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Downtown Muskegon Business Improvement District
Meeting Minutes
May 23, 2017
380 Western Ave., Suite 202 Muskegon, MI at 4 PM
1) Call to Order: 4:05 PM
Attendance:
Doug Pollock (Chairman), Gary Post (VC), John Riegler, Bob Tarrant and Clyde
Whitehouse.
Excused Absent(s): Mike Hennessy, Frank Peterson, Bruce Lindstrom and Phyllis
Watson-Laudermill
Guests: Dave Alexander, Downtown Muskegon Now director; Megan Jones, DMN
events and promotion; Muskegon City Commissioner Ken Johnson and Dennis Lohman,
Northwest Industrial Supply.
2) Consent Agenda
a) Approval of Agenda, minutes from special meeting of April 25, and acceptance of the
financial statements as of April 30, 2017,
Motion: Gary Post
Support: Bob Tarrant
Vote: All voted in favor
3) Public Comment (on an agenda item) – None. The board chose to leave the floor open for
the whole meeting allowing attendees to participate as they like.
4) Unfinished Business
a) A final vote on a recommendation to the Muskegon City Commission on a renewal of
the Business Improvement District: The BID is a needed funding base for the common
maintenance and promotion of Downtown Muskegon.
The points of the recommendation include: a three-year renewal 2018-2020, BID
district boundaries slightly increased east and south as per attached map, the word
“automotive” removed from Category B in the BID Bylaws (accomplished with a vote
April 25, 2017), Category A lands assessed at $0.08 per square foot and capped at
$4,000 and B lands $0.04 per square foot and capped at $2,000 and assessments
being paid as part of the winter property tax bills.
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City Commissioner Ken Johnson had reservations on the rates for Category B as it
relates to direct benefits for those properties. He suggested a division of categories
based upon direct snow removal or no direct snow removal. He also suggested a 3-to-
1 assessment ratio A-B might be better than 2-to-1 ratio as recommended.
It was asked about residential, educational, non-profits and government properties
being included. Commissioner Johnson clarified that City Attorney John Schrier had
indicated that the exclusion of residential real property and government-owned
property is pursuant to statute, but that churches and non-profits were excluded by
decision of the City. He further indicated that he would not be keen on including
religious institutions in the assessment, but that a case could be made that non-profits
within the BID boundary enjoy a benefit and should contribute, such as paying $0.01 or
$0.02 per square foot up to $500 or $1000 maximum annually, respectively. He
encouraged the Board to consider such, and that even if they did not want to add non-
profits as an assessed property class, they could request non-profits make voluntary
financial contributions each year to the BID, akin to what the Uptown BID in Grand
Rapids does.
Bob Tarrant said that he has never been comfortable with 2 cents and 8 cents with the
B properties being too low. He said assigning benefit is difficult. John Riegler said that
his opposition to the BID when first proposed has reversed as he sees the BID as
good for downtown and the overall city. Gary Post said the BID is doing what it does to
attract everyone to downtown. Doug Pollock said the BID does well for the Holiday Inn
Muskegon Harbor. Commissioner Johnson said the BID needs to have a more
equitable distribution of services going forward
Motion: Gary Post
Support: John Riegler
Vote: Post, Riegler Tarrant and Pollock voted “yes”; Whitehouse abstained.
Passed 4-0-1.
5) New Business
a) An annual BID budget based upon approximately $170,000 was considered for 2018-
2020. With potentially additional funds from the past two BID budget years of 2016 and
2017, the board discussed expanding the landscaping services to include areas off of
Western Avenue and Third Street. The priorities would be Clay Avenue, Terrace Street
and Pine Street. The goal is to get district to look better further out from Western and
Third. Members suggested a budget with $75,000 for snow removal, $30,000 for
landscaping, $24,000 for marketing and events, $13,000 for streetscape, $25,000 for
administration and the remainder in contingency.
Motion: Gary Post
Support: John Riegler
Vote: All voted in favor
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b) BID expenditures reviewed out of the $24,000 2017 marketing-events-promotion line
item to include $5,000 to support a sponsored content community journalism project of
Issues Media Group on Imagine Muskegon Lake, a $48,000 effort supported by other
groups and organizations and a $5,000 expenditure on cooperative advertising with
Watch Muskegon to promote downtown Muskegon in the Kent and Ottawa county
markets. Finally, a $5,200 expenditure for downtown signs with $3,000 of that coming
from Community Foundation for Muskegon County grants and the remainder from the
BID streetscape line item for 2017. Items were for information only and will be sent on
to the Downtown Muskegon Now board for discussion and authorization. No vote
needed.
6) Adjournment
5:35 PM
No Objection
Minutes produced and submitted by Dave Alexander, executive director of Downtown
Muskegon Now.
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