❒ Development plan changes approved by EDB, to go to Council

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

A 3.5-magnitude earthquake rocked the meeting of the Economic Development Board on Wednesday, but it didn’t stop the business at hand.

The earthquake occurred during board comments following Acting Economic Development Manager Mario Giuliani’s report on an updated version of the Benicia Business Development Action Plan.

“You see what happens when I’m given the floor?” joked board member Duane Oliveira. “Now we’re never going to hear the end of this one,” Giuliani replied with a laugh.

“Now that I have your attention,” Oliveira continued.

The board, minus absent member Ann Lindsay, unanimously approved changes to the Business Development Action Plan, which will be presented in its final form to the City Council on March 6.

Adjustments to the BDAP were taken from comments and suggestions made at a joint Council and EDB meeting Oct. 25. Audrey Taylor, president of Chabin Concepts, the consultant that produced the plan’s draft, will return March 6 to present the updated plan to the Council.

Giuliani also reported on his time spent with downtown merchants to speak about a Business Improvement District, and a meeting March 5 with Sacramento-based consultant Civitas Advisers to discuss the feasibility of establishing such a district in Benicia.

A BID is a way for business owners to levy assessments on themselves and use the funds for projects or services that benefit those in the district. Giuliani reiterated that the purpose of the BID was not an altruistic community benefit project, but a tool for businesses to improve their bottom line.

“When I went in and talked to merchants, I asked them the simple question: Is there a benefit or improvement that will pay dividends now or in the future? If so, then a BID is something worth pursuing,” he said. “If not, it is probably not something that you would be interested in.”

He said the March 5 meeting, to be held in the Doña Benicia Room of the Benicia Public Library at 6 p.m., will involve not only Civitas and city staff and business owners, but “we’re doing our darnedest to get folks from other BIDs to be there to describe their experiences.”

Their purpose, Giuliani said, will be to answer questions generated from a letter sent out to affected businesses that laid out potential cost structures for different services the BID might provide, and to answer general questions about BIDs and the process moving forward. The meeting is open to the public.

“At the conclusion of that meeting, a SurveyMonkey (online survey) will go live and it will ask potential BID businesses their desire in moving forward,” Giuliani said.

The survey will close after 10 days, and “if there’s desire to move forward, then we will move forward to the formation stage,” he said.

If not, “we will close up tents and package up our information and have it ready to go for another time.”

Giuliani said that in walking downtown and talking with business owners, he detected a definite interest and curiosity in the BID.

Also Wednesday, City Attorney Heather McLaughlin provided annual open government training, including review of changes to the Brown Act and discussion of conflict-of-interest issues.