Perry business owners wary of proposed Community Improvement District

PERRY — About 20 business owners along a stretch of General Courtney Hodges Boulevard showed up to the first public meeting on the proposed Community Improvement District with questions and concerns.

Many of the business owners in attendance were wary after receiving a letter from the city about potentially paying more taxes.

“If you don’t want the CID, we don’t want it,” said Robert Smith, Perry’s director of economic development who mailed invitations out to the area’s property owners. “This isn’t a city thing or a county thing, it’s a you thing. We just want you to understand we’re not trying to force this on anybody.”

The proposed district includes 122 non-residential parcels spanning from Marion Street to the Perry Welcome Center. A CID would allow property owners to create an independent unit of government and tax themselves to pay for improvements along the corridor. The millage rate would be set by a seven-member board elected by the property owners, and revenue would be leveraged with the city’s money to expedite projects, Smith said.

Any improvements or services property owners wish for in the district could be arranged through a CID, which can do most anything the local government can, Smith said.

Hoke Morrow, owner of Hoke’s Heating & Air, opposed the idea and noted that the improvements affected the entire city.

“What if we don’t think we need to do something?” Morrow said.

In order for the CID to be created, more than half of property owners who make up 75 percent of the tax base in the proposed district must sign a petition. The city would then pass an ordinance creating the district, which would then need to be approved by the Georgia General Assembly, Smith said.

Bill Davis, owner of Summerhill Senior Living Community on Stanley Street, said he supports creating the CID mainly because of the beautification aspect.

“That’d be my selfish interest in it is just the beautification of the whole area,” Davis said. “This is a start and there’s a lot more that could be done.”

Davis was the only property owner in attendance to voice support for the district.

“I’m sympathetic with (other property owners’) concerns ... but I don’t have the same concerns,” Davis said. “The issue is we’re such a diverse group.”

Smith said he thought the meeting went well despite the fact that most property owners, upon arrival, were wary of an additional tax.

“I’m pleased with the turnout from the property owners in the district,” Smith said. “To see the chairs in the room almost full shows that they actually care about where they’re doing business and the city, and that’s good.”

To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4334 or follow her on Twitter @Lauraecor.

This story was originally published August 24, 2015 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Perry business owners wary of proposed Community Improvement District ."