The Buchanan City Commission is working to reestablish the Downtown Development Authority after it was disbanded in 2020.

Speaking at a meeting last week, Mayor Protem Mark Weedon said city staff can get to work recreating the DDA with funds already available.

“The money that they had left over that they had not dedicated to specific projects at the end of their dismantling is still in our coffers, so that money will be utilized to recreate the DDA, so it will not be in any additional expense to the city,” Weedon said.

Commissioner Dan Vigansky said restarting the DDA could cost between $20,000 and $30,000.

Vigansky said the newly reconstituted DDA doesn’t have to suffer from the dysfunction the old DDA did, and it could take over the effort to have Buchanan designated as a Michigan Main Street City with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. That was a project of Live Buchanan before former Director Ashley Regal abruptly resigned. Vigansky suggested Community Development Director Richard Murphy lead the effort.

“Main Street can continue, but we don’t have a director now, and unless Rich steps up, I don’t see us getting a director in the near future until we sort out this DDA thing,” Vigansky said.

Vigansky said the new DDA could serve many functions of LiveBuchanan without costing the city. Commissioners instructed staff to begin working on the issue.