Niwot Business Association presents 2021 budget to LID board

The Niwot Business Association unveiled its 2021 budget at February’s monthly meeting of the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Board, prompting a discussion of the district’s 2021 finances. The board also approved a handful of funding requests, discussed topics for its upcoming meeting with the Board of County Commissioners, and got an update on recruitment for upcoming vacancies from county liaison Mark Ruzzin.

Treasurer’s Report

Up first was the February treasurer’s report from Bruce Rabeler, starting with the latest revenue figures. According to Boulder County and the state of Colorado, the district earned $21,740 in November 2020, the highest amount since December 2019 ($26,357). That brings the year-to-date total for the district to (194,755), or a 6.4% increase over the same period in 2019.

Once again, the main driver in the increase was retail sales ($13,837, up from $8,967 in Oct.), which has continued to over-perform in 2020. Through November, earnings in that category are up nearly 40% from 2019 ($102,166, from $73,121), and account for a little more than half of all LID revenue in 2020.

However, still unresolved is the potential error that could result in a reduction of up to 15% in 2020 retail revenues. And there doesn’t appear to be a resolution around the corner, according to Ruzzin.

“County finance is in regular contact with the [Colorado] Department of Revenue and brings it up on occasion, and they don't have any information to share. And that's consistent with the way other over-remittance issues have been handled.”

As for expenses, the board has approved $47,312 of its 2021 budget of $149,313 so far, or just under one-third. Adding February funding requests, totaling $10,920, jumps that to nearly 40% of the annual allotment, leaving $91,081 for the next 10 months.

Funding Requests

The board considered four funding requests, the first from Chuck Klueber of the NBA’s Streetscapes committee. He requested $4,420 to fund weekly mowing and other landscaping services in Niwot’s sculpture park, as well as cleaning, repair and maintenance of the artwork. All work will be performed by Scott Deemer and his company Outdoor Craftsmen. After discussion about the increase over the 2020 request ($4,210), the request was approved unanimously.

Before signing off from the virtual meeting, Klueber added that construction of the public parking lot west of Murray Street is now underway with the installation of the infrastructure for the electric charging stations.

Up next were Niwot Economic Development Director Catherine McHale and Eric Bergeson, also on behalf of the NBA, to request a $3,000 increase to the part-time economic development director’s salary for 2021, bringing it to $28,000 for the year.

“The NBA looked at the economic development director’s role and what Catherine is doing in this role and the amount of time that she spends and what she brings to the NBA,” Bergeson said while presenting the request. “And we decided it would be a good idea to give her a bump of $3,000 for the work that she does. At the same time, we're setting up a new set of goals for this position.”

The request was approved unanimously.

Rounding out the night’s request list was Deborah Read Fowler, who asked for a combined $3,500 for two new NBA events with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. The first is an online scavenger hunt during March that will reward players for visiting various Niwot businesses and collecting virtual leprechauns. Expenses include $1,000 for software, $270 for advertising, and $230 for flyer design and printing. Fowler requested $1,000 from the LID, with the difference to come from the NBA.

Before voting, the board had a brief discussion about the numerous pop-up events the NBA has pioneered over the last year, and how they compare to more traditional events that generate revenue through ticket sales.

“We can't really know the numbers like we do with something like Wine About Winter, where we have a head count,” member Lisa Rivard said, adding that she still supports these new events.

The board then voted 9-0 to approve it.

Fowler then requested $2,500 for Lucky Niwot Day, slated for Saturday, March 13, from noon to 4 p.m. Though it will have a St. Patrick’s Day flavor, the event will be decidedly family-friendly Fowler stressed, and green beer will not be the main attraction. Instead, an Irish poet will perform a reading at Inkberry Books, and there will be musicians, a horse & carriage, a strolling leprechaun, and Irish dancers. Other expenses include marketing and advertising. This request was also approved unanimously.

New Business

Moving on to new business, Bergeson and LID member Mary Coonce, who serve as NBA president and treasurer, respectively, made the NBA’s annual budget presentation to the board, where they previewed upcoming events for the year, and anticipated requests for LID funding. Typically, LID money accounts for more than 70% of the LID’s annual intake, and funds a majority of NBA events and projects.

For 2021, the NBA is projecting $167,952 in LID funds if all of its requests are approved, including $66,670 in infrastructure, and $73,282 in marketing and events, a substantial increase from years’ past. Buoyed by the success of recent pop-up days like Apres Ski and Holiday Magic, Bergeson and the NBA board are hoping to add more such events to the calendar.

“If we put on events that bring people to the businesses, it has much more of an impact,” he said. “We want to focus on getting people to move through town, continue this sidewalk sale format, and see if we can do some things with the more traditional events, as we have them, that do sort of the same thing.”

Bergeson said the NBA is also planning to increase its social media presence and revamp its volunteer coordination to offer new and different opportunities.

Though some of that $167,952 has already been approved, it is nearly $20,000 more than the LID’s total 2021 budget from the county of $149,313. While an aspirational budget from the NBA is nothing new (and is not subject to action by the LID board, in any event) some members seemed uneasy about the unusually high number when there’s still so much uncertainty.

Member Biff Warren, a past NBA president, attempted to put fears to rest, reminding the board that the annual budget is only 80% of annual LID revenues, so the NBA’s target is probably not going to break the bank.

“At some point, the purpose is not to build up the reserve, it's to spend it on things that enhance the business district. So even though the NBA comes in with slightly more than the whole LID budget, there usually is about $20,000 more coming in for that year,” Warren said.

Old Business

The board spent the next 60 minutes in an intense discussion about the annual meeting with the county commissioners, then scheduled for Feb. 4, but ultimately postponed due to a scheduling error. Among the topics included on the final agenda are the current “State of Niwot”, the 2018-19 moratorium, and, unsurprisingly, the 2nd Avenue alley. Given that the meeting is limited to 90 minutes, LID chair Laura Skaggs also urged the adoption of a “five-minute rule” to help the discussion stay on topic.

A new date for the virtual meeting with the commissioners has been set for Thursday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m.

In other old business, Ruzzin updated members on the search to fill three upcoming board vacancies. The county received seven applications for the open residential seat, but just one qualified application for two open business seats, leaving one position unfilled until the recruiting period opens again in the summer. In the interim, Warren agreed to extend his expiring term by another six months if necessary. Mary Coonce, a current member of the LID advisory committee, is the only person who applied to be appointed to the two business openings. Applicants for the business slots must have a business or commercial property within the LID boundaries. Applicants who qualify for the one resident opening on the board are Satir Demarco and Lane Landrith, both former LID board members, Kristin Rahenkamp and Heidi Storz, both of whom have long been active in the Niwot Community Association, Mandy Walker, who has a background in non-profit work, Leslie Weise, who has a legal background, and Elizabeth Wright, who resides just west of the Diagonal and is perhaps best known as the former owner of Winston the Pig.

The LID advisory committee will hold its next monthly meeting in virtual format on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at 7 p.m.