Victoria 
 
Advanced Member - IP
Posted at
7:24 am on Mar. 5, 2013
Total Posts 840
 
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Petition to Terminate The BID
Coming Soon To a Theatre Near You!
Alderman Roger Patton has submitted an amendment for the CC agenda tonight to rescind the CC Feb. 5th action regarding the BID Operating Plan, 2013 Budget, Special Assessment and the BID Bylaws.
It seems that Curt Meitz and Steve Crandell are doing their best to save the integrity of the BID, Ed Henschel wants to control it and Jeff Scrima wants it gone. The Common Council is now going to get it back in their laps.
It appears that Patton wanted to include adding more property owners to the BID Board but Scrima told Patton that if Patton made the referral, Scrima would make sure that Patton was not re-elected.
Stay Tuned!!
Agenda
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Tom Hekkers
Advanced Member - IP
Posted at
9:13 pm on Mar. 5, 2013
Total Posts 2161
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Petition to Terminate The BID
Motion to rescind the Common Council’s actions of February 5, 2013 regarding Business Improvement District’s Operating Plan, Special Assessment Resolution and By-Laws.
The vote to rescind was 7-5
Question: Isn't a 2/3 majority required to overturn a Council action? | |
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Tom Hekkers
Advanced Member - IP
Posted at
6:37 am on Mar. 6, 2013
Total Posts 2161
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Petition to Terminate The BID
From The FREEMAN:
‘This is a last-minute effort to save the BID’
Council rescinds approval of BID bylaws, operating plan, assessment
By Sarah Pryor
Freeman Staff
WAUKESHA – In what Alderman Roger Patton called a “last-minute effort to save” the Business Improvement District, the Common Council voted 7-5 to rescind its approval of the BID’s operating plan, bylaws and special assessment.
Property owners representing about 63 percent of the district’s assessed value turned in a petition to disband the BID after it was transformed into a grantor agency to fund organizations that put on events and otherwise improve downtown.
“I’ve visited some of the property owners who signed to terminate it, but I haven’t met a single signer who will reverse themselves,” Patton said. “I really don’t know what to do. I want to save the BID but I don’t know how to do it.”
Patton said he met with one of the property owners and came up with a compromise of having the council rescind approval of the BID operating plan, special assessment and bylaws, and to revise the operating plan so that the primary purpose is not to provide financial support to organizations desiring to conduct activities and events within the district.
However, Patton said it seemed so unlikely that the last part of the compromise would happen, that he “backed off” and initially only asked for the assessment portion to be rescinded. Ultimately City Attorney Curt Meitz said rescinding one part of the plan essentially voided the whole thing.
“I would be supportive of trying at least one last thing to salvage the BID, if for no other reason than to send the message that we’re interested in saving it,” said Alderman Paul Ybarra, who voted in favor of Patton’s motion.
If the BID isn’t dissolved, its bylaws, operating plan and special assessment will go back before the BID Board for reconsideration.
Jeff Barta, owner of The Nice Ash Cigar Bar, said the council’s reconsideration comes “too little, too late.”
Tonight, the Plan Commission will have a public hearing on the dissolution of the BID. After the hearing, a 30-day period will begin in which property owners can add or remove their names from the dissolution petition. If property owners representing the majority of the district ’s assessed value remain on the petition after 30 days, the district will be dissolved.
Email: spryor@conleynet.com
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Interesting statements:
Alderman Roger Patton: “Should I stay out of it and let the BID die without compromise?” “That is what some of my friends want"
Alderman Ybarra: “While it may not work, it is one last thing to try”, “We are very interested in saving the BID.
Barta: “too little, too late.”
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Tom Hekkers
Advanced Member - IP
Posted at
7:48 am on Mar. 6, 2013
Total Posts 2161
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Petition to Terminate The BID
Excerpt:
"Patton said he met with one of the property owners and came up with a compromise of having the council rescind approval of the BID operating plan, special assessment and bylaws, and to revise the operating plan so that the primary purpose is not to provide financial support to organizations desiring to conduct activities and events within the district.
However, Patton said it seemed so unlikely that the last part of the compromise would happen, that he “backed off” and initially only asked for the assessment portion to be rescinded."
Ultimately City Attorney Curt Meitz said rescinding one part essentially voided the whole thing.
Question: Is that true? | |
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Brian Running
Full Member - IP
Posted at
8:03 am on Mar. 6, 2013
Total Posts 250
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Petition to Terminate The BID
The vote to rescind was 7-5
Question: Isn't a 2/3 majority required to overturn a Council action?
Under Robert's Rules, a motion to rescind (which this is, because it's a motion to overturn previous action that is not made at the same meeting) requires a two-thirds vote if notice of the motion is not given at the previous meeting - which it was not. The answer is yes, this motion required a two-thirds vote to carry, so the motion failed. | |
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Victoria
Advanced Member - IP
Posted at
9:05 pm on Mar. 6, 2013
Total Posts 840
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Petition to Terminate The BID
The public hearing was pretty much a bust. I am pretty sure they were hoping for a large turnout of property owners that expressed dismay on how they were duped into signing the petition.
If you don't count the usual cast of characters, there were only about 5 people that showed up, only a few spoke and only one supported dissolving the BID.
Bottom line was that most of those who spoke were very supportive of the BID. They loved Meghan Sprager and the work she did. We all pretty much agreed that we needed an Executive Director so the option of giving money to others in the downtown is pretty much off of the table.
