MAYOR DICK MOORE’S 8th Annual “State of the City” March 25, 2015
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MAYOR DICK MOORE’S8th Annual
“State of the City”
March 25, 2015
Lerner Theatre – Crystal Ballroom
As we move further away from the great economic downturn
that affected us so deeply during the latter part of the first decade of
this century, the future of our City becomes brighter with each
passing day. We are fortunate. We have so many visionaries,
progressive thinkers, and dreamers who don’t just talk about
challenges but offer solutions. We surround ourselves with people
who live in that environment, citizens like those I brought together to
form SoMa and so many other individuals and organizations that have
benefited the rest of us with their philanthropic ways. Their
contributions over time have certainly made Elkhart a better place to
live, work and play.
While we say goodbye to 2014, I look to this year and well into
the future of this City and see nothing but progress, growth, and
prosperity for Elkhart, Indiana!
I’m going to begin my next portion of my remarks to you this
evening by talking about the different departments of our City. I’ll
begin with the City Controller’s Office.
The cash balance of the City’s treasury at the end of 2014 was
$106 million, a $1.5 million decrease from 2013 because of additional
needed expenditures.
All one hundred fifty seven of the City’s funds maintained a
positive cash balance at the end of the year. The great news I have for
you is that in-spite of the financial challenges we have faced due to
circumstances beyond our control, Standard and Poor’s increased our
credit rating from an A+ to AAA- noting our strong fund balances and
the way we manage your money.
The original civil City budget contemplated receipt of revenues
in the amount of $63 million dollars. Property Tax Caps and
uncollected taxes caused revenue to be lower than the tax levy
approved by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.
Of the $37 million dollar property tax levy for the 2014 civil City
budget, just $26 million was collected. The effects of the tax caps
continue to rise, but at a slower rate than in previous years.
The approved gross budget for 2014 was $54 million. The
original budget was increased by $3 million carried forward from
2013 and by $6 million in the form of additional appropriations from
other funds for a net-working civil City budget of $63 million.
Actual expenditures and encumbrances were $59 million or 94%
of the net-working civil City budget. The City realized a reduction in
operational costs of $4 million. The City had long term debt in the
amount of $9 million aggregated between two revenue bonds on
January 1, 2014. Principal and interest in the amount of $769,000
was paid during the year. Outstanding debt on the remaining bonds is
$8,900,000. The debt is relative to the Lerner project. This is an
extremely low debt for a City our size. By law we are allowed to be in
debt by almost $40 million which is 2% of the City’s assessed value.
Communications
In 2014, our Communications Center processed 101,000 calls.
These came for police, fire, medical, and some miscellaneous. In 2014,
we handled 7,781 calls from land line phones and 11,000 from cell
phones. For many years cell calls have been transferred to the City
Communications Center from the County. Cell phone 9-1-1 calls
originating within the City must now come directly to our 911 Center.
We recently received permission from the County Commissioners to
take over the Lafayette Street cell tower which means a majority of
the cell phone calls originating in the City will come directly to our
Center. No more county transfer will be necessary, eliminating
valuable seconds or minutes. There is more to be done yet.
We installed and deployed the Solacom Next Generation 9-1-1
Telephone System. This system provides us with the ability to do 9-1-
1 texting along with many other capabilities. We also upgraded our
radio system to the MC 5500 Motorola System. All of this puts our
Communications Center on the list with the best of them.
Fire
We have been able to provide our firefighters with the
equipment they need to do their job efficiently and effectively. In
2014, we purchased a new fire engine at a cost of $430,000. An
additional engine will be purchased this year with no increase in
price. A new ambulance chassis will be purchased this year upon
which we will install one of our current medic compartments realizing
a savings in excess of $40,000. A local firm will get the job.
The Fire Department responded to 1,300 fire related calls
requiring 4,000 emergency responses. The department had 6,000
ambulance calls requiring 13,000 emergency responses. The
combined call volume for both Fire and Emergency Medical Services
was 8,000. The total unit responses for 2014 were 16,000.
