Merchants thrive in Marble Falls infrastructure improvement zone
Special to The Highlander/Sheryl Westerman
Birdie's Market and ReDid are among Marble Falls downtown district businesses which have benefited from projects funded through the tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ) program in which the city dedicates a portion of taxes for revitalization, refurbishment or installation of safety features on public right-of-way adjacent to merchants' property.
By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer
When Birdie's Market owner Sheryl Westerman started her business she knew exactly who she wanted her target customer to be.
“We're more of a home décor store, so what we look for is home builders, people refurbishing a house, but we also have a lot of gift items, small items, soaps, candles – that we want people visiting to walk away with saying what a charming little town I was in because I went into all these nice little shops.”
A number of business and public venues on the east side of U.S. 281 including Birdie's Market, ReDid, Bear King Brewing Company and the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce recently experienced the benefits of the city-created tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ).
The TIRZ program, adopted in 2013, created a mechanism for “capturing” tax dollars generated each year above a set base year for taxable value – determined by the Burnet Central Appraisal District.
TIRZ Board Vice Chairman Joe Don Dockery explained the concept for funding public infrastructure improvements. . . .
Find the rest of this story in the Friday, July 12 issue of The Highlander, the newspaper of record for the Highland Lakes. To offer a news tip or comment, email connie@highlandernews.com. To subscribe, call 830-693-4367.
