Report to the
Membership
Submitted by the Coordinating Committee of the
Community Forum for Economic
Development
October 16, 2007
The Community Forum for Economic Development was founded on May 16, 2006 following our first Spring Forum at IU South Bend on April 22, 2006. Initially, five members of the original planning committee for the Forum continued to coordinate the meetings and projects of the group. This group was expanded to nine members in October 2006. At our July 2007 meeting, the participants in the Community Forum approved a structural proposal that provided for an annual election of a nine-member coordinating committee at the October monthly meeting.
Projects of
the Community Forum
1. Responsible use
of tax abatements to attract or retain business
We believe that public resources can be used to support
private business investment only when there are tangible and documented
community benefits that result. The City
of South Bend has a tax abatement ordinance with a point structure that was
intended to guide the length of tax abatements granted. We initiated a project to strengthen that
ordinance and developed a proposed revision that has been submitted to Council
members. Important additions in our
proposal include incentives for development that revitalizes economically
distressed areas of South Bend, incentives for environmentally friendly
development, and incentives for the rehabilitation of the current housing
stock.
We have succeeded in making the revision of the Tax
abatement Ordinance an issue not only within the Council but also for community
groups and individuals. We have not yet
succeeded in getting a stronger ordinance passed but are in a better position
to continue these efforts. We also have
begun discussions regarding a similar tax abatement ordinance at the county
level and in the City of Mishawaka.
2. Revitalization
of the inner city neighborhoods
When we began our efforts to affect local economic
development, we found that the main focus for new development was the Airport
TIF (Blackthorn) and other areas on the fringe of the city. Not only did this focus not address the needs
of the inner city neighborhoods but it actually accelerated the disinvestment
in these neighborhoods. From the initial
Forum in the Spring of 2006, we have challenged the city to develop an
"Inside/Outside" policy. That
is, if the resources of the Airport TIF can be used to expand development into
undeveloped areas like Portage Prairie, then it can also be used to expand into
economically distressed areas like LaSalle Square and other areas of the West
Side.
We have succeeded in supporting the residents of the West
Side and some of the members of the SB Common Council in their efforts to
expand the TIF to include not only the LaSalle Square area but also the
Marycrest-Hurwich and Sample-Ewing areas.
Our future challenge is to make sure that residents of the
targeted areas are involved in developing the plans for revitalization.
3. Other projects
and activities
- Since
May of 2006, representatives of the Community Forum have monitored most
meetings of the South Bend
Redevelopment Commission. Most
of the city's economic development activities originally are discussed and
acted upon by this appointed commission. In May of 2007 we sent to the Commission a list of specific
suggestions as to how they might improve the transparency of their
proceedings so as to encourage citizen participation. Representatives of the Community Forum
also met with the Chairwoman of the Commission, Marcia Jones, and the
Interim Director of Community and Economic Development, Jeff Gibney, to
discuss citizen involvement in economic development. Some, although not all, of the suggested
procedural changes have already been implemented in Commission
procedures.
- In
February of this year, the St.
Joseph County Council adopted an ordinance designed to protect county
residents from health problems associated with concentrated animal feeding
operations (CAFOs). To win public
support for this ordinance, the Community Forum sponsored two public
meetings featuring a panel of residents and experts from the committee
that drafted the ordinance. - During
the 2007 session of the Indiana Legislature, we supported Indiana HB 1351 that created a funding source for the
Indiana Affordable Housing Trust Fund and authorizes counties to
establish local trust funds supported by additional recording fees. We are continuing to investigate if and
how to pursue such a fund for St. Joseph County. - After
the 2007 Spring Forum, Community Forum members active in community and
trade union organizations formed the
"Unity Committee." This group will focus on projects that
address the goals both of the trade union movement and of community
organizations. Current plans are to initiate the ACES Wild program at
Washington High School by next January. This program introduces students to careers in architecture,
construction, and engineering. A
second program is being developed for a group of students at Dickinson
Middle School - Discussion
at the 2007 Spring Forum also helped to stimulate the development of the South Bend Community Garden Group. The first Community Garden will be
located on the grounds of the greenhouses on Mishawaka Avenue.
Public forums
A "forum" is defined as a public meeting place for
open discussion. Being true to our name,
we have organized seven public meetings, since November 2006, on topics central
to improving our community.
DATE TOPIC
November, 2006 Predatory
lending.
November & December 2006 CAFO health ordinance
January 2007 Vacant
and abandoned properties
March 2007 Circuit
Breaker legislation
June 2007 Affordable
housing
August 2007 Tax
abatements and community benefits
Spring Forums (April
'06 and May, '07)
In addition, both Spring Forums (April '06 and May, '07)
featured presentations by economic development activists: Greg LeRoy and Madeline Janis in 2006, Reverend Christopher Boston and John Goldstein in 2007. In addition to learning from the experiences
of groups in other cities, each year we provide an analysis of local economic
development as well as small group discussions on a variety of topics.
The Structure of
the Community Forum for Economic Development
During our formative period, we have operated with a very
simple structure.
- We developed a mission statement, a
vision statement and a series of goal statements that we have used to
guide our work.
- We
have, since June of 2006, held monthly
meetings, open to the public, to discuss and decide upon programs and
positions that were consistent with our mission statement. - We did
not, until recently, have a formal
membership; "participants" in the Community Forum made and
carried out decisions and programs. A growing list of email addresses received information on Community
Forum meetings and events. - We established three task forces to
carry out specific projects. The
most consistent and active has been the Inner City Task Force. - Some
of our projects are being carried
out in groups that include many members who are not involved with the
Community Forum. Examples include
the on-going Unity Committee, the South Bend Community Gardens, and the
former Responsible Lending Coalition. - Monthly
meetings and day-to-day activities of our organization have been
coordinated by a nine member
Coordinating Committee.
- Provides
a mechanism for membership,
requiring agreement with our Mission Statement and a small dues payment,
- Establishes
a short term relationship with the St.
Joseph Valley Project that allows us to continue as an independent
organization but using them as our fiscal agent, - Provides
for an annual election of the
nine member Coordinating Committee.
Organizational tasks
that remain include a fundraising plan that includes seeking grants to maintain and expand our activities and the
development of a web site for public
notices about economic development issues.
