December 14, 2004
DDA Plans Twenty 30' Billboards with City Tax $$$
Dear City Council Members,
The DDA will soon be seeking the approval of City Council to spend close to 1 million City of South Haven TIF tax dollars. The plan is explained in DDA's Amended Plan, approved 12-1-04, which can be reviewed on The City of South Haven's web page document center, document DACC 2005. See for yourself at http://www.south-haven.com.
The document is addressed to the "Development Area Citizens Council" who is directed to review and advise the City Council. I have no idea what/who this Citizen Council is, nor is it/they listed on the city’s website.
It is alarming enough that this amount of public money might be spent to benefit a handful of downtown business owners rather than the entire citizenship of South Haven. Worse, the plan includes $300,000 tax dollars to be spent on an advertising billboard campaign "grouping of twenty 30' sails" with the city logo on them designed to appear at I196 exit 20 to "pique the curiosity of travelers enough to pull off the highway" and, presumably, shop and eat.
Another $50,000 of public tax money is requested by DDA for even more marketing and advertising. The hope is for an additional billboard on I196 plus other advertising. DDA’s charter is to “provide improvements to the downtown area”, not to do advertising or marketing. It is my hope that advertising efforts will be entrusted to The Chamber of Commerce and The Visitor’s Bureau or the private businesses themselves, not financed by city tax funds. Furthermore, billboards are visual blight and seem to be the opposite of DDA’s mission.
In addition, DDA is asking for a change in their rules that only allows them to purchase property if it is for additional parking. Now they wish to broaden that purchasing power to buy land for whatever reason they wish. This plan seeks $500,000 tax dollars to purchase the Muffler Man corner at Phoenix and Broadway. No explanation is given as to how purchasing this property will benefit the DDA or the citizens of South Haven. While Muffler Man may be an eyesore we can all agree on, it still serves the local taxpayer and pays its own taxes to exist there.
In fairness, it is important to recognize that DDA barely represents downtown merchants or the TIF assessed businesses. DDA’s traditional membership is primarily land developers and restaurateurs. Many merchants deeply resent random “branding”, such as this nautical theme. As a matter of fact, many merchants would prefer a focused identity that, for example, values historical preservation and an all-season theme. Many merchants and residents came to this town specifically to escape tacky branding and, certainly, billboards. These citizens might also join in opposition to this DDA plan.
It is my hope that the City Council will review this "sail" plan carefully. The Mayor is a DDA member so I presume he is already supportive of this plan. I hope that these billboards will not be represented as "notices to the public" or "special signs", like the current advertising banners on city light poles were euphemistically named in order to circumvent the law. The sign ordinance governing billboards needs to be applied (i.e. signs must be more than 1000’ apart). Planning Commission will need to be consulted and satisfied that the required Special Use permits are appropriate. Please trust their wisdom if this goes that far.
Please question the logic that concludes that drivers will veer off their travel agenda to "shop" simply because billboards entice them toward a freeway exit. Then, if you find this to be plausible, please consider that businesses off I196 exits 18 and 22 may be threatened by routing all tourist traffic to exit 20. These other merchants are TIF tax-paying citizens as well and downtown can surely be accessed from all three directions.
Best-case scenario, I hope the Council refuses to endorse such visual blight that is hardly representative of the small-town charm we wish to preserve. Please consider whether $300,000 in taxpayer's money is appropriate for such a dubious and unsightly plan; consider that $300,000 worth of landscaping at the Interstate might have the desired appeal as well.
Bringing this plan to Council in January and February seems to be a convenient schedule that assures that an overwhelming percentage of tax-paying citizens are out of town for the winter. I hope City Council will table the discussion until spring, 2005 so that more detail can be assessed and more voices heard.
DDA is, sadly, entitled to these TIF tax dollars to finance their agenda. But City Council approval is required and is an important roadblock when DDA wishes to expand its mission to advertising, waste public money and defile the views of our lovely town with billboards.
Please consider DDA's request and refuse to endorse it. Interested citizens will be asked to attend the DDA’s January 5, 2005/Noon meeting to request that they withdraw this plan. Your attendance there would go far to promote this effort.
Posted by Elaine at December 14, 2004 03:31 PM