06-11-12 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING JUNE 11, 2012 lease and that the rent be reasonable and that there be a necessity for it. She reiterated that all the requirements of statute are met in this version and the previous version. Councilmember Henry Davis asked how often the city requires the Building Department and Code Enforcement to go out and inspect the buildings that the City owns to make sure they are up to code. Clearly this has been a problem for the Human Rights Commission for a couple of years and if this building is in the condition that it is in, he doesn’t advocate for any employee of the City of South Bend to work in sub-par conditions. He stated that this should be done before we start shelling out money for leases. He stated that he would like to make a recommendation to make sure that this happens. He stated that if we adopt this, other departments might come before the Council saying the same thing. He asked President Dieter and Council Attorney and Clerk’s Office to send a letter out to the administration requesting that the action takes place. Get an update on city owned properties and where departments are actually at to make sure that they are up to code. He asked if the Human Rights Commission is outfitted to an optimum level when it comes to technology when it comes technology in that building. Ms. DeRose stated in the current facility no. Councilmember Henry Davis, Jr., stated that he believes technology is important because when we are using these computers sending e-mails back and forth, and the Human Rights Commission operates at a very high level, and so communication can be passed back and forth, whether it’s through paper or electronic transfer. He stated that would be his second recommendation. He stated that it was mentioned that the Human Rights Commission got over 1,000 complaints per year. Ms. DeRose stated that they are inquiries. Councilmember Henry Davis, Jr., asked how many of those inquiries come from outside the City of South Bend. Ms. DeRose advised that the Human Rights Commission keeps those records, and does not have those records with her. She stated that they report that monthly, how many persons call in, how many persons walk in, and how many persons are from within the county, how many are from outside. Councilmember Henry Davis, Jr., stated the reason that he asked that question is because, when the Council had the last Human Rights Ordinance come before them, he noticed that a lot of the addresses that people gave as their property addresses, there were many from outside the City of South Bend. He stated that people who come to the Human Rights Commission are from Granger, Mishawaka and other various cities outside of South Bend. He stated that he would like to make a recommendation that the South Bend Human Rights Commission is not necessarily a city entity, but a county wide entity so that they have wider and larger arms to deal with some of the issues that this department actually tackles on a day to day basis. He stated that he thinks that it would be more valuable for all the parties and people who live in the St. Joseph County area. He stated as of right now he is not very comfortable in dealing with this right now, and there is a larger issue that goes into play when we begin to carry on as “business as usual.” He stated that he is not against their working conditions, he believes that everyone deserves to be in a comfortable environment, but when we begin to not look at the larger picture, we kind of get hung up with smaller things rather than operating at larger level that would enhance the lifestyle and the quality of life that the people that live in the City of South Bend and St. Joseph County right now. Councilmember Dr. Fred Ferlic asked if this was a federally mandate program? Ms. DeRose advised yes it is. Councilmember Dr. Fred Ferlic asked if the City of Mishawaka has one. 7