Provo Council drops fee plan for Downtown Alliance
Instead, city may pay, seek voluntary donations
Instead, the city will consider providing the lion's share of the budget, $150,000 a year, while asking business owners to donate voluntarily to the alliance's efforts to market and beautify historic downtown Provo.
Discussions to bridge the gap intensified Tuesday morning after news that 121 downtown business and property owners had filed written protests against the creation of a central business district by the deadline Monday evening.
"I felt very uncomfortable forcing on 30 percent of our good, downtown businesses something they don't want and don't support," council chairman George Stewart said. "It's just unhealthy for the downtown to have that kind of division."
The protesters represented more than 40 percent of downtown property values.
At least as many business owners supported the district. A previous version funded the Downtown Business Alliance for six years, but the City Council voted in May to stop charging a flat rate to all downtown businesses.
The city has paid the Alliance's way since June while city and alliance leaders tried to craft a new assessment that businesses would find fair.
"I was surprised," city councilwoman Cindy Richards said. "I thought because everyone was paying less and the proposal addressed fairness by creating three rates and charging the most to those who benefit the most, that fewer people would protest."
Stewart, Richards and fellow council members Cynthia Dayton, Cindy Clark and Barbara Sandstrom expected fewer than 5 percent to 10 percent to protest the proposal that they expected to vote on Tuesday night. Normally, the number of protests are even lower for downtown business districts around the country, including the downtown alliance in Salt Lake City.
The division in downtown Provo concerned area business leaders.
"A lot of the businesses were troubled the assessment was going to be mandatory," Nu Skin Vice President Gary Garrett said. "Now that it's voluntary, there should be fewer objections. I hope there are still businesses that would be willing to participate on a voluntary basis."
Nu Skin will be among them, Garrett promised. The company, based in a 10-story building, was charged the maximum $10,000 a year under the old formula and the proposed formula killed Tuesday.
The new solution crafted Tuesday would create a $150,000 contract between the city and the Downtown Business Alliance for downtown services. The Alliance markets the downtown area to businesses considering moving to the area and to potential customers. It also maintains downtown sidewalks, kiosks, tree stands, flower baskets and flower beds.
Comments
- Canal breaks, causes landslide in Logan 1:07 p.m.
- Reptile Lou won't eat 1:06 p.m.
- Three injured in South Ogden shooting 1:05 p.m.
- Upsets at Saturday's State Am 12:27 p.m.
- Luxury home market stalls 12:02 p.m.
- Kirk Douglas classic on DVD 11:38 a.m.
- Zion fire moving southeast 11:36 a.m.
- More school-money than expected 11:24 a.m.
- Virginia 'Freedman's' project done 11:12 a.m.
- Teen relive Mormon trek 11:12 a.m.
- Jazz brass debate Millsap match
- LDS seminary principal arrested
- 2 men cited on LDS plaza
- Jazz finances not quite so bleak
- Reactions on Boozer speculation
- HBO defends U. logo use in 'Love'
- Cash for Clunkers to get rolling soon
- Utahns among Texans' investors
- Jazz rookies quiet Thunder youngsters
- 10 years after the flood
- LDS seminary principal arrested
267 - Jazz brass debate Millsap match
176 - Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
141 - Jazz talking Boozer trade?
140 - 2 men cited on LDS plaza
132 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
124 - Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
99 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Letters: Single-payer system best
75 - Services bids farewell to Jackson
70
As more and more dads are put out of work in this economy, I've been...
The photographs are mysterious, brooding, dark. They show dimples and...
I am confident that Glen Beck has the read the book by Gary Allen,NONE DARE...
The best thing we could do would be to get rid of all the people in DC who...
He would not pull out a whip, that's for sure. You people must read a...
i havent read anything about 20 mil. i read 32 to 36 mil not confirmed. 15...
Enter comment Introduzca comentario ¡¡Por Dios!! Esto no es cosa del...
When I was 16, I thought the world of my seminary teachers. They all talked...
Girls/Ladies/Women, let me first introduce reality into this discussion. In...
Obviously you don't get my point. They were non-violent resisters. They were...
PRESIDENT CLINTON was guilty of the SAME KIND OF CRIME. An older man in a...
Ah, The Religion of Peace! :-)


You can be the first to comment on this story.