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REGULAR MEETING October 9, 2017
<br /> the budget that is $67,400,000 when it comes to our public safety spending. We think there may
<br /> be room to optimize that spending, and if we can achieve even a one percent (1%) savings on a
<br /> $67,400,000 spend,that amounts to nearly $700,000 per year for this city. For this position,
<br /> there's no one-size-fits-all—some cities have moved in this direction, some cities have moved
<br /> away from this direction, and I just want to note a historical instance in which South Bend had
<br /> this position but has not for a very long time. There's also a great deal of interest in economic
<br /> development and job training. This is again responsive to what the Council has been calling for,
<br /> so I want to highlight that the Community Investment budget measures small business and
<br /> workforce development; the Pathways Program, which is moving more people into the
<br /> workforce and giving them the tools to do that; South Shore, which we talked about; and
<br /> continuing to drive efforts to make sure that our City Administration and our economic
<br /> participation as an administration reflects the diversity of the community that we serve. In
<br /> addition to the My SB Parks and Trails Plan that I highlighted earlier, you'll see continued work
<br /> on the City's cemetery, as well as a tree maintenance program that we think helps us keep our
<br /> natural assets in shape. And, I want to point out that there's been a continued interest in the
<br /> issues specific to downtown of homelessness and panhandling, and that this outreach coordinator
<br /> will be able to help us support our work there.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg continued, Quality-of-life has been a consistent theme from the Council, when
<br /> we discussed our shared priorities. Again, things we heard loud-and-clear from the Council,
<br /> including the need for stronger residential options and open residence, attention to affordability,
<br /> more lighting, continued Code Enforcement development, and making sure that we can answer
<br /> the question of"What next?"when you have properties that are often vacant lots that no longer
<br /> have collapsing houses on them, but continue to pose a policy question in terms of their medium-
<br /> and long-term future. So, in the budget, you'll see funding for new housing—being able to
<br /> backstop financing that we think will leverage community resources. You'll see resources for
<br /> housing and rehabilitation,traffic-calming, support for the NRC to build up our neighborhood
<br /> associations, support for our making abandoned houses work, but again we're really moving to
<br /> the next chapter of that in making sure that we're able to provide more good answers for what
<br /> the future for some of these properties may be. Flashing beacons to enhance safety in school
<br /> zones; the Light Up South Bend Program initiated by Councilmembers,which has been a big
<br /> success; and a move to support historic preservation, which has been recently overseen by the
<br /> County, but we've arranged, in dialogue with the County, a proposal that would see that
<br /> overseen through the City through the Department of Community Investment. It adds to our
<br /> budget but we also think that it adds to our ability to provide quality-of-life and vibrant,
<br /> welcoming neighborhoods.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg continued, We have funded medium channelization devices, out of interest from
<br /> the Council in expanding quiet zones. It's probably a good moment to offer the update that it
<br /> appears that the railroads have decided to exhaust, until the last possible moment, their window
<br /> for complying with the quiet zone. This is despite some repeated and, I would say, lively
<br /> conversations between me and other members of the Administration and railroad officials. So,
<br /> their interpretation of the quiet zone guidance is that they would have until 11:59 p.m. this
<br /> evening. If it goes one (1) minute later than that, we will be aggressively and proactively
<br /> communicating with those federal officials and railroad officials tomorrow morning to figure out
<br /> why they're not complying. But, our full expectation is that at midnight tonight, in all of the
<br /> areas that comprise the quiet zone,that the train horns will cease sounding. But Councilmembers
<br /> have asked the question if there are some parts of the City that are quiet zones, why not other
<br /> parts of the City? So,we are initiating,with some funds, to begin some of the medium
<br /> channelization that's needed. I do not need to promise that we can do this in one (1) year or we
<br /> can do this with one (1) appropriation—we do think this paves the way for that work. There's
<br /> also an opportunity to enhance the streetscape at the Lincoln Way and Charles Martin Drive
<br /> intersection. We are fully funding the Curbs and Sidewalks Program, which Councilmembers
<br /> have repeatedly stressed as important to the neighborhoods and constituents. We're doing energy
<br /> savings contracts, and they've gotten more important in light of recent news that suggests that
<br /> cities are going to have to lead the way on climate. I do want to mention that you're going to see
<br /> big numbers here, but those are structured in such a way that the City collects the returns and
<br /> should be made more than whole, as we work with contractors to structure energy savings
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