Urban Renewal Agency (URA)
In 1990 the City formed an Urban Renewal Agency to provide improvements to blighted areas of the City through the use of tax increment financing. Under the plan, assessments on property within the Urban Renewal District were computed at the January 1, 1991 level. The City Council also serves as the members of the Urban Renewal Agency.
In 1998 Measure 50 required the District to set a maximum indebtedness. The amount that would be necessary to complete the plan projects was set at $4.3 million. In 2009 the final projects for the original District were completed. The projects completed under the original Urban Renewal District consisted of repair and replacement of sanitary sewers, water mains, storm sewers and streets.
In 2010 the Urban Renewal District was expanded to include the west end of Applegate Street from just west of 7th Street to 15th Street. The maximum indebtedness was increased to $14.3 million. Inclusion of this property will allow the city and District to move forward with improvements designed to benefit the downtown business district and new west entrance to the City via Applegate Street. This project is known as the Downtown Streetscape Improvements Project.