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Council agrees to host public meeting on potential Central Business Improvement District for downtown
Summary
City staff and downtown stakeholders agreed to schedule a public meeting this late summer or early fall to explain the Central Business Improvement District (CBID) process and gauge interest in forming one or more districts; officials said property-owner petitions would ultimately be required to create any district.
The Gallatin City Council Committee reopened discussion on creating a Central Business Improvement District (CBID) after interested downtown property and business owners asked for more information.
Rosemary Bates, the city’s economic development director, told the committee that city staff had collected written answers from the attorney who advised on CBID formation and provided a step-by-step timeline for creating a district. The committee agreed to host a public meeting after the school year starts (late August or September was suggested) to present legal and procedural details to property owners and business operators and to answer questions.
Key points explained to the committee
- A CBID is created by property-owner petition. The petition must be signed by a majority of property owners (by count) who together represent two-thirds of assessed value within the proposed boundaries; property owners may opt out later per the establishing rules.
- The district’s scope and spending plans are set locally; different districts can adopt different budgets and rules to fund area-specific improvements such as marketing, maintenance or special events.
- Downtown infrastructure-district tools are separate from CBIDs and may require enabling legislation at the municipal or state level; the committee discussed both concepts and focused the next step on education and outreach.
Next steps
City staff will coordinate a public informational meeting with the city attorney and potential petition organizers; staff will make meeting materials available online and invite interested property owners in both District 1 and District 2 because downtown parcels cross district lines.
