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REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 26, 2007 <br />Economic Development, Ann-Carol Nash, Assistant City Attorney. Councilmember <br />Pfeifer stated that she believes that due diligence was given on this bill and believes that <br />there wasn't anything more that could have been done to get people to participate on this <br />ordinance. She stated that this is a good ordinance and if you are an honest property <br />owner then you don't have anything to worry about. If you are a property owner and you <br />are not taking care of your property then you do have something to worry about and she <br />doesn't apologize for that. <br />Councilmember Varner stated that whenever property taxes are brought up he always <br />makes the same statement, that they don't always make the best decisions, however, the <br />City is only responsible for approximately 45 to 50 percents of those taxes the rest is the <br />South Bend Community School Corporation. Property taxes are high and we have <br />known that for a long time. Some of those issues need to be address at the State Level. <br />He stated that he believes that the 3% circuit breaker will help in part, but for the most <br />part the way taxes are being assessed in the State of Indiana needs to be changed. In <br />regard to number of vacant houses he questioned whether the numbers that Ms. Roush <br />used 500 vacant and 300 abandoned are all within the City limits of South Bend or are <br />they within the MLS Service. He further noted that with respect to the Department of <br />Code Enforcement working with an individual home owner, they cannot forgive all the <br />fees that have been cited on a particular property. Councilmember Varner stated that this <br />bill is not perfect solution, it seems like this ordinance is just creating a list of problem <br />properties. He reiterated what Councilmember Pfeifer said that if you are a home owner <br />and are taking care of your property you will have nothing to worry about. <br />Councilmember Kirsits stated that he believes that there are a lot of misconceptions on <br />the definitions of vacant and abandoned. He noted that if you have a vacant property for <br />whatever reason, be it on the market for sale, rent, or you are a snowbird going south for <br />the winter, as long as the structure is secure, you can voluntarily register the structure at <br />no cost for a limited time. However, the abandoned buildings will be required to register, <br />because they are unsafe and it is very difficult to secure these types of structures and then <br />it becomes a quality of life issue. Councilmember Kirsits stated that as a firefighter, <br />along with Councilmember Dieter in his capacity as a police officer see this type of <br />structure as a hazard to the owners, the neighbors and their fellow firefighters and police <br />officers, by not having someone to contact to get the structure secured is a real problem. <br />He reiterated again that when you first read the bill it maybe a little confusing on some of <br />the definitions but when you read the bill in its entirety, it becomes clear that if the <br />structure is secure, then the owner does not have a problem with this ordinance. <br />Councilmember Dieter thanked Councilmember Pfeifer for all her hard work on this bill. <br />He reiterated what Councilmember Kirsits stated that as police officers and firefighters <br />vacant and abandoned houses are real problems in various areas of the city and that they <br />see first hand how difficult it is to secure these types of structures. Councilmember <br />Dieter stated that this bill is not a perfect solution but if everyone involved keeps working <br />on fine tuning this ordinance then it can be awin/win situation for everyone. <br />Councilmember Rouse thanked Councilmember Pfeifer and everyone involved with this <br />bill. He stated that he would like to receive more information and clarify the definition of <br />vacant and abandoned structures. He stated that it is a good bill and realizes that it has <br />been in the works for over five years. Councilmember Rouse advised that he would like <br />to continue to receive information and dialogue from the aggregate community and <br />continue this bill until the December 10, 2007 meeting of the Council. <br />Councilmember Kelly stated that it is very important to focus on the definitions of vacant <br />and abandoned and that this bill is not written for those who are lawfully conducting a <br />transaction on their home, whether that been selling, renting or away for the winter. This <br />bill takes into consideration that the housing market is not fairing very well at this time <br />and that it might take longer than 90 days to sell a property. He reiterated that if an <br />owner is taking care of their property and that it is secure; this ordinance will not be a <br />problem for them. <br />14 <br />