Police
There were 3,000 criminal arrests, 6,000 citations, 329
ordinance violations, 8,000 traffic warnings, and 1,000 parking
citations. Many cases are cleared by arrest and some are unfounded
or in to many the victim refuses to help. The award winning Night Out
Against Crime program was expanded in 2014.
In response to public requests and in an attempt to keep our
police officers supplied with the latest in technology, we began
exploring the use of vest cameras for all of our officers. Like our
neighboring communities, we came to the conclusion that equipping
our police officers with vests cameras to be in the best interest of our
officers and our citizens. They offer clarity to any question.
IT
The Information Technology Department was kept busy with
many important projects included modernizing dispatch and police
records management systems and servers. We upgraded data
connection for the police/fire units. The new connection is fifty times
faster and costs 40% less. We upgraded to more accurate GPS
systems in police and fire units to allow for more efficient dispatching,
and increased officer safety. We implemented two factor
authentication in police units to meet standards as mandated by the
FBI. We improved generator and battery backup solutions in case of
power outage or catastrophes. We implemented a system to
automatically transfer evidence videos from police cruisers into a
secure server with no human interaction needed. We migrated the
first responder vehicles away from the Panasonic Toughbook’s to Dell
laptops.
Utility
Over 3,200 people attended events and programs presented or
hosted by the Elkhart Environmental Center. The ElkhartWood
program received the ISA Gold Leaf Beautification Award in 2015 in
recognition of its positive impact on the community after its first year.
The Wastewater Utility treated and released 5.4 billion gallons
of wastewater to the St. Joe River and produced 2,301 dry tons of bio-
solids.
The Water Utility treated and distributed 2.9 billion gallons of
safe, clean drinking water through 346 miles of water mains.
Street
The work performed by the City Street Department may have
more to do with economic development than any other City
department. The condition of our streets is the first and last
impression one gets when visiting our City. Over this past year we
have laid in place 21,000 tons of asphalt. Preventing costly
deterioration of our streets means diligent crack sealing as well. We
used 1,200 gallons of crack sealing oil. We invested $107,000 in
concrete replacing sidewalks that included many ADA sidewalks.
In keeping with our goal of sweeping all streets in the City every
14 days, our sweepers picked up over 13,000 cubic yards of street dirt
and debris. Our popular curbside leaf removal service removed
49,000 cubic yards of leaves from in front of our homes and used the
compost for top soil. Winter! Now that the snow is gone, I think it’s
gone. I hate to bring it up. But our aggressive snow and ice control
program translates directly into reducing the number of traffic
accidents and injuries. And as was recently pointed out to me working
in the City of Elkhart makes it a lot more difficult to use snow fall as a
reason for arriving late for work. Needless to say, I am happy to be
saying goodbye to the winters of 2013-2014.
Tolson
2014 was a banner year for the Tolson Center. From the new
carpet in the education room to new lobby furniture, you’ll see the
improvements at Tolson as soon as you walk through the door. A new
fitness room and fresh paint in the gym. But last year’s improvements
were not just cosmetic. Sixty students went on college visits.
Partnerships were fostered with over forty organizations, and the 24k
education program expanded to include nineteen schools!
National New York Central Railroad Museum
The National New York Central Railroad Museum has
experienced another dynamic year resulting in increased revenue
across the board, more activities and greater community
participation. During 2014, we greeted 7,000 visitors at the Museum.
This Elkhart treasure is a world-wide attraction for railroad buffs and
a proud testament dedicated to Elkhart’s railroad heritage.
Community and Redevelopment
The primary function of Community and Redevelopment is to
administer the City of Elkhart’s annual Community Development Block
Grant Program. The program is funded 100% by the City’s CDBG
entitlement funds. In 2013, the CDBG entitlement award was $713,000
and for this year it will be $746,060. This is a welcome increase;
however, there is always more to do than there are dollars available.
Building & Code
In 2014, permits for new commercial and industrial construction
increased by 60%. While permits for new residential construction
were down, permits for Addition and Alteration on residential
properties and commercial and industrial structures showed an
approximate 20% increase over 2013. Additions and Alterations in
Commercial and Industrial Structures also represented an
approximate 60% increase.
