COEUR d'ALENE - A lot of tax money is diverted to urban renewal districts, Mary Souza has noticed.

The problem, she said, is that few grasp what that means.

"A lot of people are hearing this urban renewal word and LCDC, and don't really understand what it is," Souza said.

Folks need to be enlightened, the business owner and community activist said.

Souza and other community members have organized a town hall meeting tonight aimed at bringing folks up to speed on how urban renewal districts work, as well as their current status in Idaho.

The event, running from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lake City Senior Center, will include presentations on how URDs function, why more than $10 million in tax dollars will flow to the four local urban renewal agencies this year, and proposed legislative changes.

"This is something that many people just haven't followed closely. They need a little refresher," said Souza, who said she has studied the issue for a long time and made other presentations on the subject. "Many don't even know who sits on the City Council, let alone the LCDC board."

Similar presentations were given at a previous meeting for the Kootenai County Republican Women, Souza said, and its popularity spurred individuals to arrange another.

Sharon Culbreth, who could not be reached on Monday, was instrumental in organizing the event, Souza said.

Souza believes URDs can be used effectively, she said, but she worries they're allowed too much latitude.

"It's dangerous for taxpayers," she said. "The law really needs to be tightened up so there's accountability of the public's money."

Such opinions will be addressed in the presentation given by Rep. Kathy Sims, R-Coeur d'Alene, who will discuss changes the Legislature has considered for URDs.

This past year, several bills were considered to tweak URDs, Sims said, only one of which passed, requiring an election for a municipality to create a URD.

"I think that's a great idea," Sims said. "If they have a good plan, I see no reason why not to involve the voters."

She expects other legislation to be proposed next session, she said, including bills to involve more voters in the decisions of URDs.

"Cities are no longer in charge of their URDs once they're established," Sims said. "The URDs are on their own, they don't need cities' approval for whatever they do."

Urban Renewal Agencies receive tax dollars from properties within designated URA districts. Although those tax dollars would otherwise have gone to taxing districts like fire districts, the URAs are intended to benefit communities by funding infrastructure improvements.

Sims thinks the setup can benefit the community, she said, but she will continue pushing for legislation to provide more voter involvement.

"We'll try it again next year and the next year and the next year," she said. "I'm pretty determined to see this go back to the public."

Tony Berns, executive director of Lake City Development Corp., said having URD decisions go to public vote would hinder the process.

"Mandatory voter approval for LCDC debt obligation would result in loss of potential value-adding community projects, due to a need for a vote," he wrote in an email.

He predicted that there would be low voter turnout and that most voters would be ill-informed.

"I see a strong future for urban renewal in Idaho," he wrote, adding that URDs benefit in attracting businesses and rehabilitating undervalued properties. "Urban renewal is one of the few economic development tools available in Idaho, and the only economic development tool with local control."