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Council committee advances ordinance to establish merit commission for South Bend Fire Department
Summary
A South Bend Common Council committee voted to send substitute Bill 74-24 forward recommending an ordinance that would establish a state-model merit commission to govern firefighter hiring, promotions and some discipline functions; the ordinance was presented by the city attorney and discussed with the fire chief but received no public comment.
The Health and Public Safety Committee on Jan. 9 voted to send substitute Bill 74-24 to the Council’s Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The substitute ordinance would establish a merit commission to govern personnel matters in the South Bend Fire Department under the state’s model merit system.
City Assistant Attorney Adam E. Taylor, who presented the ordinance, told the committee that state law (referred to in the hearing as “state code 3 60 eight-3.5 and following”) created a model merit system and that “a merit system under that law is deemed established as of 01/01/2025.” Taylor said municipalities that wish to avoid the statute’s automatic application needed either to reject the model system by local…
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