Council refers multiple budget and personnel ordinances to committee, lists multi-fund appropriation for review

During the Nov. 24 meeting the council read a series of ordinances for first consideration and moved them to committee for public hearings in December.

Clerk Toronto read a petition (Bill 75-25) for a Board of Zoning Appeals item related to 1005 White Oak Drive; the council moved to send that petition to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a public hearing on Dec. 1 and then to the Zoning and Annexation committee for a Dec. 8 public hearing and third reading.

The meeting included a first reading of an appropriation ordinance that listed transfers and additional funds across multiple accounts. The transcript lists multiple line items including (as read) approximately $1,625,608 from the general fund, $20,000 from the law enforcement continuing education fund, $4,166 from the COVID-19 response fund, $30,000 from the MVH restricted fund, $18,099 from the innovation and technology fund, $116,800 from the Morris Performing Arts Center capital fund, $255,000 from the parking garage fund, $236,000 from the solid waste operations fund, $400,000 from the Water Works operations fund (operations fund number 641 in the transcript), $2,500 from the project relief fund, $150,000 from the police pension fund, and $17,820 from the unemployment compensation fund. The transcript formatting was inconsistent and some amounts and fund numbers are unclear; the council record should be consulted for exact figures.

Council also gave first readings to Bill 76-25 (budget transfers for 2025), Bill 77-25 (amendments to the 2026 salary ordinance to add and remove positions and update wages), and Bill 78-25 (amendment to city code on how police officer time is absorbed as an expense for special events). Each of those items was moved and seconded and referred to the Personnel and Finance Committee (or Health and Public Safety for Bill 78-25) for public hearing and third reading on Dec. 8.

The referrals are procedural; the council recorded votes to refer and did not adopt these ordinances at the Nov. 24 meeting. The transcript contains the first-reading text and committee dates but does not show committee deliberations or final appropriations.

Next steps

- Bill 75-25 (BZA petition for 1005 White Oak Drive): BZA hearing Dec. 1, then Zoning & Annexation committee public hearing and third reading Dec. 8. - Bills 76-25, 77-25, 78-25: Personnel and Finance and Health & Public Safety committee hearings scheduled for Dec. 8 before third reading.

Sources: Meeting transcript of the Nov. 24, 2025 South Bend Common Council meeting (first-reading and referrals section).