevelopment Commission does
very well and I'm glad to know that is in the resolution. I think that, on a personal level, 9:30 a.m.
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
works for me because I'm retired. So,more evening meetings are not particularly appreciated. But
certainly, to make these meetings more available to the public is important. I have been told that
according to State Law, they couldn't have public input except on the financial and the actual TIF
Districts that they have public hearings about. I'm glad to know that is obviously not true since
you are requesting that they have public input on each agenda item. That could be very confusing,
I think, to both the Commission and the public but I think it's really essential. I remember a time
when there was a group there to speak against what the Commission was planning to do and were
told they have no right to speak. So, I think it is really important that we have that right at all public
meetings. Every time a decision is being made that affects people's lives, at that time it was about
tearing down people's houses, those things are important to have public input on. So, I'm eager to
read the resolution and I'm here to support that you all have gotten on board with the idea that they
need to be more transparent and more eager to hear public input on the issues that face the
Commission. So, I believe, without having read the resolution, that I support the resolution.
Jason Banicki-Critchlow, 3822 Ford Street, South Bend, IN, stated, So, I did take the time to read
the resolution this weekend and I did find it to be thoroughly comprehensive and very well put
together. I can't wait to read some of the amendments and changes. I appreciate the fact that as
this process went on the Administration, at least in terms of Community Investment, seemed
willing to make some changes to the times of the meeting. That is kind of a compromise between
what the Council was asking for and what works for them. So, hopefully that means they will be
open to actually moving those meetings to a time when more people can attend. Again, when we
are talking about $30 million of tax payer money, that needs to be done at a time where more
people can see what is going on. As was pointed out just now,we need to have input into what that
$30 million is being spent on. I think sometimes the Redevelopment Commission and Community
Investment have gotten away from understanding that they are not their dollars, but they are our
tax payer dollars. We really should have input on that. I really do support this.
Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis stated, In the afternoon, there were comments about in the past,
sometimes when they switched it, the attendance did not increase. But again, like as it has been
mentioned,you can't just say,well the same people come at 4:00 p.m. so let's switch it back again.
I think there really has to be effort made to encourage people and to let them know what is going
on. The fact is, if we have a meeting that is this full or packed, we don't change Council Meetings
just because of that or say, well, only fifteen (15) people showed up, we won't have a Council
Meeting today, we'll have it at 11:00 a.m. We still have to make it accessible to the people as best
as we can. I think with your recommendation, too, as many of our meetings can be put online as
soon as we can, I think that's important.The more that people can see,whether it's on their phones
or their computers, I think it's better for everybody. So, I'm just hoping that if a meeting change
occurs and not that many people show up, there is no push to go back.
Councilmember Jo M. Broden stated, This resolution, I really hope the language is such in its
intent to educate, helps. I want to make sure that one (1) of these statements is actually captured
in our minutes tonight and in our discussion. I think all of us, where ever you come down on this
issue, we all want to acknowledge the Redevelopment Commission has played a vital role in the
development of our City. These proposed changes, the meeting time we are recommending, and
the input per agenda item, we don't, at least as authors of this, anticipate that will in any way
inhibit the role or the function of the Redevelopment Commission. On the contrary, we think it
will improve it.
Councilmember John Voorde stated, I don't mean to be contentious or contrary but I'm going to
vote against this resolution. It is important to state that it is not because I'm not for open
government or transparency, which is a word I think is overused. People ought to know what their
appointed Boards and Commissions are doing. We are all for that, including me. Changing the
time from whatever it is to 4:00 p.m., isn't going to do a whole lot in my mind. If it does, in terms
of participation, I will be pleasantly surprised. I think, and as I said in the note I sent to everybody
and earlier in the Committee Meeting, I'm the last one(1)on this Board to speak knowingly about
technology,but technology is there to open these meetings to the public in a much larger way than
changing the time of the meeting. We do it here. We've got cameras and these meetings are live
streamed and you can watch them later. I think, because there are important issues that affect
people every day, we ought to at least investigate the opportunity that technology provides today
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
that wasn't there years ago when this started being talked about. It's not a vote in opposition to
open government. My vote against this is a vote against, what I think is, a missed opportunity. I'm
glad it's all coming to a head, but I wish we would slow down, sit down with the Administration
and see how we can really do this better. How can we engage and inform the public better? I think
there must be a better way to do it. I think it's a missed opportunity. There are costs involved in
changing things, even though they might be incidental. There are costs in doing what I'm
suggesting as well. Maybe the City needs a meeting room studio or something like that, fixed
things that can live stream and broadcast for later viewing. More and more, people are recording
and watching things later. I do it with the news and just about everything. From classic movies to
everything else, it's recorded at home and you watch it when you're able. I think that could be said
for public meetings too. So, anyway, I said earlier that we don't want to move all these meetings
to later in the day because we may as well put the whole City staff on the second (2'1) shift, then.