The Lerner Complex
Air Supply, Aaron Neville, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the
Temptations, the Beach Boys, Clint Black and Gavin DeGraw, just to
name a few. Who could have predicted that we would see names like
those on a Marquee in Elkhart? But that was reality in 2014. The
Lerner Complex experienced 50% growth. Exceeding all expectations,
482 events took place in the complex. Revenue increased across the
board due in part to greater attendance and more events. Working in
unison with our resident partners the Crystal Ballroom and Premier
Arts we have formed the perfect trifecta for success. The formula for
success is simple - provide a guest experience that equals the space.
Buildings & Grounds
When you look at the reports as I do it is incredible the work
that is done by our employees to keep this City of 51,000 people open
for business, recreation, entertainment and relaxation, a place to live,
work and play. The Buildings and Grounds Department is a major
player in our day to day operation. It is maintaining our parks, our
buildings and grounds, event centers, etc. The tasks they perform on a
day to day basis would take so much time to discuss we would be here
until tomorrow morning.
2014 was one of the busiest years in the history of Elkhart for
our Public Works and Utilities Department. The Engineering Group
undertook a record number of projects representing $34 million
dollars in construction. The list includes 29,000 feet of water main,
7,000 feet of sanitary sewer, 4,500 feet of storm sewer, 5 lane miles of
pavement, 12,000 feet of curb and, 12,000 feet of sidewalk.
Cemetery Department
The Cemetery Department conducted 313 burials and
entombments in 2014. At the same time they took on added
responsibilities that included snow removal on City properties not
associated with a cemetery. That includes snow clearing on assigned
downtown sidewalks and bridges.
Park Department
The Parks Department’s Comprehensive Five Year Master Plan,
covering 2014-2018, was produced with the help of public input. It
was a great year for community volunteerism. Nearly 2,500 hours
were provided by volunteers. With help like this collaborating with the
Building and Grounds crews many other projects and tasks were
completed. A new playground surface of artificial turf was installed in
one of the playground pods at Walker Park. American Park Bridge’s
ADA construction work began. Roosevelt Park lights were placed
along the walking path. Riverview Softball Complex upgrades
included new scoreboards, replacing units from nearly twenty years
ago. The restrooms were refurbished and murals were painted on to
the central building. All of these upgrades contributed to being a
successful bidder for the 2016 Class C Fast Pitch National
Tournament (a first for the City of Elkhart). Art returned to Parks.
Carved limestone pieces from the old Armory and a metal
contemporary sculpture titled “Totem” by Chicago artist, Brian
Monaghan, were placed in the park. The 35th Annual Rhapsody in
Green Festival once again celebrated record attendance.
Grants
The challenges of obtaining federal funds continued in 2014.
Since peaking in 2011, a year prior to the sequestration, federal
opportunities have decreased by 25%. The decrease in funding
opportunities combined with increasing rigorous eligibility
requirements has put additional limits on viable applications. In 2014,
ten applications were submitted and four were funded, four unfunded,
and two are pending. Total funding received was $68,204. The Grants
Department has become an important community resource for non-
profits seeking technical assistance and in the preparation of grant
applications. This service has filled a needed void in Elkhart, as many
non-profits do not have the expertise to understand fully the legal
requirements and policies associated with grant requests. The Grants
Department has also served a role in providing expertise to projects
related to the arts, humanities, and historic preservation.
The Economic Development Department is interconnected with
just about every department in the City. Economic development is truly a
team effort with the Redevelopment Commission at the center of the
hub. Managing the investment of our Tax Incremental Funds (TIF), the
Redevelopment Commission fosters many great projects that
developers have come forward with that often require taxpayer
funding or abatements.
The Aurora Capital Program continues to help many businesses
get the start they need which ultimately benefits the entire
community. Those in the program including two new businesses that
were granted loans in 2014 are maintaining their payment
requirements.
The redevelopment of North-pointe Plaza into an attractive front
door to our community is still on-going. The Thompson-Thrift
development known as Shoppes on Six began its construction phase in
2014.
There were a number of attraction and expansion projects that
selected Elkhart. Many companies chose to expand without
requesting state or local incentives. The capital investment made by
companies requesting tax incentives in 2014 total $6 million dollars.
