Title
Municipal Service District Property Owner Engagement Policy
Action
Action:
Adopt the Municipal Service District Property Owner Engagement Policy
Body
Committee Chair:
Greg Phipps, Budget and Effectiveness
Staff Resource(s):
Sabrina Joy-Hogg, City Manager's Office
Phil Reiger, Strategy and Budget
Explanation
* During the Fiscal Year 2020 budget approval process, Municipal Service District (MSD) contractors, Charlotte Center City Partners (CCCP) and University City Partners (UCP) requested to increase MSD property tax rates.
* City Council asked the MSD contractors to conduct an ad-hoc survey of property owners in the MSD districts to better understand public sentiment on the proposed increases.
* To address the issue for future consideration, the Budget and Effectiveness Committee (Committee) was charged with providing policy guidance on developing a formal process for property owner engagement when considering a requested MSD tax increase.
* Peer city comparisons were conducted to evaluate property owner engagement best practices.
* The proposed policy has been developed in collaboration with and agreement of both CCCP and UCP.
* The property owner engagement process in the proposed policy requires the following:
- All requests to increase MSD taxes submitted in writing,
- Notice of opportunities for feedback provided to all property owners and tenants within the district(s), and
- Results of the engagement process provided to City Council as a part of the budget process to inform decisions on a requested MSD tax increase.
* The policy also ensures that MSD tax rate requests are completed in a timeframe consistent with the budget development timeline.
Committee Discussion
* In June 2019, the Committee received a referral to provide guidance on policy that ensures property owner and tenant engagement regarding MSD tax rate increase requests.
* On June 24 and July 22, 2019, the Committee reviewed the legal framework, history of existing MSDs, peer...
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