A plan to boost safety in Midtown Harrisburg had its first public airing last month, as residents had a chance to give their views of the proposed Midtown Improvement District (MID).
More than 100 residents packed Midtown Scholar Bookstore for the two-hour meeting, offering opinions of the plan’s scope, cost, effectiveness and accountability.
The evening began with the two principal organizers—Eric Papenfuse, owner of Midtown Scholar Bookstore, and Bill Fontana, executive director of the Pa. Downtown Center—explaining what the MID is, how it would operate and how much it would cost.
“Our government cannot support the security we need,” said Papenfuse. “The reality of the situation in Harrisburg today is that the government cannot do what they should be doing.”
In March, Papenfuse and Fontana, working with numerous community groups in Midtown, unveiled their plan, which would levy a fee, averaging about $60 per year, on the owners of the proposed district’s 4,162 properties. Commercial property owners would pay slightly more.
The money raised, about $420,000, would primarily fund the hiring of off-duty Harrisburg police, who would patrol the area bordered by Forster, Maclay, Front and N. 7th streets.
To take effect, the plan would be voted on by each property owner, failing only if 40 percent of the owners of all properties rejected it. If the MID passed the stage, the City Council would have to approve it.
Paperfuse said he hoped the MID would be up and running by Oct. 1. To reach that point, supporters, may have some work to do, as numerous residents voiced a variety of objections to the current proposal.
“I’m totally against the association you’re forcing on us,” said Midtown resident Bill Fritz. “It’s a shift of responsibility for what we’re paying in taxes already.”
Several residents agreed, while others expressed concerns that the scope of the MID was either too narrow or too broad.
“I’d like you to reassess what your goals are here,” said one resident. “I’d like your focus to be wider than security.”
Fontana explained that, once in place, the MID could apply for a variety of grants that could help expand its mission, such as infrastructure improvements, especially through the state’s Elm Street and Main Street programs.
“This is your money,” he said. “You can do with it what you want to do.”
Papenfuse and Fontana worked to allay other concerns, stating that accountability would be assured through a yearly audit required by state that would consider building in fee reductions for low-income residents.
One resident said he was concerned funds would be eaten up by administrative costs.
Papenfuse said that an administrator, earning $40,000 to $50,000 per year, would be the only person on the payroll no a police officer. And that salary, he hoped, would be offset by funds collected from the area’s nonprofit groups.
An advisory council now will draft a formal proposal for the MID. If all goes smoothly, property owners would cast ballots for the proposal this summer, with a City Council vote in September.
It would be the state’s first residential improvement district. Its initial focus on police security would make it even more unique.
“I think people feel this a matter of life or death—literally,” said Papenfuse.