The capital investment made by companies not requesting tax
incentives brought in another $3.5 million for a total investment of
$9.5 million.
Brownfield Projects
In 2014, the buildings at 511 Division Street were demolished
and the site is now ready for redevelopment. Work continued on the
700 West Beardsley project, the blighted Walter Piano Building. It is
our expectation that the project will be completed this year. After the
work has been completed, the site will be ready for redevelopment.
Human Relations
In 2014, the Human Relations Department provided information
throughout the City in the area of housing and employment. Averaging
approximately 121 contacts a month from and to citizens, staff offers
assistance to individuals related to fair housing, equal opportunity
employment and more. Community Development continues to provide a
staff person to assist in furthering fair housing. By working together,
both departments meet federal contract requirements and Human
Relations continues to maintain its substantial equivalency to the Federal
Fair Housing Act. In November, the City was notified by HUD that based
on our performance their certification would be extended for a period of
five years.
Law
The expectation for the Law Department is to continue to meet
the legal service demands of the City. They provide a wide range of
legal services to City officials and departments. These legal services
include, providing legal counsel to City officials in numerous areas of
the law. They prepare, review, and/or revise contracts, ordinances,
resolutions, pleadings, briefs, motions, deeds, easements,
memoranda, letters and other documents. They handle certain
litigation matters before courts, administrative bodies, and
arbitrators. Except for those matters handled by outside legal counsel
they prosecute violators of the City’s ordinances and engage in debt
collection activities to recover fines, fees, damages and other monies
owed to the people of Elkhart. They filed 5,339 ordinance violation
cases in Elkhart City Court.
Human Resource
For the Human Resource Department the daily tasks of
maintaining the City of Elkhart’s employee benefits, work comp files,
and providing assistance with employment issues and filling open
positions within the City organization is extremely important. Fifty-
three open positions were filled in 2014. Included were 13 police
officers and 8 firefighters. HR also produces the Citywide posting,
tracking and routing of bids received, and provides advertising
avenues. Our 2014 retirees represented 391 collective years of
service. 2014 proved to be a better year in experience and other
underwriting factors resulting in no increase in health insurance costs
for 2015. A total of 381 full-time employees completed wellness
strategies set by the City to receive a discounted premium in 2015.
Aviation Department
The Elkhart Municipal Airport ranks among some of our most
positive accomplishments. The airport currently has the greatest
economic impact ever recorded in the history of the airport, $197
million annually, according to the Aviation Association of Indiana.
Surveys from businesses that use the airport say the presence of the
airport creates more than 1,500 jobs and over $69 million in payroll.
In 2008, the airport had 27 empty hangars, students seeking flight
instruction had to go to other airports to find it, T hangars were in
need of extensive maintenance, and the main runway was in such poor
condition the FAA considered it a safety hazard. Today all the T
hangars have been repaired and for the first time in ten years all
hangars are rented. A hangar waiting list now exists. We now have
three flight instructors busy with student pilots and the main runway
was replaced in concrete without any local taxpayer matching funds
required. In 2014, phase one of the airport road beautification took
place. A detailed marketing study was also completed. The
implementation phase of that study has already begun. Last year a 5
year agricultural lease was signed which tripled the annual lease
income for farming airport property. Today, more aircraft are based at
Elkhart Municipal Airport than at any time in its history. Air
Supremacy Over Elkhart received national recognition as a “model of
how a City should conduct an RC Airshow”. The Fall Warbird Fly-In
celebrated its 5th year. 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the end of
WWII and the 50th anniversary of the beginning for the Vietnam War.
There is never a bad time to honor our Veterans but we think that now
is a great time. May 16th and 17th the City of Elkhart will host a Salute
to Veterans WWII Reenactment in partnership with the National WWII
Reenactment Historical Society. Then the big news we have been
waiting to hear for more than ten years, mark your calendar for
August 20th and 21st, 2016 for the return of the Elkhart Airshow!
