(a) The governing body of the municipality may amend an ordinance relating to the self-help business improvement district upon the written request of a representative group of the owners of the nonexempt real property located within the geographical area of the district. The request shall specify the desired amendment or amendments which should be made by the governing body of the municipality to the self-help business improvement district ordinance. The request shall also include the signatures of the owners of the nonexempt real property comprising at least 60 percent of the total fair market value of all real property located in the district, or the owners of at least 50 percent of the parcels of property located within the district; or, alternatively with respect to a district funded by assessments against a particular class of businesses, the signatures of the owners of businesses, consistent with the signatures required under subdivision (2) of Section 11-54B-44, determined pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of Section 11-54B-44.
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Terms Used In Alabama Code 11-54B-49

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
  • following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • property: includes both real and personal property. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • real property: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
(b) Except for districts funded by assessments against businesses of a particular class, the governing body of the municipality may amend the self-help business improvement district ordinance to reduce or expand the real property comprising the self-help business improvement district in accordance with this subsection as follows:

(1) The ordinance may be amended to reduce the real property comprising the district following the submission of a request for reduction by the board of directors of the district management corporation.
(2) The ordinance may be amended to expand the real property comprising the district following the submission of a request for expansion by both of the following:

a. The owners of real property located within the area that is to be newly included within the district as provided in subdivision (3).
b. The board of directors of the district management corporation.
(3) Where a request for expansion is sought under this subsection, the request shall contain the signatures of the owners of nonexempt real property comprising at least 60 percent of the total fair market value of all nonexempt real property located in the geographical area to be added to the district and the signatures of the owners of at least 50 percent of the parcels of property located in the geographical area to be added to the district. Ownership of real property and the fair market value thereof shall be determined using the records of the tax assessor. When record title to real property is vested in a public corporation or authority under a bond financing plan provided for by statute, the beneficial user of the real property in which title may ultimately be vested by purchase shall be deemed the owner of the real property.
(4) A request for expansion or reduction shall include an accurate description, whether by metes and bounds, by lot and block numbers, or by street addresses, of the geographical area which is the subject of the reduction or expansion, as well as a similar description of the resulting district if such reduction or expansion was approved.
(5) At least 20 days prior to the date set for a public hearing on the proposed self-help business improvement district reduction or expansion, notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing, together with a description of the geographical area which is the subject of the reduction or expansion, shall be mailed to all known owners of nonexempt real property located within the geographical area which is the subject of the reduction or expansion, as ownership shown on the records of the tax assessor. In addition, a copy of the notice shall be posted in at least three places located within the geographical area which is the subject of the reduction or expansion. A property owner’s failure to receive a copy of the notice shall not constitute grounds upon which the owner may contest the validity of a self-help business improvement district amendment.
(6) The municipality, upon review of the request for the reduction or expansion of the self-help business improvement district and after public hearing, may adopt an ordinance reducing or expanding the self-help business improvement district. The ordinance shall provide for an effective date which is 60 days from the date of adoption of the ordinance by the municipality and shall provide that, if the owners of real property which represent 50 percent or more by number of all parcels of real property located within the geographical area of the resulting district file written objections to the establishment of the district with the clerk of the municipality, the provisions of such ordinance shall be null and void and no reduction or expansion shall occur. The ordinance shall provide that the contract between the municipality and the district management corporation setting out the services to be provided by the district and the municipality shall be amended to provide that the same level of services provided by the municipality shall continue as before the reduction or expansion of the real property comprising the self-help business improvement district.
(c) There shall be no requirement that the real property located within the geographical area of the self-help business improvement district be contiguous.
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