03-04-19 Personnel and Finance (Tax Caps/Impact)

Home Browse Search

•CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK Councilmember Davis stated, I have enjoyed your responses today and I appreciate your follow up in the future. I look forward to discussions on ordinances regarding weather amnesty and panhandling as we put those together. I want to discuss how we can be creative when using our TIF in terms of taking some of those expenditures and how to deal with that. Committeemember Voorde stated,To an extent,this cost benefit analysis has been there in one(1) form or another for some time. It may have come down to whether or not you believe the Fire Chief. I think there is value in looking at what other cities and communities are doing, especially in the state of Indiana, whether it comes from the Mayor's Round Table,the Street Department,or Road School every Spring in West Lafayette. You find out what other people are doing. That doesn't apply to us, can we provide a better service without increasing cost or lowering it that's all great. I won't be here next year, so the budget we put together over the next dozen meetings we are going to have, nonetheless, I'm hoping to be able to nudge the Administration into more of a neighborhood focus. For better or worse, the Mayor has had a free hand in funding his vision, his priorities. It's been in large measure downtown when you look at the $30 million or so. You look at the$50 million in parks bonds. I don't want a Monday morning quarter back,but I want to start going forward. If I am here one (1) more year for a budget that I am not going to really be a part of, I hope that whether we are applying the cost benefit analysis that we have in the past or whatever it is we are doing, I think it has to look at what the long term benefit is for the neighborhoods. Councilmember White has been saying for this for years, you can't have a strong City without strong neighborhoods. Committee Chair White stated, I think we have not shared our stories from a Council perspective that we have pushed forward and will continue to do so. A lot of initiatives that are now part of the budget we have to continued to push forward and make sure, as we get into prioritizing, that we don't lose sight of the direction that I believe we need to move toward. We have invested in the downtown area and we know that you build inward and go outward,but we have to make sure that the outward is being addressed. It's going to take more City initiatives to really invest and have the developers invest their dollars.These are the kinds of conversations that the Council needs to have as we begin to look at our priorities because it's not only the Administration's priorities, but as a Council, we have priorities and we have to make sure they are being met as well. We know we have the CSO, that's coming too. We really need to, from a strategic level, have that conversation so as we move toward the budget we are ready to have a full discussion. I am going to turn it over to the public or anyone that would wish to speak. I just want to say that I appreciate everyone that is in the audience. We have advertised this, I started last month when we had our Council Members' press release. We did invite representatives from the County and the School Board, unfortunately the School Board is meeting this evening as well. We will continue to try to have other conversations with the County and School Board representatives on this whole issue because what happens at the educational and county level impacts us all. We need to open those channels of communication. I ask that you state your name and address and any comments or questions that you might have. If we can't address your questions tonight, they will be addressed and posted on the website. Committee Chair White then opened the floor to the members of the public. Sue Kesim, 4022 Kennedy Drive stated, I first (1st) want to thank Committee Chair White, as the Finance Chair for reading and taking to heart the twenty-eight(28)budget reform suggestions that I gave her. Meeting earlier is one (1) of them, so I am glad to see that we are doing this. I wanted EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574 235.92211f574.235.9173 111)574.235.55671 www.southbendin.gov 18