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Home My WebLink About01-26-2023 Press Release Common Council Seeking Citizen Members for Standing CommitteesCity of South Bend Common Council 441 County-City Building ● 227 W. Jefferson Blvd South Bend, Indiana 46601 (574) 235-9321● Fax (574) 235-9173 ● TDD (574) 235-5567 ● http://www.southbendin.gov NEWS RELEASE Subject: South Bend Common Council Seeking Citizen Members Date: Thursday, January 26, 2023 From: Council President, Sharon L. McBride Contact: 574-235-9267 South Bend Common Council Seeking Citizen Members to Serve on Standing Committees The South Bend Common Council is seeking applications from interested and dedicated individuals who wish to volunteer their time and talents to serve as citizen members on the following Common Council Standing Committees: COMMUNITY INVESTMENT COMMITTEE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE PARC COMMITTEE (Parks, Recreation, Cultural Arts & Entertainment) PERSONNEL AND FINANCE COMMITTEE PUBLIC WORKS AND PROPERTY VACATION COMMITTEE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS COMMITTEE UTILITIES COMMITTEE ZONING AND ANNEXATION COMMITTEE Section 2-12.3 of the South Bend Municipal Code (copy attached) sets forth the regulations addressing “Procedure for Addressing Citizen Appointments”. • Be a resident of the City of South Bend for at least one (1) year; • Be available to attend meetings on a regular basis; • Be interested in the subject matter and/or have some background on committee’s topics; • Complete an application at https://southbendin.primegov.com/public/committees by Friday, February 10, 2023 (Please fill out an application per standing committee Preference); • Complete a one-time orientation by March 1, 2023. Council members will interview and select qualified individuals to serve. Persons selected to serve as citizen members will also be sworn in by the City Clerk with the oath being kept on file with that Office. The City Clerk will also maintain copies of all applications submitted by individuals not selected in the event that a vacancy occurs throughout the year (informational only, not disclosable to the public). We encourage South Bend residents to consider volunteering on a Committee and having your voices heard. Sharon L. McBride President Sheila Niezgodski Vice President Canneth Lee Chairperson, Committee of the Whole Canneth Lee First District Henry Davis, Jr. Second District Sharon L. McBride Third District Troy Warner Fourth District Eli Wax Fifth District Sheila Niezgodski Sixth District Karen L. White At Large Rachel Tomas Morgan At Large Lori K Hamann At Large Created: 2022‐10‐18 18:02:48 [EST] (Supp. No. 57) Page 1 of 2 Sec. 2‐12.3. Procedure for addressing citizen appointments. (a) All Council appointments of citizen members by the Council to various boards and commissions of the City shall be consistent with the procedures set forth in this section. (b) It shall be the duty of the City Clerk's Office to notify the Council President in writing of all Council citizen appointments which are to expire at least sixty (60) days prior to the date of expiration. (c) After notice is received from the Clerk's Office of upcoming citizen appointment(s), it shall be the duty of the Council President to announce at the next regular meeting of the Common Council under Special Business, the name of the committee, commission, board or other agency of the City to which the Council will be making a citizen appointment, the deadline in which to file an application form, and that such forms are available through the City Clerk's Office. (d) Application forms shall be made available through the City Clerk's Office for all persons interested in consideration of a Council appointment as a citizen member. Such forms shall include, but not be limited to verification of the following information: (1) Complete legal name, address, telephone number, cell number and email address of the applicant. (2) Years of residency within the City of South Bend. (3) Political party if applicable to the appointment. (4) Qualifications as to why the applicant believes he or she would be a qualified candidate for the citizen positions. (5) Summary of educational background, listing degrees and areas of interest from any institutions of higher learning. (6) Summary of employment history. (7) Involvement or participation in professional public service or other types of organization. (8) Availability to attend meetings in the a.m. and p.m. (e) All candidates who file a completed application form shall be scheduled for an interview with the Council President and/or Chairperson of the Council Committee or Council Member appointed to serve on the board or commission related to the appointment in question. All other interested Council Members may attend such interview. (f) Persons selected by the Council as citizen representatives must have been residents of the City of South Bend for not less than one (1) year prior to the appointment and shall continue such residency as a qualification for said appointment. All appointees must update the Office of the City Clerk and the entity on which he or she is appointed to of any changes to his or her address, telephone, cell phone or email addresses upon such change taking place. (g) All such appointments shall serve without compensation for the term as indicated. (h) All citizen appointments shall agree as a qualification for appointment that he or she shall verbally report to the appropriate Council Committee and/or to the Common Council under Special Business at least once per calendar year with an overview of the items handled through the committee, commission, or other agency on which he or she participates. In the event of multiple Council citizen appointments to a committee, board, commission, or other agency, the Council citizen appointments shall rotate such reports among such persons. All citizen appointments shall further agree as a qualification for appointment that he or she shall provide written quarterly updates. Such reports shall summarize activities on the entity on which he or she serves and highlight ongoing and/or upcoming key activities under consideration. Such report shall be emailed to the Office of the City Clerk who shall forward the same to the Common Council. Created: 2022‐10‐18 18:02:48 [EST] (Supp. No. 57) Page 2 of 2 (i) All citizens appointed by the Common Council serve at the pleasure of the Council, and may also be removed for failure to abide by the regulations set forth in this Section. (j) All application forms of persons not selected for a specific Council appointment shall be kept on file in the City Clerk's Office for a period of one (1) year in the event of a vacancy.20 20 Editor's Note—Section 2 of Ord. No. 7108‐82 repealed former Art. 3 which consisted of §§ 2‐14 and 2‐15 pertaining to the City Clerk. Former § 2‐14 derived from § 2‐7 of the 1962 Code. Subsequently, § 1 of Ord. No. 8102‐90 added a new § 2‐12.2, thus duplicating the section number used in Art. 2. The City has instructed the inclusion of the ordinance as § 2‐12.3 in a new Art. 3. (Ord. No. 8102‐90, § I; Ord. No. 10159‐12, § I, 5‐14‐12)