The Hill News

Benjamin Franklin established the nation’s first special assessment district when he created the Union Fire Company of Philadelphia, a volunteer fire department. Today there are more than 37,000 special districts in the United States. Local governments use them to pay for everything from sewer systems to sidewalks to mosquito abatement â€" all in response to important community concerns.

In the last two years, 27 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws allowing their local governments to use existing assessment authority (also called special improvement districts) to help homeowners and businesses finance energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements. These laws, commonly called Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) laws, were hailed by Scientific American as one of the top 20 ways to change the world.

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