Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Events And Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DDA reviews August financials, Cinema in the Street recap and business incentive issues
Summary
The DDA reviewed August financial reports, heard a recap of the Cinema in the Street event and discussed business incentive tools including a local bonus gift-card program, Farmers Market vendor surveying and a pending website quote.
At its Sept. 17 meeting the Downtown Development Authority reviewed its August 2025 financial report and heard a recap of recent downtown events, including Cinema in the Street.
Board members reported cash sponsorships for Cinema in the Street totaled $2,600. A speaker thanked Adam for raffle proceeds, which were described in the meeting as “nearly $3.22” by one participant and later corrected by another participant to $2,500; the discrepancy was not resolved in the transcript. The DDA described the rescheduled event as successful overall.
Members discussed a local bonus gift-card program to drive business downtown. Board members said the program works like a Visa gift card for merchants but requires merchant training and an activation step; problems arise when gift-card amounts and purchases do not match, causing declines at registers. One business representative said persistence and staff training at participating merchants produced better redemption rates in prior seasons.
The DDA also agreed to survey Farmers Market vendors to gauge interest in participating next year and to gather feedback about turnout. Board members noted cellphone “heat map” data can help measure pedestrian traffic and said previous analysis showed a notable travel corridor from Old Park/Water Tower area into downtown.
Administrative items included a pending website quote from Revised (a company that maintains the city website) that staff said would be shared with the board in coming days, and a cooperative town-hall event scheduled for Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. hosted by the city administration, school district, the DDA, chamber and library. Board members were also reminded that nominations and election of officers are required at the next board meeting and that staff would circulate role descriptions beforehand.
Other items discussed included volunteer staffing for upcoming events, collection of donations (pet food and other items) at events, and outreach to recruit downtown businesses to participate in promotions and raffles.
