Urban Renewal Agency budgets final year, raises facade grant to $50,000 amid debate over projects and transfers

The City of Cami's Urban Renewal Agency on May 15 approved its 2025-26 budget and voted to increase the facade improvement program from $40,000 to $50,000 as the agency moves toward scheduled closure after the final debt payment in June 2026.

The agency's budget message, presented by the renewal agency director, noted the urban renewal district was created in 1999 and operates on tax-increment financing: base tax revenues are frozen and increments above the base go to the URA. The director recommended budgeting the final year's full expenditures because the district will receive one more increment before being closed; after the last debt payment the URA will wind down and any remaining funds are expected to return to the city and other taxing jurisdictions.

Why it matters: the URA has supported downtown capital work and property grants for years. With the district scheduled to finish payments in mid-2026, councilors and committee members debated whether programs such as facade grants and beautification should remain in URA funding or be transferred to the general fund. That decision affects how…