Downtown Pullman leader says Main Street designation unlocks B&O tax-credit fundraising
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
At the Jan. 14 Pullman City Council meeting, Bobby Ryder, newly named executive director of the Downtown Pullman Association, said Pullman’s Main Street designation will let businesses direct B&O taxes to the nonprofit and receive a 75% credit the following year; Ryder outlined fundraising campaigns to support façade improvements and promotions.
Bobby Ryder, who said he recently accepted the position as executive director of the Downtown Pullman Association, told the Pullman City Council on Jan. 14 that Pullman has been designated a Main Street city and that status creates new fundraising opportunities for downtown revitalization.
Ryder said the designation allows businesses to designate where their business-and-occupation (B&O) taxes go and that participating businesses ‘‘receive a 75% tax credit the following year.’’ He described current fundraising efforts aimed at facade improvements and promotions, including a partnership with the Cougs First campaign and outreach through the Pullman Civic Trust.
Why it matters: Main Street designation is a common local economic-development tool that communities use to channel small revenue streams and private donations into coordinated downtown improvements. Ryder and the Downtown Pullman Association framed the designation as a way to recycle locally raised funds back into downtown commercial properties and events.
Ryder described three near-term efforts: (1) encouraging businesses to enroll in the B&O designation program to funnel support to the Downtown Pullman Association; (2) fundraising for façade improvements; and (3) promotion partnerships, including the Cougs First campaign and a membership mailing by the Pullman Civic Trust.
Ryder concluded by saying he will provide the council with more updates as the programs advance.