March 25, 2025
Below are Mayor James Mueller’s remarks as prepared for the State of the City address:
Members of the Common Council, distinguished guests, city employees, neighbors, and all who call South Bend home: thank you for joining me here tonight as we reflect on the past year and look ahead to what’s next.
I am pleased to report that the state of our city continues to be the strongest in generations. Measures of public safety and growth are among the best they have been at any point in my lifetime – and the lifetimes of all but our longest living residents. Our workforce grew by over 1,060 last year. I am grateful for the tireless efforts of our community to get here. The vision, detailed plans, and hard work continue to pay off.
And now our secret is out. Last year, US News ranked South Bend as the 25th best place to live nationally and 18th best affordable place to live. Travel and Leisure recognized South Bend as one of the best places to live and retire. The Wall Street Journal and Realtors.com ranked South Bend’s real estate market in the top 10 nationally.
Our comeback has placed us squarely on the map, as a leading city of opportunity where everyone can thrive.
The City team has a lot of accomplishments to be proud of. Our fire service remains a leading department – top one percent nationally. Our EMS team responds to calls much faster than the national average, along with a significantly higher cardiac arrest (Ulstein) survival rate. Our ballistics lab received national recognition from the ATF for their stellar turnaround processing time, joining the top 5 in the nation for producing quick potential leads for our detectives, who by the way solved 100% of homicide cases in 2024. Our Administration and Finance team maintained our AA bond rating, an indicator of our strong financial position and responsible fiscal stewardship. Our Innovation and Technology team earned the international recognition of What Works Cities Gold once again for excellence in data-driven local government. South Bend remains the only city in Indiana to achieve this distinction. The Center for Digital Government recognized South Bend as the #1 digital city for a city of our size. We are honored to be named the community partner of the year by St. Margaret’s House and La Casa de Amistad.
I have said it many times before, but I’ll repeat it again: strong partnerships are the key to our success. Partnerships that include governments at every level, nonprofits, and private enterprises.
I could boast about how every part of the city team and each of our community partners are fueling our resurgence in a big way. But there are too many important issues to get to, and we can’t stay here all night.
Despite all that’s going right for South Bend, our most recent election results charted a dramatically new direction for our state and federal partners. This change means that we will have to forge new strong partners in progress to continue our success. We will have to navigate around extreme, anti-growth policies from higher levels of government. And we all must power through the seemingly daily chaos from Washington that threatens to derail our entire economy.
In these challenging, unordinary times, the South Bend way offers a roadmap for success. South Bend knows what works. South Bend knows the way to growth and more opportunities for everyone. South Bend knows that there is no “us” versus “them,” we all do better when we work together.
Growth in Downtown and Neighborhoods
By working together, we continue to attract historic investment in our downtown and our neighborhoods. With a billion dollars of investment on the way downtown, this revitalization will transform our center of commerce and culture into a true destination for our region and beyond. Already emerging on our skyline is Beacon Health’s new 10-story Memorial Patient Tower, a roughly quarter billion-dollar private investment that will add critical patient beds, service improvements and support 500 jobs. The Madison Lifestyle District – the largest redevelopment in downtown history – will elevate and connect Memorial hospital to the heart of downtown.
South Bend knows that investment in research and development and emerging technologies lay the foundation for future growth and national security. That’s why the city is proud to partner with the University of Notre Dame on its Tech and Talent Hub that will bring new life to the former South Bend Tribune building and transform the area southwest of the Madison Lifestyle District. Cuts to federal research and development efforts will limit our growth potential into the future and are already leading to job losses locally. Punitive taxes on our nation’s great research universities that are currently under consideration by Congress, if enacted, will also stifle future growth and hit our economy here at home.
