By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
MELVINDALE – Facade improvements and alley paving top the list of improvements planned this year for the city’s downtown.
The City Council on Jan. 20 unanimously approved $333,000 for the 2010 budget for the Downtown Development Authority. It was adopted by the authority at its Jan. 11 meeting.
The budget is based on $79,000 cash on hand, as well as expected revenue capture and state-equalized value for the DDA area. It includes Oakwood Boulevard from Prospect to Harmon, and Allen Road from south Dearborn to Outer Drive, excluding the Michcon, DeLuca, and an apartment complex.
The DDA captures the taxable growth in the properties within that area since 1988, according to Department of Public Works Director Eric Witte, adding that the city still gets the portion of the taxes levied based on the 1988 assessment.
Proposal A changed the capture for the school taxes, he said, except for what is committed to current obligations, which in Melvindale’s case includes Oakwood Plaza. All other school tax revenue goes to the state.
The largest line item, $100,000, is for undesignated facade improvements. Another $70,000 is budgeted for alley paving.
The Oakwood Plaza budget was set at $18,600, including $7,500 for grass and bush cutting. It also includes $2,000 for water, $3,000 for parking lot electricity, $3,000 for parking lot escrow, $1,000 for sprinklers, $1,500 for landscape maintenance and $600 for fertilizer costs.
Other budgeted items included engineering and architectural services ($25,000), director’s salary ($9,485), legal fees ($6,000), land contract payments for 4140 Oakwood ($40,000) and miscellaneous projects or contributions ($5,000).