Downtown Development Authority (DDA)
Establishment of Authority
The Vicksburg Downtown Development Authority (DDA) was formed on February 3, 1986 by the Village of Vicksburg to enhance its downtown and plan and develop growth in its downtown district.
Vision
Downtown Vicksburg will be a premier destination which embraces our rich heritage by showcasing unique boutiques in historic storefronts, and offering dynamic dining, event, and entertainment experiences along the shores of Sunset Lake.
Mission
The Vicksburg DDA provides incentives, support, and resources which will promote economic growth, while enhancing property values, and compelling businesses and citizens to live, work and invest in the downtown district.
Structure of the DDA – Village Council unanimously appointed the Planning Commission to serve as the DDA Board on October 16, 2019
By ordinance, the governing body of a municipality that has a population of less than 5,000 may have the municipality’s planning commission created pursuant to former 1932 PA 285 or the Michigan planning enabling act, 2008 PA 33, MCL 125.3801 to 125.3885. serve as the [DDA] board provided for in subsection (1).
A planning commission serves the entire municipality, and therefore, an established planning commission can serve as a DDA board, since the DDA district cannot be larger than the municipal boundaries.
If the village wants the already charter-established municipal planning commission to also be the DDA board, the only limitations are that the population of the municipality be 4,999 or less and the planning commission was created pursuant to either 1931 PA 285 or 2008 PA33.
The Planning Commission/DDA is led by a 9-member Board of Commissioners. The members are nominated by the Village President, subject to approval by the Village Council. The Planning Commission’s primary role, involving DDA matters, is the redevelopment of Vicksburg’s downtown area.
The Planning Commission/DDA meets every month on the second Monday of the month at 7:00 PM in (Put location). All meetings are open to the public. Past minutes of the Planning Commission are available in Documents on Demand.
As required by recent State legislation (Michigan Public Act 57 of 2018), the Authority will hold two annual informational meetings. Informational meetings are meetings for the purpose of informing the public of the goals and direction of the authority, including projects to be undertaken in the coming year. They are not for the purpose of voting on policy, budgets, or other operational matters. The meetings are tentatively scheduled to occur during the months of July and December.
Additionally, the DDA approves an annual budget, which is subsequently approved and adopted by the Village Council. All financial statements of the authority are audited annually as well, and included in the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report that is completed by the Village of Vicksburg each year.
Current Contracts
There are currently no open contracts in our DDA area.
The Vicksburg DDA
If you are located in the active district or have an interest in the Planning Commission/DDA, please make contact with the Village of Vicksburg office.
Contact Us
Jim Mallery – Village Manager:
jmallery@vicksburgmi.org
Michelle Morgan – Village Treasurer:
mmorgan@vicksburgmi.org
Christian Wines – Village Clerk:
cwines@vicksburgmi.org
2022-2023 DDA Budget
This is an executive summary of the Village of Vicksburg 2022–2023 FY budget related to the Downtown Development Authority tax dollars. This summary identifies projected tax revenue, potential grant revenue, and proposed expenditures for the July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, time period.
The proposed programs and projects were based on a collection of data and input received from village staff, one on one conversations between the village manager and Planning Commission board members, results from a business survey that was distributed to every business within the DDA boundaries in April 2022, and public meeting discussions that took place during the Planning Commission meeting in the months of March, April and May, 2022.
This valuable public input developed a ‘Needs, Wants, and Wish’ list for the 2022-2023 DDA proposed budget, as well as identified future Capital Items that are included in the 10-year capital plan for the Village of Vicksburg.
