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Date: December 1, 2015
To: The South Bend Common Council
The Office of the City Clerk
From: Council Member Karen L. White, Personnel and Finance Committee Chairperson
I am pleased to file this year's 2015 Personnel and Finance Committee Annual Report. It sets forth a
summary of some of the key activities ofthe Common Council's Personnel and Finance Committee which
is required by § 2-10 (i) of the South Bend Municipal Code.
Duties: The Personnel and Finance Committee "oversees the Department of Administration and Finance,
fiscal matters, salaries,and personnel policies and procedures", as established formally established by the
City Code.
Members: There were four (4) Council Members and one (1) citizen member this year serving on the
Personnel and Finance Committee, namely:
Council Member Karen L. White, Chairperson
Council Member Derek D. Dieter, Vice-Chairperson
Council Member Valerie Schey, Member
Council Member Dr. Fred Ferlic, Member
Citizen Member Valerie Mora-Kraus
Meetings: The Personnel and Finance Committee,as of the date of this Annual Report,has met over thirty
(30) times this year. We began with an Organizational Meeting which included:
• Discussion of goals and objectives for the committee this year
• Review of the 2015 Personnel and Finance Committee brochure which outlined the duties and
responsibilities of the committee,which provides a summary of South Bend city government fiscal
and financial facts.
• Discussion and recommendation to continue the practice of receiving quarterly financial reports
which would be shared by the Department of Administration and Finance with the committee
• Need to have additional information on tax increment finance (TIF) dollars and how tax rates are
affected
2015Annual Report of the Personnel and Finance Committee
November 24,2015
Page 2
Brief Summary of 2015 Committee Activities: Some of this year's Committee key topics focused on:
• Discussion on property assessments and receiving updates from the County Assessor
• Discussion and opposition to Senate Bill 198 and House Bill 109 which repealed the State of
Indiana's Common Construction Wage Law
• Receiving and discussing the MBE/WBE Quarterly and Annual Reports
• Reviewing and approving applications for scrap metal/junk dealer/recycling operations licenses
• Receiving and discussing Quarterly Finance Updates prepared by the Department of
Administration and Finance
• Conducting applicant interviews for a position on the Human Rights Commission
• Conducting a series of committee meetings on the 2016 Operating Budget which consisted of:
- Budget Kickoff meeting at the Century Center on May 28, 2015
- 2016 City-Wide Budget Overview to discuss goals/objectives, KPI's/outcomes,
employee summary, 5 year CIP, income projections and proposed expenditures on
August 17, 2015
- Budget Hearing — Session No. 1 to review proposed budgets for the 311 Call Center,
Department of Administration and Finance Department budget, COIT Fund, EDIT
Fund, and Hall of Fame (HOF) fund
- Offsite Budget Committee meeting held in conjunction with Community Forum for
Economic Development at LaSalle Library, 3232 W. Ardmore on September 18,2015
- Offsite Budget Committee meeting held at the Notre Dame Center for Arts & Culture,
1045 West Washington on September 21, 2015
- Offsite Budget Committee meeting held in conjunction with the Charles Black Center
on October 1, 2015
- Budget Hearing — Session No. 2 to review proposed budgets for the Mayor's Office,
Department of Law, Department of Public Works
- Budget Hearing—Session No. 3 to review proposed budgets for the Morris Performing
Arts Center,Palais Royale,Century Center, Studebaker National Museum, South Bend
Museum of Art, and the Department of Parks and Recreation
- Budget Hearing— Session No. 4 to review the proposed budget for the Department of
Community Investment
- Budget Hearing — Session No. 5 to review the proposed budgets for the Police
Department, related police funds, and the Board of Public Safety
- Budget Hearing— Session No. 6 to review the proposed budgets for the Consolidated
Building Department, the Department of Code Enforcement, and the Fire Department
- Budget Hearing — Session No. 7 to review the proposed budgets for TRANSPO, the
Office of the City Clerk including the Ordinance Violations Bureau, and the Common
Council
- Budget Hearing — Session No. 8 to have an informational briefing on the
Redevelopment proposed budgets which are not approved by the Common Council per
Indiana state law
- Budget Hearing—Session No. 9 which was an "overflow meeting" on all cost centers
- Budget Hearing—Session No 10 which was a discussion of"final budget items"
2015Annual Report of the Personnel and Finance Committee
November 24,2015
Page 2
• Preparing a series of questions/concerns received from the public meetings on the proposed budget
and
• Review and discussion of proposed new regulations addressing mobile food vendors, mobile food
vending vehicles, and updating restaurant regulations
• Numerous budget transfer and appropriation requests
The Personnel and Finance Committee has basically operated as the"fiscal watchdog"in making sure that
all available fiscal and financial information is shared with the Common Council and with the public.
It has been a pleasure to work closely with City Controller John Murphy,Assistant City Controller Jennifer
Hockenhull, Sr. Budget Analyst Cecil Eastman, Director of City Finance Rahman Johnson, and all of the
fiscal personnel which work on the individual cost center budgets.
I have always advocated for transparency in all city government operations, and especially with regard to
fiscal matters. By having each of the Personnel and Finance Committee's agendas and meeting minutes
regularly posted on the Council's website, I believe that better information is now being shared with the
public.
I also believe that the detailed postings on the Department of Administration and Finance's website and
in the particular the postings of the city budgets, annual investment reports, annual licensing fee reports,
Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) Reports, the Controller's Monthly Cash Reports, the
Comprehensive Annual Finance Reports (CAFR), Cash Reserve Summaries, Salary ordinances, credit
rating reports, debt summaries, etc. are of great benefit to the Common Council and the public.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve.
Respec 1 submitted,
Coun it Member Karen L. Whit , Chairperson
Personnel and Finance Committee
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