business improvement district

The BID board reviewed 2025 activities and a draft 2026 Main Street budget; discussion noted Main Street expected to end 2025 about $10,254 positive but projected a $7,466 deficit in 2026 tied in part to Room Tax support dropping from $12,000 to $6,000 and difficulty securing sponsorships.

Board members questioned discrepancies in 2024 historical numbers; the discrepancies were attributed to a reconciliation that year.

The BID board reviewed a boundary map that had not changed since 1997 and discussed mismatches where some businesses outside the district benefit from Main Street activity or want to contribute.

The BID board directed Community Development staff and Main Street to develop BID boundary alternatives, with a joint meeting with the Main Street board planned for May and City Council expected to take up the issue in 2026.

The BID board voted 7-0 to keep the 2026 BID assessment rate unchanged at $1.77 per $1,000 of assessed value, with an estimated $55,000 to support Main Street.

City staff noted that rising property values matter because a flat BID rate can still increase individual property owners’ bills as assessments climb.

City Council adopted a resolution approving the BID levy and setting the 2026 BID assessment rate at $1.77 per $1,000 of assessed value on a 9-0 vote.

City Council’s agenda summary noted the BID board’s annual meeting reviewed the 2026 BID operating plan, confirmed funding commitments to Two Rivers Main Street, and reaffirmed the assessment rate.

City Council’s agenda summary noted the BID board scheduled a May 2026 meeting to consider an update to the BID boundary map, described as the first potential boundary change since the district was established in 1996.

Plan Commission received an update that Main Street was drafting a historic preservation ordinance expected to come to the Plan Commission in April or May.

The BID board discussed a possible boundary expansion, including the idea that spreading the assessment across more properties could lower what some businesses pay.

General public input was taken during the BID review period; multiple attendees questioned the BID’s value, debated whether boundaries should be more restrictive or expanded, and asked for Main Street board involvement at a future meeting.

After hearing concerns and acknowledging the map was not clear enough, the BID board voted to revisit the boundaries at a future meeting rather than sending a recommendation to the Plan Commission and City Council.

City Council scheduled a public hearing and is expected to consider a zoning change in the Main Street and Waterfront Corridor Overlay District that would remove most side- and rear-yard setback minimums and reduce front setbacks, sometimes to zero feet; the Plan Commission recommended approval unanimously.