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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBuild the Budget 2025 ReportBudget Feedback 2025 Published September 23, 2024 City of South Bend Many thanks go out to South Bend residents for their feedback, members of the common council for their continued support since 2021, and the Office of Mayor for their guidance. Special thanks to the 23 city staff members who volunteered their time to help table, code voicemail responses, and assist in design work this year. Table of Contents Letter from the Mayor 5 Executive Summary 6 Resident Engagement Timeline 8 How Residents Built the Budget 9 The Online Survey 9 311 Voicemails 10 Envelope Wall 10 Budget Trivia Game 11 Resident Feedback 13 Online Survey 13 311 Voicemails 18 Build the Budget Envelope Walls 22 Feedback Geography 24 Conclusion 26 Appendix 28 Page 3 Page 4 Letter from the Mayor Page 5 Dear Neighbor, For the fourth year running, the City team continued our “Build the Budget” engagement program.This outreach and data collection season has become a recognizable staple in the late summer and early Fall.We're pleased to see residents participate year after year. Just as before, the City Administration collected online survey responses, coded hundreds of 311 voicemails, and facilitated budget feedback and trivia sessions at festivals and events. Yet again, our team saw engagement numbers soar.We saw almost 1,600 resident engagements this season, beating last year by a healthy margin. This number is nearly double the first year we did this program in 2021. This report will share the major takeaways on resident priorities and ideas. We were pleased to see that our proposed 2025 budget is aligned with this year's feedback. James Mueller Mayor, City of South Bend Page 6 Executive summary The City of South Bend spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on everything from vehicles to public safety to staff salaries. Influencing the budget means influencing the future of our city – how much we pave, what we repair, and how our neighborhoods are supported. It's an important process that deserves more engagement and attention. Unfortunately,resident involvement has been low in past budget cycles. This isn’t because residents don’t care about their city or the budget; traditional ways of engagement often required people to go out of their way to meet the City where we are instead of the other way around. For the last four years, the City of South Bend has run the “Build the Budget” initiative, meeting resident where they are, and soliciting feedback in innovative ways. Our goal is to demystify the annual budget process itself. Using an online survey, voicemails, and tabling at community events, we deployed several ways for residents to voice their ideas and build the budget with the number of responses rising each year! 70 Online survey responses 161 Budget feedback voicemails 1,315 In-person envelope wall participants 1,546 Resident feedback total + + = Page 6 Page 7 This year, 1,546 engagements were recorded, nearly 2% of the City population. Across the 1,546 engagements, five themes surfaced over and over. These priorities were consistently mentioned by residents through all three forms of engagement. Residents who participated in Build the Budget want: Resurfacing & repairs for roadways and streets In the online survey, the Roadways category had the most money allocated to it. Roadways and alleys was also two of the most frequently mentioned across voicemails. Residents often cited streets they want to see repaired in their neighborhood; with some noting work they’ve seen already seen done through the Rebuilding Our Streets Initiative and expressing a desire for it to continue. Housing accessibility, availability, and affordability Investing in housing for unsheltered residents was the highest priority at community events.Expanding housing supply and increasing affordability were mentioned at in-person events and voicemail and is a growing priority. Improve sidewalks and curbs Online survey and voicemail participants were eager to see better neighborhood infrastructure, especially repairing sidewalks and curbs. Like roadways, a few participants cited sidewalks they would like to see repaired. Safer communities Violence intervention initiatives and Increasing police officers (including community resource officers) were top priorities that residents want to see continued support for with city funds. Investment in recreation opportunities, especially for youth Residents highlighted what an asset public parks and recreational spaces/programming are to the City’s quality of life. They also expressed an increased desire for the City to focus on youth programming during summer and after schools. Executive summary Page 7 Resident Engagement Timeline Build the Budget engagement ran for seven weeks, from July 30– September 15. Check out the timeline below to see how