High Point council signals MSD discussion is premature after mixed survey results

High Point Mayor Jefferson and the City Council reviewed stakeholder survey results on a proposed downtown municipal service district and signaled the council is not ready to pursue creation immediately.

Budget and Performance Director Steven Howerloot summarized two outreach efforts: a Downtown High Point survey with 21 respondents that showed roughly 9 respondents (about 43%) indicating they were likely or very likely to support an MSD and 8 respondents (about 38%) unlikely to support it; and a Business High Point (Camden Yards tenant) survey of 30 respondents in which 10 said yes, 19 said no and one did not respond (about one-third in favor). Howerloot said full survey responses were included with the agenda materials.

The council’s discussion focused on timing, fairness and what an MSD would fund. Mayor Jefferson said he thought the proposal "might be premature," and other members agreed. The City Manager explained sequencing if council chose to proceed: staff would need to identify district boundaries, publish maps and hold public hearings, then designate any MSD tax as part of the budget process — and noted that a tax levied in fiscal 2026–27 would not generate revenue until fiscal 2027–28.

Councilmembers and staff raised several specific concerns: whether opposition in the tenant survey was a general rejection or based on discrete issues; whether existing businesses could be grandfathered or charged a lower rate; how to define the baseline city services that an MSD would augment; and governance and representation depending on which entity delivered MSD services. The City Manager emphasized that MSD-funded services must be "above and beyond those baseline services."

Council members also discussed the practical uses of MSD revenue, such as larger façade grants or incentive programs to support small businesses, and whether the proposed boundaries would include downtown catalyst areas and uptown businesses. Several members suggested developing objective "triggers" — measurable indicators of readiness — so future councils would have clear criteria for moving forward, while acknowledging those triggers could change as downtown matures.

No formal vote to establish an MSD was taken. Staff said it would await direction from the council; the prevailing sentiment at the meeting was to hold off on pursuing establishment now and to revisit the idea when downtown conditions meet agreed readiness measures.

The next formal action on the agenda was a transition to a closed session; the council later adjourned.