Now let’s talk about Annexation. We certainly talked about it
last year. A year later we welcomed nine new areas into our City. As
one who never wanted annexation, I have become an expert on it. Our
State Representatives have said they will no longer allow us to
continue to charge those outside the City a fee to connect to the City’s
sewer system, they told us to annex them, so we did. The nine
becoming a part of the City January 1, 2015 means an additional $2.2
million in tax income for the City. If the City is successful in the court
room it will mean a total of $5.5 million in new income. There is
always resistance to annexation. After all, why pay for City services
when you can benefit from most of them without paying while those in
the City pay for them? My attempt to explain that to the State
Representatives fell on deaf ears. They said annex them. And I hope
that those annexed will soon realize the benefits that only a City can
provide; services such as quick immediate and full response by our
Fire Department, our Medic Units and our Police force. No doubt one
of the best snow and ice removal programs in the Midwest and no
additional charge for trash and recycling. We provide those things of
fun, relaxation, cultural exchange and entertainment. There is
something of value going on every month especially in our Arts and
Entertainment District, doing the things that make us a great place to
live work and play. The newly annexed become participants and
supporters in all of this. And a property in our City is tax limited at the
same level as a similar property outside our City by the caps imposed
by State Law. There is always a cost associated with annexation.
Additional emergency responses, more streets to plow, repair and
pave and more personal attention as calls and e-mails come in. These
annexations bring in more than enough to cover the cost. There were
companies outside the City that requested our sewer service yet
wanted to stay outside of our City. At the same time, there were those
inside the City who voiced their concern that providing this service
outside of our City without them paying City taxes would indeed cause
growth around our City but would add little to the assessed value of
our City and make it difficult to sell industrial property inside the City.
Annexation before or with connection to the City services resolves
that issue. That is where we are today. The connection to our sewer
system must go hand-in-hand with annexation. However, future
annexation must be done with careful consideration and planning. The
cost versus the value to the people of Elkhart will always be a
consideration. I will not consider annexing any area without providing
or planning to provide services within the states time frame. To move
out further from your City limits many factors have to be considered.
When it comes to measuring the crime rate in our City even one
crime is too many. That’s why I meet often with our crime fighting
experts, our own Police Department, and I listen to their thoughts on
what we can do and also what we cannot do. It is easy to editorialize
the issue by just saying something must be done, but it’s much more
of a challenge to do it and do it effectively. We will continue to give
our police officers the state-of-the-art crime fighting equipment and
training they need. By already doing so, our officers are now able to
spend more time on the streets.
There is no magic wand we can wave that will end violent
crimes. I have said it before, violent crime statistics will go down only
when our hearts start talking to our minds. Society must begin to
understand the thoughts and the words of those who march in
solidarity, with those who conduct vigils and candlelight ceremonies.
We have to see Elkhart as one Elkhart and all people as one people
living in peace and harmony and without fear of each other. “It’s
about recognizing that whether we like it or not, we’re all in this
together, and building our collective future is more important than
winning an argument. It is called respect, civility, politeness and
courtesy”. And then there is this very simple message to those who
are determined to kill. One we learn at a very young age. We have no
right to take another’s life. We have no right to determine when
human life comes to an end. That right belongs to a much higher
authority. Let’s leave it there.
Early in 2008 I recognized that house Bill 1001 would
significantly reduce our revenue going into our general fund. Having
received a 2008 budget from the former administration of $57 million,
I recognize the need for an immediate austerity move. Just because
dollars had been appropriated, if all were spent, the financial future
for Elkhart would be questionable. Nearly $5 million went unspent.
And during the next several months we managed to reduce our
operation by another $5 million. We improved our efficiency and
therefore improved our effectiveness. We continued in that mode and
are still committed to that today. Each and every year we received
less and less property tax revenue until it totaled approximately $12.5
million annually. Planning, growth, new ideas and concepts would not
allow doing just the same with less we had to do more with less. These
were tough times. 20.3% unemployment. One out of every five
workers living in our City was unemployed. Elkhart survived.
As stated based on money management procedures our City
received an A+ credit rating from Standard & Poor's that has since
been upgraded to AAA-. We renovated the Lerner Theatre, and added
the Crystal Ballroom. Finished the streetscape downtown one year
earlier than planned and relit the entire area with LED lighting. We
began to rebuild our aging fleet and added new technology to our
Police Department and Communications Center. With help from the
American Recovery Act over $40 million was spent on new
construction in the area putting many back to work and creating a
stimulus for the local economy. We found some great partners and
low-interest loans helped provide needed funding.