South Bend knows that affordability and low taxes are only one part of the equation for growth, that great amenities and quality of place are critical to compete in today’s economy. That’s why investments in our public spaces, trails and attractions are so important. Last year we celebrated the latest improvements to LaSalle Park, and we’re excited to celebrate the completion of the Link Trail, Seitz Park, and the new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Center in the coming weeks. We look forward to upcoming projects at Kennedy and Potawatomi parks and future improvements to our trail system, including our riverfront trails with a new bridge at Marion, the extension of the Stephen J. Luecke Trail to the Dream Center, the Near West Side Greenway, and the Continental Divide Commission in partnership with the Pokagon Band, state, and county.
We’re proud of our South Bend Cubs, Potawatomi Zoo, Indiana Dinosaur Museum, and Morris for elevating and adding to our iconic venues. After we move into our new city hall later this year, phase III of the Morris 100 project – the parking garage and broader development on that block– will follow the Raclin Murphy Encore Center that’s now well underway. We also look forward to working with partners to reactivate other iconic venues in our city: saving the State Theater, upgrading the Potawatomi Conservatories and modernizing the Century Center.
South Bend invests in infrastructure and our future. We are proud to work with the County on wastewater infrastructure for the multibillion-dollar investments to our west. By the way, have I mentioned lately that our revised long-term control plan for sewer overflows into the St. Joseph River will save ratepayers $437 million and reduce E. Coli discharges by an additional 12% over the original plan? Three projects part of this plan are in design or already underway. We still have a lot of work left to do, and that work will require new capital dollars from ratepayers. Stay tuned.
Streetscape projects on LaSalle and Linden are already driving new investments. Colfax, Mishawaka and Ewing Avenues are next to improve neighborhood vibrancy and safety. New neighborhood infrastructure unlocked the Youth Services Bureau campus and SB Thrive homes. New neighborhood infrastructure south of Century Center will unlock that emerging mixed income neighborhood. We are committed to moving forward as envisioned in the neighborhood plan adopted by the Plan Commission and Common Council and will do everything in our power to make that plan a reality.
We have nearly doubled our street program compared to a decade ago, paving over 42 lane miles and addressing nearly 100 lane miles in total last year. We have accomplished this without raising tax rates. South Bend rose to the challenge from former Governor Daniels when property tax caps were established nearly two decades ago: streamline city services with strategic cuts and invest in growth. But today an anti-growth mindset has taken hold, where successful growing communities like South Bend will be hit by extreme, anti-growth policies. Instead of allowing cities to reinvest the returns on growth to address long deferred infrastructure, increased public safety needs and future growth initiatives, proposals moving in the statehouse will reduce revenue for local streets, public safety and economic development. We fully support targeted property tax relief that protects seniors, disabled veterans and other vulnerable homeowners from being priced out of their homes. SB 1 is not targeted relief. If SB 1 becomes law, we will hold off cuts to core services like public safety for as long as we can. We will tighten our belts as much as possible. But there’s only so much we can do since we‘re already lean. Make no mistake: SB 1 will lead to worse street and infrastructure conditions, real cuts to critical public safety services, and slower economic growth in South Bend.
South Bend knows that more housing of all types is good for the city and good for everyone. Our all-of-the-above housing policy is the only way to keep prices down. As we work to increase supply across the board, from affordable to workforce to market rate, we aim to establish mixed income neighborhoods across the entire city. Over 1,000 new housing units are moving forward, nearly half of which are income qualified to provide more affordable options. These units include larger multifamily complexes like Five Corners, Stadium Flats, Diamond View, and the Monreaux, as well as infill housing in neighborhoods with vacant lots. Thank you to the Common Council for embracing this housing strategy and providing the resources necessary. Our New Neighborhood Homes Initiative helps to finance and build infill homes across the city by making connections to city utilities easier, creating pre-approved plans, and closing the remaining financing gaps. Thank you to our many partners who are doing the actual work of building these new homes for our residents.
We are grateful for our partnership with the YMCA at O’Brien Center and the Leighton building downtown. This partnership also unlocked the Y’s former site off Northside for a new neighborhood on the river.
We look forward to the partnership with our Housing Authority, Community Foundation of St. Joseph County and the Lilly Endowment to transform the Western Avenue corridor with new mixed income housing developments. Once cleanup work is complete, we will have more housing opportunities at the former Drewry’s and SB Range sites.
