2011 CAFR Executive Summary - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

• Were Building Neighborhoods- The City continues with its strong commitment to neighborhoods. The City will make a significant investment to fund or leverage state and federal funding for housing assistance, development and home ownership programs, neighborhood public works and parks, neighborhood development for social services and organizations, and public safety initiatives. Committing these resources will help us maintain, improve and support strong neighborhood development. • We're Building a Safe City- Public safety is the foundation of all the City's efforts to build South Bend. Through the targeted and creative use of available resources, the City is working to provide quality police, fire and ambulance services for the community. The crime rate has decreased in several significant categories over the past year. The City's Fire Departments is rated one of the best in the State. The Mayor's top initiatives will focus on community policing, youth violence, and placing more emphasis on training and recruitment for the Police and Fire Departments. • We're Building an Attractive City- We are working to enhance the natural and man-made beauty of our city through effective City programs. The City has taken steps through its Department of Code Enforcement and a Mayoral Task force to address the issue of vacant and abandoned properties. The City is funding major programs to renovate the former Studebaker Corridor area and other parts of the City. The City has been recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists and has established approximately 60 miles of bicycle routes to date. • We're Building Opportunity - A key issue for any city is education and opportunity for young people. The City is committed to keeping schools open in our neighborhoods and to maximizing their use by the community. We are building partnerships with the South Bend School Corporation and other key stakeholders that will create new strategies for enhancing our formal educational systems. Working together with families, student groups, school officials, neighborhoods, the faith community and civic organizations, we can support our local schools and improve the level of individual student performance. • We're Building a Strong Economy - Local government plays a key role in economic development. By providing adequate infrastructure and offering targeted assistance, the City can stimulate private investment, creating business opportunities and jobs. The City's policies encourage new start-up businesses, strengthen existing business, attract new jobs, increase assessed value and emphasize direct investment in hard-to-develop areas. Efforts have been and will continue to focus on implementing the comprehensive plans for the areas around the East Bank and Coveleski Stadium, including a new Veteran's Clinic across from the stadium. The City has had many recent economic development projects including Eddy Street Commons, a$220 million dollar mixed-use development south of Notre Dame, with more than 20 stores and restaurants, office space and hundreds of town homes, apartments and condominiums. In addition, the City has created Indiana's first dual-site, state-certified technology park site known as Innovation Park and Ignition Park. 11