Board gives Southern Humboldt BID steering committee six months to finish petition
Loading...
Summary
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted to extend the Southern Humboldt Business Improvement District petition drive through Oct. 1, 2026, allowing the local steering committee a final opportunity to reach the 51% taxable-sales threshold without further county staff involvement.
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on March 17 approved a six‑month extension for the Southern Humboldt Business Improvement District petition drive, asking the local steering committee to submit a final petition by Oct. 1, 2026, without additional staff engagement.
Jessica Maciel, assistant county administrative officer, told the board the initial petition drive (launched after a management district plan) had to be restarted after the plan was revised, and that the revised petition submissions totalled about 9.62% of taxable sales as of a March 2 deadline. Previous petitions did not qualify after the MDP revision. Staff recommended ending county financial support for the formation effort if the petition did not reach the required threshold.
Representatives from the Southern Humboldt Business and Visitor Bureau and the SHBID steering committee said the work has been complex, relationship-driven and evolving; they urged the board to allow more time so local organizers could complete outreach and gather more signatures. Laura Lassiter of the Southern Humboldt Business and Visitor Bureau said the feasibility study showed the district could generate meaningful revenue and that the petition numbers reflect a reset rather than lack of support.
Supervisor Bushnell proposed the compromise: allow the petition drive to continue for six months, with a single final submission at the end of that period, and no further county staff expenditures on the effort. If the steering committee delivers petitions representing a majority (51%) of taxable businesses in the proposed district, the county will proceed to the statutorily required public hearings and formation process.
The board approved the extension by unanimous consent. County staff said they could refrain from expending resources during the petition drive and would only perform tallying if petitions were submitted at the end of the extension. If the petition reaches the 51% threshold, the board would schedule two public hearings as required for BID formation.
