09-12-18 Personnel and Finance (#8)

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CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK some external economic development folks note that we aren't there on downtown development, we have momentum and we're doing well,but in some ways,the outside perspectives were a little sobering. We're about a third (1/3) or a fourth (1/4) of the way there in terms of the density we need for long term sustainability. Finally, marketing our Innovation District and opportunities for investment,which is part of the federal tax reform bill passed in December. It instructed states that they can designate about a fourth of their LMI census tracts, and so Governor Holcomb designated five (5) within South Bend, and they extend what you might call our Innovation District, from Ignition Park to Innovation Park. They also did the South East tract with Ivy Tech. These used to be where the Regional Cities Projects are,the certified tech park bonds. With that, I'll call up our team members to give their top three (3) goals for 2019. Dan Buckenmeyer, Director of Business Development for the Department of Community Investment with offices on the 14th floor of the County-City Building, stated, I appreciate this opportunity to give a couple of our goals for both this year and next year. This year, we've accomplished the disposition of some of the key properties that were under City ownership such as the VA,the Michigan Street Shops, and the former Hall of Fame building. We're proud of what we did there, all of those deals were smart and meaningfully crafted to be the best for the City and put those properties in the hands of experienced developers who will create great outcomes for our residents. The second (2"d) one (1) is the expansion and enhancement of the workforce development Pathways program that my team manages. Already this year, one hundred twenty- four(124)individuals have benefited from City grants allowing them to advance their own careers and earnings through training and certification in a number of career areas. This year we expanded the program scope, the number of consultants we have on the street reaching out to a broader demographic and a broader geography of residents, and the budget were all expanded, and I think we're seeing the results of that as James mentioned. We just started a partnership with Purdue Manufacturing Extension, we have forty-eight (48) individuals from a consortium of companies right now that are going through a LEAN training. Their capstone will be an "on the shop floor" experience which you'll all get invitations to. We'd like to present some of the outcomes and success stories at a future Council meeting. It also backs right into our goal of increasing median incomes across the City and region by raising these folks.A third(3rd) is continuous improvement on the tax abatement process and tracking in DCI. As you know, we've identified some of these legacy issues with assessments,waivers and of course some of the extensions we did just recently. We're looking at the overall process to prevent these from being continuous burdens. He continued, Key items for next year include the Technology Resource Center at Ignition Park. This has a goal of providing one(1)of the coolest high-tech showrooms on this side of the Country, but also churning out a lot of high-tech,high-wage workers and fostering a tech hub in South Bend, halting the brain-drain. We're also focusing on the continued enhancement of Ignition Park in general through portfolio expansion, retention and attraction activities with companies, and the development of the Franklin Street technology park adjacent to it, and the marketing of Ignition Park as part of the opportunity zone here in the City. A second(2"d)would be ongoing, continued enhancement and expansion of the Pathways workforce development program. Looking for new ways to integrate it with the Bloomberg grant activities on transportation issues which are paramount for a lot of our workers in the City. Also, we're working with folks at the Drucker Institute, integrating this with the City's Lifelong Learning Program, and also continuing to enhance wrap around services for the folks going through these programs in South Bend. The third (3rd)is the ongoing expansion of support for our small businesses,through inclusive programs that reach across the community providing critical support to small businesses and minority businesses EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Bvld 1 South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.92211 f574.235.9173]TTD 574.235.5567 Iwww.southbendin.gov 9