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REGULAR MEETING JUNE 22, 2015 <br />who's coming back here now that it is being perceived from the general public that we are just <br />now raising all these fees on top of everything else. We don't have enough information up here, <br />the administration is not here to talk to us. So we have to go out to defend this if it's going to <br />pass tonight. I am asking you kindly what will the city look like if this budget is not passed with <br />your recommendation of what the Mayor is asking of us tonight? Give us some clarity. Eric <br />Horvath replied I will be honest with you, I would need to sit down and look at it. I have a <br />number of components to expenses that I don't have control over. In terms of personnel those <br />fees for the teamsters are set, I can't lower wages but I can cut the number of those doing jobs <br />that's one option. Benefits are set, fuel cost are what they are, we bid those out so we try and <br />keep those down but not a lot of flexibility, tipping fees are set with the landfill. I have lease <br />payments that have existing lease agreements signed by the city that are ongoing payments we <br />need to make, that are already set. There are a number of expenses where there is little to no <br />room for flexibility. I would have to sit down and take drastic measures on how we balance the <br />budget without a revenue increase. The last revenue increase was in 2008. Have you had raises <br />since 2008? Councilmember Oliver Davis stated in 2008 we came up to this council to deal <br />with House Bill 10 -01 and we had to take all the heat from the community and had to raise the <br />taxes when Mishawaka and other places didn't follow suit. We led that, which is why we are <br />here today. Yes, I was here then. So my point to you is this, you stated that we need to sit down <br />and do this. This is the time for the budget directors and everybody to sit down and deal with <br />this now during budget season and not put all the pressure on the Council for this. Present to the <br />people if you don't pass this, this is what you are going to have; you will have trash pickup every <br />other week. People need to see clearly what this is about and they need to have it in dollars and <br />figures from point A to point B. We need to have option A, B, and C so people can clearly see <br />why we choice option A not just because the Mayor wanted it or just because you wanted it. I <br />need to go and tell this to the people. I have to be responsible for that. That's why we just can't <br />say we want 9 %, why wasn't 8 %, 5 %, 3 %, I don't know those answers, that's all I'm saying to <br />use. <br />Councilmember Henry Davis — How do we keep up? The reason why I asked that question is <br />because our poverty rate is at 30 %, the household medium income is $35,000 when the national <br />average is at $50,000, and the individual income is $21,000 which is a lot lower than national <br />state average. There was a department study done for individual states that you need to make at <br />least $14/hour to get a one or two bedroom apartment here in South Bend, IN you can't get that <br />making $21,000. Then our free and reduced lunch is at 75 %. I'm not challenging you, <br />understand what I am saying, I am looking at our conditions, how do we keep up? Eric Horvath <br />stated I appreciate that comment. There are lot of people that are hurting and are in tough <br />positions. We all need to work together to figure out what that answer is. It's not just the city <br />that needs to be a part of that answer, that's the community too. That's a bigger issue all <br />together. I get that this is one component of all the issues that are hitting now. What we are <br />talking about is a $1 increase on the trash bill to help us keep the trash fund solvent. <br />Councilmember Henry Davis, Jr. replied I get that Eric, but I can't go directly there, I have to go <br />there and everywhere else in order for me to pay attention to all the things going on. What I will <br />say is, yes you do have a very difficult job. However, many of you came in with 30% increases, <br />50% increases for your jobs. You asked Councilmember Oliver earlier if he got a pay increase <br />since 2008, not at 25% I didn't nor did I get it at 50 %. I'm not knocking you, I'm paying <br />attention to all the issues that we have before us. Only thing I can go back to is these are all tools <br />for gentrification. The current people in this city cannot continue to live in this city with rates <br />being increased the way they are now. A lot of people are on fixed incomes, or they're <br />uneducated so how do we keep up? Eric Horvath responded I appreciate what you are saying, <br />but you also need to understand that we cannot not pick up the trash. Right now our rates are <br />lower than anybody in the county. The folks that are getting picked up in the county, through <br />their own individual pickup are paying a much higher rate sometimes double and triple the rates <br />that are in our city. If we drop the trash program all together and let the residence handle it on <br />their own, their rates are going to double or triple as opposed to us doing it on a community wide <br />basis with the economy as a scale. That's a reality we need to face. Councilmember Oliver <br />Davis stated and I believe that. When I take my garbage out every Wednesday night sometimes I <br />don't even do it as there's only one bag in there as it is a household of three. Maybe there's a <br />conversation of the size of households in which you are allowed to get per month versus every <br />week. One month I couldn't fill the trash can up so I only put it out once that month but I'm still <br />paying for it every week. Maybe we go back to private trash collections, allowing people that <br />20 <br />