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REGULAR MEETING September 28, 2015 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Eric Horvath (Public Works) - There may be other training federal dollars that we have access to <br />in different departments. In terms of these infrastructure projects there will be a percent goal for <br />MBE, WBE participation on all projects. There will be a requirement that they have to meet, <br />they make a good faith effort to reach that goal. That is pretty specifically defined in the <br />specifications. Those numbers are based on disparities studies that the state does. Those <br />requirements will be in all these federal projects. <br /> <br />Councilmember Henry Davis- I am he said disparities study. When we started the budget process <br />I asked how the City got into a conversation about putting together a disparity study. Apparently <br />the state has one. I have asked for that disparity, given the numbers, crime, unemployment rate, <br />homelessness, etc., how do we do the job for citizens if we don’t know where our baseline is at? <br />Has that been a part of the discussion within the ranks of the Administration? Getting a disparity <br />study or paying for one? <br /> <br />John Murphy (Controller)- I haven’t been a part of that, no. <br /> <br />Councilmember Henry Davis- it’ll behoove us to not to have that conversation. I am going to <br />continue to go back at that and drive that point home. People may be wanting to believe we are <br />getting better but the problem is we may or could be getting better, we don’t know exactly where <br />we are at. Since we do know where we are at. How do we know where we are going? We had a <br />long discussion about a new diversity officer, the job the person is supposed to be doing. How <br />does that person know where to step off at? I am going to ask that your department talk about <br />funding a disparity study for the City of South Bend. You went into the macro approach of the <br />budget and I want to go into some micro stuff real quick. The gang violence invention group how <br />much does that particular program receive from the city? <br /> <br />John Murphy (Controller) - I don’t think it’s very much funding. I think it’s mostly non-City <br />funds that fund that. <br /> <br />Councilmember Henry Davis Jr. - Still how much are they receiving? <br /> <br />John Murphy (Controller) - I don’t know. I will get back to you on that. <br /> <br />Councilmember Henry Davis Jr. - What I want to do is match that up to a program that we talked <br />about last week. I don’t know if you were around. Mademen at the King Center. They were <br />using that as one their key performance indicator of the year. I just want to match those two (2) <br />things up really quick. I want to talk about preventative issue as well as how do we react. If we <br />are going to have things in place that are going to stop the growth of the violence and nefarious <br />activities within our communities and neighborhoods. <br /> <br />John Murphy- Phil Sinclair updated the Council on the Mademen program last week. <br /> <br />Committee of the Whole Chairperson White- We will now move into the Public Hearing portion. <br />We would like to say that today this meeting is very unusual. We have so many budget related <br />issues we had to get through. Normally we are not here this late but sometime we are. <br /> <br />This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and <br />opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. <br /> <br />In favor: <br /> <br />Jason Banicki-Critchlow 3822 W. Ford St.- In addressing one of the issues that was raised by <br />you gentlemen earlier tonight particularly Henry and Oliver. In terms of the diversity inclusion <br />officer. Just to make you guys aware in 2012 the New Haven Fire Department lost a 2.5 million <br />dollar reserve discrimination lawsuit to a hand full of white fire fighters who were passed over <br />for promotions because of the way test results were handled. In terms of making sure they were <br />promoting the right number of minority officers. So in terms of things like that we definitely <br />have to keep our eyes open. As we talk about the circuit breaker expiring in 2020, Dr. Ferlic <br />makes a very good point that we need to be keeping our eye on the budget going forward and <br />how do we prepare for that windfall. We have to stop looking at one (1) year budget plans and <br />27 <br /> <br /> <br />