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06-23-08 Common Council Minutes
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06-23-08 Common Council Minutes
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REGULAR MEETING JUNE 23, 2008 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />A Public Hearing was held on the Resolution at this time. <br /> <br />Mr. Paul Phair, Holladay Corporation, 227 S. Main Street, South Bend, Indiana, spoke in <br />favor of this bill. <br /> <br />Mr. Phair indicated that this is the second annexation for a parcel for Waggoner Farm <br />Development LP acquired on Mayflower Road. The final intention of this parcel is to <br />provide right-of-way for the Auten Road Connector from Portage to Mayflower, which is <br />several years in the future. He stated that they wanted to provide for responsible traffic <br />planning in the future. <br /> <br />The following individuals spoke in opposition to the bill: <br /> <br />Mr. Tom Zmyslo, 51042 Prairie View Way, South Bend, Indiana, spoke in opposition to <br />this bill. <br /> <br />Mr. Zmyslo stated that he is a St. Joseph County resident and a taxpayer, but is tired of <br />financing projects like this one. He stated that his tax dollars are going to finance <br />projects that aren’t even developed or even thought of yet. He stated that he owned a <br />business in the City for years and managed it without any help from the City of South <br />Bend. Mr. Zmyslo stated that this is a private development so let them finance the <br />infrastructure too. He stated that tax dollars are short and there is not enough money to <br />be financing projects like this. He stated that the money needs to be spent in the inner- <br />city. Mr. Zmyslo stated that Councilmember Dieter stated that the South Bend Police <br />Department is strapped to provide any additional services as it stands right now. Mr. <br />Zmyslo urged the Council to vote against this bill. <br /> <br />Ms. Kelly Haves 12032 Timberline Trace North, Granger, Indiana, spoke in opposition to <br />this bill. <br /> <br />Ms Havens advised that this is an insane time to be spending taxpayer money on a project <br />that is visionary at best and hopeless in worth. Expanding that area has already proven to <br />be unsuccessful in Blackthorn and Portage Prairie, and at a time when we all know that <br />property taxes are going to be capped, and the City is claiming a 15 million dollar <br />shortfall for next year. The City will obviously be looking to cut programs or to increase <br />income taxes on all of the citizens in St. Joseph County. It just seems absurd that a new <br />road project would be started at this time. It is not just that long ago those taxpayers were <br />fighting the wheel tax even though we knew that City streets and County roads were in <br />deplorable shape. She stated that taxpayers were afraid that the money would get used <br />for new roads leading nowhere and that seems what this proposal is at this point and time, <br />there isn’t any big development waiting on the other side if this proposed road gets put <br />through. This is just somebody’s dream of something that might happen, if all of the <br />money is spent now. She reiterated that this is not the time to be financing visionary pie <br />in the sky projects. This is a time when government should be cutting back even on <br />things where it hurts to cut back, but certainly you are not going to hurt the citizenry if <br />the road to nowhere isn’t built and they are never going to miss it. This proposed project <br />is last thing that the City needs to be passing if trying to be fiscally responsible and good <br />stewards of taxpayer dollars. <br /> <br />In Rebuttal, <br /> <br />Mr. Vitton noted that the Council is not essentially approving the roadway at this point. <br />He stated that will be in the future, and Mr. Gilot, Director of Public Works has indicated <br />that the road will be coming in response to the development at Portage Prairie. This bill <br />will essentially get the right-of-way at a time that it is relatively inexpensive to purchase, <br />instead of when the development starts and the land will be more expensive to acquire. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 9 <br /> <br />
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