Using the best financial means possible after negotiating with
the Environmental Protection Agency as best we could we began the
long term control plan, a great idea to make our rivers and streams
even cleaner than they are, but with an associated cost of $134
million dollars. A mandate to complete in 20 years with no associated
funding. As of March 16, 2015 we have spent $22.5 million on
combined sewer overflow projects. These are infrastructure costs and
don’t include operations, maintenance, monitoring, etc. This has
resulted in lessening sewage overflows entering our rivers by 19
million gallons. We are currently under contract to spend $34 million
more on this project. This includes the Wastewater Treatment Plant
study, the design for CSO 31 and construction for CSO 6/7, the
Wastewater Treatment Plant first phase, and the CSO 17/18
redirection. Once CSO 6/7 is fully completed, 118 overflow events will
be prevented and there will be 27.5 million gallons less raw sewage
entering our rivers. All of that while keeping the monthly increases to
the sewer users to a minimum. These things and more during the
toughest economic times that many of us have ever seen.
It has always been my goal to keep our debt to a minimum and I
do not believe you can borrow your way out of debt. However, no
matter how I feel about being in debt, a new State Law requires us to
borrow money if we are to extend our legacy TIF to make some of the
improvements that make us an attraction to outsiders and a better
place for those of us who live here. So we are forced to borrow to
extend the TIF as there is much to do in the expanded TIF district and
without extension of time that TIF will expire before we can make the
improvements. The loan has been approved by the Redevelopment
Commission and is now in the hands of the Common Council. As you
may remember, the City of Elkhart Redevelopment Commission took
steps late last year to adopt the SoMa strategy. The SoMa strategy is
now the Downtown Redevelopment Plan, and sets the stage for
redevelopment in downtown Elkhart for the next 20 years.
2015 will see some significant improvements and progressive
things in our City. We are still working with MACOG to improve
trolley service by establishing a Trolley Transfer Center on the North
West corner of Third and Franklin. The center will be constructed
with federal dollars and serve the trolley users and this area very
well. The parking lot that is currently a very large hole in the ground
will be restored at Waterfall and Lexington and that project will
include new paving on Lexington, and on Waterfall, new sidewalk
curb and gutter, new lighting and an 11 foot sidewalk on the riverside
of Waterfall drive. In the same area, the Riverwalk will be extended
from where it currently is near High Street at the river level. A new
concrete walk meeting ADA requirements will gradually climb up to
the street level at Waterfall and Franklin. The landscaping will make a
beautiful West Bank along the Elkhart River in that location. If the
Common Council approves the Redevelopment Commissions bond
there is a list of projects that we feel beneficial to the downtown TIF
district and follows the strategy of the SoMa initiative. We plan to
continue the streetscape program on Main Street from Jackson North
to the bridge. A parking lot will be put in the area for the use of the
local businesses and our Island Park. The streetscape will also
continue from the mainline railroad tracks to Prairie Street. These
projects will create a cohesive look along the entire Gateway Mile
reinforcing the boundaries for downtown again as expressed through
the Soma strategy. We have extended our downtown TIF from Jackson
out North Main to Simonton Street. This allows us to use TIF dollars
to make improvements in that area. We have gone in another
direction by extending it on out to the corner of Goshen Avenue and
Jackson Boulevard. There is a property there along the St. Joseph
River that we would like to preserve for the people of Elkhart, a place
for more Elkhart people to be able to use the upper St. Joseph River.
Rent some dock space, purchase fuel, maybe have lunch or dinner,
rent a kayak a paddleboat or a pontoon. Enjoy what this beautiful
Elkhart treasure has to offer. We have an agreement to purchase
approved by the Redevelopment Commission but that needs approval
of the Common Council. We’re looking at updating improvements to
the 25 year old City Plaza, and perhaps create a Railroad Sculpture
Garden to recognize our railroad heritage down near the mainline
railroad property, building on our strong railroad culture.