In sum, that is why I'm going to vote against this.
Councilmember Gavin Ferlic made motion to adopt Substitute Bill No. 19-43. Councilmember Dr.
Oliver Davis seconded this motion which carried by a roll call vote of six (6) ayes and two (2).
nays (Councilmember John Voorde and Councilmember Tim Scott).
Councilmember Karen White left the meeting at 7:59 p.m.
BILLS ON FIRST READING
BILL NO.
16-19 FIRST READING ON AN ORDINANCE OF THE
COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH
BEND, INDIANA, FOR BUDGET TRANSFERS
FOR VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE
CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA FOR THE
YEAR 2019
Councilmember John Voorde made a motion to send Bill No. 16-19 to the Personnel and Finance
Committee for Second Reading and Public Hearing on June 24th, 2019. Councilmember Gavin
Ferlic seconded the motion which carried by a voice vote of seven(7) ayes.
17-19 FIRST READING ON AN ORDINANCE OF THE
COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH
BEND, INDIANA, APPROPRIATING
ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR CERTAIN
DEPARTMENTAL AND CITY SERVICES
OPERATIONS IN 2019 OF $85,857 FROM
GENERAL FUND (#101), $657,159 FROM
PARKS & RECREATION FUND (#201), $28,150
FROM GIFT, DONATION, BEQUEST FUND
(#217), $97,077 FROM HALL OF FAME DEBT
SERVICE FUND (#313), $321,707 FROM 2018
FIRE ST#9 BOND DEBT SERVICE FUND
(#350), $178,534 FROM PROFESSIONAL
SPORTS DEVELOPMENT FUND (#377),
$1,811,500 FROM COUNTY OPTION INCOME
TAX FUND (#404), $3,300,000 FROM 2018 ZOO
BOND CAPITAL FUND (#453), AND $70,000
FROM SMART STREETS BOND CAPITAL
FUND (#753).
Councilmember Jake Teshka made a motion to send Bill No. 17-19 to the Personnel and Finance
Committee for Second Reading and Public Hearing on June 24th, 2019. Councilmember John
Voorde seconded the motion which carried by a voice vote of seven (7) ayes.
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
18-19 FIRST READING ON AN ORDINANCE OF THE
COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH
BEND, INDIANA, APPROPRIATING
ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR CERTAIN
DEPARTMENTAL AND ENTERPRISE
OPERATIONS IN 2019 OF $960,000 FROM EMS
CAPITAL FUND (#287), $177,475 FROM
CENTURY CENTER OPERATING FUND (#670),
AND $63,000 FROM CENTURY CENTER
CAPITAL FUND (#671).
Councilmember Jake Teshka made a motion to send Bill No. 17-19 to the Personnel and Finance
Committee for Second Reading and Public Hearing on June 24th, 2019. Councilmember Gavin
Ferlic seconded the motion which carried by a voice vote of seven (7) ayes.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis requested updates from the Administration on the establishment
of Quiet Zones as well as the discussions on the possible South Shore Station location.
NEW BUSINESS
Council President Tim Scott announced the meeting of the Personnel and Finance Committee on
Wednesday, June 12th at 5:00 p.m. in the Informal Council Meeting Room.
Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis announced he was working on a resolution to bring to the
Council regarding a proposed emergency plan for homeless individuals during inclement weather
events.
PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR
Jason Banicki-Critchlow, 3822 West Ford Street, South Bend, IN, stated, Back in December, I
brought up the idea very briefly of doing a formula of business ordinance for the City of South
Bend. I sent you all a brief email to overview what that would look like. Since then, I got busy
with some other endeavors,however since then, I have much more free time on my hands and have
had much more time to look into this. I have some more information to email you all about this.
The one (1) thing I did find really interesting is only one (1) of them has been successfully
challenged in Federal Court. That was primarily due to the fact that they limited the size of any
business,they deemed it protective of one(1)particular business in that case. Otherwise, these are
fairly routinely upheld through the local and Federal appeals courts. I'm going to go into a brief
overview of what the most basic ones look like to give you an idea of what these are. Hopefully
we can get some momentum on these particularly, in light of even more business corridors going
into TIF Districts, which means we'll be putting millions of more dollars into these corridors. We
need to make sure we protect them and make sure they give us the kind of business return we are
looking for. So most of them will start with a very basic definition of what a formula business is.
