BID future uncertain
— Photo by MARY MALONE Downtown Sandpoint is part of the Business Improvement District and the Greater Sandpoint Area Chamber of Commerce is contracted with the city of Sandpoint for administration and management of the BID, which includes maintenance of the downtown flower baskets.
SANDPOINT — The future of the Sandpoint Business Improvement District is uncertain, but will remain in place through at least the end of the year.
The city established the BID in in 2000, allowing city officials to contract with an outside agency to manage operation of the BID. In October 2015, the city entered into a contract with the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce for administration and management of the BID. Council members voted Wednesday to approve a three-month extension of that contract, which will allow the chamber to continue their role through December.
The BID is a public and private partnership in which property and business owners collaboratively contribute to the maintenance, development and promotion of the commercial district, which is bounded from Superior to Larch streets, and First to Sixth avenues. Some of the services include holiday lighting, spring clean-up, creation and maintenance of the BID website. Some capital improvements are included in the bid as well, such as mutt mitt dispensers and SPOT bus stops and bike racks. Businesses and property owners are subject to an annual fee by the city to cover the services provided.
The chamber employee assigned to manage the BID operations resigned in August, after which the city and the chamber held a meeting to discuss the future of the BID and whether or not the chamber wished to continue with the agreement. During that meeting, chamber officials agreed to continue its role through the end of the year in order to ensure the continuance of some fall and winter programs, such as flower basket maintenance, tree lighting and decorations.
Councilwoman Deb Ruehle asked if the city's Oktoberfest celebration is included in the programs for fall. Chamber President Kate McAlister, who was present at Wednesday's meeting, said there is no longer funding available from the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency for Oktoberfest.
"That $45,000 we got from SURA was restricted to events and promotion, so that's where all the events came in — Winter Carnival, Oktoberfest, etcetera — so we are no longer getting that funding, no one is anymore because it is all going to the streets."
She said there is enough for the chamber to continue with radio promotion for the businesses downtown and assured council members they will continue to do "everything they can" in the BID.
City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton said the city and the chamber has received "a lot" of community feedback regarding the BID.
"The feedback we have received has tended to be fairly polarized, either positive or very negative," Stapleton told the council. "Some of the concerns that have been raised by our community members and most especially our businesses in our downtown core have included the dues structure, the amount of the dues, the boundaries, the activities and the programs of the BID."
City officials are working with Boise State University's public policy and community and regional planning graduate programs to assist the city in a scientific survey process. During the months of October and November, students in the programs will review structure and organization in the BID, as well as develop and administer a survey of the business and property owners within the BID.
"That would provide us real meaningful feedback so that council could make a decision in terms of whether to continue with the BID (or) do away with it," Stapleton said. "... There seems to be a majority group that wants to continue with the BID," she said.
The project by the graduate students will be complete in December in conjunction with the end of their semester at Boise State, and recommendations to council members regarding the BID should be available by the end of December.