Auburn Community Weighs In on $300k Downtown Revitalization Fund Usage

Business owners, building owners and residents gathered Monday, June 29 to offer public input on how the city of Auburn should spend $300,000 in tax increment financing (TIF) set aside for downtown revitalization (DTR).
Katy Billings, chairperson of the Auburn Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA), led the meeting and told attendees the process works as follows: the city determines what it wants to do, brings a proposal to the CRA, and the two parties enter a redevelopment contract at a set dollar amount. Any costs beyond that amount are the city’s responsibility.
Billings explained that funds come from the CRA approved redevelopment plan, which earmarked up to $300,000 for a city-backed project. This means the city, not an individual or developer, would lead the effort. Eligible uses listed in the plan include beautification, streetscaping, landscaping and lighting.
Holiday lighting proposal dominates discussion
Much of the discussion centered on a proposal to install commercial-grade holiday lighting along downtown building rooflines along the Highway 136 and 75 corridor. This concept was previously brought to city council but tabled at an April 13 meeting pending more details. Attendees were broadly supportive, though several building owners raised concerns about Auburn’s historic limestone construction and whether attachments could damage brittle or deteriorating stone. The contractor, Alex Eckhoff of Envision Landscapes said those issues are addressable building by building and that he would not proceed anywhere he lacked confidence in the attachment point.
A installation estimate of $72,000 was cited, based on approximately 5,000 linear feet of downtown roofline. Annual service would run about $1,300. It was reported by the Chamber that the Board of Public Works communicated via email saying the lighting cannot connect to streetlight infrastructure and must draw power from existing buildings. Attendees said they generally want more complete cost and participation information before a formal proposal goes to the city council again.
Attendees pitch broader vision
Attendees and Auburn Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leslie Clark suggested the $300,000 could support a broader package of improvements, including a park-based immersive light display, programmable color-changing lighting for seasonal use, coordinated flower planters, historic plaques or QR codes on building exteriors, a cohesive signage program, small gathering spaces, and wayfinding signage connecting downtown to the Courthouse Avenue corridor. Billings said any of those examples would qualify under the city-backed project category in the redevelopment plan.
Clark said the chamber’s preference is for enhancements that draw people into the downtown corridor. She referenced Fredericksburg, Texas, where automated lights and music draw shoppers downtown each evening.
DTR process draws scrutiny from attendee
One attendee raised questions about the separate Downtown Revitalization (DTR) grant program, funded through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and administered via the Southeast Nebraska Development District (SENDD). Resident, Dawna Hall said her understanding is that the local DTR committee functions as a gatekeeper for grant applications. 
Billings, with confirmation from Mayor Chris Erickson, noted that DTR meetings are not subject to the Open Meetings Act and are not publicly noticed, but that the public would not be turned away. She invited anyone with questions to contact a DTR committee member directly, herself included.
CRA role clarified
Billings clarified that the CRA does not originate projects but approves and funds them once a city-backed entity brings a complete proposal. A city-aligned group such as the DTR committee would need to present an organized plan, authorized by the city council, before a redevelopment contract could be drawn up.
No formal proposal for these funds has been submitted. The June 29 session was an early step toward developing one.