Delray wants opinions on tax

Downtown owners polled

If you live and/or have a business in downtown Delray Beach, you likely are paying an extra tax bill every year.

Now, the city wants to know if folks who pay the $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value are happy with the expense. To find out, the city is conducting an online survey through July 15.

An extra property tax is assessed to properties in Delray’s Downtown Development Authority district, which spans from Interstate 95 to A1A, and includes several blocks north and south of Atlantic Avenue near South and North Federal Highway.

The authority, which was created in 1971 by the state, uses the money it receives from the tax to promote and market the downtown’s more than 1,500 businesses and 300 property owners.

It does so by hosting a fashion week showcasing downtown shops, giving out orchids to shoppers who spend a certain amount downtown while Mother’s Day shopping, and hanging 320 lights downtown during the holidays in an effort to create a joyous ambience.

This fiscal year, the authority’s budget totals $621,718. It is likely to total about $689,000 in the next fiscal year, according to authority officials.

The authority is governed by a board of seven volunteers who are appointed by the city commission. Commissioners approve the tax the authority charges annually as a

part of the budget process.

Even though commissioners sign off on the tax, the authority is a taxing body created by the state that is separate from the city. The authority’s board is responsible for deciding what tax, if any, is charged to downtown property owners.

The survey asks 20 questions about whether folks think the tax should exist, if they rent or own their property, if their property is a residence