Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Main Street topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Oak Harbor Main Street seeks continued city support; council approves $95,000 professional services agreement
Summary
The Oak Harbor Main Street Association presented downtown projects and asked the city to continue participating in Washington’s Main Street tax-credit program. The council approved a $95,000 professional services agreement that lets the city receive a 75% state tax credit on that contribution.
Cheryl Grama, executive director of the Oak Harbor Main Street Association, presented downtown revitalization work to the City Council on Jan. 7 and asked the council to continue the city’s contribution to the Washington State Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program.
Grama described façade-improvement grants, a small-business incubator, a pedestrian walkway called Serendipity Lane, the Pop-up Plaza public plaza and a calendar of more than 30 downtown events planned for 2025. “This alliance is felt throughout the community if there is unity,” Grama said, urging continued partnership between the city and Main Street.
Wendy Horn, the city’s grants administrator, explained the tax-credit program’s mechanics: for cities under the state’s population threshold a contribution to a Main Street Association can qualify for a 75% state tax credit. Horn said the maximum annual contribution per Main Street Association is $213,333.33 based on the statewide $5 million cap. She recommended the city again contribute $95,000, the amount the city has provided each year since 2019; that contribution would generate a city tax-credit benefit of $71,250.
Council members spoke in favor. “Love what Main Street has done for our community downtown,” Council member Wiesner said. Council member Romero moved to approve the professional services agreement; the motion passed unanimously.
Grama also showed examples of small businesses that have used Main Street programs and said the association is running slightly over budget for 2024 by about $35,000, which she attributed to lower-than-expected uptake of a state tax incentive by local businesses.
The professional services agreement approved by the council includes scopes and terms the city requires of the Main Street Association; Horn said the agreement this year differs from the prior one mainly by director and date updates.
The council vote keeps the longstanding city contribution in place and preserves the city’s eligibility for the state tax credit. Horn said if Main Street were to receive unusually large outside donations that pushed statewide program caps, the city would likely reduce its contribution to remain within program limits.
The council also received public comments from downtown business owners during Grama’s presentation who described the downtown improvements as beneficial to their shops and the waterfront environment.
The city clerk recorded no public comments filed in advance on the professional services agreement, and no council member raised objections before the unanimous vote.
