Property owners in the 500, 600 and 700 blocks of Broad, Greene and Reynolds streets get to weigh in on the prospect of paying higher taxes to fund six additional law enforcement personnel downtown.
The nine downtown blocks, which include the city’s adult entertainment district, weren’t a part of the city’s last Business Improvement District, which funded the Clean Augusta Downtown Initiative through an additional tax levy. The Augusta Commission declined last year to renew the district, which spanned downtown roughly from Eighth to 13th streets, due to property owner complaints.
Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree is proposing the new district as part of a comprehensive plan to improve safety downtown. The plan includes installation of surveillance cameras, which Roundtree said await funding authorization from the city before he’ll seek bids for their purchase, and his recommendation that the city close Riverwalk Augusta between Fifth and Ninth streets from 11 p.m. to sunrise.
“Eventually, if it works, we’re always thinking about expanding further up,” Roundtree said. “With the next five years, you don’t know what the potential for growth would be.”
The five-year districts, established under Georgia law, require approval by either 51 percent of property owners or the owners of 51 percent of the district’s assessed value. The commission authorized Roundtree to present his proposal for a new Continually Patrolled District by an 8-2 vote last week.
via Downtown Augusta property owners to weigh in on law enforcement plan | The Augusta Chronicle.
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