By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

The Downtown Benicia Alliance on Monday heard the names of the businesses still delinquent in paying their Business Improvement District fees, and discussed collection protocols to acquire the assessments that were voted in when the BID was approved by a majority of First Street merchants, finally deciding to give the businesses until the end of the month to pay.

The DBA also agreed to wait until next month’s meeting to decide whether to partner with the Art Walk in an effort to get state Alcohol Beverage Control day permits so that businesses may serve small amounts of wine during the monthly Art Walk events.

Nine businesses were listed as delinquent on their annual payment of the BID assessment fee. Economic Development Manager Mario Giuliani reminded those in attendance that there is no opting out of the BID, which was approved in November.

“All businesses that are on First Street are required to pay their assessment,” Giuliani said. The fee is $192 for first-floor businesses, $60 for those on the second floor.

Giuliani clarified the roles of the BID and the DBA.

“The BID, the Business Improvement District, that is the apparatus by which under state law, it’s governed by the California statute, the state Legislature says, ‘OK, local districts assess themselves through a local municipality. Which Benicia did. First Street businesses did that in November 2012.

“A BID then has to be administered by somebody other than that local municipality. In this case the Downtown Benicia Alliance was formed to administer the BID. The BID is for a period of five years, the DBA is for as long as (businesses) would like, but it goes through the end of the BID.”

As of Monday, the nine businesses that had not paid their BID fee were: Randy’s Restaurant, 725 First St.; A Lago Salon, 1036 First St.; First Priority Financial, 333 First St.; James Birdseye Inc., 110 East D Street #H; Rosanna’s European Delights, 305 First St.; Benicia Kite and Paddle Sports, 238 First St.; Landon Mau’s Creations and Illustrations, 131 East First St. E & F; Discover Yesterday, 364 First St.; and Kathleen A. Hess Ph.D., 1021 First St.

Giuliani said the first invoice was sent to downtown businesses at the same time as their business license applications, in February. He expressed appreciation to the board for discussing the invoices with the outstanding businesses that were not aware they had an invoice, and also stressed that it is not the DBA’s role to act as a collection agency.

“You’re really there as a professional courtesy as a fellow member of the BID to inform them of what’s going on,” he said.

He recommended that the board give the delinquent businesses until the end of August to pay their assessment fee before hiring a collection agency. “The city of Benicia uses CBA (Credit Bureau Associates); CBA will send a 10-day letter, notifying that the businesses have 10 days to pay. If they pay within that 10 days, all is good, no fees will be given to the collection agency. If after that 10 days no payment is received, the collection agency will proceed, affecting that business’ credit, and there will be a 35-percent recovery charge,” he said.

“I’d like to mention that that could all be avoided with one-on-one conversations with the businesses,” he added.

DBA Treasurer Eric Hoglund of Estey Real Estate, 935 First St., moved to to give one more letter, hand delivered to the delinquent businesses, before turning the matter over for collections after Sept. 1, and the motion unanimously passed.

Regarding future assessments, Christine Meade of Capitol Café, 639 First St., made a motion that when the invoices are sent out, DBA operating procedures and expectations are included, and that the final date prior to the unpaid invoices going to the collection agency be May 1. Tom Hamilton of the Rellik Tavern, 726 First St., seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.

Also Monday, Pat Ryll, a member of the Art Walk Committee, sought a partnership with the DBA in requesting special day licenses from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Ryll said with the rules as currently written, proprietors cannot serve wine to Art Walk participants, even as an expression of “hospitality.” So she asked the DBA “to be the umbrella to be able to supply the people on First Street if they want to serve alcohol at a reception or an Art Walk, that they can comply with the ABC.”

She said the $25 license fee would be paid by each business requesting a license, not the DBA. “There’s not dollars out the door for the DBA. If I’m the Plein Air Gallery, I’d go to the DBA, get the license, pay the $25,” Ryll said last week.

Hoglund said Monday that he had spoken with Steve McClure, the DBA’s insurance agent, and learned “that we’ve got liability as long as this is not what we do for a living.”

DBA Chair Leah Shelhorn of Studio 41, 700 First St., said if the DBA agrees to Ryll’s proposal, members would receive training from the ABC. “There will be a dedicated pourer at everyone’s business. The bottle will not be left on the table for any member of the public to just pour their own drink,” Shelhorn said.

Ryll said that galleries had already been abiding by not allowing anyone to pour for themselves. “We monitor, we pay attention to whether anyone is getting tipsy, and pretty much limit it to two tastes,” she said.

“This could possibly be one of the first things that the DBA could do for our street that costs you nothing, but gives you good publicity,” she said.

Meade expressed concern that serving wine on First Street might affect businesses that specialize in wine.

“Is this in any way going to affect businesses such as The Chill or The Loft that serve wine? What’s going to make people want to go in and buy wine if they can get it free going up and down the street?” she said.

Ryll said before the city had partnered to run the Art Walk, wine had been served by galleries for years. “I don’t think Tom (Hamilton) has lost any business because we were giving one or two ounces of alcohol away when Joanne (Corbaley) was the featured artist (at the Plein Air Gallery),” she said. “I don’t think The Loft complains that occasionally, once a month or once a quarter, we give a taste to the public at a reception.”

“As a bar owner I’ll make a comment,” Hamilton said. “If anything, all it does is improve all of our businesses because they’re bringing more people downtown.”

Everyone agreed to move the item to the DBA’s next meeting, Sept. 9, at the Rellik Tavern, 726 First St.