Laredo, Texas – (April 20, 2015) – The Central Laredo Municipal Management District Board of Directors held a press conference today to officially announce restructuring of the proposed improvement district as well as new program initiatives.
The group said they would like to formally set the record straight regarding misconstrued information about the program. “We feel strongly that we may not have informed the public enough about exactly what a Municipal Management District is and how it can have positive effects on a growing community like Laredo.”
The organization called on their Board to formally meet and discuss how they plan to re-evaluate this program moving forward and how they will restructure it in its entirety.
They adopted a planning period of 6-12 months for properties within the downtown area and said they will form a public engagement Program Committee to implement a public education Campaign. This will include the development a of website and a Facebook presence.
The changes discussed at today’s board meeting included:
These areas include:
“As a result of significant responses from the community, we discussed removing certain areas from the district. We feel that we may have not informed the public enough and perhaps not fully engaged the community’s thoughts and visions during the formation process of this program. These types of improvement districts must be flexible so that they can foster economic development. If they do not share the same ideals as its business owners and residents, then compromises must be made to allow programs like these to prosper effectively.” Central Laredo Management District Board of Directors.
The organization expressed dispelling myths about the program that have been circulating. They made it clear that this is not a repetition of what the city already provides. “This is not a tax. It’s an assessment much like the common area fees that retailer tenants pay to a mall owner.”
The Laredo program is still in the development stages, nobody has been assessed any type of fee.”
The organization emphasized – “the only way we can be successful and prosper economic development is by Building it Better Together. We need everyone to work together for one common goal – revitalize downtown into a place where visitors will want to come and a place where you can live, work, shop, and play.”
