Monday, February 02, 2009

Legislation introduced to create community improvement district along Campbellton Road, Camp Creek Marketplace and the Greenbriar Mall area

ATLANTA – Atlanta City Councilmember H. Lamar Willis authored legislation that would allow for the creation of   the southwest Atlanta community improvement district (CID) as authorized by the General Assembly.

The CID would cover most of Campbellton Road, sections of the Camp Creek Marketplace, and the Greenbriar Mall area, said Willis, Post 1 At-Large.

“A CID would be an invaluable tool in the effort to increase public safety in one of the areas in the City that is highly impacted by the rising property crime rates.  Other areas of the City have benefited heavily from the funding provided by a CID, I believe that the citizens of southwest Atlanta are equally deserving of having all of the resources available that exist to protect their community and improve the overall quality of life,” he said.

The measure was co-sponsored by District 11 City Councilmember Jim Maddox.

For several months, Councilman Willis has met with the business community and has discussed this idea at NPU meetings.  He also plans to schedule several community meetings to garner the support of residents and commercial property owners. 

A community improvement district is a public-private partnership tool allowed by the state of Georgia. It has been used successfully as a vehicle for financing improvements that directly enhance property values by allowing commercial property owners to determine how funds are spent in their area. CID funds can augment existing services such as public safety or be deployed to improve transportation infrastructure such as the widening of roads.  CID funds can also be used to leverage additional public and private funds.

A CID is a geographically defined district in which commercial property owners vote to impose a self-tax. To enact a CID, a simple majority of affected property owners holding at least 75 percent of the assessed property value of the area must vote affirmatively. Funds are then collected by the taxing authority and provided to a board of directors elected by the property owners.

The Georgia constitution specifies that funds collected through a CID may be used for seven types of applications:

·         Water

·         Public transportation

·         Street and road construction and maintenance

·         Parks and recreational areas and facilities

·         Storm water and sewage

·         Parking, terminal and dock facilities

·         Other

The participating property owners define the purpose of the CID and elect a board of directors to represent their interests. The board is ultimately responsible for determining funding and managing the process and for identifying and retaining staffing resources necessary to conduct day-to-day operations.

The creation of such a district in southwest Atlanta would be based on the consent of the majority of the owners of real property with the district boundaries.

The legislation will be discussed in the Finance/Executive Committee Wednesday, February 11 at 1:00 p.m.   

For more information, contact Councilman Willis’ office (404) 330-6041.