Security District Legislation

I have heard that the board of the neighborhood group that has been most active in drafting this legislation has voted unanimously (my source tells me that the vote was actually unanimous, as most of us understand the word)to ask Senator Gray to discontinue pursuing this legislation. If I hear anything else, I will post.

At any rate, it looks like I can blog about other things for a while. Like maybe packing peanuts: mere nuisance or spawn of the devil...

Here is my proposal if such taxing district does, in the future, get enacted:

Use the money to hire a company like Blackwater to clean house. Just a thought.

Love and kisses,

Molly

Security District Legislation

The new legislation has been distributed, at least to PPNA. I can't figure out how to post it, so if you don't have a copy and want one, just email me and I will send you what I have.

I would love to spend the rest of the day discussing the details of the newest incarnation of this legislation, and beating the dead dog of how this legislation was originally drafted before the Pensiontown Neighborhood Association was formed, but, hey, it's Jazz Fest.

Molly

TOWN HALL MEETING II

Okay, I had to leave the town hall meeting early, so I will probably post more on this later. For now I will just make a few basic points.

1. I have been unable to find the new legislation that provides for one security/improvement district that covers Pensiontown and Carrollton Riverbend. All I have is the suggested changes. I would really like to see that the changes are actually in the pipeline.

2. I was correct in my initial reading of SB 568. This bill provides for the district to be in place for NINE years. Anything more than three years is bad. Lets face it, if the security/improvement district turns out to be really great, there will be no problem extending its life. Three years should be plenty of time to see if the didtrict is accomplishing its purpose. Further, in my humble opinion if the board members know that they don't get to be entrenched for several years, I think that they will do a better job of representing all the people who could potentially choose not to extend the district.

3. If the commercial owners are exempt from the assessment, then they should not be allowed on the board. The board should be limited to people who actually pay the assessment.

4. I understand why certain neighborhood associations get three spots on the board. However, what has the Pensiontown Neighborhood Association done? Why are we going to allow a neighborhood organization that is not fully formed to have three seats on the board?

5. What about liability? Although the board members are not individually liable, how much, if any of the assessment will have to go to liabilty insurance for the district? Will the district be responsible for purchasing its own liabilty insurance?

6. Why the hurry? If this is worth doing, it is worth doing right. I do not believe that this is our only chance to have one of these districts. Surely no one is suggesting that Senator Gray is unwilling to reintroduce this bill in the next legislative session if that would be better for her constituents.

Anyway, feel free to comment.

Molly

TOWN HALL MEETING

Don't forget the Town Hall Meeting tomorrow night. Senator Gray will be there to answer questions about this new legislation.

When: Monday, April 14, 2008; 6:30 p.m.
Where: St. Matthew's Church
1607 S. Carrollton Avenue (Carrollton and Willow)

Update Me Please

I was unable to attend the meeting last night, so if there have been any substantial changes to the Security/Improvement District legislation in the past two days please comment.

Update: Jim S. directed me to crra.wordpress.com. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Rather than two separate districts, it will now be 1 district called the West Carrollton Neighborhood Improvement District. A definite improvement over "Pensiontown," which does not sound like anyplace I care to live.

Molly

Neighborhood Improvement District Part II

Apparently this legislation will be significantly changed in the near future. I will reserve judgment until I see the legislation. However, I do not think that a community center or after school programs are appropriate in any event. I would have apprciated short, declarative sentances from the people trying to sell this tax assessment.

I was mistaken about the expiration of the tax. It is SIX years, rather than nine. Six years is stll too long.-

Neighborhood Improvement District

This is my first foray into the blogosphere. I welcome your comments.

I am not sure how I feel about Security Districts in general and Improvement districts in particular, but at this point, I feel as if our state senator (for whom, incidentally, I voted) is not doing a very good job of representing the people who put her in office. I don't think that Senate Bill No. 568 is a good bill for the following reasons.

1. The name pensiontown is pejorative, and I think that it is wrong to force the name on the residents of the neighborhood. The only argument I have heard in favor of the name is that historically, most of the area was called "pensiontown" or "pidgeon town." I suppose by that logic, if it had historically been called "Deliverance Village," that, too should be forced upon the neighborhood, whether or not we have purty lips.

2. This additional tax will be levied for an initial term of NINE YEARS! Call me crazy, but wouldn't three years be enough time to determine if this legislation will have its intended purpose? Or is the extremely long life of this bill an attempt to disguise the fact that it is really wealth redistribution?

3. This legislation is not creating a "Security District, " it is creating an "Improvement District." While security is an element of the legislation, it is not the whole purpose of the legislation. In an improvement district the board may use the money on anything that will achieve "overall betterment" of the district. In other words, a good portion of the funds collected will likely be diverted away from security, which, at least for me, is a far more important issue than "beautification" or "betterment," whatever that means.

4. I cannot foresee that the people paying the bulk of this tax for the next nine years will reap the bulk of the benefit or even an equal amount of the benefit, particularly given that some people appear to be exempt from paying this tax at all.

Anyway, I welcome your comments, particularly if you can help me pin down the term "overall betterment."