Branson aldermen approve formation of downtown CID

The CID formation was requested by the Downtown Branson Main Street Association, according to a city of Branson news release. A CID allows businesses within the district to collect up to an additional 1 percent sales tax.

Under Missouri law, property owners or associations that want to form a CID must petition the local government to allow it. Branson City Administrator Terry Dody said in the release that the Downtown Branson Main Street Association submitted a legal petition earlier this month; Branson aldermen approved the CID establishment unanimously.

The next step in the formation process is a June 6 election for votes in the proposed district to decide whether to create the CID. A 51 percent majority is required for approval.

The CID would be bounded by Sycamore Street on the east, west along Main Street to Sixth Street, Long Street on the south side and Roark Creek on the north.

If district voters approve the CID, businesses in the historic downtown district can begin collecting the tax – which is not a city tax, but a tax generated by the Downtown Branson Main Street Association – on Oct. 1.

Downtown Branson Main Street Association officials say the $300,000 generated by the CID tax would be used to fund a trolley system that would operate between historic downtown and Branson Landing. Retail businesses, the convention center and the convention center hotel are not part of the defined CID area.