We are using the 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022 actual revenue as a basis for setting up the 2022-2023 FY Budget. The following is how the DDA received revenue for the 2018-2019 FY20.
| Property Taxes | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | |
| Village of Vicksburg | $36,574.24 | $34,015.48 | $35,165.24 | $43,633.09 | |
| Schoolcraft Township | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Brady Township | $20,841.49 | $19,079.16 | $21,493.79 | $22,328.43 | |
| County of Kalamazoo | $5,008.39 | $0.00 | $1,702.45 | $0.00 | |
| TOTALS | $62,424.12 | $53,094.64 | $58,361.48 | $65,961.52 | |
Village DDA District 248-000 estimated Revenue: $165,500.00
Village DDA District 248- estimated expenses: $92,000.00
This revenue figure represents an estimated $58,000.00 in DDA tax captures, $12,000.00 in Vicksburg Foundation Façade Grant, and $110,000.00 in commitments and/or assignments from the unrestricted reserve balance.
Village staff recommends that the DDA District tax dollars be invested in the following manner:
Village DDA District 248-213 Administrative Services Department: $8,250.00
The investments from this Department include: Liability Insurance, Audit Services, Memberships/Dues, and other misc. investments. Highlighted is the fact that this Department also includes the investment of $1,000.00 towards board membership training and $1,500.00 for a strategic planning session that will include the Vicksburg Council members as well.
Village DDA District 248-729 Economic Development Department: $16,750.00
The investments from this Department include: A marketing plan developed by a professional marketing company, billboard advertising, radio advertising, and the continuation of the DDA repainting program. A marketing program is detailed within the 2014 DDA TIF Plan on page 17.
Village DDA District 248-750 Streetscapes Department: $7,500.00
The investment from this Department includes: Streetscape (Dog Stations, New American Flags, and Seasonal Flowers) for Prairie St, Washington St, Kalamazoo St, and Main St. Each of these items is listed within the DDA TIF Plan. *It should be noted that the infrastructure project will be outfitting the downtown with new benches, re-painted light poles, and a state-of-the-art charging station, etc. Those purchases will not utilize 248 Tax Revenue.
Village DDA District 248-751 Parks and Recreation: $17,500.00
The investment from this Department includes: A previous commitment of $12,500.00 to the redevelopment of Oswalt Park. (This will be carry-forward dollars from the unrestricted reserve balance). The amount reflects $5,000.00 from the 2021-2022 FY DDA revenue. This project is listed on page 14 (Item #6 on Table 1 of Phase I projects) of the 2014 DDA Plan as “Oswalt Park Improvements”. A fundraising campaign has been approved by the Village Council (Former Village President Bill Adams will lead). The total cost of the project is estimated to be $225,000.00
Village DDA District 248-901 Public Benefit Grant Program: $36,000.00
The façade program has been in place for multiple years and has demonstrated to be an investment that has substantial returns in our core downtown area. There was $30,000.00 available in the 2020-2021 FY and $6,840.00 associated with 3 downtown businesses. It is staff’s recommendation to evaluate in the 2nd quarter of the 2021-2022 FY, after the Fire Protection Grant has been completed. During the 2nd quarter, staff will recommend an amount of dollars for this program.
Village DDA District 248-966 Transfer to Other Funds: $6,000.00
This is the amount that will be transferred to the General Fund 101-000 as a transfer in. This is for administrative services performed by Village Staff and is identical to what occurs with the Brownfield and other funds within the overall Village financing. *The DDA invested $18K and $12K respectively during the 2015-2019 years, and originally anticipated $6K in investments for accounting services for 19-20 FY. It is important to emphasize that once the $6,000.00 is transferred to the General Fund (101), the dollars can be re-invested in our Village, which is not possible when paying services of accounting, website, managing, etc to an outside vendor.
The approval of ‘committing and/or assigning’ dollars is a means to begin saving money for specific projects, which are documented in the DDA TIF Plan. Once that project is fully funded (usually it will be funded utilizing multiple village funds), it will then be re-presented to the DDA Board and Village Council for actual approval to begin the project. An example is committing money for the West Parking Lot. This project is estimated to cost $500K. We anticipate that this project would not be initiated prior to the 2026-2027 FY. If there was a need to utilize the dollars between this FY and then, the dollars can be un-committed and re-assigned to the new need.
**It should be noted that there are dollars restricted for expenses associated with the Christmas parade and $30,000.00 restricted for the façade loan program provided by the Vicksburg Foundation.