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This section provides an overview of the operations and fiscal structure of the Authority and direction for how to grow sustainably with opportunities to implement CSURA’s goals and objectives.
Operational Structure
The CSURA is currently staffed with an executive director and a part-time executive assistant. The staff are supported by consultants for legal and accounting services. This structure reflects an efficient approach with regular collaboration with consultants. The volume of work that has been accomplished has been substantial, reflecting the commitment of staff, board members, and taxing entities to work together and focus on outcomes.
Moving forward, it is likely that the organization will need to grow to address the level of demand for services. There is potential to offer additional services to complement the primary function of establishing plan areas and structuring TIF terms. Future needs will be best accommodated by using contract staff that are dedicated to specific functions and who report to the Executive Director. The number of staff can be calibrated based on urban renewal activity, which can fluctuate based on market and economic conditions, and the number of services and programs offered by CSURA. For contract staff, the amount of expertise required to oversee the various job responsibilities will vary along with the time commitment necessary to complete them. This creates flexibility for part-time and full-time contract staff that can expand or contract over time as needs change. Using an approach that relies on contract positions enables the organization to be flexible and tailored.
Central to the issue around staffing is the location for operations. Two options exist – maintain staff offices within the City’s administration building or relocate to rented office space elsewhere downtown. A restriction of staying within city buildings is there is no available space for staff expansion. The current limited space CSURA staff has within the city administration building will continue to suffice by working with contract staff. The Strategic Plan calls for maintaining a presence within the City to enrich relationships throughout the organization and allow for informal opportunities to meet and collaborate with City staff. While CSURA is autonomous from the City, it is functioning exceptionally well by operating within the city administration building.
Budget Structure
CSURA functions primarily on administration fees collected from urban renewal plan areas. The Authority does not receive any appropriations from the City for operations. The administration fees cover the administrative costs of establishing new plan areas, collecting and allocating TIF revenue by plan area, issuing debt, accounting services, legal services, and supplement general operational costs. As CSURA has grown and adopted new plan areas, the revenues and expenses have also increased. From 2018 to 2025, the annual general fund revenues experienced an average growth of 17% annually and general fund expenses grew by an average of 14% annually excluding debt service and capital projects. From 2021 to 2024, CSURA adopted seven new plan areas or an average of nearly two each year. CSURA is currently positioned to approve two additional plan areas in 2025.
This growth in volume of urban renewal plan areas creates opportunities for CSURA to be a more proactive organization and expand the types of activities and programs it oversees. The Authority can expand incrementally through contract staff and direct support to areas outside of URAs.
Revenues are driven by the current two-tiered cost structure. Projects are determined to fall into a market rate development category or an affordable housing development category. These revenues are collected from the developer each year for which the plan area is active and collecting TIF, up to 25 years.
Moving forward, it is recommended to broaden the range of potential fees and incorporate flexibility when determining the fee for a project as each project is unique and may warrant a different fee. Lower fees may apply when the project scale is small, there are significant eligible improvements, the project is particularly challenging with substantial feasibility hurdles, or a project has a large affordability component. Similarly, greater annual fees may apply when a project is substantially large or complex. This may apply when the development program and scale are substantial, there is a significantly high development cost, or the amount of eligible improvements are minimal or not directly supportive of CSURA’s Philosophy and Values or the vision articulated in the Urban Renewal Plan for an area. This highest level is not anticipated to be used often.