Build the Budget was promoted to residents and what events we took the budget table to this year. Page 8 Engagement Launches •311 Voicemails + Online Survey go live July 30 August 14 September 15 September 23 October 14 Hearings Start •Each department presents its budget for upcoming year Engagement Ends Report Released •Provide Council with resident feedback and aid prioritization of future initiatives Council Votes •Council can approve as is or decide to decrease proposed items Date Event Location Visitors July 30 Meet the Mayor Howard Park 31 August 2 First Friday Downtown 69 August 6 National Night Out South Bend Police Station 41 August 10 Art Beat East Bank 176 August 17 Linden Ave Farmers Market Charles Black Center 36 August 29 Cubs Game Four Winds Field 22 September 6 September First Friday Downtown 61 September 4 -13 Utility Lobby Colfax Office 9 September 14-15 Fusion Fest Howard Park 872 How Residents Built the Budget The Online Survey The survey was available through a link posted to the City website, Facebook, Instagram, and through QR codes printed on promotional materials. 70 residents completed an online budget feedback survey, less than previous years. Our goal was to offer an accessible feedback opportunity that is more comprehensive than the tabling envelope walls. The goal of the survey was to assess residents’ preferences when managing a limited amount of funds. Residents were asked to allocate a fictional $100 across strategic categories. Residents were also presented with a list of four investment areas, asking which ones the City should increase, maintain, or reduce. Many residents also offered extensive and constructive feedback in the open- ended portion of the survey. This mimics the difficulty of the City budget process: there are always tradeoffs and there is no such thing as infinite money to support everything residents want. Page 9 The three forms of engagement draws from different segments of the population and is presented differently to residents, which leads to top categories being slightly different across each platform. The online survey and envelope walls present residents with a list of twenty strategic categories prepared by the Mayor’s Office. This year’s list is the same with apart from one reworded category1 allowing us to compare responses from last year. 1-Appendix C Residents also had the option to leave a voicemail via 311 suggesting what they want to see prioritized in the 2024 City Budget. Liaisons would ask residents at the end of the call if they would like to provide feedback. The City received a total of 190 voicemails with 161 of those providing relevant feedback. City staffers listened to each voicemail and coded them by category/priority topic. Because voicemail feedback is more open-ended, many responses contain feedback outside of the strategic categories, and residents also offer feedback for public investment at specific locations. Each response contained an average of 1.6 topic mentions, meaning nearly half of residents felt strongly about one issue. Envelope Walls To mirror the information collection of the online survey, the City created two interactive envelope walls to display at public events. Like the survey, participating residents each received $100 in fake bills to allocate across strategic spending categories in the 2024 annual budget. Over August and September, the envelope walls went to 9 public events. $131,040 in fake money was allocated by roughly 1,315 residents who participated in the envelope wall activity, a three-fold increase from last budget year. The increase can be attributed to the Fusion Fest table placement at a high traffic area in addition to volunteer enthusiasm. Page 10 311 Voicemails The budget trivia game is an eye-catching, fun way for residents to learn about the city budget.Residents spin the budget trivia wheel, land on a category, and get an opportunity to answer a question and win a prize, ranging from tote bags, pens and pens. Residents who answered a trivia question incorrectly were still always offered a sticker or candy for kids. This game didn’t help us learn about resident priorities, but it was an effective way to draw people into a conversation about the city budget and various city operations. After playing, residents were asked to participate in the envelope wall activity. Page 11 Sample Trivia Question: How many total vehicles does the City own? Over or under 1,000? Answer: Over! The city had 1,053 vehicles in 2023 Budget Trivia Game This year included new prizes for residents to win! Section page break? Page 12 “I’d like the budget to continue to go towards some of the improvements…like street, sidewalks, and sewers and things that normally the City can do. I think [the City] has the responsibility of making sure all that gets done.” - Voicemail 5 “I would like to see the City budget used for neighborhood improvements: streets, sidewalks, trash off the corners. Perhaps [we need] City trash cans on the corners.” - Voicemail 116 “Enhanced code enforcement with early intervention, prompt follow-up, fast remediation, and actual collection of fines... Lax enforcement, especially in gateways and downtown, sends the wrong message to our community and visitors.” - Survey 1 “The City could use itself as an opportunity to learn practices that retain good workers and lower waste…” - Survey 25 Page 13 Strategic Spending Priorities South Bend residents’ top priorities in next year’s budget are continuing to repair roadways and improve neighborhood infrastructure. Compared to last year’s survey, there is little change in proportion for each category other than increase officers and violence intervention slightly declining. See the top seven categories below. Resident Feedback: Online Survey $950 $718 $619 $573 $561 $423 $364 Repair and resurface roadways Improve neighborhood infrastructure (sidewalks, lights, traffic calming, curbs, etc.) Maintain safe, reliable water and wastewater utility Increase officers (inc. community resourceofficers) Invest in supportive housing for unsheltered residents Invest in more housing of all types Develop and improve city parks and trails Dollars assigned Online Survey Strategic Spending Priorities Top categories More details about the online survey responses can be found in Appendix A. Page 14 Spending Adjustments Survey respondents were also asked how they would adjust spending across four broad civic priorities based on their current perceptions of City operations. Those categories were: 1.Ensure public safety for all 2.Build sustainable neighborhood infrastructure 3.Invest in economic growth and jobs 4.Advance, equity, inclusion and access to opportunity For each civic priority, respondents could select to Reduce, Maintain, or Expand spending. The chart below provides details on the spending adjustments indicated by respondents. Takeaways •Build sustainable neighborhood infrastructure for all had the most Expand responses. District 1 and 5 are most in favor of expanding. •Ensure public safety for all has more Maintain responses and less Expand responses compared to last year. •Advance equity, inclusion, and access to opportunity has the most Reduce responses but has less reduction in proportion compared to last year. District 4 is the most in favor of reducing. Resident Feedback: Online Survey Page 15 Survey Responses by Council District The map below includes the top three strategic priorities and number of responses in parenthesis of each district from the online survey. Darker hue represents larger response rate. Notable takeaways: •Repair and resurface roadways was a top 3 category for all districts. •Increase Officers, Neighborhood Infrastructure, and Water/Wastewater Utility were also top categories for most districts. •District 4 and 2 responses allocate more towards Increase Officers. •The online survey responses favor categories that have traditionally been a part of the City budget: public works and public safety. •District 1 and 4 continue to provide high response rates, but District 3 had significantly less than previous years. •There were 5 responses from people who did not live in South Bend and 5 unknowns. Resident Feedback: Online Survey 0 20 40 60 80 District 1 - Lee District 2 - Gooden-Rodgers District 3 - McBride District 4 - Warner District 5 - Bolden-Simpson District 6 - Niezgodski Blank/non-resident Online Survey Responses by Council District Past three years 2023 2024 2025Budget Year Page 16 Survey Demographics Resident Feedback: Online Survey The survey asks residents for demographic information to better understand how well survey respondents represent our community. White residents are overrepresented (70% in survey compared to 50%), while Black residents (11% to 26%) and Hispanic residents (7% to 16%) are underrepresented in the survey2. Men are slightly underrepresented in the survey. 2: US Census South Bend Profile Page 16 Section page break? Page 17 “I would like to see cleaner streets and less litter . I would like to see better sidewalks and not have the burden be on the owner to pay.” - Voicemail 25 “I like what I’m seeing with the parks and green areas that have been updated…[I would like to see] places for children to go.” - Voicemail 174 “I would like to see the budget go to affordable housing for the working middle class and safe neighborhoods.” - Voicemail 134 “[I would like to see] Western Avenue beautification...the medians need an overhaul with beautiful trees and grass. What we have now is crumbs of pavement.” - Survey 45 Page 18 311 Voicemail Overview Across the 161 voicemails, there were 79 strategic category mentions and 82 mentions of other resident priorities that were not encapsulated by the existing categories presented in the online survey/envelope wall. 32% and 25% of voicemail messages mentioned improving neighborhood infrastructure and repairing