10-24-12 Personnel & Finance Committee

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Human Rights was next. HR Director Lonnie Douglas had asked for additional clerical support when he presented his department budget. Mr. Douglas was pleased with the Controller's offer to fund 1000 hrs of support. Before accepting the compromise the Council urged the administration to seek supplemental funding from Mishawaka. Mark Neal and Mr. Douglas pledged to initiate discussions to engage Mishawaka, and the County in future funding proposals. Information Technology was next. The Council had requested IT submit long-range KPI's as well as a 5 year development plan. Mark Neal provided a list of KPI's from IT (attached) and said the 5 year plan was nearing completion and was to be shared with the Council by the end of the year. Catherine Toppel, Director of Code Enforcement and Animal Control was next. The Council had expressed a desire to see the effort to remediate the illegal dumping activity be sustained through 2013. Catherine Toppel assured the Council, though NCE was currently understaffed, they could effectively continue clean-up efforts next year. Considerable discussion regarding the Council's request that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday be an official city holiday. Adamant Council support for this resulted in the administrations pledge to introduce an ordinance before the end of the year that would add that day to the list of official holidays. Mark Neal then explained that there would be no new positions in the legal department adding the Mayor was soon to announce the appointment of a new City Attorney. Discussions relative to the Parks Department proved to be quite contentious with the Council emphatically stating opinions on a number of issues. First, was the future development of the proposed Miracle Park, an accessible parks sports facility geared those with physical disabilities. Park Director Phil St. Clair claimed delays have resulted from not being able to find an appropriate site. Several Council members urged development near Coveleski Stadium. St. Clair said the suggest site was not large enough. He plans to keep looking. Henry Davis shifted focus to the Charles Black and MLK Centers. He asked for an audit, opposed any new position or re-structuring of personnel. Henry as well as others see a dire need form more and better programming at the Centers if youth engagement is to be the goal. Beyond the Centers the Council expressed a need for more equipment in parks, more park patrols, and a re-evaluation of the golf courses in a cost/benefit way. Regarding the request for a youth engagement position and a community outreach position out of the Mayor's Office there was considerable discussion opposing them. This was also the tenor of discussion for the proposed Deputy Director of Public Works.