06-23-08 Common Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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