Downtown Fort Wayne seeks decade reauthorization and modest rate increase; council places measure on one‑week hold

Representatives of Downtown Fort Wayne presented a ten‑year reauthorization and modest expansion of the downtown Economic Improvement District to the Fort Wayne Common Council on Sept. 9.

Preston Wallace, director of marketing for Downtown Fort Wayne, led the presentation and was joined by Frank Howard, chief operating officer, and Bob Walters, interim president and CEO. They described the proposed reauthorization as the organization—s third decade‑long renewal and said the packet before council would create an expanded district to cover roughly a 40–42% increase in area beyond the current 99 downtown blocks.

Wallace said the petition process required under state statute now requires signatures representing at least 60% of property owners and 60% of gross assessed value (GAV); Downtown Fort Wayne reported petition support of about 69% of owners and 69% of GAV. The reauthorization would continue a 1.5‑mill assessment on gross assessed value and include a modest annual assessment increase of 2% (Wallace said that would bring the millage from 1.5 to roughly 1.79 across the 10‑year period).

Wallace outlined services funded by the district: the Clean and Green program (renamed Clean and Safe earlier in the year with an ambassador element), marketing and events, stakeholder/business services, placemaking (Art This Way) and safety coordination. He said Downtown Fort Wayne—s programs generated a reported $35 million economic impact and that the organization had increased annual marketing reach to roughly 5 million people. He also said Clean and Green crews removed more than 360 tons of trash and remediated roughly 750 graffiti tags.

Wallace described proposed expansion areas north of the river (including portions of the Wells corridor) and to the west (including a Broadway corridor connection to the Electric Works campus). He said two expansion areas were under consideration because the petition process is petitioner‑led and requires community champions in those zones.

Council members asked about board composition and appointment processes, the scale of the expansion, why some adjacent areas were not included, and fiscal prudence given unknown future city revenues. Preston Wallace said board membership would remain between 12 and 15 and include a mayoral appointee, a council appointee and a county appointee, with many seats occupied by property owners or their designated representatives. He said the district remains largely funded by the assessment rather than city general fund dollars and that Downtown Fort Wayne would leverage private fundraising and partnerships.

Councilman Tim Inslee asked specifically whether the names in the ordinance matched current board members; Preston Wallace said they did. Several council members offered praise for the district—s work in cleaning, public art and events. At least one councilor expressed concerns about locking the city into a 10‑year agreement amid questions about future revenue and downtown service costs; Downtown Fort Wayne leaders said the organization has previously adapted to boom and lean cycles and intended to be creative with limited assessment revenues.

After discussion, Councilman Paddock moved — and a second followed — to place the reauthorization on a one‑week hold to allow additional legal review of the board‑appointment language. The hold passed on a 5‑4 vote. Council members also discussed timing: the next regular session would be Sept. 23, and the committee hold would delay final action for at least one week.

The reauthorization will return for further consideration with requested legal clarifications about appointment procedures and governance representation.

Ending: Downtown Fort Wayne—s leaders stressed that reauthorization is intended to support downtown connectivity, safety and placemaking across an expanding footprint; councilors signaled broad support for the organization—s services but asked for more detail on governance and the long‑term implications of a decade‑long agreement.