Boundary Expansion

The steps for increasing BID boundaries are by and large parallel to the 11 steps necessary to create a BID and obtain legislative approval (see Creating a BID). A member of SBS’s staff will be assigned to assist and advise you through the boundary expansion process.

Select a Project Leader and Form a Steering Committee

The BID should select a project leader to initiate and coordinate the expansion process.  In many instances the BID executive director or a member of the BID staff is assigned to function as the project leader. Alternatively, the sponsoring organization may want to hire a consultant with specialized skills to assist throughout the process.

After a project leader has been designated, the BID is required to create a steering committee made up of property owners from both the expansion area and the current BID boundaries. Typically, this committee should include three to four property or business owners located in the expansion area as well as three local property owners or leaders from the existing BID. The project leader reports to the BID steering committee, the sponsoring organization, and SBS throughout the establishment process keeping them informed and involved in steps taken and planned as well as problems encountered and resolved.

Develop a Statement of Need

The BID should summarize the case for BID boundary expansion in a brief Statement of Need. The Statement of Need includes a description of the district, the tentative new boundaries, the services to be provided in the extended district, and the reason for expansion. The Statement of Need should be submitted to SBS, as well as to those stakeholders whose participation you would like to have throughout the BID expansion process.

Develop a Database of Property Owners and Commercial Tenants within the Tentative Expanded Boundaries of the District

Once the tentative new BID boundaries have been established, a database that contains information on the properties, property owners and commercial tenants within those boundaries must be developed.

As in the BID formation database, the BID expansion database should include the following:

• The tax block and lot numbers and address of each property
• Information on the use and assessed value of all properties
• Names of all property owners and commercial tenants
• Mailing addresses for all property owners and commercial tenants
• Fields to track which property owners support the BID and which are in opposition
• Phone numbers and email addresses for all property owners and commercial tenants (where possible)
• Worksheets to keep logs of personal phone calls and individual meetings with property owners and commercial tenants, which will be used to document outreach

(See Develop Database for specifics on gathering data)

Conduct a Needs Assessment Survey

The Steering Committee should conduct a needs assessment survey for the property owners and commercial tenants who will be included within the new, tentative boundaries. The BID should distribute and collect the surveys and tabulate the results. A concerted effort should be made to collect as many completed surveys as possible.

BID staff members are encouraged to develop their own surveys or customize the sample survey available here.

Amend the District Plan

In order to extend the BID boundaries, the BID must also amend the district plan of the organization. The revised district plan will include the expanded boundaries of the BID, the programs and services to be delivered by the BID in the expanded area, the new operating budget for the BID and the formula used to calculate the special assessment. The BID should also use this opportunity to update any incorrect or dated information in the district plan.

The revised district plan should be mailed and emailed to SBS upon completion.

Obtain Mock Run of Billing from SBS

Once the budget and assessment formula are determined, SBS can calculate how much each property owner in the expansion area should be billed by performing a mock billing run. This data allows individual property owners to know how much the BID membership will cost them.

Conduct Outreach

Similar to the outreach process that is conducted during the BID formation process, the steering committee needs the support of property owners, especially those who will be included within the new district boundaries. The BID should send an informational mailing discussing the desire of the BID to expand its current boundaries to all property owners in the district and in the tentative expanded boundaries. This mailing should include an invitation to the first public meeting as well as signature ballots.

 After holding the first and second public meetings regarding the boundary expansion, the BID should prepare and submit the following documents to SBS:

• Copy of the new district plan
• Minutes of steering committee meetings
• Copies of materials sent out in informational mailings
• Letters of support from elected officials
• Hard copy of the database
• Minutes of public meetings
• Log of phone conversations with property owners/commercial tenants
• Log of meetings with individual property owners/commercial tenants
• Copies of all newspaper articles written about the BID expansion effort

Legislative Approval

Once sufficient support is received from stakeholders during the outreach process, and SBS determines the boundary extension feasible, an Interagency Review Process (IAR) officially starts the legislative authorization process.