What is a CID?
A CID is a public-private partnership between commercial property owners and local governments. They are mechanisms that allow the private sector to help improve public rights-of-way.
CIDs are a well-established model in metro Atlanta to design and fund improvements to roads, bridges, sidewalks, traffic intersections, parks, trails, signage, landscaping, and more. Created for and by the local commercial property owners, CIDs undertake planning, design, and other activities that positively improve their communities and commercial markets. They are authorized by state and local legislation as self-taxing organizations with defined districts. The CID assessment is exclusive to commercial properties. It is not a sales tax or a residential property tax.
CIDs enhance property values and allow commercial owners to determine how funds are spent in the district. CIDs allow commercial property owners to leverage their resources against public funds in order to pay for improvements that enhance their areas.
To understand the important impacts of CIDs, visit “Ready for the Smart(er) City: How Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) are Building the Future, ” a collaboration of Georgia Tech’s Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation, Georgia Tech’s Center for Quality Growth & Regional Development and Lexicon Strategies. (Malaika Rivers, Debra Lam, et. al) – February 2021.
5 Facts About CIDS
- CIDs improve communities. They advance projects that improve access, mobility, economic vitality, beautification, and modernization.
- CID funds stay in their own communities. Local funds support programs and projects that benefit the district.
- CIDs return ROIs of 5-10x for their property owners. By bringing money to the table, CIDs attract other sources to pay for the majority of project costs.
- CIDs are established by commercial property owners through state and local legislation. CIDs are funded through self-imposed ad valorem real estate taxes on commercial properties. This is not a sales tax or a residential tax and there is a limit on how much tax may be collected.
- CIDs are overseen and managed by local commercial property owners. Local property owners are elected to the board of directors and oversee spending. CIDs are separate from city, county, and state governments, but work together with these entities to pay for and advance area improvements.
