MONROE - Business Improvement District Board members gave a resounding no to Monroe City Clerk Carol Stamm, who attended their meeting Monday at the westside fire station to ask whether the group would fund downtown improvement projects through its tax base.
A majority of BID Board members spoke against such a request. Mike Doyle said the notion was "ridiculous."
"That's their levy, that's not our levy," Doyle said. "There's basically two levies; the city's got their own levy. (BID) is not for infrastructure."
BID Board, which meets twice annually, focuses on aiding Main Street Monroe in its endeavor to improve visitor traffic in the downtown area. The levy gathered by the district comes from downtown property owners, mostly business owners along the Square whose buildings are assessed for the BID levy. Doyle said he was not comfortable with raising taxes on those individuals.
Stamm said it was not a mandate but a request to aid the city's goal of cutting 5 percent from taxes in the 2018 budget. One of the projects mentioned was the cost of sealcoating the crosswalks within the downtown Square at a cost of $8,000 every two years. Improvements to public parking lots could also be a part of the contribution, she said.
Baumgartner's owner Chris Soukup, who oversaw the meeting, agreed with Doyle.
"The city is trying to cut their budget and this isn't really a cut in the budget, they're just trying to shift some of the responsibility," Soukup said.
Robert Duxstad had a unique criticism, one founded in the approach rather than the request. He told Stamm that while he did not want to "shoot the messenger," the way it was asked of the board was not respectful.
"I thought we had a pretty good partner with the city," Duxstad said. "Whosever ideas these are ought to come in here and start a discussion with BID Board well in advance."
In the end, board members rejected the idea of restructuring their levy. They approved the 2018 operating plan in which $37,500 is allocated to Main Street Monroe. The board budgets for the amount annually, providing smaller amounts quarterly to the organization for its work in attracting visitors to the Square.
Members also voted to pay Main Street Monroe $5,000 for work done to improve the Concerts on the Square stage just outside the Green County Courthouse and for new benches downtown. The improvements include new concrete, shrubbery removal and a 12-by-20-foot sun-shade to make the space appear more like a performance area.
Stamm said the goal of cutting 5 percent from the 2018 city budget was relayed to her by City Administrator Phil Rath. She added that the idea to ask BID for a contribution for downtown projects came from some members of the Monroe Common Council, who have said they feel BID "could do more" for the area.
Alderman Richard Thoman mentioned during the second September council meeting that some of his constituents who are property owners outside of downtown have felt burdened by paying for downtown costs in addition to their own businesses.
The levy and operating plan approved by the BID Board will be considered by Monroe Finance and Taxation Committee members Thursday. If rejected, BID members would need to convene once more to re-evaluate their proposed budget.
A majority of BID Board members spoke against such a request. Mike Doyle said the notion was "ridiculous."
"That's their levy, that's not our levy," Doyle said. "There's basically two levies; the city's got their own levy. (BID) is not for infrastructure."
BID Board, which meets twice annually, focuses on aiding Main Street Monroe in its endeavor to improve visitor traffic in the downtown area. The levy gathered by the district comes from downtown property owners, mostly business owners along the Square whose buildings are assessed for the BID levy. Doyle said he was not comfortable with raising taxes on those individuals.
Stamm said it was not a mandate but a request to aid the city's goal of cutting 5 percent from taxes in the 2018 budget. One of the projects mentioned was the cost of sealcoating the crosswalks within the downtown Square at a cost of $8,000 every two years. Improvements to public parking lots could also be a part of the contribution, she said.
Baumgartner's owner Chris Soukup, who oversaw the meeting, agreed with Doyle.
"The city is trying to cut their budget and this isn't really a cut in the budget, they're just trying to shift some of the responsibility," Soukup said.
Robert Duxstad had a unique criticism, one founded in the approach rather than the request. He told Stamm that while he did not want to "shoot the messenger," the way it was asked of the board was not respectful.
"I thought we had a pretty good partner with the city," Duxstad said. "Whosever ideas these are ought to come in here and start a discussion with BID Board well in advance."
In the end, board members rejected the idea of restructuring their levy. They approved the 2018 operating plan in which $37,500 is allocated to Main Street Monroe. The board budgets for the amount annually, providing smaller amounts quarterly to the organization for its work in attracting visitors to the Square.
Members also voted to pay Main Street Monroe $5,000 for work done to improve the Concerts on the Square stage just outside the Green County Courthouse and for new benches downtown. The improvements include new concrete, shrubbery removal and a 12-by-20-foot sun-shade to make the space appear more like a performance area.
Stamm said the goal of cutting 5 percent from the 2018 city budget was relayed to her by City Administrator Phil Rath. She added that the idea to ask BID for a contribution for downtown projects came from some members of the Monroe Common Council, who have said they feel BID "could do more" for the area.
Alderman Richard Thoman mentioned during the second September council meeting that some of his constituents who are property owners outside of downtown have felt burdened by paying for downtown costs in addition to their own businesses.
The levy and operating plan approved by the BID Board will be considered by Monroe Finance and Taxation Committee members Thursday. If rejected, BID members would need to convene once more to re-evaluate their proposed budget.