04-11-05 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING APRIL 11,2005 Ms. Missy Hamlet, 3035 Rue Rablis, Apartment #1321, South Bend, Indiana, stated that she is 42 years old and was born a male who is currently undergoing gender transformation to become a female. She was discriminated against by a former employer. When she became eligible for insurance she marked the box for female employee, when discovered that she was biologically a male, the insurance company questioned this and cancelled her coverage. She filed a suit against her employer and within two weeks of the filing of the lawsuit, she was fired from her job. Ms. Hamlet found another job and again when it came time to fill out paperwork for the medical insurance she marked the box male. However, when her doctor wrote a prescription for estrogen, the insurance company questioned by a male would need a drug prescribed for female patients. Again, the insurance company denied her claim. She urged the Council to support of an amendment to Article 9 of the Human Rights Ordinance, which would make it illegal to discriminate against people based upon their sexual orientation or gender identity. COMMENTS CONCERNING THE ANNEXATION OF THE WAGGONER FARMS PROPERTY Mr. Richard Sheehan, 15270 Mayflower Road, South Bend, Indiana, spoke regarding the Waggoner Farms/Portage Prairie annexation. Mr. Sheehan informed the Council that he listened to a presentation from Holladay Corporation and the only mention of businesses that were interested in this development were Bass Pro and Cebalis. Companies like Bass Pro and Cebalis, quite frankly it’s a positive move for the City and the City should undertake the project it’s just that simple. The catch is when you look at Bass Pro and Cebalis nationwide, Cebalis has a total of eighteen (18) outlets spread across the Country, Bass Pro has a total of twenty-four (24) outlets spread across the Country. Both have a business plan which says were are going to be very exclusive and we are not going to open up an outlet every twenty-five (25) or fifty (50) miles down the interstate. It is extraordinarily unlikely that you are going to get a firm like that relocating into the Holladay Project. What is more likely is that you are going to get a firm like Martin’s moving from Portage Avenue to the Holladay Property. Mr. Sheehan stated that existing companies will be moving from their downtown locations into this development, leaving downtown buildings empty. Unless you get new companies investing into a project like this you are going to have businesses competing against one another and harm the downtown area, Western Avenue area, South Main Street area. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Council, President Pfeifer adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m. ATTEST: ATTEST: __________________________ _______________________ John Voorde, City Clerk Charlotte D. Pfeifer, President 22