Published: Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 9:50 p.m.
HAINES CITY | The city commission Thursday unanimously approved a transition plan to create a new downtown development organization by merging Haines City Main Street with the city's Merchants and Business Association.
The city would give the new organization, to be called the Haines City Main Street & Merchants Association, $60,000 toward its first-year budget of $78,000. The city would also transfer $16,137 it was holding for the old Main Street program to the new organization.
The new Main Street would raise the balance of its funding through fundraisers and private donations. The boards of directors for the two groups approved the merger last month.
The new Main Street would assume the association's nonprofit status, which allows donors to claim a tax deduction on their contributions.
Commissioner Philip Hinkle asked whether the new organization would continue to be affiliated with the national Main Street program, and Vice Mayor Joanna Wilkinson, the Main Street liaison, said it would.
Hinkle also questioned whether the new Main Street had set qualifications for the new full-time executive director, who would get a salary of $40,000 a year, plus $10,000 in benefits.
That would have to be done before the organization advertises the position, Wilkinson said. The plan calls for hiring someone by December.
The new Main Street office would be at 233 N. Ninth St. in space donated by Prince Land Services Inc., also at that location.
Main Street directors and city officials have been talking about a plan to create an autonomous agency for many months. It is now a city agency, but all agree independence would give Main Street more flexibility to accomplish its mission of promoting the downtown economy.
The merger with the merchants' association surfaced last month. Officials decided it would be easier to assume the merchant's association 501(c)(3) tax status than attempt to start anew.
The plan calls for the new group to complete the legal work to establish the new organization, including new bylaws, in October.
[ Kevin Bouffard can be reached at kevin.bouffard@theledger.com 863-422-6800. ]