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Home My WebLink About11-13-2024 South Bend Common Council Meeting 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 DATE: 11-13-2024 MEETING OF THE COUNCIL AND FOUND THEM TO BE CORRECT. THEREFORE, WE RECOMMEND THE SAME BE APPROVED: T OY WA E SHE BOLDE -SIMPS N APPROVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL ON: 11-25-2024 ATTEST: I B ANCA L. TIRA , 6TY CLERK REGULAR MEETING November 13, 2024 Be it remembered that the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana, met in person on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. Council President Sharon McBride called the meeting to order. Pastor Carl Hetler of United Methodist Church gave the invocation. Good afternoon members of the public, for audio quality, we will be muting everyone not speaking by default to maintain good audio quality for Council and yourselves. If you would like to speak during the meeting during the public portion,please submit your request in the chat- directions to do so will be listed in the chat. We ask that you provide your [FULL NAME] and [ADDRESS], as those are required for all speakers at in-person Council meetings. If you have any questions, please use the link provided in the Teams chat to submit them. Additionally, if you are called on to speak, please provide your details in the following format: "My name is [FULL NAME], and I live at [ADDRESS]. I would like to speak [FOR/AGAINST] [AGENDA ITEM]." You will then be given 5 minutes to speak. Please ensure that you unmute yourself prior to giving your remarks. Please note the attached link for the meeting recording: httys://does.southbendin.gov/WebLink/browse.aspx?dbid=0&mediaid=387561 Council meetings are also available at Michiana Access Channel on both their website and their Facebook page. ROLL CALL COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT Canneth Lee I`District, Committee of the Whole Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers 2nd District Sharon L. McBride Yd District, President Troy Warner 4`h District Sherry Bolden-Simpson 5`h District* Rachel Tomas Morgan At-Large Dr. Oliver Davis At-Large COUNCILMEMBERS ABSENT Sheila Niezgodski 61h District, Vice-President Karen White At-Large OTHERS PRESENT Bianca L. Tirado City Clerk Elivet Quijada-Navarro Chief Deputy City Clerk Matthew Neal Deputy City Clerk/Director of Policy Talia Thornton Director of Special Projects James Luk Public Relations Intern Bob Palmer Council Attorney Members marked with an asterisk (*) are in virtual attendance. SUB-COMMITTEE ON MINUTES: October 28, 2024 Council President McBride requested reports from the Sub-Committee on Minutes. Clerk Tirado stated that the Sub-Committee on Minutes has inspected the October 28, 2024, Common Council meeting minutes and recommended that they be approved. Councilmember Troy Warner motioned to approve the October 28, 2024, Common Council meeting minutes, which was seconded by Councilmember Canneth Lee and carried via a vote by voice. SPECIAL BUSINESS 1 REGULAR MEETING November 13, 2024 None. REPORTS FROM CITY OFFICES David Finley, Director of Data& Performance with offices on the 121h floor of the County-City building, presented a summary of the 2024 Community Survey, conducted biannually to assess quality of life in South Bend. The survey, which began in 2018, was managed by the ETC Institute, with all responses kept confidential. Collected in July and August 2024, the survey received six hundred twenty-eight(628) household responses, about one hundred(100)per council district, and was available in multiple languages to address potential language barriers. Finley highlighted the survey dashboard created by the Department of Innovation and Technology, accessible to the public. The dashboard scores resident satisfaction on key areas: customer service, community investment, public safety, solid waste, water services, traffic& transportation, venues, parks, and arts. Users can view respondent demographics, compare results across four survey cycles, and access a heat map showing satisfaction by council district. Notable findings include an upward trend in satisfaction with quality of life and community leadership since 2022. Residents prioritized city services as follows: streets/infrastructure, code enforcement, growth planning, with police rated lower. Positive trends were seen in customer service, public safety, street lighting, and trash collection, while negative trends included code enforcement, traffic enforcement, and ease of addressing issues. South Bend still lags in national and regional benchmarks for infrastructure planning, code enforcement, and public safety. Next steps involve preparing department-level analyses for each department head. In 2025, departments will engage in individual process mapping sessions, test solutions, and conduct impact and process evaluations to assess service effectiveness. Councilmember Dr. Davis requested a meeting with David Finley to review the survey individually David Finley stated that he would be happy to meet with any councilmembers. Councilmember Rachel Tomas Morgan thanked Finley for the thorough summary and asked how this year's household response rate compared to previous years. David Finley noted that the response rate, in the mid-six hundreds, was typical for the survey. Councilmember Canneth Lee inquired about the contents of the department-specific memos. David Finley emphasized addressing inequities in the community, focusing on this issue with department heads through process improvement opportunities with their teams. Council President McBride thanked David Finley for this thorough summary of the survey results and next steps. