The Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership asked the City Council to approve its 2026 building improvement district (BID) assessment at the existing rate of $2.60 per $1,000 of assessed property value, with minimum and maximum assessments remaining $150 and $3,000, respectively. The BID assessment funds roughly 42 percent of the Partnership’s budget and covers 214 property owners in the downtown district, Executive Director Amy Krupp told the council.

"This year, we are not asking for any increase to the BID assessment," Krupp said, adding the rate has been unchanged since 02/2013. Krupp presented the Partnership’s budget and described programs that the BID supports, including building improvement grants, security camera and lighting grants, event promotion and a downtown toolkit for new businesses.

Krupp outlined grant program outcomes over 20 years: 224 building improvement grants totaling about $1.3 million in BID-funded grants that the Partnership says leveraged roughly $9 million in private investment; a reported $150 million in private investment in downtown overall during that period; and a reduction in the downtown vacancy rate from 10.2 percent to 6.7 percent. She described current-year activity: seven building improvement grants awarded so far, three new business grants, one creative sign grant and two security camera grants tied to Police Department guidelines. Krupp also introduced a new security lighting grant developed after a downtown “night walk” to identify poorly lit areas.

Krupp highlighted events and marketing work intended to drive foot traffic to downtown businesses: the Farmers Market (about 147 vendors), Fond du Lac Beer Company’s recent building renovation, PonduFest (about 250 vendors and multiple music stages), the Night Market, a downtown events collaboration team of retailers and restaurants, and expanded online vendor applications to reduce administrative burden. She also cited a downtown gift certificate program and a transition to direct-deposit checks to simplify accounting for businesses.

Councilmembers thanked Krupp for the work during the downtown Main Street makeover and asked about the permanence of the Night Market; Krupp said the event is now in its fourth year and remains under active review based on results and fit with the downtown calendar. Krupp said the Partnership will continue event toolkits and outreach to encourage participating businesses to convert event traffic into repeat customers.

The BID assessment and annual plan were presented; the council did not debate or amend the assessment during the meeting.