HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-25-09 Luecke plan will seek ‘Priority Outcomes’ for 2010
Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
March 25, 2009
3 p.m.
Luecke plan will seek ‘Priority Outcomes’ for 2010
Contact:
Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564
Mayor Stephen J. Luecke today announced “Priority Outcomes,” a multifaceted initiative
to seek public input on the City of South Bend’s budget priorities for 2010.
Speaking at Memorial Hospital’s Innovation Café, where community and civic officials
were meeting for hands-on sessions to apply best practices to the City’s Public Works
budget, Luecke described the process leading to the adoption of the City’s 2010 budget.
The City of South Bend is working to reduce its 2010 budget by 27 percent because it
will face revenue shortfalls exceeding $18 million resulting from state-mandated property
tax caps. As part of that process, the Mayor announced three parallel efforts to help City
leadership respond to the unprecedented revenue loss and the impact on City services.
Public input
1. – South Bend residents will have direct input into city priorities through
a scientific, random-sample telephone survey, a web-based response form that
enables all interested parties to respond and two Town Hall meetings this spring.
Public meetings
2. – The City administration and the Common Council will undertake
an in-depth review of options for reduced spending and service elimination.
Public-private task force
3. – The Public Works department already is participating in
a pilot Government Enhancement Task Force, in which private partners are reviewing
the delivery of existing services, seeking improved financial performance as well as
creative and innovative alternatives.
Flanked by South Bend Common Council members and community leaders, Luecke cited
the necessity of broad, informed community participation in the decision-making process.
“The tax dollars received by the City of South Bend are the people’s resources. Local
government is the steward of those resources, providing the services residents and
businesses deem essential to our common life together. We want to hear the Priority
Outcomes identified by our citizens for how the City should spend their tax dollars,”
Luecke said. “This process will ensure that all voices are heard, all options considered
and that nobody is unaware of the challenges we face and the likely reduction in
government services.”
PUBLIC INPUT:
A scientific telephone survey of 400 randomly selected adults will
begin March 30, seeking opinions regarding 2010 budget priorities. The survey, with a
margin of error of +/- 4.9 percent, asks respondents to give high, medium or low priority
to goals from City Plan, South Bend’s comprehensive 20-year plan (adopted in 2006).
Focusing on 15 broad areas of service, the survey asks whether the City should:
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Keep current service/funding levels Cut service/funding a little
? ?
Increase service/funding a little Cut service/funding a lot
? ?
Increase service/funding a lot Entirely eliminate the service
In addition to the scientific survey, all citizens will have the opportunity to provide
feedback between March 30 and April 13 by completing a survey on the City’s web site
www.SouthBendIN.gov or paper copies available at City offices and public libraries. The
results will provide background for two community Town Hall meetings later this spring
at Indiana University South Bend and Washington High School.
PUBLIC MEETINGS:
The survey results and Town Hall meetings will provide
valuable input for the Common Council and the City administration as they evaluate
options for budget cuts, service elimination and additional revenue. In 2009, significant
cuts already identified will address an $8 million shortfall. The feedback will shape the
administration’s 2010 proposed budget in August and will feed into the Council’s annual
budget process with late summer hearings and final approval in October.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE TASK FORCE:
Under the Mayor’s direction, the Department of
Public Works is the first City department to work with private partners, who are
undertaking a hands-on review of Public Works operations with an eye to effectiveness,
efficiency and cost-savings. In addition to City officials, the task force includes:
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University of Notre Dame professors with significant business experience.
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Officials from Memorial Hospital and Health System, providing facilitation in
innovative business practices. Recently called “the most innovative hospital in
America,” Memorial began a WOW! Wizard School in March 2003 in partnership
with the Tom Peters Group to provide training to staff and community leaders to
establish innovative practices.
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Leaders from the Chamber of Commerce and the broader business community.
The task force seeks to create a learning culture within city government that reaches out
to private-sector partners and takes calculated risks for efficiencies, savings, sustainable
solutions and income-generating opportunities.
“Budget decisions must respond to the needs of the entire community, not simply the
loudest voices,” Luecke said. “We want to build a community consensus regarding the
level of City services we need and the tax support we are willing to provide. I encourage
all residents to participate in this process.”
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