Infrastructure improvements in the State and Division Street area and
the preparation of the Star Tire and Armory property are all important
for further economic development. We must make needed repairs to
our aging Railroad Museum. Some of those buildings have been there
since 1906. These projects will capitalize on the success we have
created and continue the progress in redeveloping downtown. There's
so much we can do and so much has been done through the work of
the Redevelopment Commission, one of the great reasons for
extending our downtown TIF as required by State Law. We simply
have to do it.
The old Elkhart Foundry is gone. The Labour property is now a
City park. The old Misco Building, the Armory and the old building
housing a former machining company at Division and Waterfall is
gone. We continue to remove the blight from this community and open
the properties up for redevelopment. We hope to soon be rid of the
Schult Building on South Main Street. With a new appropriation
approved by the Common Council we will remove over 100 boarded-
up properties in our City in 2015. Removing these blighted buildings
from our neighborhoods is a good thing. We must be able to take our
visitors through any neighborhood not just a few. I am a strong
believer in lighting and will ask our Utility to conduct a study on the
cost of additional LED lighting for our neighborhoods. Low-cost good
lighting is a deterrent to crime. We will continue to work with the
Neighborhood Associations with the hope that more neighborhoods
will soon have an association.
We have constantly met with developers who have great ideas,
expensive ideas. But they tell us some of that expense must come
from the taxpayers of the City of Elkhart. These are developments that
anybody would be proud of but the question we ask ourselves, what is
our investment going to bring in return to the people of Elkhart. We
make decisions in our own life about what we do with our own money
but in my life it is what I do with your money. We must be sure there
is a benefit for you.
While Elkhart has led the nation in job recovery the battle is not
over. We must always be diligent in our quest to find companies that
are interested in relocating here. We must be prepared to compete
while at the same time identifying situations where the investment
maybe too great when compared with the reward. Diversification has
never gone off our radar screen and it must be a part of the process
for a long time to come. We will continue to work with the Economic
Development Corp. of Elkhart County and the Indiana Economic
Development Corp. to not only increase the number of jobs but also to
assist our current industries in retaining the jobs we have. We have
recently joined with the Regional Cities Initiative, the Michiana
Regional Partnership. We recognize we can no longer stand alone. We
must get over this competitive attitude with other local communities
in the region and work in the best interest of all. Mercedes-Benz
coming to Mishawaka with AM General and the South Shore running
an express train tying the region to a great metropolis in less than two
hours. That’s important regionalism. Transportation is so important to
commerce and economic development. Can't say it happened in
Elkhart but it did happen in the region and we will all benefit. The
Regional Cities Initiative is just another tool in this very difficult and
competitive work called economic development. Standing alone is
standing still.
Education is in my opinion a major tool in our crime fighting
effort and goes hand-in-hand with building a better future for our
community. To that end, I sent representatives to our capital to join in
and become a partner with the Presidents My Brother's Keeper
program. The program addresses the persistent opportunity gaps
faced by boys and young men of color and ensures that all young
people can reach their full potential while seeking a commitment from
community leaders in order to reach that goal. We have accepted the
challenge. We will convene a local action Summit with the keynote
speaker coming from the Department of Education. A working group
will be formed to look at local policies and programs already in place.
Mayor Kaufman, Mayor Thompson and I will be working with many
including the Horizon Education Alliance.
I have received many calls and many questions and comments
regarding the closing of the Elkhart Youth and Community Center
formerly the YMCA. I have met with the leadership and I am
convinced that to put any more money into that building would be a
mistake. It is simply worn out. Built in a time when operational costs
were not a primary consideration and one of the few places one could
go to for what they provided. Today’s energy costs require buildings
of today. I appreciate the feelings of so many who recall attending and
enjoying what the building had to offer and recognize it as an Elkhart
icon. But it must be closed. Discussion has not ceased and there is
hope that something will once again serve this community in the same
fashion and maybe even more. Time will tell.
I have been asked what I see the City to be in 5 to 10 years. And
I have described many of the things that we plan to do within that
time frame. But to the question. Before you look to the future one
must first look to our history. We are the descendants of those who
toiled and struggled to build a village on the banks of the St. Joseph
River. A hardy group of great mechanics. Men and women coming to a
new territory. Bringing with them only the meager necessities of life.
