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Home My WebLink About07-27-2026 Residential Neighborhoods Committee MinutesOFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK BIANCA L. T IRADO, CITY CLERK RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS JULY 27, 2026, 3:15 P.M. Committee Members Present: Committee Members Absent: Other Council Present: Others Present: Presenters: Agenda: Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers, Sherry Bolden- Simpson, Jessie Whittaker, Angela Smith*, Sheila Niezgodski*, Karen L. White Sharon McBride Dr. Oliver Davis, Dr. Heidi Beidinger, Rachel Tomas Morgan, Canneth Lee Bianca L. Tirado, Matthew Neal, Jasmine Jackson, Lari'onna Green, Veronica Pitt- Payne, Bob Palmer Jenna Throw, Liz Maradik Bill No. 40-26 -Amending Section 16-53 of the South Bend Municipal Code Regarding Conditions Constituting Public Nuisances Bill No. 41-26 -Amending Chapter 20, Article 3 of the South Bend Municipal Code to Update Definitions, Procedures, and Enforcement Provisions Relating to Abandoned Vehicles Bill No. 42-26 -Amending Section 20-48 of the South Bend Municipal Code Concerning Improper Vehicle Parking Bill No. 43-26 -Amending Chapter 20, Article 11 of the South Bend Municipal Code Regarding the Parking of Large Vehicles Members marked with an asterisk(*) are in virtual attendance via Microsoft Teams. Jasmine Jackson Q-rrEF DEPUTY OTY QERK / Q-rrEF OF STAFF INTEGRITY I SERVICE I ACCESSIBILITY Matthew Neal D EPUTY OTY QERK I D IRECTOR OF POLICY Veronica Pitt-Payne DIRECTOR OF SPEGAL PROJECTS EXC ELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 300 City Hall I 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. I South Bend, Indiana 46601 Ip 574.235.9221 If. 574.235.9173 1 www.southbendin.gov (~ crIY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK Please note the attached link for the meeting recording: https://docs.southbendin.gov/WebLink/browse.aspx?dbid=0,0&mediaid=411597 Committee Chair Karen L. White called to order the Residential Neighborhoods Committee meeting at 3: 1 7 P.M. Bill No. 40-26 -Amending Section 16-53 of the South Bend Municipal Code Regarding Conditions Constituting Public Nuisances Committee Chair White entertained a motion to hear the four ( 4) bills on the agenda together. Committee Member Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers moved to hear Bill Nos. 40-26, 41-26, 42-26, and 43-26 together. The motion was seconded by Committee Member Sherry Bolden-Simpson and carried by a vote of six ( 6) ayes with one (1) Committee Member absent. Committee Chair Karen L. White -Aye Committee Vice Chair Sheila Niezgodski -Aye Committee Member Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers-Aye Committee Member Sharon McBride -Absent Committee Member Sherry Bolden-Simpson -Aye Citizen Member Angela Smith -Aye Citizen Member Jessie Whittaker -Aye Jenna Throw, City Attorney, with offices on the sixth (6th) floor of City Hall, South Bend, IN 46601 , began presenting the bills. She stated that all four ( 4) bills pertain to vehicle regulations in the South Bend Municipal Code. She said the bills are intended to close gaps in enforcement, strengthen the City's ability to address nuisance vehicles, and align language with the City's updated zoning ordinance and state law. She stated that Bill No. 40-26 amends the Municipal Code to clarify the scope of public nuisance rules. She said the amended language now applies to nuisance conditions that are present in unapproved containers and vehicles, and the definition of "real or personal property" was updated to explicitly include structures and vehicles. At 3 :3 5 P.M., City Hall Security Officer Alice Pickens informed the Committee that tornado sirens were sounding. She advised everyone present in the Council Chambers to evacuate and take shelter on the first (1 st) floor of the building. Following a brief evacuation, Committee Chair White reconvened the Residential Neighborhoods Committee meeting at 3 :44 P.M. Attorney Throw continued the presentation. She explained the new "wrecked vehicle" language in Bill No. 40-26, which was added to address vehicles that do not meet the state's definition of "abandoned". She said the proposed changes fill enforcement gaps for vehicles that are parked in a way that poses a nuisance but are not clearly inoperable. She gave an overview of Bill No. 41- 26, which amends the article of the Municipal Code pertaining to abandoned vehicles and aligns the language with state law. She said provisions were added to account for the urban environment, and vehicles parked on the street would not be considered "abandoned" unless they have been unmoved for three (3) days. She noted that state law allows vehicles parked in the public right- of-way to be considered "abandoned" after twenty-four (24) hours. She then explained Bill No. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 300 City Hall I 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. I South Bend, Indiana 46601 Ip. 574.235.9221 1 f. 574.235.9173 1 www.southbendin.gov /.._jfltl-'J'k {~} CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK 42-26, which clarifies parking restrictions pertaining to sidewalks, alleys, tree lawns, and right- of-way. She added that parking rules for vacant lots that were previously contained in the Municipal Code's large vehicle article were consolidated into this section. Finally, she presented Bill No. 43-26. She said this bill updates the large vehicle article, aligning its language with the City's updated zoning ordinance and removing the parking rules that did not apply to large vehicles. She said the definition of"large vehicle" was changed from weight-based to size-based, providing a classification standard that can be more easily measured by code enforcement staff. Committee Chair White opened to questions from the Committee. Committee Member Gooden-Rodgers asked who is going to enforce this. Liz Maradik, Chief Neighborhoods Officer, with offices on the fifth (5th) floor of City Hall, South Bend, IN 46601, said parking regulations are currently enforced by the Neighborhood Services and Enforcement (NSE) team, and they will continue to be enforced by that team. Committee Member Gooden-Rodgers expressed concern about weekend enforcement. Liz Maradik acknowledged concerns about weekend and after-hours enforcement. She said NSE is trying to improve what they can enforce, and they need to improve their processes for nights and weekends. Committee Member Bolden-Simpson thanked the presenters for addressing this issue. She asked whether enforcement actions are complaint-driven or code enforcement staff go around citing violations. Liz Maradik said there are NSE inspectors in the field throughout the day, and they address violations when they see them. She clarified that "code enforcement" is not a single department in the City, and various code enforcement actions are carried out by NSE, South Bend Animal Resource Center (SBARC), and Neighborhood Health and Housing (NHH) respectively. Committee Vice Chair Sheila Niezgodski said she will save her questions for the 7 :00 P.M. meeting. She added that parking violations are a significant problem in her district, and she appreciates the updates to the ordinance to make it clearer. Citizen Member Jessie Whittaker asked how residents know when they have violated the ordinance. Liz Maradik said depending on the violation, NSE will mail a notice or put tags on the car. Citizen Member Angela Smith thanked the presenters for their work and acknowledged the challenge of updating ordinances. Committee Chair White held the joint public hearing, and nobody spoke. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY ! INNOVATION ! INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 300 City Hall I 215 S Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. I South Bend, Indiana 46601 Ip. 574.235.9221 If. 574.235.9173 1 www.southbendin.gov {~ CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK ·,;.::__~ Committee Member Bolden-Simpson moved to send Bill No . 40-26 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation, which was seconded by Citizen Member Whittaker and carried by a vote of six ( 6) ayes with one (1) Committee Member absent. Committee Chair Karen L. White -Aye Committee Vice Chair Sheila Niezgodski -Aye Committee Member Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers -Aye Committee Member Sharon McBride -Absent Committee Member Sherry Bolden-Simpson -Aye Citizen Member Angela Smith -Aye Citizen Member Jessie Whittaker -Aye Bill No. 41-26 -Amending Chapter 20, Article 3 of the South Bend Municipal Code to Update Definitions, Procedures, and Enforcement Provisions Relating to Abandoned Vehicles Committee Member Gooden-Rodgers moved to send Bill No. 41-26 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation, which was seconded by Committee Member Bolden- Simpson and carried by a vote of six (6) ayes with one (1) Committee Member absent. Committee Chair Karen L. White -Aye Committee Vice Chair Sheila Niezgodski -Aye Committee Member Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers-Aye Committee Member Sharon McBride -Absent Committee Member Sherry Bolden-Simpson -Aye Citizen Member Angela Smith -Aye Citizen Member Jessie Whittaker -Aye Bill No. 42-26 -Amending Section 20-48 of the South Bend Municipal Code Concerning Improper Vehicle Parking Committee Member Gooden-Rodgers moved to send Bill No. 42-26 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation, which was seconded by Citizen Member Whittaker and carried by a vote of six ( 6) ayes with one (1 ) Committee Member absent. Committee Chair Karen L. White -Aye Committee Vice Chair Sheila Niezgodski -Aye Committee Member Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers -Aye Committee Member Sharon McBride -Absent Committee Member Sherry Bolden-Simpson -Aye Citizen Member Angela Smith -Aye Citizen Member Jessie Whittaker -Aye Bill No. 43-26 -Amending Section 16-53 of the South Bend Municipal Code Regarding Conditions Constituting Public Nuisances Committee Member Gooden-Rodgers moved to send Bill No. 43-26 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation, which was seconded by Committee Member Bolden- Simpson and carried by a vote of six (6) ayes with one (1) Committee Member absent. Committee Chair Karen L. White -Aye Committee Vice Chair Sheila Niezgodski -Aye Committee Member Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers -Aye Committee Member Sharon McBride -Absent EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 300 City Hall I215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. I South Bend, Indiana 46601 Ip. 574.235.9221 I f. 574.235.9173 1 www.southbendin.gov CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK Committee Member Sherry Bolden-Simpson -Aye Citizen Member Angela Smith -Aye Citizen Member Jessie Whittaker -Aye With no further business, Committee Chair White adjourned the Residential Neighborhoods Committee meeting at 4:04 P.M. Respectfully Submitted, fa~ /u/4 Karen L. White, Committee Chair EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 300 City Hall I215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. I South Bend, Indiana 46601 Ip. 574.235.9221 If. 574.235.9173 1 www.southbendin.gov