[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6120258,"mediaKeyId","2708862-085ed0bd604839fe08a4b755ec0052fc","parentId",2708862,"title","BSD updates: alley design, snow‑removal contract and street‑lighting issues discussed","audioSeconds",160,"startMs",3200000,"endMs",3360000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2708862-085ed0bd604839fe08a4b755ec0052fc&start=3200&end=3360","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2708862-085ed0bd604839fe08a4b755ec0052fc/thumbnail_3200000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6120258/Birmingham-City/Oakland-County/Michigan/BSD-updates-alley-design-snowremoval-contract-and-streetlighting-issues-discussed","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6120258-7584f6d62973f6e665aa9cd4b7b8b16b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771205748&Signature=Pxh46fmiXEnDYQbsgOaEndjm~FylGYTYkXCNs-SmLQhbuvowrORZDHBAqXCFro1fyXEzFWvWeTJYQv9~yxIBmrCIs-p0TYxCflJaI57GX8Nb3GSLV5KKfaE5WRh2~GSWe8qD0ZUQ3UHSF0MNYjWo9E65nh7kG2IFiyYNHv~vBTPFBAzR0StRcnhPqwSF517SEdy~BqyJqvMrI16-RE~xvitg0mdm4xkI8Ith4wqHTT5R0UNJVRAmwsz-L~92Rd4mIwa4o0MZswUJg~CJzulOz-dCUYm8YZsNWWA-nTH2pUEGtAQISdz~SxZsE-lS6u8PMkrQHIPOLy~lry7CkO2Kzg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Birmingham, MI","date","2025-03-06T00:00:00Z","article","Maintenance committee and staff briefed the board on several capital and maintenance matters affecting downtown public spaces, including alley improvements, snow-removal contracting and lighting and winter cleanup concerns.

Staff reported progress on Pierce and West Maple alley improvement planning. The BSD has purchased light fixtures for building-mounted installations in the West Maple/Pierce alley area and described the alley project as a phased design effort; phase 1 is alley/interior/exterior schematic design. Staff said they will coordinate wayfinding and design elements so colors, fonts and materials are consistent across projects.

On snow removal, committee members reported finalizing an RFP at a recent meeting. Staff said the BSD’s snow-removal billing for the BSD portion is under a contract and should not put the BSD over budget for its contract share; outstanding delinquent charges previously assigned to the BSD are being reviewed.

Board members raised maintenance concerns: members asked whether sand placed for winter traction in Pierce Alley would be removed in spring (staff said they would follow up), and several members reported street lights out at Maple and Old Woodward (near Kroger). Staff said street-light outages are a DTE responsibility and they will report and follow up with DTE.

Ending: Staff will follow up on sand cleanup in alleys, confirm snow‑removal billing allocations and work with DTE to restore street-lighting on reported intersections.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","03.06.2025 Birmingham Shopping District Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Board heard updates on Pierce/West Maple alley improvements, a finalized snow‑removal RFP and several maintenance items including non‑working street lights and winter sand cleanup requests; staff will continue vendor coordination and outreach to DTE for street lights.","taxTitle","Birmingham City, Oakland County, Michigan","taxId",48746,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6120263,"BSD approves donation to Community House, weighs sponsorship and membership requests",627,1996000,2623000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2708862-085ed0bd604839fe08a4b755ec0052fc&start=1996&end=2623","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2708862-085ed0bd604839fe08a4b755ec0052fc/thumbnail_1996000.jpg","/articles/6120263/Birmingham-City/Oakland-County/Michigan/BSD-approves-donation-to-Community-House-weighs-sponsorship-and-membership-requests","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6120263-887f27f3a95cc2fba294eb1467e1a83f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771205748&Signature=SoFSd7NjnZAjdMa0MB3glRfXweqeWzEcMZm5FJOwWfWT4cd4bXAxtD~WvR0gh4sz6uo5QaLaBKfjjPfauTNTLB6QTe-Mo~TU9-kj4kKhwSS1eNTYYXmFfcTnmhX0omwCxzhTa2pIb2RsgsgwWSwVuPqGrYvQTt~8w3Exkc81uOfMUNoRREFmsMNmtooJ-PWKMC2QY1ZuYt2g7m05HvSUCMSHSkaDesvUfi~JsbdfBst-TUBgdOhsa5wdm1LzlRTa5N3hizjdATAiREFBqKuaVRmgkqzxzS~FApdDzBn39PyPJbS~qGe0vNWh0DwSkuhDxurHc2Q0vmH1er~PKGugbw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Birmingham BSD approved a motion to create and donate a merchant-supported gift basket to the Community House fundraiser and reviewed several other community sponsorship requests.

