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Tulare council greenlights outreach, forms ad hoc committee to pursue downtown PBID
Summary
City consultants presented a draft property- and business-improvement district plan for downtown Tulare; council approved forming an ad hoc oversight committee and authorized staff to begin property-owner outreach and petitioning toward a PBID formation process.
City of Tulare officials on Jan. 21 agreed to move forward with formation steps for a downtown property- and business-improvement district (PBID), authorizing an ad hoc committee to oversee outreach to property owners as consultants prepare petition materials.
Consultants from NBS Consulting and city staff framed the PBID as a property-based assessment to fund enhanced cleaning, safety/homelessness mitigation and economic-development activities within a defined downtown boundary. "A PBID is run by an owner's association," said Sandra Burkhart, senior consultant with NBS, describing state law that governs PBIDs and the owner's association role in administering services and reporting annually to the council.
The council's vote established a short-term ad hoc oversight committee to assist staff and the consultant with property-owner outreach and petition-gathering. City staff said the next steps are targeted one-on-one meetings with property owners, publication of the draft engineer's report and a petition drive. If petitions signed by property owners representing more than 50% of the proposed assessment value are collected, the city would set a public hearing and mail weighted ballots; if a majority of returned weighted ballots oppose the assessment, the PBID cannot be formed.
Consultants presented a two-zone structure that differentiates service levels by area: zone A would receive higher-frequency cleaning and maintenance than zone B, and assessments would be proportionate to benefit. "Zone A is receiving a higher level of service than zone B," Burkhart said, noting the zones allow tailoring of costs and services. Staff and consultants emphasized that only special benefits may be assessed; general benefits must be funded separately.
City staff said preliminary engineering and assessment methodology are complete and a petition is ready; staff asked the council to let them proceed with outreach and petitioning with the ad hoc committee's assistance. The council approved the recommendation by consensus and directed staff to return with timeline details; council members asked staff to be flexible on boundary and service-level adjustments if property owners request changes during outreach.
What happens next: staff and consultants will meet property owners, publish the draft management district plan and engineer's report, distribute petitions, then—if the petition threshold is met—mail weighted ballots and hold a public hearing. The consultant estimated a required 45-day period between ballot mailing and the public hearing under state law.
