Wednesday, November 05, 2008
An ordinance creating a Downtown Improvement District in Sarasota won unanimous support from the City Commission this week. It will still need approval on second reading as well before a five-person board is appointed and begins meeting. We have a number of competing commercial centers in the area now and this is important to make sure downtown is still competitive, said City Commissioner Ken Shelin. The district would include 162 properties now owned by 110 owners. The ordinance allows for the DID and City Commission to assess property taxes with a millage as high as 2.0 ($2 per $1,000 of taxable value). That would raise about $500,000 if the maximum levy were issued now. John Moran, president of the Downtown Sarasota Condo Association, said the district could be made larger in the future, but was kept small for now to guarantee that a majority of property owners supported the effort. A prior drive for a district failed in the 1990s, when most involved say too expansive an area was proposed. Little opposition spoke against a district Monday night. Real estate broker John Harshman voiced concerns that now was not the time to consider a property tax increase on downtown landowners because of the bad economy. But all four commissioners present Monday voiced strong support for the effort as a whole. Commissioner Dick Clapp did demand provisions allowing the DID to hire uniformed security be removed, suggesting the DID instead hire police if they see a need for better security.
Labels: Creation of Downtown Improvement District