It was their ingenuity, their innovation and their creativity that was
survival 101. With those skills, hard work and a love for their town
they converted their village into a City. These traits, this
determination has been passed down from generation to generation.
And we must not overlook the fact that many have found us, fell in
love with Elkhart and brought new ideas, new energy to our City.
Together we recognize it's our turn. We have accepted the baton. And
I have no doubt that we will continue to build this village in a manner
that would make the founders proud of us. And while it is a valid
question to ask someone in a position of leadership what is their
vision for the future it is at the same time a somewhat singular
unrealistic question. For I feel the term leader is a misnomer. Perhaps
a coordinator or facilitator would be a better term. For a good leader,
coordinator or facilitator while having vision and dreams of their own
will find the most important thing they do is listening to the vision and
dreams of their constituents. That's why I formed organizations like
the SoMa group and neighborhood associations, to sense the pulse of
the community. What is it the people want Elkhart to be? And there
will be many points of view. And my job utilizing my staff and various
experts within our community is triage. Gathering enough information
to make an educated decision on what moves forward to the various
commissions and boards or the Common Council. How do we get the
private sector involved especially when there is a need for financial
assistance? It is very interesting working with members of the private
sector who do not normally have to go through all the hoops and
hurdles that we do in government. The speed of or lack of in
government is not easily understood.
We have to recognize our limitations under the law. There are
financial limitations and the vision and our dreams must never
override our dollars. The budget must be balanced. There will be no
shortage of ideas and concepts. And among the Administration's own
ideas, we must be cognizant of the fact that the majority may not
agree. So we must listen and at times we have to agree the idea is
flawed, not the best use of taxpayer dollars and is simply not in the
best interest of the community. We must manage your money wisely.
Without that nothing works. Always consider the return on our
investment.
But we must invest. We’re not living in a time when business
and commercialism uses only its own money. Not being critical that's
just the way it is. And for Elkhart to progressively improve over the
next 5 to 10 years we will have to change our mindset and invest more
than we ever have. That is not an easy thing to do as we are a very
conservative minded community. But the community next door will be
doing it. There are all kinds of innovative things going on to attract
new businesses and new people to a community. All of these things
costing those dollars we have taken an oath to protect. Because the
people we deal with don’t like too much said in the early negotiations
I can only tell you this. Developers have brought us some fantastic
projects that all of us would be proud of and all of them are asking us
to financially participate with them. Lots of dollars. And with some,
looking at the service they will provide and tax dollars collected over
some number of years, the City might get its return. And on some of
them it's questionable. Decisions have to be made with careful
consideration.
There is currently a need for housing at all levels. We have the
opportunity to bring in upscale housing, condominiums and great
apartment complexes. There are thousands of people coming in here
daily to work but live in Granger or one of the bedroom communities
surrounding our City. No bigger need in Elkhart currently. We share
the Chamber of Commerce’ goal to bring in 500 families but it
requires 500 good homes in which to live. There are cities building
buildings, new buildings and hoping to bring in a company or other
commercial entity to fill it. We find many don't want an old building. A
City invests in the new building without a buyer, just hoping to find
one. This is the future of economic development. Elkhart must decide
to join in and lead the movement or accept the left overs. There will
be State imposed limitations on expansion and growth. So if we can't
build out we will have to build better. If we can't build wider we will
have to build up. We must keep up with Information Technology and
broadband coverage and the glass wire must be installed throughout
our community for us to be able to compete. That study is ongoing.
We will be implementing an email archive system to make public
information requests easier to produce.
I close by telling you what has always been my promise. That
between myself and my 600 working associates regardless of the
hurdles thrown in our way, financial or otherwise, we are committed
to serving you the people. That’s something that is not going to
change. I believe that Elkhart is on the path of success and it
stretches out in all directions. We don’t follow, we lead. If we walk
together there is nothing we cannot accomplish.
We will not stop dreaming or allow anyone blinding our vision
but at the same time recognize that by law we must operate with a
balanced budget. Our strength and our future is in our money
management. Without that nothing works. Thank you and good
evening.
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