Councilors debate reforms to Downtown Investment Authority ordinance

At a May 29 Special Committee on the Future of Downtown meeting, members reviewed ordinance 2025-395, a bill that would change governance and oversight of the Downtown Investment Authority (DIA), including new council confirmation and removal authority for the DIA chief executive officer.

The legislation would allow DIA to request that the council president file legislation on its behalf; require city council confirmation of the DIA chief executive officer and permit removal of the CEO either by a majority vote of the DIA board or by a majority vote of the full city council; reduce the dollar threshold that triggers council approval for certain incentive packages; exclude redevelopment (rev) grants from that dollar threshold; extend the final year of eligibility for rev grants (described in the draft as changing the end year from 2045 to "02/1950"); and require DIA to submit a five‑year capital improvement…