■ Benicia closer than ever, says economic development manager

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

At the beginning of August, Sacramento-based business consultant Civitas and Benicia had a meeting at the public library. Invited were all of the businesses in the downtown district that would be affected by the formation of a Business Improvement District, a mechanism by which businesses levy assessments on themselves to pay for agreed-upon improvements, like lights in the downtown area.

“At that time petitions were released,” Economic Development Manager Mario Giuliani told the Economic Development Board last week. As of Wednesday, 55 had been returned.

According to the Downtown Benicia BID Management District Plan, formation of a BID requires answered petitions from businesses representing more than 50 percent of the total, followed by a City Council hearing and an opportunity for written protest.

The magic number to launch a BID: 92 “yes” votes, Giuliani said.

The assessed business owners will receive notice of the public hearing by mail. If there is a majority who lodge a written protest, the BID will not be formed.

But as Giuliani told the EDB, formation of a BID is looking more and more like a reality. “We’re no longer talking anymore, we’re seeing some action,” he said.

On July 17 the City Council agreed to pay $19,000 to Civitas to do the preparatory work needed to form the BID. “In addition at that meeting, staff foreshadowed to the City Council our plan to come to them, probably in September, with an item for their consideration to pay for the initial installation costs of the lights, which is the primary benefit of this BID,” Giuliani said.

“We have an initial quote of around $50,000 to $55,000. It would be staff’s recommendation that we pay for the up-front costs to have the lights installed by November 30th.”

Nov. 30 is “when we light up our Christmas tree, and we’re ready for the holiday season,” he said. “It is also a very important motivating factor for our businesses to get behind the initiative for benefit improvement that they will see in a matter of months.”

The BID will be required to pay back the initial assessment fees of approximately $30,000 to $35,000, and “the city would then take care of the balance of the light installation,” Giuliani said.

Then, he said, “The beginning of the second year, the BID would essentially be free and clear of all costs, and they would pay for the ongoing maintenance of the lights and additional marketing efforts as they deem appropriate.”

Ninety-two “yes” votes mean the BID is approved, Giuliani said. Of the 55 petitions that were returned supporting the BID, 50 were downstairs businesses and five were upstairs.

The votes are weighted, Giuliani said: Votes from businesses on the ground floor, which would pay $16 per month compared to upstairs businesses’ $5, count for more. “Every three businesses upstairs equates to one vote downstairs because this vote is weighted,” Giuliani said.

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