South Bend strengthens our connections to global markets. Our international airport continues to grow, increasing the number of direct flights to 17. With nearly 900,000 passengers last year, South Bend Airport broke a 15-year record. We are thrilled to see partners working together to get the South Shore travel time to and from Chicago under 100 minutes – improving our connectivity to our nation’s 3rd largest market. With the acquisition of Union Station, we are working with Amtrak to reestablish downtown train service. As the federal government continues to cut spending, we will be monitoring any changes to Amtrak closely.
Although the City has no formal role in our schools, South Bend knows that support for our kids from cradle to career is critical to our future, that we need to be investing more in our kids, not less. The path to opportunity begins in the early years. We thank the United Way for our strong partnership advancing neighborhood centers and high-quality preschool options.
South Bend is a welcoming city, and our growth depends on retaining and attracting more residents. That includes residents who were born in another country. Immigrants produce about a tenth of South Bend’s GDP each year and are responsible for over 80 percent of our recent population growth. In other words, without immigrants South Bend would be a stagnant or declining city. Our businesses need more workers, not fewer. With all due respect to the indigenous peoples and our friends at the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi, our country was built by immigrants, and South Bend rose to world fame a century ago powered by immigrants. And if we are to continue our resurgence, we will need more immigrants, not fewer. This truth highlights what’s at stake from the anti-growth policy of mass deportations coming out of Washington.
Public Safety
South Bend believes in law and order, supporting our officers as they maintain peace in our streets and work to deliver justice for victims. Violent criminals will find no safe harbor here. We have and will always work with federal agencies to hold all violent criminals accountable, regardless of immigration status. South Bend believes in the rule of law. That means we will honor all lawful, Constitutional orders and warrants. We respect the courts to resolve legal ambiguities and differences of opinion. Upon final adjudication, we accept the result whether we like or agree with it or not. House Bill 1531 threatens to withhold our funds, while granting immunity for actions related to detainers. To be crystal clear, we will follow all lawful, Constitutional mandates, whether we agree with them or not. We will not, however, be bullied or incentivized to violate anyone’s Constitutional rights. I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution, as did the policymakers at the state and federal levels. This is a bright red line. There can be no compromise on support for the Constitution and the rule of law. As long as I’m your mayor, I will honor my oath of office and uphold the Constitution and the rights of all individuals.
Last year our SBPD officers fielded over 102,000 calls for service, with an average of less than two uses of force per week – less than one tenth of one percent of calls for service resulted in a use of force. And only 16% of the uses of force resulted in a complaint. For those struggling with the math, that means roughly one hundredth of one percent of calls for service result in a complaint for use of force – or just over one complaint for every 10,000 calls.
Last year major crimes (Part I) were down by 11% compared to 2023, and down nearly 30% from the most recent pre-pandemic peak in 2019. Despite more progress, these numbers are still too high. And we must work together as a community to address the root causes of crime.
Shooting victims were down 22% last year, and fatal shooting victims fell to 5 from 20 in 2023 – a 75% decrease. The number of total murders, 7, was the lowest since 2010. Kudos to our officers and prosecutors for their hard work to bring about this promising trend.
Like most cities, a small number of individuals are driving much of the violence. Last year 189 “worst of the worst” violent group member cases, resulted in 211 felony charges, 173 search warrants and 205 firearms recovered. If they stay on a path of violence, we must stop them. We must send a strong, united message that violence has no place in our community.
With the law enforcement part of our Group Violence Intervention strategy doing so well, this year we will renew focus on our outreach, social service, and community teams to make sure those involved in violence are connected to the better path of opportunity, hope and peace.
Our Expanded Violent Crimes unit continues to outperform cities across the country. Did I mention the 100% homicide solve rate in 2024? That’s well above the national average solve rate of 58%.