roadways, respectively. There was a minority of voicemails that were critical of the City’s traffic calming measures. Resident Feedback: 311 Voicemails 32% 25% 11% 7% 7% 7% 4% Improve neighborhood infrastructure (ex: sidewalks, lights, traffic calming, curbs, etc.) Repair and Resurface roadways Increase officers (including community resource officers) Develop and Improve City Parks and Trails Invest in supportive housing for unsheltered residents Invest in more housing of all types Maintain safe, reliable water and wastewater utility % of all voicemails 311 Voicemail Strategic Spending Priorities Most mentioned categories 11% 7% 5% 5% 5% 4% 3% Corridor Beautification Alleys Partnering with local schools Code enforcement Waste management Lower taxes and utility bills Senior services % of all voicemails Most mentioned other topics More details about the 311 voicemail responses can be found in Appendix B. Other Topics The top resident concerns beyond the strategic priorities are beautification (particularly of Lincoln Way or Western Ave corridors for residents entering from west of South Bend), alley grading and improving schools. Some residents were unsatisfied with the material chosen for most alleys—loose gravel alleys are most of South Bend’s alleys. Others were worried about the quality of local public education, which, to note, is not managed by the City administration. Residents who mentioned code enforcement want the City to be more active in issuing citations for properties in violation, and 5% of callers voiced concerns about property tax rates. Neighborhood Infrastructure Resident Feedback: 311 Voicemails Page 19 5 10 19 3 12 CurbsDevelop vacant lots SidewalksStreet lightsTraffic calming Neighborhood Infrastructure Mentions by subcategory When a caller brought up a neighborhood infrastructure topic, the voicemail was coded by infrastructure subtype shown in the right. Response rate for traffic calming and streetlights fell from last year, but mentions of fixing sidewalks rose. A few respondents requested the City to fix curbs after street resurfacing projects. “Developing vacant lots” was a new subcategory added this year. Page 20 Changes in Resident Sentiment from Last Year Voicemail responses has shown the greatest change in category mentions compared to the other engagement types. Improve Neighborhood Infrastructure increased more in mentions driven by sidewalk requests and developing vacant lots. This is followed by a modest proportional increase for Increase Officers and Investing in Housing. On the other hand, Roadways decreased dramatically, followed by Financial Empowerment. This could potentially be attributed to increase in resident satisfaction over recent roadway investment and changes in personal financial situations since the pandemic. Resident Feedback: 311 Voicemails Since the response rate varies year over year, the chart above compares the change in proportion for each category e.g. last year Neighborhood Infrastructure was mentioned 25%—this year it is 32% hence a 7.3% increase. Section page break? Page 21 “Youth programming is key to keep kids off the streets and out of dangerous situations… for example, involving youth in climate-change adaptation work to develop key life success skills and mentorship experiences” - Survey 66 “More bike infrastructure and better public transport with wider and more frequent coverage.” - Survey 10 “20-40 year olds end up living with parents because they can't afford to live on their own. Affordable apartments for this age range should be considered. ” - Survey 31 “[I would like to see] more collaboration with schools to promote education as the primary means to reduce crime.” - Comment at Fusion Fest Page 22 Envelope Wall Overview The Envelope Wall engagement was by far the most popular this year with 1,315 residents participating. Two-thirds of participants were from Fusion Fest alone. Anecdotally, many of our participants came from young families and residents who enjoy attending VPA and DTSB programming. Even through residents were limited to five categories (each resident was given five fake $20 bills), the parity of dollars distributed was high relative to other activities i.e. low variance among categories. Envelope Wall themes this year include more investment for the housing categories, recreation: Developing parks and youth programming, and investment in small businesses. Hearing from residents, many were concerned about housing affordability (themes include increased rent, housing scarcity, and high property taxes). Subcategory and Other topics A handful of residents specified increasing the number of Community Resource Officers and 911 dispatchers under Increase Officers. Other participants indicated investment towards mental health services under the Health Equity category. Other topics residents suggested were partnering with local schools, food security (with respect to programs like Linden Ave Farmers