CITY OF BUCHANAN COMMISSION DISSOLVES ITS OWN 36 YEAR OLD DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITHY

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent

BUCHANAN – The debate over how to pursue economic development in downtown Buchanan appears to be settled for now. Buchanan City Commissioners voted Monday to dissolve the Downtown Development Authority after months of debate.

The decision came after DDA members and residents made impassioned pleas the last few months to keep the authority. They argued that the DDA’s grant/loan program is beneficial to downtown property owners and that any decision should be postponed until new commissioners are elected this fall and a new city manager is selected.

The DDA has been the main topic at city commission meetings since late May when an ad hoc committee’s report was given. That report presented split recommendations with the two city commissioners on the committee recommending dissolving the DDA and forming a new economic development committee and two citizen representatives asking that the DDA be kept and revitalized.

DDA members held a special meeting last week to talk about the future and what they’d like to see get done. Action was taken to establish committees to rewrite the bylaws, outline projects, pursue grant writing and revamp the grant/loan building improvement program.

The meeting featured the approval of a budget for the 2020-21 year that would pay the city $12,000 for services rendered to the DDA. DDA members also agreed that one of the projects they want to get done in the next six to 12 months is the restoration of the mill alley off of Front Street.

DDA members had met the week before to elect new officers. Joe Paolucci resigned as board chairman and Penny Slocum was elected chairman. Other officers are Ralph McDonald, vice-chairman, Heidi Ott, treasurer and Fran Terry, secretary.

While last week’s meeting featured positive actions to move forward with plans for the downtown, there was a foreshadowing of what was to come this week in comments made by Mayor Patricia Moore. Moore complimented the DDA for their efforts but also said she wasn’t sure it would be enough to save the DDA from dissolution.

“I’m not sure if what you’ve done is enough,” she said last week. “You need to prepare yourselves, I don’t think you’ve got it yet. This was a well run meeting and progress was made, but I know I’m not sure how I’m going to vote.”

She made a similar statement at the start of the discussion at Monday night’s meeting. “I appreciate all work they did and I know they want to continue,” she said. “I’ve said in spite of all their efforts, my position is consistent because of changes in the DDA law and in tax revenue. There are fewer and fewer dollars available and continuing on this pathway is problematic.”

Commissioner Mark Weedon had pushed to get the

decision postponed earlier this month. He said July 13 that he appreciated the comments made in support of keeping the DDA and said he wanted to sit down with people in an effort to save the authority.

Monday, he was the most fired up about dissolving the DDA. “I wanted to come up with a reason for changing my vote,” he said. “I’m tired, everybody’s tired and what they’re tired up is all the promises of what people are going to do and how they will make things better. It’s not going to happen, it’s absolutely not going to happen.”

He compared those fighting to keep the DDA to people trying to hang on to the past. “Which side do want to be on?” he asked. “Do you want to be working for the future success of Buchanan or sit on the sidelines living on a narrative that what we had was perfect. We’re here about the future and all you want is to talk about the past.”

Downey noted that Weedon had promised to sit down

with people wanting to save the DDA over the last two weeks and did not do so. “A lot of downtown business owners are on this call,” he said. “You did not get input from this group. You need to think a little about these people, that loan grant program made a difference to me and it has to others.”

Downey asked that the decision be put off until a new city manager is hired and two new city commissioners elected this November. “We should wait and talk with the new city manager on how do we go about creating new economic development and finding a better way to spend limited resources,” he said.

Weedon and fellow Commissioner Sean Denison said

the dissolution of the DDA does not mean the end of economic development work in the city. “I don’t want to have the community sit idly by and think economic opportunity is extinguished because we’re dissolving the DDA,” Weedon said. “Others don’t have a DDA and still have economic development.”

Denison said “removing the chains” of the DDA will make more money available to spend on the downtown with less money spent on administration and the DDA structure. “If we remove the hurdles of DDA rules and requirements, there will be more to spend on the downtown,” he said.

The Buchanan DDA was first established in 1984 to spur economic development by capturing tax revenue from properties in the downtown area to spend on projects. Projects completed over the years include new welcome signs, the construction of the bridge at the duck pond, the creation of the farmers market and establishing grant/loan programs to fund façade and building improvements.