City Council last month renewed an agreement with the Rahway Arts and Business Partnership (RABP) to share the cost of an economic development specialist who also serves director of the Special Improvement District (SID).
The governing body unanimously approved a resolution (AR-20-19) during its Jan. 7 regular meeting to renew the agreement.
In 2016, two vacant economic development positions were combined into one and shared between the city and RABP. City Council initially authorized an agreement to share the services of an economic development specialist with the RABP, formerly called the Rahway Arts District (RAD).
The city is designated as the primary employer of the economic development specialist/executive director or managing director for purposes of salary and benefits, according to the resolution. The position is an agent of the Downtown Management Corporation (DMC) when performing services on its behalf, according to the resolution, and overseeing the Special Improvement District (SID).
Under the original agreement in 2016, the RABP would pay the city $40,000 annually for its share of the position. The agreement typically has run for a 12-month period, extended for a year by mutual written consent of both parties. The latest resolution did not include details on the salary split.
The RABP is the District Management Corporation (DMC) for the downtown Special Improvement District (SID), which raises about $130,000 through an additional tax on 138 properties within the central business district. The additional tax typically works out to approximately 7 percent on top of the overall property tax. RABP uses the funds to market downtown and coordinate events throughout the year.
Anne Marie Williams, a former Redevelopment Agency commissioner, has served in the post as managing director of the RABP and economic development specialist since the original agreement was instituted, with Amy Garcia Phillips serving as executive director of the RABP. The SID is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees. The board usually meets bi-monthly, with its next meeting scheduled for March 14.
