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REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 26, 2007 <br />Mr. Pat Myers, 1120 Lincolnway East, South Bend, Indiana, stated that he grew up in <br />South Bend when it's population was over 140,000 today the cities population is just over <br />100,000. He stated that his concern with this ordinance is that it is not going to fix the <br />long term problem. Mr. Myers stated that bringing back the dollar house program is not <br />going to fix the housing problem in South Bend. This program is not going to bring back <br />homeownership to the City of South Bend. The Council needs to put forth legislation <br />that addresses the future and put something together to be used as a long term guideline. <br />Mr. Bryan Sharpe, on behalf of Complete Property Resources of Michiana, 115 S. <br />Lafayette Boulevard, South Bend, Indiana, stated that over the past seven years since he <br />has been with this company he stated that they have saved several hundred homes from <br />demolition in this area. He thinks that registration of properties is just a witch hunt. <br />When people register their homes, it is going to be like putting a target up. Once that <br />property is registered the Department of Code Enforcement will be on that property. Mr. <br />Sharpe stated that Code Enforcement has all the tools available to them. Policing the <br />properties once a week is not going to work, he noted that he went into a home at 1018 <br />Napier just a few weeks ago and as he was entering the property from the front two guys <br />were running out the back, they had striped the property clean. He stated that the Council <br />is asking the homeowner to do the job of local law enforcement. Mr. Sharpe urged the <br />Council to take a look at the whole perspective before a vote is taken on this bill. <br />Mr. Steven Kollar (no address given), stated that he buys and sells properties in the area. <br />Mr. Kollar agrees with some of the point that Councilmember Pfeifer made tonight. He <br />stated that he lost a couple of homes because of the house next door being vacant and <br />burning down and damaging his property. Mr. Kollar stated that getting insurance on <br />vacant and abandoned homes is going to be very difficult. He stated that on his <br />properties alone he averages one claim every other week of someone breaking into the <br />home and vandalizing the home. Insurance companies would cancel the owner with <br />those many claims. He stated that he is against the bill the way it is currently written. He <br />would like to see the bill go back to the committee and have more input from the <br />individuals who spoke here tonight. Mr. Kollar stated that he does not want to see South <br />Bend turn into Gary. He agrees something needs to be done but there is a much bigger <br />problem here that has to do with social and economic issues. He noted that something <br />has to be done with prior code violations. He stated that some financial institutions will <br />bring money to the table to close the transaction. But between code fines and back taxes <br />most banks will just walk away. He stated that some of the provisions in this bill need to <br />be changed before it is passed. He stated that he is not in favor of the bill the way it is <br />written today. <br />Mr. Mark Kramer, owner Kramer Properties, 812 E. LaSalle Street, South Bend, Indiana, <br />stated that he is not against the ordinance, but it needs to be further investigated before <br />the Council is to put it to a vote. He stated that he started in the rental business over <br />twenty years ago. He stated that he began investing on the west side of South Bend. <br />After several years he discovered that there was such a high crime rate on that side of <br />town and was unable to rent the properties. He stated that he sold those properties and <br />started investing in the northeast neighborhood and found a niche market with student <br />housing. He stated that now he is facing the same kinds of problems, high taxes, in the <br />amount of $300,000 this past fall. He stated that he is one of the lucky ones that have the <br />cash flow currently to substantiate that, it deeply cuts into the profitability of any <br />company to have to pay those kinds of property taxes. Mr. Kramer stated that is part of <br />the problem and crime is the other. He stated that he just recently moved students out of <br />the Monroe Park Area because they were robbed at gunpoint and crack deals going on in <br />the alley behind Carroll Street. He stated that these homes are vacant and abandoned <br />because of the high taxes and high crime rates in the City. These problems should not be <br />on the owners. He stated that he has employees driving to all his rental properties <br />checking for trash, debris and any maintenance issues and addresses them immediately. <br />He stated that as an owner of these properties he had to take it upon himself to hire a <br />security company to patrol his properties at a cost of $40,000.00 a year on top of the <br />$300,000.00 year he pays in property taxes. The problem is not necessarily bad <br />12 <br />