HomeMy WebLinkAboutIT Budget Questions•
Filed in Clerk's Office
Bianca Tirado
City Clerk, South Bend, IN
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
BIANCA L. TIRADO, CITY CLERK
BUDGET QUESTIONS
Innovation & Technology
Question (Committee Member Karen White): I appreciate the opportunity to engage with the 2026
budget process. I've noticed that while some departments are reducing staff and other line items
in their proposed budgets, there are also new positions being created and salary being increased.
Could you clarify the strategic reasoning behind these decisions? I have asked questions during
the budget hearing to other departments. I realize and understand that we are facing uncertainty
now and more forward. As elected officials, we have the responsibility to ensure the budgets are
transparent. equitable and aligned with the needs of our constituents. Please note that asking
questions should never be viewed negatively, it's a vital part of accountability and good
governance.
Raise from Admin I > City Hall Executive Administrator:
• See slide 52 in the budget deck (attached)
• Old Title: Admin I - $47,366 (position absorbed from Public Works)
• New Title: City Hall Executive Administrator - $66,500
o This is anchored to just above the 3% raise for the Executive Assistant role that
exists at the City (2025 cap for that = $63,872 / 2026 cap = $65,788 assuming a 3%
cost of living adjustment)
• Goal of this proposed change: To fairly and correctly staff the new City Hall front desk
role in a way that (1) allows for cross -departmental cost share (2) doesn't add a net new
person to the City
• Why the level for this role was changed from Admin I: Being that this position is a
public -facing position and will be the position that the public interacts with the most, the
need for a higher salary is to attract the best candidates that will be able to perform
successfully in this role and handle the day-to-day responsibilities at the new City Hall.
INTEGRITY I SERVICE I ACCESSIBILITY
Jasmine Jackson Matthew Neal Margaret Gotsch
CHIEF DEPUTY QTY CLERK / CHIEF OF STAFF DEPUTY QTY CLERK / DIRECTOR OF POLICY DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS
EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT
455 County -City Building 1227 W. Jefferson Blvd. I South Bend, Indiana 46601 I p. 574.235.9221 I f. 574.235.9173 I www.southbendin.gov
CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
• Note on parity within the salary ordinance: This admin position is absorbing labor and
work from every other admin at the City and is asked to take on more training re: security,
de-escalation, logistics, pressure. It's my opinion, but I don't believe pay parity would be
achieved if this particular position wasn't one of the more highly paid admins at the City. I
don't think it makes much sense to hire at a lower rate than the colleagues upstairs.
• Note on why this position is net neutral for the City: This position originally was to be
located in Public Works budget but the Mayor proposed that it be absorbed into I&T so the
costs could be allocated. The Mayor's argument is that this position serves many
Departments at once; the new layout of City Hall meant that the historical administrative
burden from upper floors would change. Now, there would be a welcomer/admin who
would represent them all.
• Strategic things for Council to be aware of
o If Council feels strongly that this role should be managed by another internal
service department (like A&F or legal), do let the Mayor and I know. The spirit of
this role is very much not "We want I&T to expand" - it's more "This is the most
streamlined way we think we can set up City Hall operations given how our foot
traffic is changing"
o Note on risk: In order to onboard and train someone asap on safety/SOPs/visitor
protocol quickly ahead of City Hall opening, I&T is hiring NOW for this position.
I&T is covering the difference between an Executive Assistant Salary level (2025
= 63,872) and the absorbed salary budget (47,366) for the last three months of the
year with excess salary funds from turnover in other positions. If Council thinks
this position is unlikely to come to fruition or unlikely to be at a salary at the high
end of administrative roles, I'd recommend delaying the hiring of this person until
there is more consensus. The ramification, of course, would be that there would be
no City Hall Receptions/Admin when City Hall opens.
Raise from Manager Operations - IT > Director, Project Management:
• See slide 51 in the budget deck (attached)
• Old Title: Manager Ops - IT - $81,808
• New Title: Director, Project Management - $97,597
• Goal of this proposed change: Raise of stellar staff member + retention of a money saving
employee with valuable knowledge and valuable IT project management skills, all while
achieving some pay parity
• Note on the title and compensation change: This Position is already carrying the weight
of a Director -level position in I&T and she will be obtaining a Project Certifications (PMP)
to justify the promotion. Having an internal, experienced IT project manager with tacit City
knowledge and City loyalty is very valuable. With this capacity in house, we avoid
spending 100K-200K in project management or implementation/change order fees for each
large implementation we do. There are 2-3 of those per year. I would estimate that having
EXCELLENCE i ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT
455 County -City Building 1227 W. Jefferson Blvd. I South Bend, Indiana 46601 I p. 574.235.9221 I f. 574.235.9173 I www.southbendin.gov
CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
this role saves the City net -.200K-300K in professional service dollars and change orders
each year.
• Note on pay parity with the salary ordinance: I anchored to the existing salary of the
Director, Project Management in Public Works. My strategic default is always to honor the
overall hierarchy of the salary ordinance whenever possible so that similarly skilled people
aren't making dramatically different salaries in different departments. Given this staff
member's project management specialization, I thought having it be a feature in her title
made sense.
• Strategic things for Council to be aware of:
o Each year there are always position raises that are declined for a multitude of
reasons. I understand that is a possibility here, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I
didn't at least bring it to Council and the Mayor for consideration. This person is
exceptional and 1 believe deserves that public recognition from me regardless of
what happens during the budget process!
o Alternative: Rather than anchoring to the existing Director, Project Management
role from elsewhere in the City, 1 could propose a slightly different PM Director
title (ex: Director of IT Project Management) and we could propose a lower salary
for that project management leader.
For context, the above raises account for about $3 5K of the $15M I&T budget. Another
conversation I'd be more than happy to have with Council would be where, if we don't want to
compromise on some or all of the goals in the two above proposals, equivalent cuts can be made
elsewhere.
- Chief Innovation Officer Denise Riedl
EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY , INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT
455 County -City Building 1227 W. Jefferson Blvd. I South Bend, Indiana 46601 I p. 574.235.9221 I f. 574.235.9173 I www.southbendin.gov