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Local property owners push Albany Westover CID to fund infrastructure; commissioners briefed on process
Summary
Property owners and Colony Bank representatives presented a plan to form the Albany Westover Community Improvement District (CID), reporting 82 owner consents and urging commission approval so a millage can be set and appear on this year’s tax bill.
Heath Fountain, CEO of Colony Bank, asked the commission July 1 to approve formation of the Albany Westover Community Improvement District and explained how the CID would work under state law.
Fountain told commissioners the state enacted enabling legislation (House Bill 160) allowing CIDs in Albany; after study the organizing group raised $75,000 to evaluate a CID and secured consents from 82 property owners in the proposed district. He said the accounting/tax director had reviewed and approved the consents and that the CID would impose an additional, self‑assessed property tax on consenting commercial property owners to fund aesthetic improvements, public safety measures and infrastructure within the district.
Fountain said the proposed district centers on Westover Boulevard and Dawson Road and that the CID revenues can be leveraged with state and federal funding. He described the governance framework: a five‑member CID board, three board members elected by a caucus of property owners, and one mayoral appointment. The organizing group must propose a millage rate that the CID board will determine; the commission’s approval is a required step to finalize the district.
Commissioners asked technical and equity questions: whether CID funds must be spent inside the district (staff and presenters confirmed yes), whether adjacent businesses could benefit indirectly (possible, but primary expenditures must be inside the district), and statutory thresholds for formation (majority of owners and owners representing 75% of assessed value). Fountain and the consultants said there are opportunities to replicate the model in other wards if property owners opt in.
Commissioners did not vote on the CID that day; staff said they will bring the formal resolution and the required documents to the commission later this month to meet tax‑billing deadlines.