Staff described three requests: reduced sponsorship for a Town Depot Club event, a Rotary Club membership request ($490 annual fee), and a Community House auction basket request (the Community House had suggested a $175 basket). Staff said the BSD’s marketing/community participation line includes $8,000 set aside to cover community requests and sponsorships.

During discussion board members questioned the local benefit of some requests (one member observed that a proposed recipient no longer had a significant presence in Birmingham). Staff said the Community House has been restructured and leadership is working to rebuild local partnerships, and several board members voiced support for assisting that organization.

A motion to produce a gift basket for the Community House at a price point “about $125” passed by voice vote; the transcript records affirmative votes but does not provide a full roll-call tally. The board also discussed the Rotary membership request and agreed staff could continue outreach and non‑membership engagement with the club rather than immediately purchasing membership.

Ending: Staff will post the board vacancy following a recent resignation and will process the donation and other requests from the community-participation budget line.","Board approved creating and donating a merchant-supported gift basket to Community House, discussed Rotary membership and other community event support and confirmed a community-participation budget line.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6120267,"BSD marketing report: digital ad spending, website traffic and video projects drove audience growth",312,2666000,2978000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2708862-085ed0bd604839fe08a4b755ec0052fc&start=2666&end=2978","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2708862-085ed0bd604839fe08a4b755ec0052fc/thumbnail_2666000.jpg","/articles/6120267/Birmingham-City/Oakland-County/Michigan/BSD-marketing-report-digital-ad-spending-website-traffic-and-video-projects-drove-audience-growth","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6120267-d2fed0256717b06f41abd1c3b530fe3f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771205748&Signature=edK0QmKpzfe-TAwX8SkW2aAig-62R7y96yMltQdI9PIAYh-vb1Xz4~3Zr-3bMfkCxDcxZNn0q8RJzKY5sGJf2yO3vlyehC0t1K3kMIUQqkT-XilRylfY30PtA8yoxXeRDO9OIINowJhu2P-8xbQvQO3DBeUuYXYxspdesMfJL3ZwdBnb4V7LzLW3KlurKbt9fkdD4PLz-6NLPe1fEWynaxbVLEtws9RErM8h0VO7T7H5tzTFCtwvy409BcDojcF5frWU3kgzAJ9v7LYfy6sP1LUG7~MNHbv2r~68cNlY456cSNuZIAuVW65-XwPFZvGeCLDJFtADEEWOkE4iIEGH0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sherry, the BSD marketing lead, presented a year-end marketing report showing increases across digital channels and previewed a series of video and influencer initiatives planned for the coming months.

Sherry told the board the district spent $141,250 on advertising across print, digital, broadcast and signage for January–December, with about 60% directed to digital and social media. “We had a whopping 913,000 impressions last year,” she said, and the site allinBirmingham.com recorded more than 286,000 page views, a roughly 14% increase year over year.

The marketing report is important because the BSD ties digital reach to business support: staff said partner referrals from the website totaled about 24,682 clicks (including partner directory referrals), and the Farmers Market and winter market social accounts posted substantial growth — Farmers Market reach was reported at roughly 78,000 with a 21% increase in followers.

Sherry and the team described ongoing production of several video assets (winter market, day-on-the-town, farmer’s market promos) and voice-over scripts; staff expected drafts of winter-market videos by March 10. The marketing committee is also moving forward with an influencer strategy; staff said they have narrowed a long list to a short candidate list and prepared questions and themes for outreach.

Board members discussed shifting more budget from print to digital and timing concerns for spring campaigns; staff said the influencer push could be turned around quickly in time for spring promotions. Marketing staff also said they are compiling a media/hub drive of completed videos for property-owner outreach and leasing presentations.

