Fort Smith officials answer questions about assessment proposal

FORT SMITH — Central Business Improvement District and city officials on Wednesday night fielded questions about a proposed property assessment — specifically, if the programs operated through the money raised would benefit downtown. Central Business Improvement District commissioners have proposed a 0.8% assessment for all property owners in the district. The purpose of the proposed assessment is for the district to collect roughly $300,000 per year for landscaping, maintenance and hired liaisons for visitors and business owners in downtown, according to a city news release. The assessment could be raised to 1% but also lowered if the budget is healthy. It also caps assessed value per land parcel at $10,000,…