Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership asks council to renew $2.60 per $1,000 BID assessment, highlights events and grants

The Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership asked the council on Aug. 20 to approve the annual Building Improvement District (BID) assessment at the current rate of $2.60 per $1,000 of property value, with a minimum assessment of $150 and a maximum of $3,000. Amy Krupp, the BID executive director, told council the BID assessment funds about 42% of the partnership’s budget and is assessed to 214 property owners in the downtown district. Krupp reviewed the partnership’s two decades as a Wisconsin Main Street community and said downtown efforts have leveraged private investment, reduced vacancy rates and supported more than 19 annual events. She highlighted the building improvement grant program — 224 grants totaling about $1.3 million that the partnership said have leveraged roughly $9 million in private investment — and recent programs including security camera and lighting grants aligned with Fond du Lac Police Department guidelines. Krupp described event programming (Farmers Market, FonduFest, Night Market), vendor expansion for the farmers market as Main Street construction wraps up, and the Art Lot mural project. Council members thanked Krupp and asked about event permanence and the farmers market expansion. Council did not vote on the assessment during the presentation; Krupp said she was asking council to approve the BID assessment at the current rate for 2026.