Laredo downtown BID approves liability insurance, $5,000 legal retainer and $3,000 website contract

The Downtown Business Improvement District board in Laredo approved three contracts on Jan. 14: board liability insurance not to exceed $3,000 annually, a legal-services retainer not to exceed $5,000, and a website design-and-maintenance contract not to exceed $3,000 annually. The votes passed with four members voting in favor and three members absent.

The decisions come amid ongoing conversations about downtown safety, lighting and public outreach that board members said surfaced during a Dec. 19 public meeting. Board Chair (name not specified) and board members Lawrence Friedman, Julian Ratnovsky, Yvette Torres and Justin Heather discussed next steps for clarifying responsibilities for lighting, increasing outreach and ensuring the BID has basic liability and legal protections before it begins delivering services.

Board Chair (name not specified) said the insurance would cover general liability and errors-and-omissions exposures and that the policy later would be expanded to require contractors or anyone the BID hires to carry liability coverage. Julian Ratnovsky, board member, said the board would pay the initial insurance from its existing fundraising balance and that ongoing coverage would be paid from future collections. The board voted to approve entering a contract for insurance not to exceed $3,000 annually.

The board also authorized entering into a professional legal-services contract with a not-to-exceed retainer of $5,000 so the BID can obtain timely legal advice without convening special meetings. Board members discussed a proposal that could pair out-of-area counsel with a local attorney; Dan Martinez of Winstead was mentioned as a potential outside contact during that conversation. The motion to authorize the legal retainer passed.

On outreach and communications, the board approved up to $3,000 annually for website design and maintenance. Board members reported the BID had reserved a domain at no cost and discussed a preference for a Squarespace setup to make ad hoc edits easier for board members; alternatives such as Wix were discussed and WordPress was explicitly discouraged by one member. The approved contract covers design and an initial period of maintenance so the BID can post minutes, resolutions and downtown updates.

Public comment at the meeting included a downtown resident, Roberto Garza, who said he opposed the BID and additional taxes and asked why the BID was spending on legal and insurance. "I never liked this since the beginning," Garza said. Board members responded that meetings are public and that residents and property owners are welcome to request agenda items or contact board members directly.

Board members also reported progress on downtown construction and right-of-way work. They said a contractor received a short extension through about Feb. 9 to address cleanup items, tree caliper and landscaping corrections and irrigation-access tripping hazards. The board noted federal transportation set-aside funds through the TASA program are supporting sidewalks and related work; a board member characterized the funding arrangement as leveraging roughly $100,000 in local funds to access about $1,300,000 in outside funds. Members discussed coordination needs with the city and utility provider AEP to avoid duplicative work and to address which poles and fixtures AEP controls versus what the BID or tourism entities would manage. The board said bollards, ADA ramps and other pedestrian improvements are in place or planned, and that some lighting and pole replacements remain to be coordinated with AEP and the fire department because of ladder-truck access concerns.

The board discussed outreach tools the BID is using, including a Facebook page and a WhatsApp group set up for agenda postings, and encouraged property owners and businesses to share contact information so they can be added to notices. The board said it will continue public engagement and hopes to replicate a downtown summit or town-hall format on a recurring basis.

The board adjourned after the votes. The minutes from the Dec. 17 meeting were discussed and changes were deferred so the board can bring revised minutes to its February meeting.