By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton city commissioners heard on from Phyllis Taylor about creating a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area designated area in downtown during a public hearing conducted during the regular Commission meeting on Tuesday, November 10.
Taylor who helped write the proposal told commissioners about different ways the area designation can help with funding for projects in the downtown area. The designation is designed to help a community redevelop its downtown area by using different means of funding. (Links to the 143 page Raton Downtown Master Plan Exhibit B MRA Designation Report Draft Exhibit A – MRA Boundary)
Raton meets the requirements based on its number of empty buildings and vacant lots. The designation will allow the city to use property taxes and gross receipts taxes to help fund private development. It also allows the city a means to work with private investors in developing new business, something that had been prohibited before because of the anti-donation law.
One method the city has at its disposal is a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) financing method Raton Downtown Master plan, says,“Using the authority granted by the MRA designation, it may make sense for the city to establish a Tax Increment Finance district (TIF) to collect additional property taxes on future development that can then be used for investments within downtown. Public improvements the TIF could fund include everything from streetscape improvements to public infrastructure or building rehabilitation. The creation of a TIF district only involves the approval of City Council and can be passed at the same time as the MRA designation.”
Another method the city may use is a Business Improvement District as described, Raton Downtown Master plan, says, “One way to support future downtown maintenance, hospitality training, and promotional efforts is through a Business Improvement District (BID). As downtown gains new business, local owners may find this option to be attractive, as it also for additional services to be allocated to the downtown district. Revenues collected by the City would be distributed to a business improvement district organization to pay for district maintenance, safety, small-scale infrastructure projects, hospitality training, and promotion. Although some owners may not want to contribute additional taxes, the mission of the BID can be kept simple, and provide clear benefits to every business.”
With no discussion from the public and little discussion by the commissioners they approved resolution 2015-40 approving the report and agreeing with the conditions that help create the district. (Link to Resolution 2015-40) The Commission will vote on adoption of both the Raton Downtown Master Plan and the MRA designation at their next meeting on November 24th.
Commissioners also approved the Raton Mainstreet 2nd annual festival of lights to be held on November 28.
Commissioners approved the bid by Stoven Construction to do the finish work on the new Troy Ave. fire station for $125,000. The other two bids came from Anissa Construction for $158,000 and Archuleta Construction for $188,000. The monies for this project will come from the fire fund.
Commissioners approved the city’s 2015 capital asset inventory and will receive a list of items that the city will need to surplus out or dispose of in the future. This is a new requirement to meet audit requirements and state statutes.
Commissioners also approved the third budget adjustment for the fiscal year. One adjustment was to allow the police department to acquire two, as City Manager Scott Berry noted, gently used cars from the Kansas State Police at a much-reduced cost. Chief John Garcia noted they would get the carfax on the vehicles before the purchase is finalized. (Link to the Budget Adjustment #3)
Commissioners also asked for a grant extension with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for bear proof dumpsters. The grant will help purchase 590 dumpsters.
An RFP for photography and video work was put out by the city and with two respondents being Geo and Associates from Tucson and Marty Mayfield Photography. The committee graded Mayfield higher than GEO. City Manager Berry noted that GEO was a high tech company and maybe retained for economic development work.
Jason Phillips and Pat Vigil gave a report on the Public Works department. It was noted in the report that the department is working with a tight budget and an aging infrastructure and equipment. The department not only takes care of the streets and parks but also includes the sanitation department as well as city building maintenance.
To date the department has resolved over 140 complaints in 2015 and completed 30 priority tasks as assigned by the city manager. They have continued to patch the hundreds of potholes in city streets using 200 tons of cold mix.
City Manager Scott Berry gave commissioners a run down of the ongoing construction projects noting that First Street will be done soon as they were laying asphalt today. Pecos and Galesteo between First and Second had been completed and Pecos between Second and Third will begin this week. The work on the Segerstrom Creek area should wrap up in the next two to three weeks.
Berry also noted that at the December 8 meeting the commission would need to begin the process for the municipal election where two commission seats will be up for grabs early next year.
