07-23-18 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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REGULAR MEETING July 23, 2018 and outside consultants, I request we put that as an agenda item for approval at an upcoming meeting. Councilmember John Voorde stated,Reassessment notices went out from the County Assessor last week. Generally speaking,I think there were increases in assessments. I've gotten seven(7)phone call inquires as to why their assessments went up so much. I wonder if we couldn't ask the County Assessor to come with a brief explanation of the process. Councilmember Tim Scott stated, They are trying to take mine up twenty-six percent (26%) and I've had phone calls up to forty percent (40%). Councilmember Regina Williams-Preston stated, We are going to have a district two (2) bus tour from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. I'm looking forward to everyone being able to meet us at Studebaker Plaza. Councilmember Tim Scott stated, I would like to publicly thank Aladean DeRose for filling in for Bob Palmer. You've done an excellent job. PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR Jesse Davis, P.O. Box 10205, South Bend, IN, stated, I was up here and brought a situation to the Council's attention.Approximately three(3)years ago,there was some high-dollar City equipment that was not in the City's possession that mysteriously got dropped off at a building on Sample Street. I've been trying, for three (3) years now, through the Legal Department and FOIAs to get a list of that equipment and any information as to why this equipment was not on the City's inventory yet we paid for it. Most recently, I was actually able to get a letter from the Legal Department and I got a list of the equipment that was dropped off at the Street Department. That was another bunch of equipment that, if you look the prices up, are tens of thousands of dollars. We now have two (2) buildings where equipment purchased on the City's dime was dropped off. Both buildings are very secure but yet nobody knows why it was dropped off,why it wasn't in our inventory, who purchased it and who had it. I'm being told to go back to the State Police to ask for the State Police report that was done on this. In fact, a State Police Detective who was involved sent me an email that they concluded their investigation well over a year ago and it was sent back to the City and the Prosecutor's Office. Again, I'm up here complaining about transparency, number one (1) because it has taken me three (3) years to even get this info. And also, accountability. From what I understand, that was returned to the City but it was probably near $100,000 worth of equipment in total. Who dropped this off? Who had possession of it? Who signed to buy this equipment? That will be my next FOIA on this. Here is the documentation I have on this and if you took a look at it maybe you guys can get more information that I can on this. Mr. Davis provided this documentation which is available in the City Clerk's Office. Jason Banicki-Critchlow, 3822 West Ford Street, South Bend, IN, stated, We were talking about entry way corridors and it got me to thinking about two (2)years ago when the County decided to spend $1 million to reinstitute a County-wide drug unit. In the two (2) years, they have affected roughly three (3) total arrests. At the time, I challenged the Common Council then to find $1 million in our over $300 million budget to find and fund heroine treatment programs for our City. You know what I see when I drive down Main and Michigan Streets every day? I see people hunched over, drooling, clearly out of their mind on heroine. I challenge you guys again as we go into this next budget process. We shouldn't be spending as much on economic development as we are on public safety, so maybe we take $1 million out of economic development and put it toward heroine treatment programs because we could spend all we want on economic development but if the first(1St) impression of the City is panhandling and heroine in front of the business, that is not a good look to anybody. Thomas Zmyslo Sr., 51042 Prairie View Way, South Bend, IN, stated, I am the Chairman of the UAW Local Nine (9)retirees. I am here tonight with a number of us to speak to you all regarding your relationship with Honeywell Corporation here in South Bend, Indiana. I know there are a number of you that were out there when there was a lockout in support of the workers locked out. This corporation in the City of South Bend has demoralized the active workforce greatly. It is really going to hurt this City a lot.Not only is the active workforce but the retirees are demoralized. 15