Basically, it is any business that has two (2) or more of the following: a standardized name, a
standardized array of merchandise or services, standardized employee uniforms, standardized
decor, standardized façade decor, standardized signage, standardized color scheme, standardized
trademark or service, or any other symbol or features which cause it to be substantially identical
to ten (10) or more businesses in the United States. Some go as low as five (5) but I feel like ten
(10) is probably a better number. Five (5) is pretty arbitrarily low. Most of them also have some
routine and possible exemptions, most of those tend to be grocery stores. Most of the times, these
ordinances target dollar stores and their negative impact on what are considered to be food desserts.
Financial institutions are routinely exempted from them. Again, most of the time these are in key
economic corridors and you want financial institutions there. Hotels and motels, food service
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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
locations are routinely exempted as well. For South Bend, I thought of just a list of areas that we
could possibly use this to protect. Some cities do their whole cities and I feel that is pretty broad.
Some of these areas would be Western Avenue, Lincolnway West, Michigan and Main, the CBD,
Indiana Avenue, Main Street, Mishawaka Avenue, and Portage Avenue. They also have
grandfather rules that protect existing businesses so, you can't chase out an existing business, but
then those grandfather exemptions are eliminated the minute that property is sold, or it closes.
Samuel Brown, 222 East Navarre Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I want to speak on a program we
had out at the Charles Black Center. It was Sunday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was Mammas
Against Violence. There were a lot of tears. We saw a slide show of people who have lost their
lives to gun violence. I'm really proud of all the groups coming together and making the City
aware of what is happening in our City. That is what it's going to take. It's going to take a City
effort to try and slow and stop this useless killing. My granddaughter Indonesia is a sophomore at
Notre Dame but that doesn't really matter. She is a citizen. She was on our way over to our house
over by Memorial Hospital. She was coming down Walnut and a young man came through and
shot about four (4) times. Indonesia was screaming and hollering. He stopped. She went through
and he continued to shoot at the house and the car. I thank the young man for letting my
granddaughter live. Now, our family is trying to figure out the safest route to drive. There is no
safe route. I mean, it can happen anywhere. We just need to keep our work up as a City and try to
stamp this out. It is happening all over the United States. It's not just South Bend. But, I just thank
God that the young man stopped,he let her go through, and then we went back to shooting. I thank
God for that, but we still have to keep working on stopping these senseless shootings.
Rod Goodchild, 837 South 24th Street, South Bend, IN, stated, My father was Robert Goodchild,
NIPSCO. Thirty-four(34) years, and some of you might have learned, when you look at expense,
what is the third (3rd) largest budget item in every school program in South Bend? Exactly.
NIPSCO for thirty-four (34) years. The only one (1) that came out of the Menomonee Indian
Reservation with no degree. He was a First (1St) Lieutenant. That, there is nothing else up there
like it. It makes me proud because he had a son. I have the same genetics as my mom and my dad.
My dad was a wrestler, varsity, and my mom was a three (3) sport captain. They came to South
Bend, they got married and here I am. We have the number one (1) runner in all of Michiana, one
(1) of the top ten (10) in the entire Midwest. When you look at the other one (1), you ask, where
was Wreinke to them? The only State Champ who ever had South Bend. How bad did I beat him?
By a minute and a half. That is when he just won the State. I never had a problem in the same mid-
America Conference. We were number one (1) for Western Michigan. We had the top team, back
to back championships, and yet Wreinke never even made it at Miami-Ohio. That is your number
one (1) champion from the City of South Bend. I never lost to him. I never raced him because I
didn't have a chance and my senior year I was injured. I've come back from a number of operations
just recently. My quest to run the sub-four-(4)-minute-mile, you can see there, that is when I won
the plaque(he passed around the plaque for members of the Council to see). That was a proud year
down in Knoxville, Tennessee. When you look at it, it is very simple. We've done seven years of
the great stump spirit animals. In 2015, I thanked everybody for the support you gave me. As I
was a child, I went to Disney Land and I saw for the first (1St) time, it captured my imagination,
all of these marvelous carvings. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Pluto. Anyways, that was
family. That was your imagination. That is what is captured in the two (2) books with all the
information between Mayor Pete and me. They are both identical. One (1) was an athlete and
Rhodes Scholar, and the other one (1) was a running scholar, he just happened to go to Western
Michigan, not to Oxford. Thank you all so very much. Oh, and yes, we got the eleven (11) stones
by the way. They are approved and will be in before the third (3rd) Saturday of July. You are all
welcome to come and help commemorate the stones that give messages for the eleven(11)animals.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Council, President Tim Scott adjourned the
meeting at 8:13 p.m.
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