Tom's Thoughts

For July edition, 2008

This is the hazy, lazy summer political lull between the spring primary and fall general elections in Indiana.

So let’s look at some tidbits of news related to government and the housing industry that is taking place this summer.

The St. Joseph County Council has passed a new subdivision ordinance.  Basically, the revised ordinance reflects many of the procedures and guidelines that the Area Plan Commission and other county officials have been following in recent years.  Representatives of your HBA have served in an advisory and review role in development of the ordinance. 

The HBA is generally in favor of the new subdivision ordinance but continues to have concerns with several sections involving proposed standards and language concerning street lighting requirements and the seemingly ability of governmental units to take land from housing developers without compensation or due process. 

HBA representatives and county officials have agreed to work on amendments to address these concerns.

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The 2008 HBA Golf Outing will take place on Tuesday, July 22 at Juday Creek Golf Course and your participation is needed.

Registration is $100 per person.  You can sign-up as an individual golfer or bring a foursome.  A $20 prepaid “First Aid Kit’’ is also available to help your team’s scoring.

Brian Eckrich of Adams Road Development Corp is this year’s chairman.  Comcast is the general sponsor.

There are some changes in format this year designed to make the event even more convenient and enjoyable for participants.  Two scramble golf rounds, morning and afternoon sessions, are scheduled around a luncheon that will replace the evening dinner that was part of previous outings.  Separate award ceremonies will follow the morning and afternoon golf sessions.

General hold sponsorships at $125 are available.  Call the HBA office at 258-0411 to sign up as a golfer and/or hole sponsor.

Proceeds help our BPAC efforts to support the local housing industry.

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The National Association of Home Builders is busy this summer advocating a short list of priority recommendations to Congress for inclusion in a second economic stimulus package directed primarily at housing.

Rick Wajda, CEO of the Indiana Builders Association, reports that these priorities include:  creating a temporary tax credit for the purchase of a home; allowing businesses to carry back losses for five years; expanding the mortgage revenue bond program; designating housing as an eligible investment for tax-preferred retirement accounts; modernizing the Federal Housing Administration, and reforming oversight of the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSE) such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae that provide important funding for mortgages on the secondary market.

Send a message to your state representative or senator about the importance of passing legislation that will help housing and in turn stimulate our economy.

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Here is some food for thought from a little story from Kalamazoo on the inside of a recent South Bend Tribune. 

Headlined “Kalamazoo hosts Promise conference”; the report was about a gathering of elected officials and business leaders from around the country to exchange ideas about community-based scholarship programs such as the pioneering Kalamazoo Promise. The Promise is an anonymously funded program open to Kalamazoo Public Schools graduates who meet minimal academic and district residency requirements.  It covers between 65 and 100 percent of a student’s tuition at any state-supported public university or community college in Michigan.

And here is the interesting observation.  The Associated Press story stated  “not only has the Promise reduced the school district’s dropout rate and increased its graduation rate, it also has spurred economic development in the Kalamazoo area by generating new housing and business investment, driving up values of existing homes, creating a better-educated local work force and boosting tax revenues. 

Those conclusions came from studies performed by the Kalamazoo-based W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

We all know the importance of good schools and an educated work force to a healthy housing industry.

A Promise Program likely would hold great promise in the South Bend-Mishawaka community.

Sincerely,
Tom Gruber - Government Relations Liaison

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for Mishawaka/St. Joseph County