North Battleford city council has given its final stamp of approval to the establishment of a downtown business improvement district.
Third and final reading of the BID bylaw passed Monday at city hall. The bylaw designates "an area of the city of North Battleford as a business improvement district and to establish a board of management thereof."
The bylaw had been sought by supporters of a downtown BID who have pushed for establishment of an organization that can attract businesses and customers to a revived downtown core.
There was little debate or comment at Monday's meeting. Councillors had generally indicated their intention to support establishing a BID during second reading at the last council meeting.
The vote passed by a margin of 5-1. (Councillor Ray Fox was not in attendance Monday.)
Only Councillor Trent Houk voted against, citing his concerns about passing the bylaw without knowing what the revised budget for the BID was going to be.
"Until I see this budget I just can't approve this portion," said Houk, pointing to a provision in the BID bylaw that states, "a levy is hereby authorized."
Otherwise, Houk expressed his general support for the BID. "It's not all doom and gloom coming from here," he explained
Mayor Ian Hamilton, however, pointed out the levy and funding arrangements for the BID would be set in a separate bylaw to be introduced at a later date.
Determining the budget and the funding model will be the next step in the process for council in moving the BID forward.
