Downtown West Allis BID presents identical 2026 operating plan and budget; assessment to remain steady
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Summary
Economic development staff and the Downtown West Allis Business Improvement District presented a proposed 2026 operating plan with a budget nearly identical to 2025; proposed levy and assessment rates would remain similar and the BID reported strong event attendance and low vacancy downtown.
The West Allis Common Council heard the Downtown West Allis Business Improvement District’s proposed 2026 operating plan and budget, which the BID and city staff said is essentially unchanged from 2025.
Carson Caulfield of Economic Development presented the BID report and said the district covers a roughly east‑west downtown corridor and includes about 90 businesses. He said the BID helped secure a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant in partnership with the Main Street organization and that the BID hosted numerous community events in the past year. Using a foot‑traffic tool, Caulfield said a recent car show drew roughly 4,500 visitors to downtown and an “a la carte” event drew just under 13,000.
Caulfield said the BID’s proposed operating budget for 2026 is $146,600 and the proposed levy is $129,000; the total assessed value of properties in the BID was reported as about $22,500,000. That levy would equate to about $5.73 per $1,000 of assessed value, city staff said. Caulfield said the proposed budget and levy are nearly identical to 2025 and the BID reported an approximate 2% vacancy rate downtown.
Alderman Grisham offered praise for the BID and its executive director. The council closed the public hearing on the BID operating plan; no objections were reported at the hearing.