Without BID, unique events would be lost

Regarding Chris Park’s letter on March 28:

I guess I just don’t get it. Chris and others in town seem absolutely set on disbanding the BID (Business Improvement District) and thus the DSBA (which manages the funds collected by the City of Sandpoint for the BID.)  Yes, it is a tax. Yes, like any tax, you are obligated to pay it. Yes, you can’t just opt out because you’d rather spend your money elsewhere. And, frankly, I can’t think of another tax that gives you more for your money.

The rate businesses pay is based on square footage.  I, for instance pay $120 per quarter. I understand that the economy is a factor, but I honestly don’t feel that $40 per month (or $50 or $60) is enough to drive anyone to close his doors.  Chris Park was offended by our charge that he did not pay his BID. Well, he did pay it about 10 days ago and for that we thank him.

The benefits realized by business by the work the DSBA does have been listed numerous times. To reiterate briefly here: Events that bring locals and visitors to town, contact with city and county agencies in matters that affect businesses, liaisons with other organizations involved in promoting Sandpoint, beautification of Sandpoint (flower baskets, Sandpoint and Sand Creek clean-up, artwork, etc), added services (bike racks, doggie clean-up) and organization of all of the above at every level from conception to follow through. I just do not believe that those tasks could or would be undertaken by volunteers only. As it is now, all of us board members volunteer plenty of time in our efforts to enhance and promote our beautiful town. We know that we all must band together to make keep Sandpoint alive and to make our city prosper. But, we depend upon our manager (Kathleen Hyde) to attend meetings, alert us to issues, organize events and volunteers, and perform numerous other tasks. We volunteers just can’t do all that needs to be done.

We are all in this together. When Sandpoint prospers, it is good for us all. So, I don’t buy the argument that some use when explaining why they shouldn’t pay their share. It doesn’t matter if you are not on First Avenue because when my business is good, to put it very simply, I buy furniture, a massage, or a haircut more often than when business is not good.  

And, by the way, the same goes for the parking issue. We are all in this together. Obviously, that issue is difficult because the DSBA has some influence but we do not have the power or the money to solve the parking issue. We’d be open to suggestions and we invite any of the naysayers to get involved and tell us what they would suggest. In fact, we welcome involvement at any time in any undertaking.

I just don’t get it. The BID finances an organization of volunteers headed by one paid employee and it does this without costing anyone very much. I wonder why there seems to be this militant approach to disband such a beneficial organization. Without it, Sandpoint would just not have many/most of the events and services that make our town unique. And, what a shame that would be.

RANEL HANSON

Sandpoint

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