SBPD is at the cutting edge of technology with investments in infrastructure to support real-time analysis: gunshot detectors, license plate readers, and a cloud-based real time crime center with more than 1,300 integrated cameras across the city. We appreciate the 50+ businesses that have taken advantage of our business security grants to improve their technology and integrate with the City’s Real Time Crime Center, which assisted in more than 240 cases. And cameras were instrumental in just over half of the homicide investigations.
Earlier this year our legal team succeeded in defending SBPD’s hiring practices against a misguided, attempted power grab by the Department of Justice/DOJ. We are proud of our training and recruitment team’s efforts to hire 113 new officers over the past four years and to increase the number of officers from underrepresented groups. This recent recruitment success is the result of years of hard work. For some reason the DOJ exercised its prosecutorial discretion to target a city that had been completely transparent with detailed recruiting data on its public transparency hub and was actively working to make real progress. At the time the suit was filed, we had already made significant progress, and there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the city. I share this story, not to highlight an inappropriate use of federal power, which it was, but because missteps like this undermine legitimate efforts toward a fairer and more equitable city.
South Bend knows that we all do better when there are more opportunities for everyone. Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to eliminate discrimination and break down barriers to opportunity are critical to our city’s future and the wellbeing of all residents. Regardless of what these efforts are labelled going forward, as we carry out this important work we must avoid any new injustices, discrimination or exclusionary practices. Increasing opportunities for everyone must become a unifying cause. The future of our city and our democracy depends on it.
Opportunity for All
South Bend is building an economy that works for everyone. One way we’re doing that is to ensure the city is open for business to all. Last year the City’s spend with over 100 unique minority and women owned business enterprises, both certified and noncertified primes and subcontractors, was $14.7 million.
In 2024, our revolving loan programs financed 13 businesses – 92% are minority owned, 38% are women owned. Of the 52 active loans in the program portfolio, 62% are minority owned and 35% are women owned. And there’s now more financing help for our entrepreneurs and small business owners. Our Opportunity Fund program opened at the beginning of this year. We have already approved 8 applications for business financing assistance.
When the Dream Center opens in a few weeks, it will also be home to a new financial empowerment center, a key part of the blueprint for financial empowerment in South Bend that our Engagement and Economic Empowerment team built with the community. This new center – the first in Indiana – will implement proven strategies that help our families build wealth.
Every child in South Bend deserves a path to opportunity. I remain hopeful that our community can work together to establish a County Career Center, a hub for career and technical education, to expand pathways to opportunity for our kids.
Our housing first strategy is moving forward. While treatment first works for some, too many are left behind. We have already secured over 100 permanent supportive housing units and are working to add more in the coming years. Our low-barrier shelter service, Motels4Now, is moving to a permanent home, the New Day Intake Center. Although it took us longer than we wanted to find and finalize the site off Old Cleveland Road, we are grateful to everyone who made this possible. Thank you to the Common Council for rezoning and supporting this important project.
Moving Forward
As we navigate these tumultuous times, local governments must continue to deliver results and show government working for the people. As residents enter our new city hall, a new one-stop shop will greet them and will be able to address their city needs across departments and program areas. Customer service will continue to be an area of focus for the City team. Last year we earned high marks on friendliness and knowledge and an overall customer service score of 4.6 out of 5, but we can do better, especially on timeliness.
The enthusiasm around the Downtown Plan 2045 has been wonderful to see. Hundreds of residents took part in the process that included over 50 community workshops and 2,400 ideas for the future of our downtown. I can’t wait to get to work with the City team and community partners to make as many of these ideas a reality. We are also focusing on elevating the visitor experience within our public spaces and our downtown. Thank you to the Common Council for supporting our new Visitor Experience team within Venues Parks and Arts. These changes will enable us to activate our public spaces more and bring more visitors to our city.
South Bend’s best days are ahead. We’re not going back to days of decline. We will not allow saboteurs to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. South Bend knows what’s true. South Bend knows what’s right. The South Bend way will prevail.
May God bless our sworn firefighters and officers. May God continue to bless the City of South Bend.