Broadway BID gets committee nod A second try at a business improvement district focuses on marketing By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle The On Broadway program's proposal for a business improvement district covering the Broadway area got a preliminary approval from the city's Plan Commission on Monday. After a mandatory 30-day wait, the proposal will go before the City Council in early October. This is the second time the area has been considered for a BID. A BID is a voluntary tax on commercial properties in a designated area for improvement purposes. There is, for example, a BID in the downtown area. The tax is not collected on residences. Decisions on the money's use are made by a BID board made up of property and business owners in the area. The On Broadway program attempted to create a BID in the area last year, but the attempt failed after opposition from several local businesses. Many said the tax was too high - it was set at $4.95 per $1,000 of assessed value for retail businesses. The new plan sets the rate at $1.25 per $1,000 for retail and entertainment, $1.15 for mixed use, $1.05 for service and 95 cents for industry and vacant properties. There was also opposition to the 2003 plan because it was aimed at funding On Broadway operations. The new proposal is aimed directly at helping businesses. "We really focused on marketing," said On Broadway executive director Naleta Burr. "A lot of our small businesses need that help." The BID would raise $29,680 from the 278 parcels of land affected. Of that, $13,860 would go toward implementation of events such as the Broadway Farmers Market and Pumpkin Palooza, $8,000 to a direct marketing campaign to bring people into the area, $3,500 for holiday decorations, $2,500 for public relations and media efforts and $2,000 for professional services and permits. The other opposition last year came from the north and south ends of the district, who felt On Broadway had not helped them as they had the area between Walnut and Dousman streets. Boundary changes and a promise to do more for the edges of the area changed some of the opposition. Ald. Guy Zima, who represents the area, said he would voluntarily send money even though the changes in the BID boundaries have removed the office where he works from the district. He said, however, he did not want to see automatic increases in the assessment. "Let's see more money come in from additional business in the district, not from indexing or something like that," he said. Some businesses still spoke against the tax. Nicole Perrot of Bertrand's Sporting Goods said Bertrand's was hurt after a land swap that gave the NEW Community Shelter land for a new building and developer Steve Boyer the old shelter property, when the city condemned land owned by BertrandŐs and gave it to Boyer. Other businesses supported the BID. Mark Mariucci, owner of the Historic West Theater, said everyone in the district would be affected. He said without the BID, the district would "compete anemically" with big-box retailers in the suburbs. "If we want Green Bay to be viable, we have to rally around groups like On Broadway," he said. Greg Larson, On Broadway board president, said the group was working on proposals for the north and south ends of the district, including retail at the Agrilink cannery site and developments north of the Mason Street bridge.