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. BILLS ON THE THIRD READING BILL NO. 44-24 THIRD READING ON AN ORDINANCE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,ANNEXING TO AND BRINGING WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,AND AMENDING THE ZONING ORDINANCE FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 25471, 25481,AND 25491 CLEVELAND ROAD, COUNCILMANIC DISTRICT NO. 1 IN THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA(3RD READING ONLY) Clerk Tirado read the bill to the Council for its third (P) reading. 2 REGULAR MEETING November 13, 2024 After the third(3rd) reading, Council President McBride requested a committee report. Councilmember Lee stated Bill No. 44-24 was heard in the Committee of the Whole on October 28, 2024, and comes before the Full Council with a favorable recommendation. Councilmember Lee motioned for the passage of Bill No. 44-24, seconded by Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis, and carried by a vote of seven(7) ayes with two (2) councilmembers absent. Council President Sharon McBride—Aye Council Vice President Sheila Niezgodski—Absent Councilmember Canneth Lee—Aye Councilmember Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers—Aye Councilmember Troy Warner—Aye Councilmember Sherry Bolden-Simpson—Aye Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis—Aye Councilmember Karen L. White—Absent Councilmember Rachel Tomas Morgan—Aye RESOLUTIONS None. BILLS ON FIRST READING BILL NO. 64-24 FIRST READING ON AN ORDINANCE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, TO VACATE THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED PROPERTY: THE FIRST EAST-WEST ALLEY SOUTH OF HURON STREET BETWEEN SOUTH WALNUT STREET AND TERMINATING AT THE PARCEL IDENTIFIED AS 018-3082-319602 Clerk Tirado read the bill to the Council for its first (1")reading. Council President McBride motioned to send Bill No. 64-24 to the Public Works and Property Vacation Committee for a public hearing and third (3rd) reading on November 25, 2024, which was seconded by Councilmember Warner and carried by a vote of seven (7) ayes with two (2) councilmembers absent. Council President Sharon McBride—Aye Council Vice President Sheila Niezgodski—Absent Councilmember Canneth Lee—Aye Councilmember Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers—Aye Councilmember Troy Warner—Aye Councilmember Sherry Bolden-Simpson—Aye Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis—Aye Councilmember Karen L. White—Absent Councilmember Rachel Tomas Morgan—Aye 65-24 FIRST READING ON AN ORDINANCE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,ADOPTING A MERIT BOARD SYSTEM GOVERNING THE SOUTH BEND POLICE DEPARTMENT Clerk Tirado read the bill to the Council for its first (1st)reading. Councilmember President McBride motioned to send Bill No. 65-24 to the Health and Public Safety Committee for a public hearing and third (3rd) reading on November 25, 2024, which was seconded by Councilmember Dr. Davis and carried by a vote of seven (7) ayes with two (2) councilmembers absent. Council President Sharon McBride—Aye Council Vice President Sheila Niezgodski—Absent Councilmember Canneth Lee—Aye Councilmember Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers—Aye Councilmember Troy Warner—Aye Councilmember Sherry Bolden-Simpson—Aye Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis—Aye Councilmember Karen L. White—Absent Councilmember Rachel Tomas Morgan—Aye UNFINISHED BUSINESS 3 REGULAR MEETING November 13, 2024 None. NEW BUSINESS Councilmember Dr. Davis expressed gratitude to Clerk Tirado and the Clerk's office for preparing the special proclamation in honor of Charan Richards following her passing. Councilmember Sherry Bolden-Simpson also thanked the Clerk's office for the speed and quality of their services. PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR Logan Foster, 1138 College Street, South Bend IN 46628, spoke regarding a matter that occurred following the Ma 13, 2024, Common Council meeting. Council President McBride noted that the police report has been finalized and that the rules committee has met to determine the path forward, emphasizing her support for the committee's decision. Sarah Foster, 1138 College Street, South Bend IN 46628, spoke regarding a matter that occurred following the May 13, 2024, Common Council meeting. Brendan Crumlish, 1091 Riverside Drive, South Bend IN 46616, spoke regarding a matter that occurred following the May 13, 2024, Common Council meeting. Council President Sharon McBride adjourned the meeting at 7:37 p.m. 4