Committee to review Uptown, West Racine business improvement districts

Officials will vote tonight on approving the budgets for two of the city's "business improvement districts."

BIDs are areas where businesses are charged a fee that's used for marketing and changes in the districts that support, well, business. The money is spent by a BID board composed of business owners from the district. Generally, the largest businesses in a BID pay the most money, but also get the most votes on the board.

Tonight the Finance and Personnel Committee will consider 2011 Operating Plans for the Uptown BID and the West Racine BID.

The Uptown plan calls for a 2011 budget of $39,398. Here's a breakdown of how it would be spent:

$10,000 - Marketing
$18,600 - Streetscaping
$1,500 - Administration
$7,300 - Staffing
$1,997 - BID reserve

Twin Disc, 1328 Racine St., is the largest contributor to the Uptown BID. It's expected to pay $3,752.81 for 2011, more than double the next largest business, Albert Van Maren, 1236 Thirteenth St., at $1,515. Newman Enterprises Inc., 1601 Washington Ave., pay the third highest amount at $1,097.83.

Read the Uptown plan here.

The West Racine plan calls for a 2011 budget of $20,888. Here's a breakdown of how it would spent:

$15,000 - Program Operations (public relations, marketing and communications, promotions and event activities, streetscape)
$4,000 - Redevelopment
$500 - Administrative/Accounting
$800 - Staff
$587.40 - BID reserve

CVS Pharmacy, 1122 West Blvd., is the largest contributor to the West Racine BID. It's expected to pay $2,800 for 2011, more than double the next largest business, 1020 West LLC, at $1,048. Vicken and Zozete Baklayan, 1101 Grove Ave., pay the third highest amount at $968.

Read the West Racine plan here.

The Finance and Personnel Committee is expected to vote on the BID plans tonight.

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