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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-20-12 Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) Minutes/ Downtown Business Improvement District Board Meeting Minutes June 20, 2012 Attending: Eric Bowman, Dan Himsworth, Ileana Indreland, Steve Stinson, Eric Sutherland, Buck Taylor, Chris Naumann Absent: Mike Basile Public Comments None Disclosures None Minutes ACTION: Eric Bowman moved to approve the minutes from April and May as presented. Dan Himsworth seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Financial Report Chris presented the finance report which he noted will be very close to the year-end totals considering there are only 7 more business days remaining in the fiscal year. Of note where total income nearly $5000 more than budgeted. Chris noted that Payroll Expenses approximately $3000 less than anticipated. He pointed out that Program Expenses are about $10,000 more than budgeted but that includes purchasing a truck and power washer which account for about $9,750. The total cash on hand between the checking account and Certificates of Deposit is nearly $93,000. The board said it was reassuring that the BID could absorb two large capital expenses and be in such a positive position. There were no questions regarding finances. Executive Director’s Report Maintenance Program Update With the arrival of summer and the flower baskets, the BID now has maintenance staff working seven days a week. Their primary duties include watering the flowers, emptying trash receptacles, picking up garbage, banner installations, and graffiti removal. FY2011 Y-T-D FY2012 Y-T-D      Trash Emptied 2427 2947      Graffiti Removed 111 81   We have one full-time employee working 4:30am until noon Monday through Friday. We have a part-time employee working 4:30am until 11:00am Saturday and Sunday. We also have a part-time employee who is a substitute for the other two and does spot jobs such as larger graffiti removal. Flower Program Update We have 224 flower baskets in place this year. In 2010 we received 13 sponsorships totaling $3250. Last year, we received 21 sponsorships yielding $6600 in revenue. This year we collected 19 sponsorships totaling $6000. Board Discussion: The board said they were very pleased with the increase in the sponsorship income as that will help offset the increased costs of the expanding program. At this point our watering system—one employee with one truck/water pump/tank—is maxed out in terms of watering 224 baskets in 7 hours. Adding additional flower baskets in the coming years will require radically upgrading our system. We will need to either cap the total number of baskets (restricting the side streets) or commit to another watering rig (truck, tank, pump) and additional employees. Board Discussion: The board agreed unanimously that we need to make every effort to install flower baskets on all the side streets that have new streetscapes. Eric Bowman said that considering all those side street property owners have been paying into the BID for 12 years it would be difficult to deny them the return on their contributions. Eric Bowman suggested considering a two wand system by which the employee would be watering both baskets on each lamp at the same time. Ileana said that Chris should also outline what a “two truck system” would look like financially with two trucks/tanks/pumps and employees. The board agreed that there are several options, but it would be important to continue to increase sponsorship income; consider general maintenance sponsorships; look for grant funding such as the Sweet Pea Grant; and further leverage banner rent income. Truck and Mule Update I purchased a 2003 Ford F-250 for the approved $8,995. The truck is a considerable upgrade from our previous well-worn vehicle. It is working out very well. The Mule ATV is on its last legs. It was purchased new in 2003 for $7,800. This month Summit Motor Sports installed a new clutch as part of an extensive transmission service. Summit said it would not be possible to fix the transmission again. I am hoping the Mule lasts through the summer, but I cannot guarantee it will. For reference: Summit has the Mule 4010 (4-WD) for $9500 and the Mule 4000 (2-WD) would be $8300. John Deere Gators run $9-11k. Kubota RTVs start at $13k. There are currently no used models on craigslist. Board Discussion: The board acknowledged that the MULE has lasted a long time considering how much it gets used. Ileana asked if Chris needed the board to approve purchasing a new MULE at this time. Chris responded that he thought it would make it a couple more months. Dan Himsworth suggested in the meantime Chris should continue to keep on eye online for good quality used ones. Chris agreed that he would. Graffiti Update This week we are removing 5 large (3’x6’) graffiti tags at various locations. We continue to remove a few smaller tags here and there. Discussion and Decision Items The topics discussed by the board were contained within the Executive Directors Report and are recorded above in italics for the record. With no further business, Eric Bowman adjourned the meeting.