DDA to Talk Surveillance Cameras, TIF 97, Streetscape Policy

Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board members will consider increasing downtown surveillance by partnering with the Traverse City Police Department to purchase a mobile surveillance camera trailer. Board members will discuss the initiative at their 9am meeting today (Friday), at which they’ll also discuss a legal opinion on spending tax increment financing (TIF) 97 funds as the plan winds down and updating a policy on the DDA partnering with property owners to split streetscaping improvement costs.

Surveillance Cameras
After years of discussion about increasing downtown video surveillance, DDA board members could vote today to spend up to $40,250 for a new mobile surveillance camera trailer dedicated to the downtown area. The Traverse City Policy Department (TCPD) would own and operate the system, which would be prioritized for use at “downtown events or in areas downtown that have become issues for graffiti or other nuisances,” according to DDA Executive Director Harry Burkholder.

The TCPD already owns one such camera trailer, which is outfitted with four security cameras with a combination of standard-zoom and long-range capabilities. According to a report from Detective Matt Verschaeve, who used the trailer at a recent Clinch Park event, the trailer remained powered on and operational for five days during high winds, cold temperatures, and little sunshine, still showing an 81 percent charge at the end of that period. The proposed DDA trailer would have four long-range cameras, which have a 25x optical zoom and 330-foot night vision range.

“I find the deployment, software, camera capabilities, and power consumption to be excellent,” Verschaeve wrote of the mobile trailer system. TCPD Chief Matt Richmond said the TCPD also used the trailer at a pop-up protest at Rotary Square and plans to deploy it again at that site for another protest on May 3. Adding a second trailer for the DDA district would allow the TCPD to focus on areas with a “high number of calls for service, city infrastructure, and special events,” Richmond wrote.

In response to previous concerns raised by DDA board members about privacy issues, Richmond said the mobile system would not use facial recognition technology nor record audio. Footage is kept for 30 days, with footage that is deemed evidence downloaded and saved to cloud storage. “All equipment purchased will be used in accordance with department policy and in a legal and ethical manner while recognizing and protecting constitutional standards of privacy,” Richmond wrote. “Areas under overt video surveillance will have signage notifying the public that the area is under surveillance.” The $40,250 contribution from the DDA for the trailer system would be a one-time expense and come from the TIF 97 fund, according to the proposal.

TIF 97
Board members will discuss an opinion today from attorney Scott Howard on the DDA’s ability to spend TIF 97 funds past the plan’s expiration in 2027. As board members prioritize projects for the remaining funds in the plan, they’ve asked to clarify if all dollars must be expended before the plan’s expiration or if there’s the ability to set aside some funds for ongoing or future projects past 2027.

Howard says he believes the DDA can continue to spend TIF 97 dollars after the plan’s expiration provided those funds were captured pre-expiration and are spent on approved projects and activities in the TIF plan. The DDA’s spending authority “extends to funds that are ‘contracted’ or ‘otherwise obligated’ prior to the expiration of the TIF plan” under state law, Howard wrote. “It is crucial to ensure that expenditures align with projects currently approved under the plan.”

TIF 97 is one of the two TIF districts that make up the DDA. The other, Old Town TIF, doesn’t expire until the end of 2041. Therefore, the DDA will continue to operate even if TIF 97 expires in 2027 (TIF 97 could also be extended if the DDA sought and obtained voter approval). Howard noted that if the DDA has outstanding contractual obligations – such as bond payments – state law “prohibits the City of Traverse City from abolishing the DDA until these obligations have been fully satisfied or segregated for payment. This protects continuity in fulfilling existing obligations.”

At the time of a TIF plan ending or the DDA being abolished, all outstanding obligations related to the TIF must be resolved first, after which any surplus funds would “revert proportionately to the respective taxing authorities,” Howard wrote.

Streetscape Policy
Board members will consider updating a policy that outlines how the DDA partners with private property owners to complete streetscaping improvements downtown. The current policy states that the DDA will split 50 percent of eligible costs with property owners for projects like sidewalk, snow melt systems, decorative brick and brick pavers, holiday lighting circuitry, street trees, benches, and trash cans.

A recent reimbursement request prompted DDA board members to take a closer look at the policy language. Suggested revisions by staff include clarifying that pre-engineering and management costs are not eligible for reimbursement and eliminating a stipulation that snow melt is only eligible if at least one full block is completed. Staff also recommended removing a clause stating that streetscape improvements under 20 years old are ineligible for DDA cost participation. DDA board could either approve the revised policy as presented today or take additional time to make more revisions before adopting it at a future meeting.