Community Impact reports that the Montgomery City Council, during a workshop on May 14th, directed their staff to initiate a process to come up with a crime prevention and control district. The object of the move is to help raise sales tax revenue to accrue funds for the Montgomery Police Department.
At the session, in reference to the benefits of establishing a proposed district, Montgomery Police Chief Anthony Solomon referred to upcoming growth in businesses coming to the community and people moving in to invest in the city who bring tax dollars. He said, “This is the time, more than ever.”
According to a memo from the Montgomery City Attorney Alan Petrov, Chapter 363 of the Texas Local Government Code, allows a special crime control and prevention district, a CCPD, which aids in supporting prevention and crime control programs, capital purchases and operational expenses for police. For the district to be created, voters must approve.
The packet for the meeting shows things that are allowed to be funded under the district that include:
–Officers for the police department
–Training and recruitment of police officers
–Vehicle replacement, technology and equipment
–Partner and crime prevention programs
Chief Solomon said that as a result of the district being created, no tax increase to residents would result.
According to a memo from City Attorney Petrov, the creation of the district would result in the reallocation of a portion of the city sales tax revenue that goes to the Montgomery Economic Development Corporation.
As a result of approval by voters:
–The Development Corporation’s part of the sales tax would go down from a half-cent to a quarter-cent
–The Crime Control and Prevention District would start getting a quarter-cent sales tax.
