A merchant who wants out of the Hillsborough Street Business District appeared before City Council again last week, this time joined by members of the Hillsborough Street Service Corporation.
Payton Chung
Hillsborough Street
Timothy Colgan is an attorney whose law office falls on the edge of the district and who believes the services offered by the corporation provide him no tangible benefit.
“I’ve been paying for nothing — I don’t think that’s fair,” Colgan said.
Jeff Murison, the executive director of the corporation, said he and Colgan would have to “agree to disagree about the value it provides.”
“Sometimes the value is direct and immediate and sometimes it’s indirect and created over time, all properties over time benefit from having a cleaner and more desirable location,” Colgan said.
Murison noted that before Colgan’s complaint, the corporation had not been in touch with him about the benefits it provides — something it is working to change.
“I never have received any benefit — direct or indirect — they even admitted they hadn’t reached out to me in the five years its been in place,” Colgan said.
“I don’t understand how he can tell you I’m benefiting from what I’m not receiving.”
Councilor Mary Ann Baldwin said the Law & Public Safety Committee was going to be evaluating the general issue of businesses leaving a service district, but will not discuss Colgan’s case specifically.
However, even if Colgan were allowed to leave the district, it would not be effective until the end of the fiscal year, which would be June 2015. Colgan agreed to wait on the results of the Law & Public Safety Committee evaluation before moving forward.
City of Raleigh
Hillsborough Street Business Improvement District