General meeting/special districts

Posted on March 27, 2008 by Jim S

The spring general meeting was held tonight at St. Andrews. Our new City Inspector General, Robert Cerasoli, made an enjoyable presentation about how he came to be here and the enormous task his office faces in plumbing the depths of the inner workings of our city government. His first task is to measure the beast, something that perhaps has never been done. So far he has uncovered the existance of 142 quasi-governmental boards and commissions that spend our money and potentially saddle us with debts for years to come. (Ever heard of the “Planetarium Commission”? Me neither. ) It should be an interesting ride.

Of more immediate concern: The proposed Carrollton/Riverbend Security District and the proposed Pensiontown Improvement District. Senator Gray has made a pre-filing of bills designed to establish each. The details are subject to change up until late May when the legislature is scheduled to adjourn.

Here is a link to a copy of each bill, as it reads today: CRNA Security District Pensiontown Improvement District

Oh, the details…

There was much confusion by the end of the meeting regarding a host of issues:

  • There are 3 possible types of districts: Security, Improvement and Development, with the latter having the widest scope. Which is most desirable or appropriate?
  • The legislation defines two districts, effectively cutting CRNA in half. Is this the best way to go? Is the reason (security districts should be compact) acceptable, or accurate? (What about economies of scale?)
  • The name “Pensiontown”–few had ever heard of it and fewer liked it. It has historical roots, but it might be seen as derrogatory. This seemed to be important to many people.
  • Much confusion about overlapping neighborhood association borders. CRNA, Palmer Park and the Pensiontown borders all overlap. May or may not be a problem, depending on the situation. I wonder, though: If the CRNA Security District is approved, will the boundaries of the CRNA efectively shrink to the area between Carrollton, the river and the parish line? (It extends up to Claiborne, now.)
  • Does a Pensiontown Nhb Assoc. really exist, officially? No one seemed sure. Does it matter?

    • These are just a few of the general issues that came up tonight. There are more specific questions about the mechanics of the districts, such as:

  • What kinds of properties get assessed (just residential, or commercial, too? Vacant lots?)
  • How multi-tenant buildings get assessed.
  • What happens if property owners refuse to pay?

    • What do you think? What are your questions? Answers? Opinions?

    Leave a comment. Let’s get a discussion going.

    There will be another public meeting soon, place and time to be announced.

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    Filed under: general, meetings, security districts |

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    3 Responses

    1. gms, on March 30, 2008 at 1:21 pm said:

      New board members were inducted this night. Is a complete list available?

      Reply
    2. Jim S, on March 30, 2008 at 1:52 pm said:

      I have posted the list. Thanks for reminding me.

      Reply
    3. MGB, on April 4, 2008 at 8:05 am said:

      WHAT IS THE DATE TIME AND PLACE OF THE TOWN HALL MEETING WITH SEN. GRAY TO DISCUSS THE IMPROVEMENT/SECURITY/DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT?

      Reply

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