Northsiders urge Tate Reeves to pass CID legislation
Northside leaders are again hoping Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves doesn’t block the passage of a bill that will give neighborhoods another tool to preserve property values and improve quality of life.
Leaders from Northeast Jackson and across the capital city have signed a letter urging Reeves to support the passage of SB 3045, which would authorize the creation of CIDs.
The districts would allow neighborhoods to tax themselves and use the money to supplement city services.
Under provisions of SB 3045, 60 percent of property owners within a proposed CID’s boundaries would have to vote in favor of the tax.
The law limits the assessment to six mills and also includes provisions to end the assessment should residents no longer want it.
Also, all plans would have to be signed off on by the city.
Reeves has been blamed for killing CID legislation numerous times by referring it to the Senate Finance Committee.
The committee is chaired by Gulf Coast Sen. Joey Fillingane, a Republican, who has been unwilling to consider the measure because it allows for tax increases.
“(It’s) obviously a tax increase and we’re very cautious when we’re allowing property taxes to increase,” he said.
Reeves couldn’t be reached for comment.
At press time, 3045 had not been passed out of the finance committee.
Fondren Renaissance Foundation (FRF) Executive Director Jim Wilkirson was one of 26 civic leaders to sign the letter in support of CIDs.
He agrees the legislation could mean tax increases, but not in the traditional sense.
“Yeah, it’s a tax, but you’re imposing it on yourself. The main thing everybody is missing here is that it’s an opportunity for communities to better themselves,” he said. “It’s not a tax imposed on you by the government.”
Breck Hines, president of the Country Club of Jackson Homeowners Association, also signed on in support of the measure.
Hines said CIDs were another tool to help preserve property values in older neighborhoods.
“Jackson is an older city and there is little new housing stock,” he said. “People have to maintain their existing properties, and have to be moderately confident in the future of their neighborhood to do that.”
Hines didn’t know if the Country Club would form a district, but eyed several improvements that CID revenues could help fund, such as bridge improvements similar to ones in Eastover.
Last year, the Greater Eastover Neighborhood Foundation announced plans to make upgrades to the bridges at Eastover Drive and Twin Lakes Circle, and at Lake Circle and Boxwood Drives.
Plans included replacing the current railing with brick and iron, using the same style brick cladding used on columns at the subdivision’s main entrances.
The BILL was authored by District 25 Sen. Walter Michel.
Michel wouldn’t comment on the legislation. However, he and other members of the Jackson delegation met with Reeves last week to seek his support on the measure.
District 29 Sen. David Blount, one of the senators included in that meeting, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Michel told the Sun previously that he wanted to introduce the measure as “local and public” legislation this year, so the measure could bypass Senate Finance.
To be eligible for “local and public” status, a local government has to pass a resolution in support of the legislation.
The Jackson City Council passed a resolution in support of CIDs in November.
The bill was introduced and passed out of the Senate’s Local and Public Committee. However, because the bill includes provisions allowing tax increases, it was double-referred to finance.
It was unclear if Michel knew the bill would be double referred initially. Last year, he told the Sun he wanted to introduce the bill as a local and private measure so he could avoid Fillingane’s committee.
The legislative session is expected to end on April 1. The measure would likely have to be voted out of the committee early this week to have a chance of making it to the Senate floor for a vote.
The measure likely would have little trouble in the House, which has passed CID legislation in previous years.
CIDs would work much like the state’s only business improvement district, which is located in downtown Jackson.
Property owners within that district pay a special assessment along with their annual property taxes, which is then used for security, beautification and other needs within the district.
The district takes in 65 blocks in the heart of downtown Jackson. It is managed by Downtown Jackson Partners (DJP).
The district must be renewed every four years. In January, DJP announced that 95 percent of property owners within the district voted to reauthorize it.
The state of Georgia began authorizing the districts about 30 years ago. Today, there are 24 across the Atlanta region.
DJP Chairman Emeritus Leland Speed met with Reeves last Monday and was optimistic.
“We have them all over the country,” he said. “Other cities have these districts and have used them with great success.”
