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REGULAR-MEETING May 28, 2019
<br /> dealing with important issues that matter to people. It is about their own property and their own
<br /> shared space in their given neighborhood,or this entire community,right?We are all invested. We
<br /> are all citizens here. What we do in our geographic boundary within the City of South Bend, also
<br /> matters to the institutions like our public schools and public library. The taxing entities at the
<br /> County level, other groups are dependent on the decisions that we make as a Redevelopment
<br /> Commission, ok? These are important decisions. They need to be in the light of day, specifically
<br /> in the evening, and there for God's sake doesn't need to be, by law, I've read the law, a public
<br /> portion on the agenda. By, for God's sake, why can't we hit that mark? Sorry for the lecture.
<br /> Councilmember Jake Teshka stated, I concur with my colleagues. Councilmember Davis pointed
<br /> it out earlier, we pass this thing and it would be giving up our leverage to make these changes. I
<br /> would just like to see that these meetings be moved. There is so much money funneled through the
<br /> Redevelopment Commission and it's not even to make it more accessible for the public, but for
<br /> Council as well. Sure, we get all the agendas and packets, and I appreciate that, but there are
<br /> discussion and things that you don't get by reading a packet at home by yourself. Council is a part-
<br /> time gig, at least it's paid as such, and so we all have other jobs for the most part. To make a
<br /> meeting at 9:30 a.m. is typically difficult. I know I would go to more if they were later.
<br /> Councilmember Dr. Oliver Davis stated, It is my twelfth (12th) and final year on Council and at
<br /> the end of 2011, we had a meeting with Mayor Luecke. We asked about TIF and what the uses
<br /> are, and we had a big debate in that meeting. There is a grey area and we had a nice twenty (20)
<br /> minute discussion on the color of that grey. The State definition, back then, Valparaiso was using
<br /> TIF money to get police cars. Why can't we use it like that? Why can't we be more creative? We
<br /> had that discussion in 2011, a new mayor comes in. In 2014 we were promised a lot of things. We
<br /> were told we would get updates on a lot of things like the City Cemetery, and that's been great and
<br /> I'm glad for that, but a lot of that never did follow through. In 2016 we wrote a resolution to have
<br /> updates and it's always on us to have to do that. In the last campaign, it was stated that if you like
<br /> what's going on, currently, vote for the person who was closest to him and went to elementary
<br /> school with him. People did. So, basically, people said they like the meetings at 10:00 a.m. Ok?
<br /> So, unless you put some teeth on it and say we are going to hold this hostage, you're not going to
<br /> change. I'm going to hold, this, this, nobody changes that. As a social worker in life, nobody
<br /> changes that if nothing is changed. If you don't apply some kind of change,the other change is not
<br /> going to have that reaction. So, there is no way I can support this tonight.
<br /> Councilmember John Voorde stated,It should be evidently clear,on the part of the Administration,
<br /> that the Council favors a change in the time of the meeting of the Redevelopment Commission. It
<br /> could, and should, be done.
<br /> Councilmember Gavin Ferlic stated, I would like to make a statement on the bill. Thank you for
<br /> listening to Council's priorities regarding the TIF realignment. I think this all stemmed from a
<br /> conversation with the Council in terms of our priorities to be potentially helped by TIF. So, thank
<br /> you for this bill.
<br /> Councilmember Karen White stated, I, too, would like to thank everyone in the Administration
<br /> and others that have been involved with these discussions that really started in October of 2018 as
<br /> we began to look at the realignment. I would like to personally thank the citizens who were able
<br /> to participate. I want to ensure that the areas we heard of are reflected in the realignment. Of course,
<br /> there remains much to be done, but this is a beginning. Clearly, as we begin to listen, and you've
<br /> heard from Council Members and citizens that came forth, there is a need for clarification and
<br /> education in regard to the role of the Council as it pertains to redevelopment. There needs to also
<br /> be more information on TIF and what it can and cannot be used for. Most importantly,there needs
<br /> to be an ongoing mechanism in place for full engagement and education as well. We started doing
<br /> the budget process last year with having what we have titled the Budget Educational Series. One
<br /> (1) dealt with TIF and, again, we still see the need. I am in total agreement that not only do we
<br /> need to send a resolution, but we must hold ourselves accountable to make sure that information
<br /> is forthcoming and that we have all the information we need in order to move forward. We talked
<br /> about having all the various plans being submitted to this Council on a quarterly basis. That did
<br /> not happen. So, we have a responsibility to make sure the education is forthcoming and that the
<br /> citizens are fully engaged. When I look at those numbers of citizens that participated in the series,
<br /> we as a Council, have to make sure that our citizens have the information, they are encouraged to
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