Ending: Sherry asked members to provide feedback on targeted retailer and property outreach lists; staff will return with influencer project details and video drafts in the next month.","Marketing staff reported a year of higher digital engagement, nearly 913,000 advertising impressions, 286,000 website views and new video content in production; staff seeks to expand social media influencer partnerships and noted planned content rollouts in March.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6120272,"Birmingham BSD staff review budget, recommend sending balanced plan to city commission",1571,81000,1652000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2708862-085ed0bd604839fe08a4b755ec0052fc&start=81&end=1652","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2708862-085ed0bd604839fe08a4b755ec0052fc/thumbnail_81000.jpg","/articles/6120272/Birmingham-City/Oakland-County/Michigan/Birmingham-BSD-staff-review-budget-recommend-sending-balanced-plan-to-city-commission","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6120272-7bb77bf43e14b724fe61e23f320489ad/orig.mp4?Expires=1771205748&Signature=RkO72G6AXD2KN5Me~UjQZaH8VMC22IoBfZ-B~WPWIuO~x4c6RLg1r2YWCtGVRx3334jlkn~prMg4w7GK0tbRoOrRdI35F8~rx7E3F172nYIQfQu5u7aOe44dOQqWDkFwBjnIQJ2B0YHsqKugGKRQAA9zd26pa8HOzRdfGFj2MFu6~uI0hCAGIcr-Xg9iN0uzn9ZQAwg0f4snSEDFR9iypMHSrI4g7uj6tPhEZVLkGZRVtB~nkpliKVlxZf~ECGettFEpyATfdi4rHcYAOWKszt31Cu4ejQB~CguIdiwzw~MAi8bUZxcvRp7So9UBNKhDUOFyNFvN-wr~hsVgpWDrlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A staff presenter for the Birmingham Business Improvement District reported that the district’s proposed budget is largely balanced and recommended that the board forward the draft budget to the city commission for formal approval.

The presentation noted the largest revenue item under discussion was a $1,200,000 special assessment billed for 04/24/25; “We have collected $407,000 of that for about 39%,” finance staff said, and the assessment bills are due March 24. The presenter told the board that collection typically continues through the spring and that unsettled amounts would likely be received when the county settles tax collections in May or June.

The nut graf: the draft budget assumes higher investment income than originally projected, some timing differences in expenditures and a number of targeted capital improvements. Staff recommended maintaining a healthy fund balance — roughly $700,000 — to cover about six months of operations and to retain capacity for future projects while still supporting business-facing investments.

Board and staff discussed several expenditure items. Staff called out higher-than-expected downtown maintenance charges billed by city public safety/maintenance (DPS) last summer and fall and said they were reviewing whether some charges should be charged to other events rather than the BSD. Staff also noted that investment portfolios are reinvesting at higher yields, which should support several years of stronger investment income.

On capital and one-time spending, staff described proposed items including office renovations, alley design/softening and an allocation for social media and marketing. A previously-budgeted $35,000 marketing line was reduced to $25,000 in the draft. Staff characterized the office renovation request as a basic refresh (carpeting, plaster/wall repair) intended to maintain public-facing and staff workspace conditions.

Board members discussed the trade-off between using fund balance to support business-facing projects and preserving reserves. One board member said, “I consider it truly high,” when discussing the current fund balance and the desire not to draw it down too far.

After discussion, the board approved forwarding the budget as the BSD’s recommendation to the city commission; the transcript records affirmative votes but does not provide a complete roll-call tally in the minutes excerpt. Staff reiterated that the commission will take the formal vote on the municipal budget.

Ending: Staff said they will continue to refine timing details and follow up on specific billing questions with DPS; the commission will receive the BSD’s recommended budget for formal consideration.","Board staff reported a largely balanced fiscal-year budget, recommended a $700,000 minimum fund-balance target and proposed several capital projects; board approved forwarding the budget to the city commission for formal approval.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

BSD updates: alley design, snow‑removal contract and street‑lighting issues discussed

BSD approves donation to Community House, weighs sponsorship and membership requests

BSD marketing report: digital ad spending, website traffic and video projects drove audience growth

Birmingham BSD staff review budget, recommend sending balanced plan to city commission