12-13-99 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING DECEMBER 13. 1999 Councilmember Aranowski reported that the Personnel & Finance Committee met on this bill and sends it to the Council with a favorable recommendation. Ms. M. Catherine Roemer, City Controller, 1400 County -City Building, South Bend, Indiana, made the presentation for this bill. Ms. Roemer informed the Council that this ordinance transfers dollars between categories with no additional dollars being added within these ten (10) different funds. This is a housekeeping matter to make sure one category is not overspent. This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. There being no one present wishing to speak to the Council either in favor of or in opposition to this bill, Council President Coleman made a motion for favorable recommendation to full Council concerning this substitute bill. Councilmember Kelly seconded the motion which carried by a voice vote of eight (8) ayes. BILL NO. 95-99 A BILL OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND APPROPRIATING MONIES FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES OF THE DESIGNATED ENTERPRISE FUND OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2000, AND ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2000, INCLUDING ALL OUTSTANDING CLAIMS AND OBLIGATIONS, AND FIXING A TIME WHEN THE SAME SHALL TAKE EFFECT Council Member Aranowski reported that the Personnel & Finance Committee met on this bill and sends it to the Council with a 3 -1 favorable recommendation. Mayor Stephen Luecke, Office of the Mayor, 1400 County -City Building, South Bend, Indiana, made the presentation for this bill. Mayor Luecke reminded the Council that this budget for the College Football Hall of Fame for the year 2000 was submitted in September but the Council asked that a vote on the budget be postponed until this time in order that more information could be provided. Mayor Luecke stated that he wanted to inform the Council of the City's relationship with the National Football Foundation (NFF) and where that relationship is moving with his proposal to restructure that relationship. He asked that they recall that his proposal is that the City would step up to the plate in terms of its obligation to pay off the financing on the building and the exhibits in the Hall and that the City ask the NFF to take responsibility for operations. He stated that the City has been in ongoing discussions with the NFF over the last couple of months and believes that the City and the NFF are "on the same page." There are still some details that need to be worked out but they are moving forward on restructuring the Agreement that currently requires the NFF to pay zero dollars toward the operation and financing of the Hall. The City wants to move from that position to a position in which the NFF would accept responsibility for operations. The budget submitted is structured in such a way that it begins to move the City in that direction. The City has shown the NFF's anticipated contribution on the operating side and the City contribution on the financing side of the budget. The budget on the operating side shows a three hundred fifty thousand dollar ($350,000.00) gap that the City is asking the NFF to fund which they have accepted. On the financing side the budget shows about a six hundred thousand dollar ($600,000.00) gap that the City proposes to fund using tax incremental financing dollars. The Mayor pointed out several items on the financing side of the budget in the interest income and also in the interest expenses. If the trends remain as they have over the last two (2) years in the future what the budget will show is that the six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000.00) gap that is proposed to be funded with TIF dollars will be more like three hundred fifty thousand dollars ($350,000.00) to four hundred thousand dollars