South Bend Common Council to vote on 2024 budget

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Today, the South Bend Common Council voted on the 2024 city budget, as well as a number of resolutions.

One thing on the docket was a salary ordinance for city workers, which will determine the 2024 salary rates for both union and non-union employees.

The salary proposal included three percent raises for the mayor's office, the city clerk's office, teamsters, and the police and fire departments.

All proposed increases were approved, apart from the city clerk's office salary, which was tabled at the request of the city clerk. 

Shelia Niezgodski, 6th District Council Member, outlined other priorities in the proposed budget, before the vote tonight.  

"We're going to still have our trash picked up, but a big thing is infrastructure," she said. "There's been a lot from residents about infrastructure, so that’s continuing to pave our streets, curb and sidewalk work. It's very essential for neighborhoods, so for me it has a lot to do with infrastructure,” said Niezgodski.

In addition, the common council discussed a resolution filed by Henry Davis Jr., which called for equity and disaggregation in administrative reports. 

The hope behind this resolution was to support areas, like LaSalle Park, hampered by inadequate funding and support over the last few decades. 

The resolution asked for the city to report its investments by demographic and to show which groups benefitted from those investments. 

These reports would come from city funded programs: American Rescue Plans, Department of Community Investment, Department of Public Works and Venues, Parks and Arts and how they're impacting the historically underserved communities in South Bend.

Ultimately, the council voted 5-3, against the resolution. 

Major James Mueller said the $417 million approved city budget for 2024 reflects the priorities that South Bend residents shared in the Build the Budget process. 

"The approved 2024 budget will keep South Bend moving forward with full funding for public safety, including 252 officers and new crime intelligence analysts, as well as continued investments in housing, neighborhoods, and critical infrastructure," he said.