Council OKs consultant agreement to explore Downtown Vacaville property‑based improvement district

The Vacaville City Council voted Sept. 23 to approve a consultant services agreement with New City America to investigate the potential formation of a new Downtown Vacaville property‑based improvement district (PBID) or community benefit improvement district (CBID).

Don Burris, director of economic development services, told the council downtown Vacaville’s business organization has struggled financially since the pandemic and requested $320,000 from the city to avoid insolvency. Burris said the city could not provide that level of general‑fund support but could help explore sustainable local funding mechanisms such as a PBID or CBID.

Marco Lisonbee, president of New City America, presented examples of districts the firm has created and managed around the country. Lisonbee described work his company undertakes to define district boundaries, conduct mail‑ballot surveys of property owners, set assessment formulas (linear frontage, lot size or building square footage), and help form nonprofit district management corporations. He said the petition threshold to bring a ballot is high under California law—owners representing a majority of assessed value must sign to trigger a vote—and that the city would retain final authority to adopt any assessment.

Public comment included support from Downtown Vacaville Business Improvement District officers and California Main Street’s state coordinator, who said a PBID was a commonly used tool to generate sustained local funding for downtown improvements. Other downtown property owners and small business leaders expressed caution: they said longstanding merchant assessment rates are modest and warned that a new PBID assessment could be passed through to small business tenants, increasing their costs. Critics also warned that nonprofit district management boards can shift control of some public‑space programming and urged explicit protections for small businesses and resident participation on any future board.

Council discussion acknowledged those concerns. Staff and New City America representatives said the formation process is deliberate: a boundary and assessment would be developed with a steering committee, a mailed petition would be circulated to property owners, and a weighted ballot would be held. Don Burris and councilmembers emphasized this step is an investigation rather than a binding commitment and that any district would require property owner approval under state law.

The council approved the consultant agreement to allow the study and outreach to proceed; councilmember comments called for measurable benchmarks, continued collaboration with downtown stakeholders, and safeguards to protect small businesses and to ensure city representation on any eventual district board.

What happens next: New City America will work with city staff and downtown stakeholders to set a study boundary, run mailed surveys, and report back with survey results and draft assessment options. Any final formation of a PBID/CBID would require a weighted property‑owner ballot and subsequent city action.

Speakers quoted in this article were identified on the meeting record. The consultant presentation and the council vote were part of the regular agenda.

Votes at a glance: Council approved staff’s recommendation to enter a consultant services agreement with New City America; the motion was moved and seconded and passed in the public meeting.