Downtown tax district discussed at BOMA during public hearing

Main Street Director Kim Hopkins presented the budget for the special taxing district of Downtown Vicksburg in a public hearing at last Friday’s Board of Mayor and Alderman meeting.

Hopkins began with the history of the special taxing district: “In 1984 a group of downtown property owners and others approached the Mayor and Alderman with the idea of establishing a special taxing district for a certain area in the city of Vicksburg.” The purpose of this request according to Hopkins was “generating funds to employ a full time Main Street manager and… for promotion, advertizing and other activities associated with Main Street” On April 25th of that same year the resolution passed affirming the new tax district.

According to Hopkins, more precedent was set in the following years and, “the process that was followed to establish the district in 1986 is the same and has followed each year for the past 39 years.

This year’s resolution was presented to the Board as dated June 20th, 2023. “As has been done in the past, the Mayor and Alderman accepted the resolution,” said Hopkins.

Hopkins then detailed the associated milage: “5.05 mils is to be levied on all commercial real property within the area, establish fixed boundaries and special assessment area which is the same as last year.”

Hopkins continued with budgetary matters, “We project the taxing district will approximately have $36,000 in 2023 and 2024 for, in total, 310 commercial properties. In our downtown taxing district we have supplies estimated at $9,000… And in our service category we have projected $40,000, $83,300, salaries, advertising, etc. $120,000.

Mayor Flaggs then opened the floor to any public comments, of which there were none.