What is a CID? Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) are geographically defined districts where commercial property owners have agreed to provide additional services within the district funded by a self-imposed additional property tax (and, in some cases voluntary contributions from partners).

• The best known local examples are Central Atlanta Progress/Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, the Midtown Alliance, and the Buckhead CID.
• CIDs are funded by owners (not tenants) of all properties in a CID boundary that are not residential (including apartments).
• Georgia has 28 CIDs, half of which have been created since 2010

How much would a CID cost me? That is entirely up to the CID Members. A CID can legally collect up to 25 mils in property tax (Mil means one dollar in taxes for every thousand dollars in assessed property value). Most CID’s collect 3, 4 or 5 mils.

Here’s how it works for a property valued at $1 million dollars ( 100% appraised value)

• That property currently pays $16,280 in property taxes to the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, and Atlanta Public Schools.
• If that property was part of a CID it would pay additional property taxes of $1,200 (3 mils) to $2,000 (5 Mils). (The rate would be set by the CID Board)
• The CID board would decide how to spend the tax revenue collected each year to benefit CID members.