Blackshear may soon have a Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
The Blackshear City Council discussed forming a DDA during its July 3 work session. The possibility had also been a topic at the most recent Better Hometown (BHT) meeting.
Mayor Brooks explained to those present that, “a DDA can do more than a BHT.” He went on to clarify the goal is not to get rid of the Blackshear BHT, but to possibly combine it with a DDA or for the the DDA board to be composed slightly differently.
One point of comparison is the number of board members. The Better Hometown’s board has nine members. The DDA board requires only seven, appointed by the city council, but at least four of those members have to own or run businesses within the DDA district.
Better Hometown Manager Bethany Strickland had previously suggested that a Blackshear DDA could benefit from having a local banker and local attorney serve as members of its board to advise on financing and legal matters.
Strickland was part of a group, including Jamie Williams, Peggy Wall, councilman Matt Boatright, Industrial Development Authority executive director Matt Carter, and Chamber of Commerce executive director Cassie Davis, that recently attended DDA training in Alma. The training helped illustrate ways a DDA can invigorate a city’s businesses.
“A DDA has access to sources of funding Mainstreet programs and even cities do not,” Strickland said.
The proposed DDA would also be able to seek historical tax credits for qualified buildings within its district. Strickland points to other GA cities with successful downtown areas like Valdosta and Dublin as examples of what DDAs can accomplish.
In fact, Blackshear already has a DDA. It just needs to be set in motion. Documents made available with the agenda for the council’s work session explain that “downtown development authorities have been created by the General Assembly in every city in the state of Georgia. However, downtown development authorities cannot transact any business or exercise any powers until activated by adopting and filing an ordinance or resolution.”
A first step in the process of creating the DDA was scheduled for a vote at last night’s regular council meeting (held after The Times’ deadline).
