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REGULAR MEETING January 14, 2019
<br /> sure, and we talked about the commitments, but having ongoing meetings and some of the
<br /> community members and residents at the table talking about what that looks like and how they are
<br /> impacted financially.
<br /> Councilmember Tim Scott stated, I'm sorry I missed the Committee earlier today,but I appreciate
<br /> you, Eric, responding to the questions. Councilmember McBride and I submitted joint questions
<br /> and I'm glad to see you having answered them. I, too, am willing to hold your feet to the fire on
<br /> further improvements and meetings down the road. Councilmember Broden said two(2)meetings
<br /> ago that this isn't only in the flooding areas but in the other areas, as well, that don't include the
<br /> flood but there are major issues. One (1) concern that I have is down in Keller Park. It is quite a
<br /> way away from the river, but we put in some nice new curbs and sidewalks which created a whole
<br /> other problem where the street is not graded properly. It literally holds water now. Then in the
<br /> winter time you not only hold water but hold ice. It is part of the grading of the system. I live on a
<br /> pretty high hill, but I see the effects we are having on Portage Avenue. I get out there with a rake
<br /> and rake out the storm sewers along Portage, so people aren't driving in six (6) inches of water.
<br /> This is desperately needed, and we need to look at our infrastructure. That is part of the reason we
<br /> started the curbs and sidewalks program years ago because we had issues with this. I understand
<br /> where the funding needs to go but I also agree, we asked a few meetings ago, at looking at
<br /> alternative sources down the road. I am willing to be part of those meetings down the road.
<br /> Councilmember Oliver Davis stated, Thank you. Given the fact the implementation date is not
<br /> starting until June 1St, 2019, and today is January 14`h and there has been a request for continued
<br /> dialogue to look at this whole proposal and everything else, recognizing that we have already had
<br /> some, I still think that there is time and the necessary need for us to have to vote on this tonight is
<br /> not necessary. What I would like to see is where we are with the whole CSO Plan. Where are we
<br /> now? Since my colleagues Dr. Varner and Dr. Ferlic left, there has been a wide gap in giving us a
<br /> clear update to see where we are. Years ago, when we first(ls`)had that, I chaired that Committee,
<br /> and we had that huge bill that we all were going to have to pay. Then it has been adjusted to
<br /> different issues. We've had a change in Presidents where one (1) Administration's EPA
<br /> requirements are different from another Administration's EPA. How does that difference translate
<br /> into dollars for the City of South Bend regarding that? Is it a savings? Is it more? Is it less? I heard
<br /> it was less. How much less? And if it is less than we already agreed to, then why can't this be in
<br /> as one(1)of the funding and work with that? Is that a possibility? The idea of, you had said,using
<br /> TIF funds for part of this, how much TIF funds has been used for this? Can more TIF funds be
<br /> used for it? How much can? How much cannot? People need to know that because even though
<br /> this is going to be added to the water rates and not necessarily a water bill, it's still on the water
<br /> bill because it is added to that. Given the fact there have been hikes in the past years with that, it
<br /> is like a drip, drip, drip, drip coming down the faucet that people are trying to get. And the idea
<br /> that you won't be able to transfer any other monies out of, this is helping us not have to transfer
<br /> funds out of other funds. Every department since these last twelve (12) years I've been here has
<br /> transferred three (3) times a year or two (2) times a year when we had it, numerous amounts of
<br /> times they have transferred throughout the year. So I'm trying to figure out how this kind of thing
<br /> is going to prevent more transfers from not being there because I see this and then I also say that,
<br /> in our discussion we had in our last meeting, when there was a person that came from the Leeper
<br /> Park area that said this was going to help in case we had a big storm like we had last year, I mean,
<br /> it was testified that it wouldn't necessarily help her situation in that same kind of thing. We are
<br /> dealing with other issues of infrastructure. I think it gave a false sense that we're raising this to
<br /> help with this but it's not going to necessarily help in case we have those floods that
<br /> Councilmember McBride had talked about in her area where she had all the basement issues. It's
<br /> not necessarily going to stop that and if it does, what about people's homeowners insurance? How
<br /> does that face? Does the City become the homeowner's insurance? How do we deal with those
<br /> kinds of things? Renters insurance?Those are some key issues that we have to look at. So, to me,
<br /> if the enactment was planned for February, ok,possibly. We have another meeting in January and
<br /> two(2), four(4), six(6), five(5)more meetings. It was moved to the first(1').Yes,we say it gives
<br /> time to your staff to have planning and everything else. They still can plan. Our delay of the vote
<br /> to have more understanding of all the questions I just raised will not be solved tonight. I'm not
<br /> asking you to comment on every single one (1) of them because that's going to help, a summary
<br /> of all that is not going to change my vote on this. I think that we need to just have the time and
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