Midtown Harrisburg would get an extra dose of police protection under a plan to create a new improvement district focused on neighborhood security.
The Midtown Improvement District (MID) would hire off-duty Harrisburg police officers to patrol a wide area ranging from Forster to Maclay streets and N.Front to F. 7th streets, said Eric Papenfuse, owner of the Midtown Scholar Bookstore, who is spearheading the effort.
“This would be specifically dedicated to public safetly,” said Paperfuse. “You fundamentally have to create a safe environment.”
The MID would be funded by a fee for each of the 4,100 properties within the district.
Under the proposal, homeowners would pay a fee equal to one-tenth of 1 percent of the assessed values of their properties, with a minimum of $60 per year. Commercial owners, whose properties tend to have higher values, would pay a fee equal to one-fifteenth of the assessments of their properties, with a minimum of $90.
In addition, the many nonprofit organizations in the district would be encouraged to make a contribution, Papenfuse said.
An annual $420,000 budget would fund as many as 10 off-duty officers, who would be paid about $35 an hour, including insurance and other costs. The MID also would have a physical location, which would act like a police substation.
Papenfuse said the city’s police union is enthusiastic about the proposal, as Harrisburg currently offers little overtime to its officers.
The effort began when a Midtown Scholar employee was robbed walking home after work, said Papenfuse. Since then, several formative meetings have been held with various neighborhood groups, which all have signed on, he said.
The MID must navigate a series of steps before becoming a reality.
First, a public meeting will be held April 9 at 7p.m. at Midtown Scholar so residents can hear more about the initiative, ask questions and offer suggestions.
A formal plan then must be drafted and approved by property owners in the proposed district. The proposal would fail if owners representing 40 percent of properties reject it. If it passes muster with property owners, the plan must be approved by City Council.
If all goes smoothly, the MID would take effect about Oct. 1, said Bill Fontana, executive director of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, which is assisting the effort.
Fontana said there are 35 business improvement districts in the state right now, but that the MID would be the first residential improvement district.
Papenfuse said that the MID is intended to fill in a critical gap in city services, as cash-strapped Harrisburg simply cannot afford extra police.
“We all understand the position the city is in,” he said.
Moving forward, the MID could expand its mission, as it might be able to apply for various grants that would fund additional projects, such as for historic preservation and infrastructure improvements.
“Once we have an improvement district in place, it opens us up to all kinds of other funding possibilities,” said Papenfuse.
