SOUTH BEND — Imagine a city with no public swimming pools, no public recreation centers, no public ice rink and no public greenhouses.

The South Bend Department of Parks and Recreation is contemplating that future as a result of House Enrolled Act 1001, which severely limits the amount of property taxes the city can collect.

The impact will begin in 2009. South Bend expects to lose millions of dollars in revenue over the next two years. Budget cuts will be made across the board.

Parks Superintendent Phil St. Clair met with his staff in a series of meetings Monday to talk about the anticipated loss of about a third of his budget over the next two years.

He said the parks will lose 14 percent of their property tax revenue in 2009 and 18 percent more in 2010.

St. Clair said the first effect will be in the loss of six full-time and an unknown number of part-time workers in 2009. The full-time employees likely will involve five maintenance workers and an administrative assistant, he said. The part-time workers likely will involve some seasonal workers.

Some $1.1 million will have to be cut from the 2009 budget, he said. Cutting staff will yield a $250,000 savings, St. Clair said, while reducing capital expenses will save $600,000 to $900,000.

The really big cuts will come in 2010, he said, when $1.4 million more loss in revenue is anticipated.

“2010 will be our Armageddon,’’ St. Clair said.

He said he could lose 24 more full-time positions and close to 200 part-time jobs that year.

Unless new sources of revenue are found, he’s looking at the closure of both public swimming pools; the Martin Luther King and Charles Black recreation centers; the Rum Village Nature Center; the Howard Park Senior Citizens Center and ice rink; the Potawatomi Greenhouses and Conservatory; and the Studebaker Golf Course.

He’s also looking at the possible elimination of the junior baseball and summer track programs and East Race rafting in 2010.

St. Clair planned to deliver his bleak message to the local park board Monday afternoon.

At 5:30 p.m., the Parks and Recreation Department is the first city department that will appear before the Common Council’s personnel and finance committee, which is starting its budget hearings Monday evening.

Staff writer Nancy J. Sulok:
nsulok@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6234