Sponsor: Property Management
Title
title
Presentation: Proposed Special Service Improvement District Expansion for Downtown Saint Paul
end
Recommendation
recommendation
None. For information and discussion only.
end
Background and Rationale
body
The Saint Paul Downtown Alliance created a Special Service Improvement District for downtown Saint Paul beginning in 2021. The Special Service Improvement District currently serves a portion of downtown focused on the central business district and the entertainment district. They support special services such as enhanced safety programs, enhanced cleaning and upkeep programs, and a central communication center, or Fusion Center, to provide a networked response to incidents including deploying outreach staff, ambassadors, and law enforcement as appropriate.
A petition to expand the Special Service Improvement District to all of downtown has been presented to the Saint Paul City Council in accordance with the requirements of Minnesota Statutes. On July 24, 2024, the Saint Paul City Council adopted the ordinances to expand the district and to authorize an annual service charge for the expanded district beginning in 2025. There is a 45-day objection period in process whereby affected property owners can object to the ordinance and if 35% or more object it would in effect veto the ordinance.
Within the expanded district, service charges will be assessed by the city of Saint Paul against commercial, industrial, and residential property owners and on a voluntary basis on tax-exempt properties. Property owners subject to the service charge would pay at a rate based on their building size and street frontage. Ramsey County approved voluntary participation in the original district for 2021 and has been requested to voluntarily participate in the expanded district through payment of the annual service charge at the same rates established for other property owners. All of Ramsey County’s downtown properties including a significant portion of the Union Depot property would be included in the expanded district.
end
Attachments
1. Presentation