Market), and Childcare. Resident Feedback: Envelope Wall $11,700 $10,760 $10,740 $10,540 $10,160 $8,640 $8,320 Invest in supportive housing for unsheltered residents Expand violence intervention initiatives Support small businesses Develop and Improve City Parks and Trails Invest in youth programs Invest in more housing of all types Repair and Resurface roadways Dollars assigned Envelope Wall Strategic Spending Priorities Top categories More details about the envelope wall responses can be found in Appendix A. Page 23 Changes in Resident Sentiment from Last Year Residents largely invested the same proportion of dollars in the list of strategic categories. Top increases include Supporting small businesses and Investing in housing. Investing in Climate Action, Attracting business and talent, and Investing in housing for unsheltered residents fell from last year. Neighborhood infrastructure responses are not as high compared to voicemail responses and unchanged from last year. Residents calling 311 might be reporting an issue with their streetlight or curb with that issue salient when recording the voicemail. Another theory is that the envelope does not list examples of neighborhood infrastructure for Envelope Walls participants. Resident Feedback: Envelope Wall Since the response rate varies year over year, the chart above compares the change in proportion for each category e.g. last year Support Small Business received 5% of all dollars allocated—this year it is 8.2% hence a 3.2% increase. Largest Envelope Wall Category Shifts (2024-25) Page 24 Geographic Overview Many residents asked for the City to look at specific investments near their home or around their neighborhood. The maps display location-specific requests that would not be fulfilled by a standard service request but are within the City and Council’s scope to investigate. Each location is represented by a symbol indicating form of engagement. Many of these of comments originated from the Budget Voicemail recordings. The goal for this map is to share resident ideas for their neighborhoods in an easily understood way in relation to city-wide feedback in previous sections. Resident Feedback: Feedback Geography West and Northwest Neighborhoods Form of Engagement Page 25 Nearly all location-based requests were for the Western/Southern side of the St. Joe River. Residents are eager on beautifying the corridor on Western and Lincoln Way with varying ideas. Feedback near downtown are focused on unsheltered residents and increasing density. Near the St. Joe river, residents would like to see more grass trimming near right-of-ways. Resident Feedback: Feedback Geography Downtown and Southern Neighborhoods Far Northeast Neighborhood Feedback Themes Comparing responses across the three platforms, the report’s conclusion reaffirms resident sentiments over the last few years: Support for Roadways remains steady, while investment in housing and youth programs has slightly risen. 1.Resurfacing & repairs for roadways and streets 2.Housing accessibility, availability, and affordability 3.Improve sidewalks and curbs 4.Safer communities 5.Investment in recreation, especially for youth Looking forward to Build the Budget 2026, some recommendations include updating categories to better reflect resident sentiment e.g., corridor revitalization, code enforcement, and public transit. Providing clarifying information to residents at events for some categories: Climate Action details, health equity program proposal could be useful. To improve online survey uptake, it would be best to partner with Common Council on distributing the survey and encourage residents to take the survey each year if they filled out a survey in the past. If you have ideas to improve budget engagement so we can continue to engage with more residents next budget season, please email sbit@southbendin.gov. Conclusion Page 26 Page 26 Section page break? Page 27 “I want to see positive youth [services] come back into the City.” - Voicemail 66 “I would like to see the city develop reintegration programs for people who are released from jail” - Survey 17 “I would like to see extended services through the Police Department. With more police, that provides greater opportunity for them to communicate and engage with the community. With less police you aren’t able to build trust within the community.” - Voicemail 131 “I would like to see more services and resources available for our bilingual families and our Hispanic population. I feel like it’s very limited and I would like to see those resources increased.” - Voicemail 146 Page 28 Envelope Wall and Online Survey Detailed Response Totals Appendix A: Online Survey and Envelope Wall Topic | Subtopics Envelope Dollars % of Envelope Total Online Dollars % of Survey Total Invest in supportive housing for unsheltered residents $11,700 9%$561 8% Expand violence intervention initiatives $10,760 8%$351 5% Support small businesses $10,740 