Ellijay Sub-Committee to Recommend DDA Members

“We want an authority to focus on developing a downtown.”

On Monday January 23rd, at the city council meeting, Better Home Town (BHT) Manager Mona Lowe gave a staff report updating the council on the status of the establishment of a Downtown Development Authority (DDA).

BHT is a community-based program designed to develop and maintain the city’s economic health and quality of life. One of the duties of a BHT program is to investigate the possibility of a DDA. During the December city council workshop, Chamber of Commerce President and former BHT Chair person Paige Green gave a presentation to the council on how a DDA would benefit the community. She explained to the council that a DDA consists of seven members, one must be a city official i.e. a council member, and the other six must either be property owners or business owners or someone with an economic interest in the city. After her presentation she requested that council begin an authorization process which included creating a sub-committee to appoint the seven-member DDA. The council voted unanimously to begin the process.

A sub-committee of five members was created by the council to recommend to them the seven people that will make up the DDA. On the sub-committee are council members David Westmoreland, Al Fuller, Chamber of Commerce President and former BHT Chair person Paige Green, Gregg Altman of the BHT Economic Restructuring Committee, and local realtor John Tutten.

At the council meeting last Monday, Lowe reported to the council the sub-committee had received 15 applications for possible members of the DDA and she expected 6 more. Lowe also told council that once a DDA is assembled the council will then map out a downtown area that will be the central business district for the area. The council will then send a resolution to the state explaining the reason why a DDA is needed by the city, having the boundaries of the downtown area, and listing the names of the members of the DDA.

As of January 30th Lowe says the committee now has 19 applicants to choose from and she doesn’t expect anymore. Lowe said the sub-committee will have an informational meeting with the applicants on February 3rd and afterwards the sub-committee will choose the applicants they will recommend to the council at the February city council meeting. Lowe spoke on behalf of BTH,