Proposal for BIDs to cough up cash shelved after opposition

Auckland Council has backed down from a proposal to charge business districts hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The council had wanted Auckland’s 48 Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to start paying 70 per cent of $1.2 million counciladministered programme costs.

The North Shore’s nine BIDs were in line for a more than a $140,000 share of $860,000 council charges.

North Harbour BID manager Janine Brinsdon says before the proposal was taken off the table at the budget committee, her BID’s 4000 business members were facing a $69,000 bill.

‘‘We’re not for profit, our budget is very tight. We would have had to pass that cost on or compromise one of our programmes and without due diligence we wouldn’t have been happy to,’’ Brinsdon says.

As part of council’s Draft Long Term Plan (LTP) cost savings, a report recommended a user-pays approach be taken with BIDs.

Auckland BID managers, including Birkenhead’s Kae Condon, first felt blindsided, then appalled.

Condon says no consultation was made with the BIDs before the document landed in front of the council’s budget committee.

‘ ‘ The proposal completely cut across the spirit of transparency and accountability the BID partnership agreement has,’’ she says.

The proposal was made after BIDs, including her own, had finalised budgets, Brinsdon says.

Albany councillor Wayne Walker says months ago councillors and local board members were floated ‘ ‘ brief and insubstantial’’ BID powerpoint proposals by council officers.

‘‘One of the ideas has been picked up by officers and put on the table. Most of the information and detail has not been presented to councillors and most importantly, not the BIDs,’’ Walker says.

The BID programme provides a range of services designed to promote area business growth including marketing, promotion, business development, advocacy, training and planning.

Council officers will now talk with BIDs, Walker says.