Meaford Crosswalk (Photo provided by Meaford)
Meaford Council will be considering dissolving the local BIA this week in support of founding a Main Street organization.
In a council meeting on Nov. 28, a report will be coming forward by Clerk and Director of Community Services Matt Smith. It recommends enacting a by-law to dissolve the BIA and including the funding needed to support the founding of this organization in the 2023 operating budget.
The report says the BIA was established in 1978, which oversees the improvement, beautification, and maintenance of municipally-owned land, buildings and structures in the area, as well as promote as a business or shopping area.
Anyone who owns commercial property within the area, or are tenants of those properties, are classified as members of the BIA. Its board is appointed by council from those members who pay an additional BIA levy on top of their property taxes. These in turn form the BIA budget, about $23,000 a year.
The report says as a result of the limited funds, however, the BIA does not employ any staff, and all administrative functions like banks, accounts payable, and administrative support for the board are done by municipal staff.
The report adds there is currently no cohesive framework, strategy and organization which can make the most of the area’s economic activity, livability, cultural expression and heritage revitalization.
The BIA is limited in it ability to manage these assets due to legal restrictions in its organizational framework. As an alternative, Smith is recommending moving to another model.
“‘Main Street’ organizations have been specifically designed to strategically use local assets in heritage districts and bridge government, private sector and community arenas, to bring economic and cultural vitality into downtown. These are non-profit organizations with well-documented successes across many decades and in thousands of communities,” says the report.
The report adds by refocusing Meaford’s efforts on the downtown areas through launching a Main Street organization, it can work to overcome limitations, better leverage local assets and community support, and facilitate multi-faceted community benefits.
This non-profit organization has been designed to bridge and connect these various assets. The approach focuses on community engagement as a core element, by including residents, stakeholders, visitors, entrepreneurs, customers, business owners, building owners, heritage experts, and cultural associations.
The organization is also designed to address rapidly changing technologies, evolving workforce characteristics, shifting consumer trends, growth, and redevelopment pressures.
The report adds by switching to this approach, it allows for greater potential for success reducing financial tax burdens on downtown businesses, partnerships, grant programs, and event coordination.
If council moves ahead with dissolving the BIA and establish the organization, it would eliminate the current tax on commercial property for BIA purposes.
To help cover the start-up costs associated with the organization, staff believe the municipality should allocate funding over at least the next three years. Staff are also recommending using the existing surplus of $60,000 in the BIA account, and donating it to the organization. This would allow Main Street Meaford to possibly hire part-time administrative and book-keeping support.
Council will be receiving this recommendation at its meeting on Nov. 28 at 1 p.m.