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REGULAR MEETING
<br />MARCH 27, 2017
<br />over time, it's more about how are we going to fix this? The only thing I'm really concerned
<br />about is when you said at the beginning, "We're kind of in a mode where we're going to have to
<br />fix it when it breaks." I thought you were just kind of saying it, but can you help me understand
<br />that? Because that scares me a little bit. We don't want to find out that a water hydrant is not
<br />working when my house is burning down, right?
<br />Mr. Horvath responded that fire hydrants are tested every year, though he clarified that this does
<br />not mean that the Fire Department will never find a hydrant that does not work. He stated, I
<br />don't want you nervous about a bunch of stuff breaking down. Our nature of business is that we
<br />do have a lot of that. We do over a hundred (100) repairs for homeowners. In addition, we do a
<br />number of main breaks every year. We have a crew that just specializes in that. There's a point at
<br />which you can't keep up if you continue to let your assets go, so it's not a good program to be in.
<br />I'd much rather be on a preventive means program, in the mode of replacing things when you
<br />have a good indication that they have a high risk of failure and before they actually fail. But we
<br />are not there yet, and we won't be for the next couple of years.
<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 />Those wishing to speak in favor of this bill:
<br />Steve Francis, 2025 Edison Road, South Bend, IN, stated as a representative of the Sierra Club
<br />he supports the need to deal with this issue. He stated that somebody in the community needs to
<br />stand up and say, "We need to pay for a system that works —not just patch it together or kick the
<br />can down the road." He stated that he understands customer apprehension toward rising rates, but
<br />that the situation for South Bend residents could get much worse if the problem is not addressed
<br />appropriately. He stated, Personally, I think the TIF thing is just a can of worms. I understand
<br />you want to go and use that. I think the IURC probably won't have problems with it. I will help
<br />with my membership. He stated that the residents of South Bend must stand up and recognize
<br />that the Council must make a difficult decision, that the Council needs support to do so, and that
<br />residents should ask them to make the decision now.
<br />Antonius Northern, 234 Rue Flambeau, South Bend, IN, stated, You have to start to look toward
<br />some of the other resources that you have inside of this community. We are giving you our tax
<br />dollars, but we are also giving you our children, and you're not outfitting them with the skillsets
<br />necessary to actually keep this community afloat. You have to start thinking outside of the box
<br />here, guys. What this honestly feels like is if we don't pay these rate increases, we don't get
<br />quality water. Mr. Northern expressed outrage at the contrast between the fact that Mayor
<br />Buttigieg —in an interview — stated that South Bend does not have serious water problems, and
<br />the images shown by Mr. Horvath of various aspects of the utility system in states of disrepair.
<br />He stated, I don't know why no one is outraged by this. When asked by Councilmember Gavin
<br />Ferlic if his statement was still in favor of the bill, Mr. Antonius responded, Yes.
<br />Jesse Davis, P.O. Box 10205, South Bend, IN, stated that he was in favor of clean water, but he
<br />took issue with the fact he had heard that forty percent (40 %) or more of the City was made of
<br />TIF districts. Mr. Davis stated, Which meant that you stole forty percent (40 %) of our tax dollars
<br />that used to go toward the general fund to pay for streets, sewer, water, police, and you took that
<br />and you put it in what we call a "slush fund." We put it in a slush fund tangled in the
<br />Redevelopment Commission that you people really have no say in. That TIF has turned into a
<br />huge, huge problem. That's why you don't have the money to fix this infrastructure, because you
<br />took forty percent (40 %) of your money and you gave it away. Mr. Davis stated that the Council,
<br />in approving too many tax abatements for too many developments, has killed the City's tax base.
<br />He concluded, stating, I'm totally for having clean water, and if we need a rate increase, that's
<br />fine. But if they handled these tax dollars better and they handled the situation better, you
<br />wouldn't need these huge increases. Period.
<br />Those wishing to speak in opposition:
<br />Sharon Banicki, 3822 Ford Street, South Bend, IN, stated that the issue was particularly
<br />problematic for the elderly who are on a fixed income. Ms. Banicki stated, $900 a month in
<br />Social Security. Out of that $900 a month, they have to buy their food, make a car payment or
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