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Citizens voice views about BID at council meeting

During its regular meeting Tuesday night, the Fremont City Council approved the second reading to modify and continue Business Improvement District No. 1 downtown. 
 
City Administrator Brian Newton provided staff comment and encouraged the council to extend the agreement for another five years. Bob Missel of Sampter’s was one of the business owners who voiced support for the BID. 
 
“I’m giving my nod of support for the extension of the BID tax,” he said. “I believe the benefit certainly outweighs the cost. I believe as a property owner we need to be good stewards of our property. The small investment the BID board is seeking from us — and what they’ve shown they can do with those dollars — is a great benefit to me as a property owner and to my community.”
 
Another business owner, Pam Hopkins, voiced some concerns about the BID. 
 
“So one of the concerns that I have in regard to the proposed resolution compared to the previous five-year contract with the Downtown Business Improvement District is that previously the Downtown Business Improvement District ordinance sent out a specific cost taxing assessment for each of the businesses. It set that, by ordinance, for each of five years and capped it at a certain amount after five years. 
 
“It appears that the new ordinance doesn’t do that. Instead, it requires a new budgeting process in August of each year rather than setting a cap across the five-year time period.”
 
Hopkins continued with her criticism. 
 
“I think that the business improvement district is overly broad in its geographical layout because numerous businesses are included in that taxing or assessment district that do not benefit from foot traffic or improved downtown business,” she said. “For example, a law office. There is no one wondering around saying, ‘Oh, I think I’ll go see her at 7 at night or whatever.’”
 
Business owner Vince O’Connor of the BID said many of the questions raised Tuesday night were answered during the organization’s public meetings in the past two months. 
 
“We addressed a lot of the questions that were up tonight,” he said. “We addressed a lot of what the budget has. A couple of other things, if you go back to the DID and how it evolved into the BID and you look at what has happened downtown, it takes time. The biggest thing, however, is what everyone is doing collectively downtown. Different organizations are trying to make it better.” 
 
In other business, the council approved the first reading of the Unified Development Code regarding Floodway Overlay and Flood Fringe Overlay Districts. Mayor Joey Spellerberg said the floodplain regulations and enforcement help citizens with discounts for flood insurance. 
 
The council also confirmed the appointment of Jesse Headid as police sergeant, per Spellerberg’s recommendation. Headid’s father, John, served on FPD from 1996 until 2015. He was promoted to sergeant in 2010.

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