8%$239 3% Develop and Improve City Parks and Trails $10,540 8%$364 5% Bike Lanes $40 Invest in youth programs $10,160 8%$262 4% Invest in more housing of all types $8,640 7%$423 6% Low-income housing $20 Repair and Resurface roadways $8,320 6%$950 14% Improve neighborhood infrastructure $7,800 6%$718 10% Increase officers $6,820 5%$573 8% 911 Dispatchers $20 CROs Only $40 Support new residents and welcome immigrant communities $6,020 5%$118 2% Fund workforce development and skills training $5,580 4%$210 3% Invest in climate action plan $5,120 4%$218 3% Maintain safe, reliable water and wastewater utility $4,540 3%$619 9% Expand financial empowerment and relief programs $4,380 3%$202 3% Partner to promote health equity $4,160 3%$172 2% Lead Testing $20 Mental Health Clinics $160 Add fire and EMS services $3,940 3%$351 5% Promote diversity & inclusion in city contracts $3,900 3%$113 2% Create good jobs by attracting and retaining businesses and talent $3,200 2%$277 4% Better alternatives for returning residents $20 Advance digital equity and internet access $2,700 2%$152 2% Improve City’s customer service $1,260 1%$129 2% Other $760 1%N/A N/A Childcare $100 Corridor Beautification $60 Community Events $20 Food Security $120 Handicap Accessibility $40 Partnering with Schools $300 SBARC $60 Senior Services $40 Transpo $20 Total $131,040 100%$7,000 100% Page 29 Online Survey Spending Adjustments by Council District Appendix A: Online Survey and Envelope Wall Page 30 Budget Voicemail Detailed Response Total Appendix B: 311 Voicemail Topic | Subtopics mentioned Mentions % of total voicemails Improve neighborhood infrastructure 51 32% Curbs 5 Develop vacant lots 10 Sidewalks 19 Street lights 3 Traffic calming 12 Repair and Resurface roadways 40 25% Better road construction planning 2 Increase officers (including community resource officers)17 11% Community resource officers only 2 Traffic enforcement 4 Develop and Improve City Parks and Trails 12 7% Bike lanes 1 Clean up river bank 1 Invest in supportive housing for unsheltered residents 11 7% Invest in more housing of all types 11 7% Home Repair Program 1 Low-income housing 3 Maintain safe, reliable water and wastewater utility 7 4% Invest in youth programs 5 3% Expand financial empowerment and relief programs 5 3% Expand violence intervention initiatives 5 3% Support small businesses 4 2% Add fire and EMS services 3 2% Improve City’s customer service 2 1% Support new residents and welcome immigrant communities 2 1% Invest in climate action plan 2 1% Fund workforce development and skills training 1 1% Partner to promote health equity 1 1% Create good jobs by attracting and retaining businesses and talent 0 0% Promote diversity & inclusion in city contracts 0 0% Advance digital equity and internet access 0 0% Other 82 Corridor Beautification 17 11% Alleys 12 7% Partnering with local schools 8 5% Code enforcement 8 5% Waste management 8 5% Lower taxes and utility bills 6 4% Senior services 5 3% Transpo 3 2% Handicap accessibility 2 1% SBARC 2 1% Snow plow 2 1% Traffic flow 2 1% Public swimming pools 1 1% Community events 1 1% Improve service request tracking 1 1% Food security 1 1% Extend Downtown YMCA lease 1 1% Inflation 1 1% Legalize marijuana 1 1% Page 31 Category Changes for Build the Budget 2025 Appendix C: Strategic Spending Categories Previously (2024): Invest in housing to address homelessness Current (2025): Invest in supportive housing for unsheltered residents All remaining nineteen strategic priority categories remain unchanged. Examples of current City initiatives that fall under a strategic priority category Topic City Initiative Repair and resurface roadways Rebuilding Our Streets Improve neighborhood infrastructure Curb and Sidewalk Reimbursement Program, Council Sidewalk Allocation, Lamppost Lighting Program Maintain safe, reliable water and wastewater utility Increase officers Invest in supportive housing for unsheltered residents Cooling/Warming Centers Invest in more housing of all types Develop and improve city parks and trails Expand violence intervention initiatives Group Gun Violence Intervention Add fire and EMS services Create good jobs by attracting and retaining business and talent High Skill Immigration Fund Invest in youth programs Support small businesses Small Business Assistance Suite Invest in climate action plan City Climate Action Plan Fund workforce development and skills training Upskill SB, Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership Expand financial empowerment and relief programs Utility Assistance Program, Eviction Defense Program Partner to promote health equity Mental Health Crisis Center Advance digital equity and internet access South Bend Open Wi-Fi, SenseSB Improve city customer service Support new residents and welcome immigrant communities Promote diversity and inclusion in city contracts Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Certification Workshop Page 32