South Bend Mayor James Mueller has declined an offer from St. Joseph County officials to transfer a 4.5-acre parcel of land near Ivy Tech and the Juvenile Justice Center to the city for $1, a decision made without a public hearing or formal solicitation of public input.
County officials said the proposed transfer would have saved South Bend taxpayers an estimated $277,750. The mayor’s decision to reject the offer has drawn scrutiny from county leaders, who described the parcel as a cost-effective and logistically viable site for the county’s proposed new day intake center.
In response to the mayor’s refusal, County Commissioner Derek Dieter announced the formation of a task force to identify alternative locations for the intake center. The group will include Kevin Smith of Deluxe Sheet Metal, representatives from EnFocus, County Council members Joe Thomas, Rafael Morton and Amy Drake, and Jeff Rea, the chief executive of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce. Additional participants are expected to be named Monday. City Council members have also been invited to join the task force.
County officials said Mayor Mueller was invited to attend a press conference announcing the task force and outlining next steps but declined to participate.
At the briefing, officials identified several other potential sites for the intake center and called on the Redevelopment Commission to allow additional time for a more comprehensive site selection process. They said the extended timeline would be used to evaluate locations that are not only feasible in the short term but sustainable over the long term.
Logan Foster
Logan Foster is the founder and editor of Redress South Bend, an independent news outlet covering local government, courts, and public institutions in South Bend and St. Joseph County, Indiana. He reports from primary documents: public records requests, court filings, state audit reports, and campaign finance disclosures. His reporting has examined city and school district payments made without competitive bidding, school board spending, and the records of candidates in county races. Redress South Bend obtained the South Bend Police Department's ShotSpotter coverage map after the department initially denied public access. The outlet is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Online News Association. Reach him at info@redresssouthbend.com