At least, we got 10 minutes of Ed Henschel's time to discuss why there was so much money in reserve. We gave him several reasons but we walked away unsure if he believed us or not.
Shawn Reilly practiced shuttle diplomacy and he went back and forth between the city administrator and others who were in attendance.
I still believe it is too little too late but who knows....
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Tom Hekkers
Advanced Member - IP
Posted at
6:00 am on Mar. 7, 2013
Total Posts 2161
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Petition to Terminate The BID
From The FREEMAN:
Can Waukesha’s BID be saved?
Officials advocate compromise to salvage state’s oldest BID
By Sarah Pryor
Freeman Staff
WAUKESHA – Dissent has been the name of the game in downtown Waukesha for the past six months, but at Wednesday night’s public hearing before the Plan Commission, several officials and property owners asked for compromise to salvage the Business Improvement District. “If the people who signed the petition (to dissolve the BID) just want the BID to go away, then nothing should happen, but if they want to have a BID, I encourage them to ... have the board chairman reconstitute the board and have a meeting of the minds,” said City Administrator Ed Henschel, who is also a member of the BID Board.
Property owners representing $31 million of the district’s $52 million in assessed value signed a petition asking to dissolve the BID after the new BID Board changed it to essentially a grantor organization that would provide financial support to organizations that put on events and otherwise improve downtown.
“The BID is not a funding source,” Berg Management General Manager Catherine Huelsman said at Wednesday’s hearing. “At some point, the people appointed to the board have to represent the people who pay the tax.”
Dan Italiano, owner of Magellan’s on Main Street, said the BID’s work will be irreplaceable and that people who signed the petition should consider all the empty storefronts that will remain unfilled without an organization courting businesses to fill them.
“I never thought I’d be asking for more taxes ... but I’m doing it this time,” Italiano said. “Once this is done, we’ll be doing ourselves a great disservice. This is something that helps us all.”
Community Development Director Steve Crandell said BIDs were made possible by legislation in the 1980s, when downtowns across the state began to decline as national retailers pulled up stakes and moved to the trendier strip malls on the outskirts of town.
Waukesha’s BID was founded in 1985 and is the oldest operating BID in the state, Crandell said.
Now that the public hearing has taken place, property owners have 30 days to add or remove their names from the petition. If property owners representing 50 percent or more of the district’s assessed value still remain on the petition after 30 days, the BID will be dissolved.
Downtown Alderman Roger Patton became extremely emotional when addressing the commission, stating that he hopes the two factions of downtown can sit down together and make a plan for the BID’s future.
“I don’t want to give up on it,” he said.
Email: spryor@conleynet.com
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Tom Hekkers
Advanced Member - IP
Posted at
6:46 am on Mar. 7, 2013
Total Posts 2161
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Petition to Terminate The BID
The defining moment for me to sign the petition is when the new & Improved BID Board:
- Ignored requests for an independent investigation ( the root cause of ALL the dissention...in my opinion)
- Ignored input from BID property owners regarding the 2013 Operating Plan, budget and by-laws
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The BID Board
Ms. Natalie Walters - Dousman resident
Mr. Ed Henschel - City resident / City Administrator
Mr. Ron Lostetter - City resident
Mr. Vance Skinner - City resident / Alderman
Mr. Nick Martinez - BID resident / "Future property owner"
Mr. Bill Huelsman - City resident / BID Property owner / BID Business owner
Mr. Jim Taylor - BID Property owner / BID Business owner
Mr. Sandy Cianciola - BID Property owner / BID Business owner | |
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Tom Hekkers
Advanced Member - IP
Posted at
7:00 am on Mar. 8, 2013
Total Posts 2161
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Petition to Terminate The BID
From The Patch:
Jeff Barta
5:28 pm on Thursday, March 7, 2013
The BID absolutely produced results. BID Directors were critical in helping downtown revitalize. The negativity downtown did not come from the BID, it came from business owners who refuse to consider their neighbors concerns, treat all of downtown like they own it, spread rumors and bad mouth other businesses.
The downtown has grown by sound business locating downtown. It is not due solely to FFNL. That can supplement business but cannot be the foundation of business as the WDBA believes. FFNL benefits more from the renaissance downtown than the other way. Its a myth that FFNL is what revitalized downtown. It's entrepreneurs, from the WDBA and many outside of that group that invested in downtown that has made the difference.
Property owners like myself, voted to disband the BID because our mayor and his appointed Board wanted to change the focus of the BID to a grantor organization. In other words, they wanted the money. They ignored the pleas of property owners and put the BID in jeopardy. It could be saved if they reversed course and went back to the BID model that served downtown well for over 25 years. I would gladly pay the tax if we could avoid the blatant money grab from the mayor and his Board. Based upon his prior actions, I have little hope that the mayor will admit he was wrong and do the right thing.
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Tom Hekkers
Advanced Member - IP
Posted at
6:40 am on Mar. 12, 2013
Total Posts 2161
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Petition to Terminate The BID
WaukeshaNOW
Waukesha BID’s termination public hearing gets emotional
Not representing property owners main issue
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Alderman Patton: "The Waukesha Downtown Business Association has gradually replaced the BID. Things are now improving and more peaceful." | |
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Petition to Terminate The BID
