Abilene sets Nov. 23 hearing on Neighborhood Revitalization Program, seeks 10-year plan
Abilene city commissioners on Monday approved Resolution No. 110926-1, setting a public hearing for Nov. 23 on a new Neighborhood Revitalization Program, and directed staff to make the plan run 10 years, from 2027 through 2036.
The draft plan in the commission's packet covered 2027 through 2031. The current program expires Dec. 31, 2026.
During discussion, a commissioner asked whether the plan could cover 10 years instead of five. The city attorney said state law does not set a length for the plan and that any extension terms should be written into the plan when it is approved, because amending it later would require another public hearing with the required notices.
The motion approving the resolution included direction to amend the plan to run through 2036. The city attorney said the change assumes Dickinson County and USD 435, the other parties to the program, are agreeable, and that commissioners would be told if they are not.
The updated plan would cover the entire city limits and offer a 100% rebate on the increased assessed value of qualifying improvements for 10 years. It sets a $25,000 minimum investment and requires at least a 5% increase in assessed value for residential, commercial and industrial projects. Commissioners directed most of those changes in August. After an Oct. 26 study session attended by Dickinson County officials, staff moved the minimum investment back to $25,000 from a proposed $10,000.
The city clerk is scheduled to publish the hearing notice in the Abilene Reflector-Chronicle on Nov. 12 and Nov. 19 and send copies of the resolution to Dickinson County and the USD 435 Board of Education. The hearing is set for 4 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Abilene Public Library. After the hearing, commissioners will consider adopting the plan and an interlocal agreement among the city, Dickinson County and USD 435.
