First on decorahnews.com: Plenty of voluntary payments have been made to the SSMID district

The plan to ask for voluntary contributions to the downtown Self-Supporting Municipal Improvement District appears to be working.

An error by city officials led to the SSMID legislation not getting filed in Des Moines, so the legal authority to levy the tax was lacking.

City of Decorah officials agreed to give the SSMID $7,500 in funds—half what the SSMID Board had budgeted.  But the city also sent out letters asking businesses to voluntarily send in the amount of money they would have been taxed for the SSMID.  

City Administrator Chad Bird says 41 businesses have sent in payments.  They have totaled $5,600—leaving less than $2,000 in funding still to be raised.  SSMID district property owners are being reminded again to send in their donations to City Hall.