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Council votes to reconstitute URA as separate board, decoupled from DDA
Summary
After attorney guidance, council voted to reconstitute the Urban Redevelopment Agency as a separate board of commissioners (7 members; 3 elected officials, 4 community members) so URA business can proceed independent of the Downtown Development Authority quorum status.
Attorney Wiley presented a detailed recommendation for decoupling the Urban Redevelopment Agency (URA) from the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and reconstituting the URA as a separate seven‑member board of commissioners. Wiley said the URA should be able to act independently because the DDA's membership and eligibility rules can make it difficult to form a functioning URA when the DDA lacks a quorum.
Under the resolution the council approved, the mayor nominates commissioners subject to council advice and consent; the draft recommended a mix of elected officials and residents (the council adopted a 7‑member structure with three elected officials and four resident/non‑elected members). Wiley said the URA's geographic footprint can be larger than the downtown DDA area and recommended staff prepare an expanded URA boundary map and training for prospective commissioners.
Councilmembers asked how the URA will interact with DDA‑owned properties (Wiley said the DDA retains properties it holds and the URA can negotiate leases for properties it owns, such as the parcel associated with Nouveau Bar & Grill). Wiley also recommended training for commissioners and suggested the mayor and city manager coordinate the application and appointment process.
The council adopted the seven‑member structure and directed staff to produce nomination names and a draft resolution for formal adoption and training timelines next week.
