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Home My WebLink About09-09-2026 Budget Meeting Questions (Answered)EXCELLENCE | ACCOUNTABILITY | INNOVATION | INCLUSION | EMPOWERMENT 300 City Hall | 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | South Bend, Indiana 46601 | p. 574.235.9221 | f. 574.235.9173 | www.southbendin.gov OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK BIANCA L. TIRADO, CITY CLERK 09-09-2026 BUDGET HEARING QUESTIONS 2027 Police Department Budget Hearing Questions From Council Question #1 (Committee Member Karen White): Is Notre Dame paying the Police Department for police coverage at events? Answer (Chief Ruszkowski): Yes. Notre Dame gives a specified amount (that number would have to come from the Controllers Office as to the amount) every year-at least this was/is my understanding. I also understand that the money goes into the General Fund, but “originally” (and I don’t know how far back the origin is) the money was either, or to be split between Police and Fire for the ND events. Of course, SBPD is about 30 officers on average per event for traffic, inbound and outbound, plus additional resources to assist in the neighboring areas. Question #2 (Committee Member Karen White): How does PD feel about where the projected overtime budget is? Answered on the floor. Question #3 (Committee Member Tomas Morgan): Is the PD currently fully staffed? Answered on the floor. Question #4 (Committee Member Tomas Morgan): Is the Real Time Crime Center fully staffed? Answered on the floor. Question #5 (Citizen Member Caz Margenau): Why has the Legal Services budget line item decreased? Answer (Chief Ruszkowski): I know it may have been answered on the floor regarding the “Round 1” topic, but not so sure I explained it enough regarding the amount going ‘back down’ from amended 2026 ($507,089) to proposed 2027 ($350,000). We typically allot $350K for legal fees (based on estimate from 5-year average). However, outsourcing specialist attorney firms increased in 2026, and we’re hoping these lawsuits, mostly frivolous, will not be as frequent as we’ve seen this year. Question #6 (Citizen Member Caz Margenau): Where is the Legal Services budget line represented in the overall summary? Answered on the floor. EXCELLENCE | ACCOUNTABILITY | INNOVATION | INCLUSION | EMPOWERMENT 300 City Hall | 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | South Bend, Indiana 46601 | p. 574.235.9221 | f. 574.235.9173 | www.southbendin.gov Question #7 (Council President Canneth Lee): Where do budgeted salary funds go if they are not used? Answered on the floor. Question #8 (Council President Canneth Lee): How effective and helpful has the Real Crime Center been this year to PD? Answered on the floor. Question #9 (Councilmember Dr. Heidi Beidinger): Who has access to the data that's collected from Flock? Answered on the floor. Question #10 (Councilmember Dr. Heidi Beidinger): What does the company, Flock, do with the data? Answered on the floor. Question #11 (Committee Chair Sheila Niezgodski): Why have the benefits budget line decreased? Answered on the floor. Question #12 (Committee Chair Sheila Niezgodski): Are the various allowance amounts listed in the proposed budget determined by the PD contracts or budgeted? Answer (Chief Ruszkowski): The clothing/radio/equipment ‘allowance’ has not changed and that is incorporated into the officer salary/wages/benefits package. The “tools” part was directed for building maintenance which is part of Teamster negotiations/contract-which the SBPD does not negotiate. Questions From the Public No Questions. EXCELLENCE | ACCOUNTABILITY | INNOVATION | INCLUSION | EMPOWERMENT 300 City Hall | 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | South Bend, Indiana 46601 | p. 574.235.9221 | f. 574.235.9173 | www.southbendin.gov 2027 Fire Department Budget Hearing Questions From Council Question #1 (Committee Member Karen White): Are there still concerns around recruitment and retention? Answered on the floor. Question #2 (Committee Member Karen White): Is the Fire Department fully staffed? Answered on the floor. Question #3 (Committee Chair Karen White): Is the Fire Department comfortable with the projected overtime numbers? Answered on the floor. Question #4 (Committee Member Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers): How much longer will the Fire Department be able to use the thirty (30) year old fire truck? Answered on the floor. Question #5 (Committee Member Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers): How much do new and used fire trucks cost? Answered on the floor. Question #6 (Committee Chair Sheila Niezgodski): Is there any federal funding to go towards vehicle costs? Answered on the floor. Question #7 (Committee Member Tomas Morgan): Is the Fire Department getting reimbursed for other municipalities using their river rescue training facility? Answered on the floor. Question #8 (Committee Member Tomas Morgan): What is “working out of salary classification”? Answered on the floor. Question #9 (Citizen Member Caz Margenau): Is there an expectation that there will be a majority of fire fighters with less than ten (10) years of experience? If so, how can it be reversed? Answered on the floor. Question #10 (Council President Canneth Lee): Is the EMS revenue included in the total budget? Answered on the floor. Question #11 (Committee Chair Sheila Niezgodski): Why has the Pension Fund increased? Answered on the floor. Question #12 (Committee Chair Sheila Niezgodski): Is the City required to pay for the Pension Fund increase? Answered on the floor. EXCELLENCE | ACCOUNTABILITY | INNOVATION | INCLUSION | EMPOWERMENT 300 City Hall | 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | South Bend, Indiana 46601 | p. 574.235.9221 | f. 574.235.9173 | www.southbendin.gov Questions From the Public Question #1 (Thomas Ferguson): As the Lafayette Falls subdivision continues to grow, will SBFD consider collaborating with the Centre Township fire station to cover that area? Answered on the floor.