City BSD renews special business assessments
By Grace Lovins
The Birmingham Shopping District (BSD) is renewing a four-year special assessment on commercial properties in the city’s downtown area following city commission approval during its Monday, September 14, meeting.
BSD Executive Director Erica Basset explained that the BSD is not funded through the city's general fund or any tax dollars, but instead relies on a special assessment of the commercial properties in the district’s boundaries, primarily the city’s downtown area. The proposed special assessment rates are to remain the same for the 2027-2030 period.
The annual assessment is imposed based on the business’s square footage is proposed to remain as-is for all four years of the upcoming renewal period: 55.3 cents per square foot for first floor businesses in District 1; 38.8 cents per square foot for second floor businesses in District 1; 27.7 cents per square foot for first floor businesses in District 1A; 19.4 cents per square foot for second floor businesses in District 1A.
Some of the commissioners, including mayor Clinton Baller and Andrew Haig, questioned the feasibility of maintaining the rates without an increase as well as if the BSD had considered expanding their services to incorporate some of the District 1A businesses into District 1.
Basset explained that the BSD had extensive discussions and reviews of their budget to ensure the rates will satisfy their operational costs. She also stated that the BSD continually reviews their districts to determine what services to offer which areas of town.
“We feel that, given our projects which do include inflation…we feel that with all the new projects coming online, the new developments that will be opening and contributing to the special assessment, that we will still be able to maintain our budget and even possibly add to our fund balance,” Basset said.
Ultimately, the commission voted 6-0 to move ahead with the BSD’s request to renew the special assessment. Commissioners will see the item again during their next meeting as a request to confirm the assessment roll.
