HomeMy WebLinkAboutBill No. 18-22 Making Juneteenth a City Holiday Filed in Clerk' 50ff eAPR 0, 7 2
DAWN ,1 i.JUKES
CITY CLERK, SOUTH SEND, IN
x x
lAti5
CITY OF SOUTH BEND
MAYOR.TAMES MUELLER
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
April 7, 2022
Sharon McBride
President, South Bend Common Council
227 W.Jefferson Boulevard, Suite 400
County City Building
South Bend,IN 46601
RE: Ordinance to Declare Juneteenth a City Holiday and
To Amend South Bend Municipal Code
Dear Council President McBride:
I tender to you with honor,civic pride, and enthusiasm the attached ordinance declaring Juneteenth
a designated holiday for employees of the City of South Bend, and for an appropriate amendment
to the South Bend Municipal Code.
This holiday is rich in history. It marks the day, June 19, 1865,on which news of President
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation finally reached the last of enslaved persons,then living in
Galveston Texas.That date was over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had actually
been signed.
Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday by President Joe Biden on June 17, 2021. He noted then
what we should all keep in mind as we observe this holiday,that it is a day for the celebration of
freedom and the eradication of slavery,but also"a day of reflection and action." True equality
remains a promise that we must pursue until it"is fulfilled for everyone of us"in this city,this
state, and in this nation.
I will present this ordinance to the Common Council at the appropriate Committee meeting and at
the regular evening meeting. I hope it will be an ordinance enacted by acclamation.
Sincerely,
k MA--
James Mueller, Mayor
1400 COUNTY-CITY BUILDING•227 W.JEFFERSON BOULEVARD•SOUTH BEND,INDIANA 46601
PHONE 574/235-9261 • FAx 574/235-9892 - TTY 574/235-5567
LFiledClerk's Office
0 7 2022Bill No. 18-22 N M.
i RS
END, IN
ORDINANCE NO.
AN ORDINANCE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ESTABLISHING
JUNETEENTH DAY AS A DESIGNATED CITY HOLIDAY AND AMENDING CHAPTER 2,ARTICLE 8,SECTION
2-120 OF THE SOUTH BEND MUNICIPAL CODE TO APPROPRIATELY INCREASE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF
DESIGNATED HOLIDAYS FOR OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND INTENT
On June17,2021, President Joseph Biden signed a bill which formally created a federal holiday to
celebrate the freedom of the enslaved people of America at the end of the Civil War. This holiday, known
as Juneteenth Day, has been known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, and Jubilee Day. It
commemorates the delivery by federal troops on June 19, 1865, of the news of the Emancipation
Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln over two years earlier,to the last of the enslaved people who
were then in Galveston,Texas.
In creating this federal holiday, President Biden noted that the end of slavery should be
celebrated, but that Juneteenth Day should also be "a day of reflection and action." It is a day to
remember, in President Biden's words, that: "We can't rest until the promise of equality is fulfilled for
every one of us in every corner of this country."
By recognizing Juneteenth Day as a designated holiday within the City of South Bend,officers and
employees of the City can celebrate the end to the dehumanizing practice of slavery in the United States,
while committing themselves anew to the eradication of prejudice and to principles of equality, equity,
and freedom for every person throughout this city,State, and nation.
It is fitting and appropriate that officers and employees of the City of South Bend observe
Juneteenth Day as a paid holiday on June 19 of each calendar year. When June 19 falls on a Saturday as
it will in 2022, it should be observed the immediately preceding Friday,June 18. When it falls on a Sunday,
it should be observed the Monday that immediately follows, Monday,June 20. Because this holiday will
increase the City's existing designated holidays from nine (9) to ten (10), an amendment to the South
Bend Municipal Code at Chapter 2,Article 8,Section 2-120 is required.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED AND DECREED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA as follows:
SECTION I. Commencing on June 19 in calendar year 2022,Juneteenth Day shall be observed and
established as a designated paid holiday for officers and employees of the City of South Bend. When June
19 falls on a Saturday as it will in 2022, it shall be observed the immediately preceding Friday, June 18.
When it falls on a Sunday, it shall be observed the immediately following Monday,June 20.
SECTION II. Chapter 2,Article 8,Section 2-121(a)of the South Bend Municipal Code shall be and
hereby is amended to read in its entirety as follows:
Sec. 2-120. Holidays.
(a)Officers and employees shall receive ten 10 nine-(.94 designated holidays as approved
by the Board of Public Works and one(1)additional non-designated holiday which can be
any day of the calendar year selected by each officer or employee.
(b) In those years when New Year's Day falls on a Saturday the Board of Public Works shall
substitute the preceding day as the destinated holiday, and such holiday shall be treated
as if it fell in the same year as January 1 of the New Year for purposes of the ten (10)
designated holidays of subsection (a).
(c) In those years when Juneteenth Day falls on a Saturday, it shall be observed the
immediately preceding Friday, June 18. When it falls on a Sunday, it shall be observed
the Monday that immediately follows, i.e., Monday,June 20.
{c+LLThis section does not apply to sworn officers or firefighters.
SECTION III. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the
Common Council and approval by the Mayor.
Member of the Common Council
Attest:
City Clerk
Presented by me to the Mayor of the City of South Bend, Indiana on the day of
2022, at o'clock m.
City Clerk
Approved and signed by me on the day of 2022 at
o'clock, .m.
[Filed in Clerk's Office Mayor, City of South Bend, Indiana
APR 0 7 2022
DAWN M.JONES
LERK,SOUTH BEND, IN