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REGULAR MEETING October 9, 2017
<br /> November 1St, 2017 under State law to make a decision on adopting the 2018 Budget, so that it
<br /> can be certified on time. If you want know anything about revenues and expenditures, you can
<br /> ask. The short answer is that, in the budget this year, you'll see General Fund went up, you'll see
<br /> special revenue funds down—some of that has to do with changes from year to year in timing
<br /> our grants—and overall,this amounts to a$387,350,000 budget.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg continued, Here's our annual reminder that we're facing a predicted cut in
<br /> revenues in 2020, when the remaining piece of the property tax reform that we've gone through
<br /> as a state kicks in and affects South Bend. We try to get the estimates revised at least every year
<br /> based on the latest actuals. The current estimate is that you will see a$2,440,000 estimated
<br /> reduction in 2020. If you included TIF,that would add another$1,370,000. So, these are not
<br /> apocalyptic numbers, but they definitely require attention. Income tax revenue has actually been
<br /> looking better and better, but you don't want to count on it because it's so vulnerable,the
<br /> economic cycle. In a recession, you would see the impact on income tax revenue almost
<br /> immediately. But the continued economic recovery nationally and locally has benefited us as we
<br /> continue to estimate growth in that area for 2018. A quick note on full-time positions. Again,
<br /> overall, generally down over the life of this Administration, but there is an increase of ten(10)
<br /> compared to 2017. That includes police civilian positions,the City takeover at HPC, the Public
<br /> Safety Director that I spoke about earlier, a core admin function spread across HR, IT, and in
<br /> Finance, Building Inspector and two (2) Code Enforcement Inspectors that were part of the rental
<br /> inspection program, as well as an Asset Director in Public Works and in Civic Innovation. Then
<br /> you subtract two (2) parks rangers and there's one (1) retirement in Human Rights that did not
<br /> require replacement due to a rebalancing of the workload. So,we continue to operate as a leaner,
<br /> thinner City than we were just a few years ago, but we hope that residents find that those limited
<br /> resources continue to be served well. About two-thirds of our employee base are in bargaining
<br /> units represented by a union—about half of our people in Public Safety, about a quarter in Public
<br /> Works, and all the rest of us fall in balance.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg concluded, This was just a reminder that the City once again got the Budget
<br /> Presentation Award. The budget book should be available in 2018. One (1) of the reasons why
<br /> we pay such close attention to our cash balances, I wanted to mention this the City, once again,
<br /> has a AA rating. That is the envy of most cities our size in Indiana. It puts us among the top
<br /> handful. That's a credit to the difficult decisions that are made by this Council and prior
<br /> Councils, and then this Administration and prior Administrations. It's very important to us to
<br /> continue to keep that up. So, department representatives are here to assist with any more detail.
<br /> Councilmember Jo M. Broden asked if the Administration would consider setting the
<br /> Redevelopment Commission's meetings later in the day such that more members of the public
<br /> can attend those meetings.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg responded, The role of the Redevelopment Commission is incredibly important.
<br /> Obviously, accountability is one (1) of the five (5) stated values of this Administration, so I want
<br /> to make sure that it's as transparent as possible. I think the concern that you're mentioning has to
<br /> do with even though open to the public and the media, is there another time of day that would
<br /> lead to more public participation? So, I'm very open to having a dialogue about what we can do
<br /> to address that.
<br /> Councilmember Oliver Davis asked if Mayor Buttigieg could ensure that the delay on the South
<br /> Shore relocation be reflected in the budget.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg responded that he would make sure to do so.
<br /> Councilmember Davis asked if WiFi would be established in South Bend parks.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg responded, I'm getting the nod. So, yes.
<br /> Santiago Garcias, Chief Innovation Officer of the City of South Bend, with offices on the 12th
<br /> Floor of the County-City Building, South Bend, IN, stated,Not all of the parks have the type of
<br /> infrastructure where we can locate equipment at this point, but all of the ones that have that
<br /> infrastructure will be getting connected. We're working on making sure that WiFi is available
<br /> there.
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