Petitions circulated for and against BID
From the WCLO newsroom:
Lines are drawn in Janesville's downtown as property owners circulate petitions both for and against a Business Improvement District, or BID.
BID Task Force Chair Chad Karl says almost forty percent of the assessed value have signed a petition in support of the BID. He says there's another fifteen percent who support it, but won't sign a petition because they're afraid of backlash from people who don't support it.
Opponents are also circulating petitions. Downtown attorney Pat McDonald says people representing more than $12 million in property value have signed a petition against the BID.
One issue of concern appears to be the amount property owners will be assessed. The BID proposal includes a minimum assessment of $275 and maximum assessment of $3,500. Property owners are assessed $2.80 per one thousand dollars value within those limits.
McDonald says that won't hold up in court. He says the case law is very clear: the maximums and minimums that impose a burden on smaller property owners and give tax breaks to larger property owners are unconstitutional.
Karl says there are 82 other cities in Wisconsin that have completed BIDs, and those individuals who say it's illegal are using fear tactics to bully people into not pursuing the BID.
Karl says a group of 20 volunteers has been shouldering the brunt of the downtown improvements over the last decade.
The city council is scheduled to vote on the proposal September 22.
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Sep 16, 2008 at 5:50 p.m.
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Well, janesvillian, if you'd bother to read the post, you'd see it was a comparison, not a definition.
Sep 16, 2008 at 12:33 p.m.
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The BID isn't just about "pretty flowers", lakennedy. It would include promotion of the area such as billboard or radio ads, which if successful would increase foot traffic *to your business* or to the businesses which lease your property, thereby increasing your bottom line.
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I have no opinion on whether the proposed assessment structure is best, but I assume it was developed by studying peer BIDs and consultation with prospective BID assessees. It does seem to me, though, that the objectors are against a BID in principle, and the complaints about the structure are a pretext.
Sep 16, 2008 at 9:39 a.m.
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I would be furious if I was a small business owner and would be forced to pay this...
I want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly. Is this comparison accurate?...
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I live in a neighborhood where there is a lot of walk through traffic. Neighbors of mine take the initiative to spend their money on different projects to beautify the area, like planting flowers to make the area more enjoyable. After two or three years, these neighbors get tired of being the only one's paying for these flowers. After asking me for a donation, and my subsequent refusal, they try to pass an ordinance raising my taxes to help offset the costs of their original incentive?
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Is that comparable to BID? If it is, then I support those who are against it.
Sep 16, 2008 at 7:16 a.m.
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He won't vote on it. He excused himself last time it was brought to up in the meeting.
Sep 16, 2008 at 6:29 a.m.
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I wonder how Councilman Tom McDonald will vote on this one?
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