By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The Community Improvement District will remain in the city of Hays’ economic development policy.

City commissioners Thursday night discussed the possible removal of the CID section at the request of Commissioner Henry Schwaller.

After input from city manager Toby Dougherty and city attorney John Bird, the commission ultimately agreed no changes will be made.

Schwaller, who is the city’s representative to the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development, suggested “more shared information” between the two bodies.  He also wants to implement a “check list” to make it absolutely clear to developers what is required to be in place in their application before asking for a CID.

Mayor Eber Phelps noted the city is a “pass-through agency. We are not ‘giving money’ to anybody.”

A CID is “enabling legislation” by the state of Kansas used as an economic development tool for developers to come before the cities, “which can add any caveats they want,” Phelps pointed out. “It’s a tool. Let’s keep it in the tool box.

“We don’t know. We might have somebody come in with something we haven’t even thought about — some sort of development — and they might say ‘We’re going to pay 50 percent of it,’ ” he added. “This (CID) can be tweaked, readdressed, whatever the case may be.”

In November, the city approved a CID of a 1-cent sales tax hike on purchases at the Hays Mall. The increase was effective May 1 and property improvements are underway.

RELATED: Improvements have begun at Hays mall.

The developer, DP Management, did not provide any capital for the renovation project besides the revenue from the CID, an estimated $3 million.

In February, the city changed the CID to require applicants to financially participate in the project in an amount that is at least 25 percent of the total project cost.

There are “at least two CIDs in the wings now and maybe another,” according to Schwaller.

Commissioners directed Dougherty to “carry on and report back” about the developers’ applications.