Improvement district deserves closer scrutiny

6:32 PM Saturday, March 20, 2010

The devil might be in the details, but the idea of a downtown Special Improvement District has merit.

The SID would be funded by a tax on property owners in the district.

It would fund some much-needed services for the downtown area.

The idea has worked for several other Ohio cities ranging from Cleveland to Hamilton trying to attract people to their downtowns.

If you’ve been in downtown Dayton recently, for example, you’ve probably noticed the uniformed SID ambassadors who offer downtown visitors supplemental security, answer questions and help discourage things like panhandling.

The district would also provide things like sidewalk cleaning — and who wouldn’t like to see some crow-dropping powerwashing downtown?

Graffiti eradication, sidewalk snow clearing and trash cleanup would also be funded as part of the program.

Some pieces of the proposal may be a little ambitious for the initial startup. An economic development component may be a confusing duplication of services with other organizations already having a claim in that area.

The proposed budget for the organization is in the neighborhood of $430,000. While exact amounts for individual assessments aren’t yet known, that amount may prove to be a bit overreaching for downtown businesses in a this economic climate.

But property owners can be their own judge of what’s appropriate if the SID idea passes muster with the majority of property owners.

The proposal also has a sunset provision that would make the district reauthorize itself in four years. The idea will have to prove its value to continue.

All in all, the district would be a good addition to the growing list of positive initiatives underway downtown.

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