Business owners in downtown Pomona have agreed to pay more in property taxes. KPCC's Steven Cuevas says the extra money will fund services that the city can’t provide.
Steven Cuevas: In the last few years, downtown Pomona has been transformed from a graffiti-scarred “no man’s land” into a vibrant destination for dining, shopping, live music and street fairs. Much of the credit goes to the “P-BID”, the Property and Business Improvement District. It pays for more police patrols, cultural events and other services.
David Armstrong owns a pair of downtown properties. He voted to renew the P-BID. But he wants the city to govern the maintenance and cleanup of downtown so the P-BID isn’t picking up the tab.
David Armstrong: It’s really up to the City Council to support the P-BID with laws and ordinances that will benefit everybody.
Cuevas: Armstrong says the fees are spurring downtown Pomona’s revitalization.
Armstrong: If we have an attractive area for people to come into, and it’s well promoted, people will come.
Cuevas: But business owner Craig Olson disagrees. He runs a storage company downtown. He pays around 19,000 dollars a year in business improvement fees, but he says they don’t benefit a business like his. Olson thinks he should be able to opt out of the tax.
Craig Olson: I would certainly support something that directly benefited us. It doesn’t benefit us at all. What I’ve asked the City Council to do tonight is to carve us out.
Cuevas: The Property and Business Improvement District will be in place for the next 10 years. It’s expected to generate more than $700,000 in fees in its first year. Much of that money is earmarked for beefed up security.