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Council adopts resolutions to begin final hearings on downtown assessments; snowmelt and parking rates to rise about 3%
Summary
Council adopted resolutions of necessity to set public hearings (Oct. 1) for the principal shopping district, downtown snowmelt and downtown parking assessments; staff described limited rate changes and the reasons (expanded services, power/maintenance costs).
The Holland City Council on Sept. 9 voted to adopt resolutions of necessity and schedule final hearings Oct. 1 for three downtown assessments: the principal shopping district assessment, the downtown snowmelt operations and maintenance assessment, and the downtown parking operations and maintenance assessment.
Cara De Albre, principal shopping district coordinator, told council the principal shopping district assessment funds downtown marketing, promotions and events and is calculated by property square footage. She said rates for ground‑floor core district retail remain at 25¢ per square foot while upper floors and lower‑level retail use 14¢ per square foot; the rate was unchanged from the prior year after a slight adjustment last year.
Jeff Genova, Downtown Development Authority coordinator, described the snowmelt assessment, which staff proposes to increase roughly 3% because of an expansion of heated sidewalks (including the ice rink and Gentex‑area runs), rising power costs and repair/replacement needs for a nearly 50‑year‑old system. Genova gave an estimated assessment rate of about 55.7¢ per square foot and a projected total cost near $448,553, with a majority of spending going to debt service and system upkeep.
Genova also summarized the parking assessment: parking remains free downtown, and the assessment supports operations that keep it free. He said the DDA added two leased parking lots (26 spaces next to Big Lake Brewing and a First United Methodist Church lot) and recommended a 3% increase to cover the expanded network.
All three items required a public hearing before final action. Council opened the hearings, heard no public comments on the items, and then voted to adopt resolutions of necessity and set the Oct. 1 final hearings for each assessment.
What this means: Property owners in affected downtown zones will get mailed notices about the proposed assessments and the Oct. 1 hearings; council and staff said the assessment proceeds fund services targeted to downtown property owners rather than general tax dollars.
