Bid Gets Year To Make Changes Embattled Organization Gets Reprieve From Council

Tue., Dec. 12, 2000

By Oliver Staley olivers@spokesman.com

The Business Improvement District got the reprieve it was looking for Monday when Spokane City Council members agreed to give the embattled organization a full year to carry out promised changes.

At Monday afternoon’s council briefing session, Councilman Steve Corker announced that he and Councilman Steve Eugster were willing to amend Eugster’s proposed ordinance in order to give the BID more time.

The new resolution gives the BID until next January, instead of the June deadline set by Eugster.

It passed by a 5-2 vote, with council members Rob Higgins and Roberta Greene opposing. Also on Monday, the council unanimously passed an ordinance that sets the BID’s assessment roll for 2001, allowing it to collect fees from ratepayers.

The BID is made up of downtown business and property owners who pay fees in exchange for services like parking validation and security.

Eugster, who had been pushing to reform the BID as soon as possible, said he was convinced to give it more time by Mike Edwards, the president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, which administers the BID.

Edwards had argued that it would take more than six months to both carry out the asked for changes and to convince the BID’s ratepayers they are necessary.

“It takes time to educate people and Mike is absolutely right in that regard,” Eugster said. “I just tend to move a little faster than most people.”

Edwards said he was gratified that the council was willing to allow the full year.

“That’s all we were asking for,” he said. “On behalf of the board we are committed to looking at the changes the council has asked for and our ratepayers have asked for.”

Those changes include putting the DSP’s management contract up to bid, putting oversight of the BID in the hands of the city and giving ratepayers a better indication of what services they are paying for.

Eugster, a downtown property owner, has been a vehement critic of the BID for years and sued the organization to block its initial formation.

Because of his history and because few other downtown property owners have complained about the organization, Eugster has been accused by other council members of pursuing a personal vendetta against the BID.

But Eugster and Corker say the BID has less support among its members than is believed.

Corker, however, said he was willing to let the BID work for a year on bringing about the changes.

“It was an act of good faith,” Corker said.

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