CID nears completion

by Karen E. Culp

SBJ Staff

Center city business and property owners have long had ideas about what the area could become with the right initiative. Now, after a few years of watching investment in the area slowly grow, many of those ideas could come to fruition with the implementation of a self-taxing Community Improvement District.

Members of the CID steering committee say they are nearing completion of a petition drive to gain enough signatures from property owners in the area to form the district.

Enabling legislation for the district requires that the committee gain the approving signatures of 50.1 percent of the total number of property owners in the area and signatures from those representing 50.1 percent of the total assessed value of property in the area.

A total of 103 signatures from those representing owner groups is needed, said Mary Lilly Smith, economic development coordinator for the city. Those signing must also represent $4.75 million in property value in the center city area.

"At this point, we've really gained a lot of momentum for the project, and we are still working to gain those additional signatures," said Jim Anderson, president of Urban Districts Alliance and a member of the steering committee.

Smith said the next step in the process will be for the City Clerk's Office to verify the signatures. The clerk's office has been working to verify signatures as they have come in, but it will need to complete its work by July 6, when City Council will hold a public hearing on the matter. Smith said the group has 104 owner signatures, of 103 needed, pending verification, and it has surpassed the amount of assessed valuation signatures needed.

The total amount of assessment represented by those signing was at $6.42 million as of June 17.

Anderson said the group will continue to gather signatures, and educate center city property owners and business owners about the district.

"We feel there's still work to be done. We are still getting more petitions signed. At this point, it looks as though we have reached what we have to have, but we want to continue the process, to continue to build the momentum and get interest from folks," Anderson said.

The next step in the process will be City Council's July 6 public hearing on the matter. The council bill will be to create a district in center city Springfield, Smith said. Council will then most likely vote on the bill at its July 19 meeting.

As that goes forward, the CID steering committee will be looking at forming the board of directors for the district.

The plan also requires that the board represent certain factions of the center city area. The initial board will have 13 directors. Six of those members must represent Zone 1 of the district[[In-content Ad]]